Picked a handsaw over the bandsaw on a 90 lb hog last Saturday

Had a 90 lb hog come in at my shop in Council Bluffs last Saturday and the bandsaw blade was shot, so I had to decide between waiting on a new blade or breaking it down by hand. Went with the handsaw and it took me about 40 minutes longer but the cuts came out cleaner around the shoulder. Ended up with less bone dust in the meat and the customer noticed the difference. Anybody else go back to hand tools when the power stuff acts up, or do you just wait it out?

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betty1441mo ago

Tbh I read something a while back from an old butcher in a Facebook group saying the same thing about hand saws leaving less bone dust. He swore the cuts heal up better on the carcass too since you're not heating the bone with the blade. Never tried it on a whole hog myself but 40 extra minutes for cleaner shoulders sounds like a fair trade. Waiting on a blade in the middle of a job just kills your whole day anyway.

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