Debate: Old school bone saw vs the new band saws at a shop in Portland yesterday got me thinking

I watched an old guy break down a side of beef in 8 minutes with a handsaw while the kid next to him took 15 with a fancy band saw, so which method actually keeps the meat cleaner and wastes less?

2 comments

2 Comments

gray_perez5223d agoMost Upvoted

Old school all the way for keeping things clean. Watched my dad break down a whole hog with a bone saw and the meat was pristine, no metal filings or bone dust mixed in. Band saws throw that fine dust everywhere and it gets into the meat fibers something awful. Plus you waste less with a handsaw, you can feel where the bone gives and cut exactly what you need. The speed difference is real but not worth the mess.

shane_nguyen23d ago

Haven't you ever had the bone saw bind up on you though? I've heard that can be a real pain compared to just feeding through a bandsaw.