Pit-Sawing - The timber to be cut was raised onto scaffolding or simply set over a pit. The top sawyer stood on the log and guided the saw along a line marked by snapping a string coated with chalk or charcoal. The pitman, or “donkey,” stood under the log, time after time pulling the saw down on its cutting stroke and helping to lift it back for the next pass. The transformation of a good-sized tree into planks was an arduous task that could take as long as an entire week. American builders and woodworkers used sawpits to cut lumber on building sites, to cut heavy timbers, to saw boards of expensive wood, and to saw specially-shaped pieces that were either impossible or inconvenient to obtain from mills.