Had to choose between hand-cutting and a bandsaw for breaking down a whole pig

Last weekend I got a whole hog from a local farm and I was stuck deciding whether to use my old hand saw or finally break out the bandsaw I picked up at a swap meet for $50. I mean, hand-cutting gives you more control for those tricky shoulder joints but man it takes forever. I went with the bandsaw just to see what the hype was about and honestly it was a game changer for the ribs and loin sections. The only problem was the fat and bone dust flying everywhere, definitely need to figure out a better setup for cleanup. But once I got past that I was done in like 45 minutes instead of the usual 2 hours. Has anyone else made the switch and regretted it or is this just me?

3 comments

3 Comments

grantthomas1mo ago

You say it was a game changer but I gotta ask, was it really worth losing that connection to the meat? Hand cutting a whole pig is a skill, not just a chore, and the bandsaw just turns it into a factory job. All that bone dust and mess you mentioned is exactly why I stick with my old saw, it keeps things clean and you feel every joint separate. Plus I bet that swap meet special is gonna need a new blade after two more hogs, so how much time are you really saving in the long run.

lee.lucas1mo ago

Hold on, wait a second. Did you just say you keep things clean with a handsaw? I mean, no offense man, but I've been around a lot of pig processing and that bone dust and blood spray gets everywhere with a hand saw. It's like a Jackson Pollock painting in there by the time you're done. Maybe it's just me but I've never seen a hand cut that didn't end up with little bone chips flying all over the place. A bandsaw at least keeps that mess contained to a specific spot, even if it is a pain to clean the blade. And calling it a 'connection to the meat' feels a bit romantic, you know? I'm just trying to get it done without having to scrub the walls.

umaprice1mo ago

Lee.lucas is right about the mess, a hand saw sprays bone dust everywhere, I've got the speckled khakis to prove it. A good bandsaw with a sharp blade, like a 3/4 inch 6 TPI, cuts clean and fast without that blown bone you get from hand sawing through a femur. But grantthomas has a point about blade life, those cheap swap meet blades dull quick on pelvic bones. I run a Lenox blade myself and get about four hogs before it starts wandering, but the time savings is real when you factor in not having to stop and wipe blood off your arms every ten minutes to grip the handle proper.