Chain saw carpentry

I am always amazed at how the ingenuity of Romanians and how they can put things together out of the meagerest of materials. Construction is an interesting science here. I listened to chain saws for several weeks as they were transforming the second floor from an open attic to four bedrooms with adjoining bathrooms and a large sitting area. Night after night the chain saws buzzed. I can not in my wildest dreams imagine using a chain saw for sawing two-by-fours to fit with any precision, and yet, I hear the buzz of chain saws all over town. It seems to be the tool of choice for housing construction, both rough carpentry and finish carpentry.

For the holidays this year, a tiny city for Santa's elves has been constructed. Most of it is made up of lean-to's, but one of the buildings will apparently become a permanent feature of the park. It is a log cabin type of construction with huge balsa logs snugly forming a cozy little house. This cabin took several days to construct and the chain saw was the only tool in sight. As I look at the completed building, it is difficult to realize that it is so perfect.

Every time there is construction, it seems that the structure is encased in scaffolding, whether it be new construction or remodeling efforts. I do not recall seeing such a thing at home. I can not tell if it is because they are afraid the house will fall apart before they get the plaster on to hold it all together, because as I watch structures going up I am surprised that they stay up. Or whether it is because they don't have ladders and it is easier to build an external catwalk to maneuver around the work area. It is a toss-up.