Q. I have a lot of firewood to cut up, and I heard that I can build a log holder called an ``X'' that will make it easier to saw the logs. Just what is it?

STEVE LYNCH, Braintree

A. You must be new to the log cutting game, because these holders have been around for centuries. They are called sawbucks, for two reasons. One is that the saw used to cut logs is a bucksaw. The second reason is better: The ends of the sawbuck are shaped like the letter X; the X stands for 10, a 10-dollar bill, called a sawbuck. The rest is history.

Build a sawbuck: Cut two 2 x 4s three feet long, and bolt them in the shape of an X. Make a second X. Use two bolts in each X; two bolts are better than one, so the X does not collapse. Connect these two X's with a 2 x 4 or 1 x 6 where the X's cross. Connect the bottom of the X's with 2 x 4s or 1 x 6s. Such a sawbuck can take years of stress.