SOL POR ENTRE AS GALLAS

Serranchíns

Os serranchíns de profesión eran os encargados de serrar a madeira para a posterior utilización na construcció das edificacións, no mobiliario interior das casas, na contrucción de embarcacións e demáis obras e utensilios fabricados en madeira.

A maioría dos serranchíns tradicionais procedían do veciño Portugal. Chegaban xeralmente en parellas e traballaban mantidos por conta dos clientes mentres duraba o traballo era costume, ademais, que lles proporcionasen ou un leito para durmir, ou polo menos un sitio para se acolleren, que podía ser un palleiro ou mesmo a lareira.

Polo xeral, quen contrataba xa tiña a árbore cortada e disposta para serrar, senón eles mesmos ían cortala e preparala. O transporte para a casa era cousa do dono, que o facía en carro ou organizando un carreto con carros da aldea e casas amigas. Xa na casa, os serranchíns márcanlle os cortes á torada, levántana e colócanlle unha punta apoiada no "burro", madeira utilizada como apoio que se realiza para a ocasión, que ten un encaixe feito a propósito, e a outro punta apoiada nunhas gallas de madeira ou cravada nuns paus rematados en puntas de ferro. Entón un dos serranchíns sobe ao pau levando canda el a serra de aire, que era semellante a un tronzador, ou serra portuguesa, que consiste nun anaco de cinta de aceiro con dentes que vai metida no medio dun bastidor de madeira. O outro serranchín colócase debaixo do pau.

Así dispostos comezan a serrar o pau, empezando pola punta libre do madeiro ata chegar ás gallas ou paus que o sosteñen. Neste momento, o que está por baixo pásaas para detrás da serra, primeiro unha e despois outra, e continúan ata chegar ao "burro" onde está a outra punta do pau, mais sen cortaren totalamente a táboa.  Logo continúan coa seguinte e así ata rematar o pau, repetindo o mesmo proceso nos seguintes.

Cando remataban nunha aldea ían a outra na procura de novos traballos. Carrexaban os utensilios do oficio ao lombo, agás do burro, que se improvisaba en cada lugar.

É sabido que a progresiva introducción de serradoiros con serras mecánicas movidas, sobre todo, por electricidade, foi desprazando o colectivo de serranchíns ambulantes ata desaparecer totalmente na actualidade.

Lumberjacks
Professional lumberjacks (serranchíns) were responsible for sawing the world to be used later on to build houses, domestic furniture, boats and other wood works and tools.

Most traditional lumberjacks came from neighbouring Portugal. They usually arrived in pairs and worked at the expense of the client for the duration of the work. It was also usual that they were given a bed to sleep on or, at least, somewhere sheltered. This could be a barn or even the heart (lareira).

Generally, the employer would have already cut down the tree and had it ready to be sawn. Should that not be the case, the lumberjacks would go to cut it down and prepare it. Transporting the wood to the house was the responsability of the owner, who would carry it on a cart or would arrange a train of carts, using those available around the village and at his friend's houses. Once at the house, the lumberjacks would mark the cuts to be applied to the piece, lift it and place one end resting on the burro (a piece of wood used as a rest made for the occasion with a carved gap created for this purpose), and the other end resting on some forked branches or inserted on wooden sticks with iron tips. Then, one of the lumberjacks would climb on top of the trunk carrying a two-man crosscut saw (serra de aire), similar to a pitsaw (tronzador), or a frame saw (serra portuguesa), that consisted of a piece of serrated steel strip fitted in a wooden frame. The other lumberjack would go underneath the trunk.

In this position, they would start sawing from the free end of the trunk until they reaches the forked branches or sticks supporting it. At this point, the lumberjack underneath would move them behind the saw, one first and then the other, and continue sawing until they reache the burro at the other end of the trunk, but without completely cutting it. They would then continue with the next one and carry on until they finished off the trunk, repeating the same process with the following ones.

When they were done in one village, they moved to the next looking for new work. They carried on their backs the tools of their trade, apart from the burro that was improvised at each location.

The progressive introduction of sawmills with mechanical saws, mainly electricity operated, took over these travelling lumberjackcs until they completely disappeared.

Técnicas artesanais tradicionais
José Antonio Fidalgo Santamariña e Fátima Braña Rey
Difusora de letras, artes e ideas SL
Ourense, 2010