Butchers used boning saws such as this one to cut up meat carcasses. It closely resembles a handsaw for metal, in both its appearance and how it was handled. It is designed to be used with two hands, one on the end of the metal frame, and the other grasping the wooden handle. The two letters on the handle are probably the initials of its original owner. Hand sawing can be laborious, hence electric saws are increasingly used, particularly in industry.