I have been in need of fixing up my chicken coop. I built it from scraps that where piled up, old doors, old pieces of lumber and plywood, scrap wood. Turned out really good for about a year. It's still really sturdy but bears and wild animals are taking a toll on its outside. I have been really wanting to get a truckload of pallets and reconstruct a new one but My truck is down and out for now.

What I want to learn to do is cut planks of wood with a handsaw. I have a couple chainsaws, things like that. & and a lot of hand tools, all different kinds of saws, a circular saw, jig saw, planers, etc.

What would be the easiest way to do this if I were to drag out an 8 foot section of log and set it up.

Want to use the chainsaw as little as possible. Need it for firewood this year or I'll freeze and die.

Well, you have to cut the log lengthwise, do you have the ability to do that ?

A chainsaw is not going to work that way, would be difficult, and probably wreck your chain saw. Is there a mill nearby so that you can get the log planked ?

Why not buy wood already milled?

You need two people eventually, gosh, now you are going to find out what problems early settlers had

Yea there are plenty of mills around here. All I have is 15 cents.

Might just build a little log cabin for them to live in... With ma bear hands and an axe.

Where I live, people are so glad to get rid of pallets that I'd bet they'd deliver them.
In frontier days, people used an adze and a series of wood or stone wedges down the length of the log, to split rough planks. Then if they were lucky they owned a plane.

You will burn out your arm trying yo use a hand saw. Go to a mill and see if they will give you the side cutoffs from truing a log before making a cant.