Impossible Sawing

The Impossible Sawing

The Impossible Sawing is the latest variation of the illusion of sawing a woman in half, and fits into the family of "box-less" sawings along with the Buzz Saw. In this version of the illusion, the assistant is sawn through and her halves pulled apart without any coverings being placed over her body at any point during the illusion.

History

The Impossible Sawing was designed and built by Creative Illusions, and first performed by Siegfried and Roy on February 1st 1999.

Performance

The performance usually begins with the introduction of a low table, designed to be split into two halves. On either side of the division in the table are low arched metal bands, hinged to the table at one end with the other end designed to be fastened to the table, and with a narrow gap between them. The magician then introduces the assistant who is to be sawn in half. Two more assistants lift the main assistant onto the table, placing her with her waist in line with the break in the tables. The magician then closes the metal bands over the assistant's waist, securing them to the table. With the assistant secured to the table, a large metal framework carrying a circular saw is attached to the table, with the saw blade lined up with the gap between the metal bands. The saw is then started and pushed through the gap between the bands, sawing the assistant in half. Having cut through the assistant, the saw is then removed and the framework moved away. The magician then inserts two small divider blades, shaped to match the profile of the metal bands, into the gap between them. With the divider blades inserted, the magician then moves to by the assistant's head and, taking hold of them below their armpits, pulls backwards. As the magician does this, the assistant's torso moves upwards on the table, separating from their lower half. The catches holding the two table halves together are then released, and the table halves are separated. As the assistant has been in full view of the audience throughout the performance, they can clearly see that the assistant actually has been cut in half and separated. The table halves are then moved back together and the assistant's torso is slid back down the table. The dividers are then removed, the metal bands unlatched, and the assistant is then lifted down from the table and shown to be completely unharmed.