axe or bucksaw

S

steelheadr

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Nov 27, 2009
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Assuming I'll be carrying everything on my back or pulling it in a pulk, I've been thinking about what to carry, besides my bush sized knife, for bigger jobs. An 18-20" axe is big enough to do some good work without being too big or heavy in the pack. A foldable bucksaw is typically lighter and a bit less work getting through bigger logs.

What pros and cons are important to you? Which do you prefer and use? Is your preference different between winter and the rest of the year?

Jay
 
In the summer I generally go with a saw. Light and effective.

DancesWithKnives
 
I use a saw for firewood. In winter, I carry a bigger saw. I happen to use folding saws, made by Silky.
I also carry a hatchet, but it's more for camp-craft than preparing firewood. It does sometimes get used for splitting, but it has not been required for me.
I enjoy carrying and using both, but would sooner give up the hatchet, if made to choose.

My personal reasoning: Saws are lighter, easier to use for the uninitiated, save calories for cross-cutting, produces a nicer end product if you are going to split the traditional way, and safer to operate. I can be tired n groggy, in low-light conditions, and be perfectly comfortable sectioning a few pieces of firewood. I can also expect my camp-mate to do the same. It stacks the wood-pile faster. I find sawing wood rather soothing (unless it's seasoned oak!), and warms me up fast.

I'm picky who I let use my hatchet if any and generally will even supervise, but it is very handy, and great for projects not suited to the saw or knife. Great for quickly removing material.

I'd like to try one of those nifty hand-powered chainsaws, along with a bit of extra long cord, to get dead limbs that are too high beyond reach.
 
NaturalWorld reminded me to note that two saws I use frequently are a Silky Super Accel 210 (folder) and Zubat 330 (fixed). But I have some bucksaws as well.

DancesWithKnives
 
Saw's are much safer, but not the same amount of use as you get with an axe.

I like when teaching I can hand a saw to anyone and they know how to use it..... for the most part.:D
 
I think saws and axes do different things. I bring a GB light forest ax and use it for limbing downed and dead trees for firewood. I can move a whole lot of wood that way. I don't bother to cut those limbs into shorter lengths, I just let the fire to that for me. But it is heavy and can be dangerous. Bow saws cut the wood to length much better than an ax, but I found that a hatchet works better than a folding saw. I think the lenght of the folding saws may be too short to get a good cut.
 
hands down a saw is more efficient, for sectioning wood... and of the wood is of humble size it can be split with a bush knife if need be..
That being said I prefer an axe... an axe is more versatile, in that it can section wod as well as split, the Poll can be used as a hammer, and it can be a back up blade should you lose or break your knife (there are many an old school woodsman that used there axes for skinning) Also they are handy for beheading Goblins.
 
You know, guys always bring up the "safety" of a saw, yet every time I use a saw I get cut. Never with a hatchet or axe. WTF?
 
Tried axes, saws, hatchets and machetes;

Safety; all tools are safe many users are not, and axes/saws attract the unskilled and foolish; beware.

For moving wood nothing beats a chainsaw (too heavy for packing). However for camping use they are not required IMO. (If there is not enough downed deadwood then you are in an area that is over used (abused) and should not drop trees, especially living trees).
For limbing; again a chain saw (smaller is a bit more maneuverable).

Normally use of a chainsaw results in very large wasteful fires (too large for cooking or efficient heat; but showy).

Axes, again too heavy to pack, are for spitting the wood.

Bow saws for cutting up luggable wood into handy sections also some limbing.

Packable folding saws (not folding bow saws) normally use more energy than they are worth, IMO (their stroke is too short, limiting both the wood size and user efficiency and they are heavy for the utility they provide).

Machetes work well in the jungle but have little actual usefulness in the northern climate.

Hatchets work OK to pound in tent pegs but I haven't ever had a serious use for one (in spite of Kepart and Nesmuk).

For packing and Jeep camping my favorite wood tool is a Svensaw, folding bow saw (the large model). It cuts well and safely and packs lightly and easily and has cut many cords of wood. I recently purchased a replacement as the original, purchased in the 70s, is showing a bit of age (aren't we all). Other bow saws can cut better, some are much larger, but none, so far, are as packable for the amount of utility they provide (beware of Chinese imitations).

Enjoy!
 
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I find axes (14-19") very versatile, able to collect firewood fast and handle 90% of other camp-craft, saws are more limited in this respect and it isn't as easy to split wood with a saw. That said, I find you can neatly process much more wood with a good bow-saw.
 
I bought a pocket chainsaw earlier this year from supreme products. I got the longer one available with the handles. I was AMAZED at how that thing can blast through a log. Just shoot it on both sides with WD-40 and you can rip right through a 8-10 inch log in under a minute. It's actually really fun to use, but it will give your shoulders a workout. It folds into a can the size of snuff can not including the handles, which you don't have to use. It really does make the sven style take down saws obsolete in my opinion. And you do almost have to use WD-40 with it or the pivots get so gunked up it becomes almost unusable. Found that out the hard way when I first used it. Only thing I'm not sure about is long term durability. I've made probably 40 cuts with mine and so far so good.

I now carry the pocket chainsaw, the fine-toothed sliding gerber saw and a big chopper like an RTAK II and that's all I can imagine ever needing, no axes for me...
 
Hi Jay, I think what you said in them 3 or so sentences Just before you asked what others think WAS right on.
I carry a Axe first, it is a do it all tool. a Saw is just that a saw. I would not pound with it or try to skin with it. If I had to cut a hole in ice to get water it sure seems like it would be easyer to chop / cut a hole in ice then with a saw, and IF you ever had to defend your self from a 2 or 4 legged critter I would rather have a axe over the saw. there is just more uses for a axe over the saw. You know stuff like that. But since a saw is so light in wieght I carry one also.


Yes for me I carry a axe more in the winter for cutting up some thicker wood and for cutting holes in ice to get water.

In the spring and summer and into fall I carry a longer knife for trail and brush clearing, But for winter and getting thicker wood a nice hatchet head with with 17" to 24" handle really is a great cutting tool for the thicker seasoned wood.

Again it really is up to you and it depends on your skill level for Axe/hatchet use. If the average person ( who is interested in this stuff as we are ) were to read what Horace Kephart has to say on using a axe or hatchet and then went to the woods or wood pile and APPLIED what and how he said to use a axe, in a very short time they could become very good with that tool.

I think also you will see more saying to take the saw over the axe for a couple of reasons.
1. you can cut a lot of campfire wood with a saw.
2. it is light and easy to use.

Most are not out there camping like the oldtimers did. and unless you have your own land or really get out into the bush and away from others, using a axe makes more noise than a saw does. Some of our other fourm members have to do steath type of camping or they might not get to camp at all.

But again depending on the situation If I was giving the choice as to what tool would you/I take if only could take one tool. between the axe and the hatchet for me it would be the Axe/hatchet over the saw.

Bryan
 
When I was a young man I liked axes and hatchets. That was a long time ago though. In fact, I'm not even sure where my hatchet is, it's been so long since I used it.

These days I find that saws are the best for me and my better half. Less tiring, safer with older arthritic hands, and the grandkids can use them just fine. And if weak or injured, a saw works better with one arm out of action.

We each keep a fiskars folding saw in our daypacks, and theres a couple of Sven saws around in our camping gear. The Sven's eat up wood like a crazed beaver. The saw means less weight even with a spare blade along, and thats very important once you get past a certain stage in life. And like was said, they make less noise. Spliting can be done with a saw by just sawing halfway through a limb, then banging it on the ground with the saw cut facing down. The wood splits right along the grain. Very easy.

We love our saws.
 
19in wetterlings and gerber slide saw is all I have ever needed for backpacking. Along with a 4 to 9in fixed blade and a folder.

For car camping I use a wetterling small forest and a 21 in bowsaw with a wicked swedish bahco blade that is better than any I have used.
 
personally i love swinging an axe and i find an axe far more versatile for different jobs like some of the others have mentioned
 
i love having a chopper and a saw with me, but if i could have only one or the other, i would carry the chopper over the saw the longer that i could possibly be out, simply because it is tougher and easier to field-service IMHO.

vec
 
I'm with Dannyboy Leather on this: never chop when you can saw.

When I was young I loved to swing an axe. I liked to feel the use of my muscles, liked the skill involved.

Now that I'm older and, hopefully, wiser, I'll take the saw every time.

All you young whippersnappers have fun while you can, because there will come a time...

I'm just saying...
 
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