The existing e tools with saw edges (ie, Condor) are too short to be useful. Furthermore they dont offset the teeth, so you can't get a real saw-kerf, which means you can only cut about 1/2" deep. In addition, they dont have sense enough to remove the curve of the shovel blade on the saw edge side of the shovel. I wanted a blade that's wide enough and long enough to actually move some dirt, even after I "slanted" the saw side enough to give me an 8" saw blade. When you need to be discrete, the noise and flashy movement of chopping are big "no-no's'. You're also a lot less likely to hurt yourself with a saw than you are by chopping. When you're exhausted, starving, cold, have dysentery, in the rain, wind, snow, slimy conditions, chopping can spell disaster for you, really easily!
I had to cut down a full sized shovel with the angle grinder, and then use a metal blade to start cutting the teeth, finishing with the Dremel and the paired cutoff disks. Of course, this required first polishing the blade to white metal and then laying out the line with Dykem blue. Had to turn down the rpms a lot to have enough control to properly shape the saw teeth and getting the offset, by hand, with a drift punch, vise and caliper. The bigger shovel blade hasnt changed the handling for use as a knife or hatchet. I also added an easily removed D handle, cause driving that blade into hard ground, with the issue handle, is really rough on your hands.
Of course, if you have to do a lot of dirt or snow excavation, hoeing or adze work, you'll need to make either a full length handle or one that offers a right angle turn. The latter can be hard to find in the woods, and if all you can find is pines/spruce, they dont' make for a very strong handle.
While the curve of the blade only lets me cut about 2.5" deep, that's enough. If you saw 2.5" deep all the way around an 8" tree or log, you can just break off the remaining 3" OD core. For a bugout, I can't think of any reason to be cutting larger stuff, even if you need to make a raft.. You can't carry the kitchen sink. Lots of gear has to be cached at your BOL and along the route, if the trip is long, and if a long term situation is your issue. The BOB stuff has to be held to about 40 lbs, cause you can easily need to be able to run, drop prone (while being shot-at) jump up, repeat.
I had to cut down a full sized shovel with the angle grinder, and then use a metal blade to start cutting the teeth, finishing with the Dremel and the paired cutoff disks. Of course, this required first polishing the blade to white metal and then laying out the line with Dykem blue. Had to turn down the rpms a lot to have enough control to properly shape the saw teeth and getting the offset, by hand, with a drift punch, vise and caliper. The bigger shovel blade hasnt changed the handling for use as a knife or hatchet. I also added an easily removed D handle, cause driving that blade into hard ground, with the issue handle, is really rough on your hands.
Of course, if you have to do a lot of dirt or snow excavation, hoeing or adze work, you'll need to make either a full length handle or one that offers a right angle turn. The latter can be hard to find in the woods, and if all you can find is pines/spruce, they dont' make for a very strong handle.
While the curve of the blade only lets me cut about 2.5" deep, that's enough. If you saw 2.5" deep all the way around an 8" tree or log, you can just break off the remaining 3" OD core. For a bugout, I can't think of any reason to be cutting larger stuff, even if you need to make a raft.. You can't carry the kitchen sink. Lots of gear has to be cached at your BOL and along the route, if the trip is long, and if a long term situation is your issue. The BOB stuff has to be held to about 40 lbs, cause you can easily need to be able to run, drop prone (while being shot-at) jump up, repeat.
Last edited: