Square_peg
Gold Member
- Joined
- Feb 1, 2012
- Messages
- 13,799
Apologies for going off topic but I thought you guys be be interested in this.
My darling daughter gave me a Silky folding saw for Solstice. It's a pretty amazing tool. Along with Tajima saws, Silky makes top-of-the-line folding saws. And Silky makes larger saws than Tajima.
This new one is a 14" folder. It's quite large - the largest that will stay in a Carhart side pocket. I truly wished for a 12" model but they were out of stock when this one was purchased.
For the past several years I've carried a Tajima 10" folder on many of my day hikes and most of my trail projects and habitat restoration projects. The Tajima G240 is a powerful little saw. It cuts way bigger than it looks. Yet it's still limited by its 10" length. Hence my desire for one of the larger Silky saws.
Here's the 14" Silky saw alongside a 33" Plumb axe for scale.
I took this saw out on a WTA (Washington Trails Association) work party today. I needed to see how it would perform. To run it through its paces I used it to cut off a 15" blow-down maple stump. 15" stumps aren't what one normally considers appropriate for a folding saw. But after my experience with the Tajima and seeing how very similar the Silky construction is I felt confident that the Silky could handle a 15" maple.
Thankfully I had a sharp Pulaski along with me to aid the saw. If you haven't used a modern Japanese pull saw lately than you've missed out on a true modern marvel. These saws are cutting machines. Thin kerfs and very aggressive teeth.
The Silky was advertised as having 8.5 teeth per inch. My old Tajima has 9 tpi. I prefer a little finer teeth on my folding saws because they handle small branches better and also handle very hard woods better.
Checking the Silky's teeth with a tape measure I found that it actually has 9 tpi. But the teeth are a little deeper than the 9 tpi Tajima saw's. The difference was noticeable in the Silky's difficulty at cutting smaller branches. But on the larger stuff the Silky ROCKS!!!
I made it through this 15" maple in less than 10 minutes. That's very quick for a folding saw.
It made a pretty clean cut, maybe not as clean as a good crosscut saw but impressive for a folder.
Now I'm torn between the 10" Tajima and the 14" Silky. Most of my work can be down with the 10" Tajima and it carries easier. But the Silky can handle much larger work. I really wish I had found a 12" Silky with fine teeth. They used to make an 11 tpi model. I think a 12" with the fine teeth would have been the best compromise.
The build of Silky and Tajima saws is so similar that I suspect they're made in the same factory. I have found nothing online to collaborate this idea. But the design is virtually identical. The 10" Silky looks just like my 10" Tajima. I'm sure the blades are interchangeable. Whichever brand you choose I'll think you will immediately recognize that you're using a very fine tool.
My darling daughter gave me a Silky folding saw for Solstice. It's a pretty amazing tool. Along with Tajima saws, Silky makes top-of-the-line folding saws. And Silky makes larger saws than Tajima.
This new one is a 14" folder. It's quite large - the largest that will stay in a Carhart side pocket. I truly wished for a 12" model but they were out of stock when this one was purchased.
For the past several years I've carried a Tajima 10" folder on many of my day hikes and most of my trail projects and habitat restoration projects. The Tajima G240 is a powerful little saw. It cuts way bigger than it looks. Yet it's still limited by its 10" length. Hence my desire for one of the larger Silky saws.
Here's the 14" Silky saw alongside a 33" Plumb axe for scale.
I took this saw out on a WTA (Washington Trails Association) work party today. I needed to see how it would perform. To run it through its paces I used it to cut off a 15" blow-down maple stump. 15" stumps aren't what one normally considers appropriate for a folding saw. But after my experience with the Tajima and seeing how very similar the Silky construction is I felt confident that the Silky could handle a 15" maple.
Thankfully I had a sharp Pulaski along with me to aid the saw. If you haven't used a modern Japanese pull saw lately than you've missed out on a true modern marvel. These saws are cutting machines. Thin kerfs and very aggressive teeth.
The Silky was advertised as having 8.5 teeth per inch. My old Tajima has 9 tpi. I prefer a little finer teeth on my folding saws because they handle small branches better and also handle very hard woods better.
Checking the Silky's teeth with a tape measure I found that it actually has 9 tpi. But the teeth are a little deeper than the 9 tpi Tajima saw's. The difference was noticeable in the Silky's difficulty at cutting smaller branches. But on the larger stuff the Silky ROCKS!!!
I made it through this 15" maple in less than 10 minutes. That's very quick for a folding saw.
It made a pretty clean cut, maybe not as clean as a good crosscut saw but impressive for a folder.
Now I'm torn between the 10" Tajima and the 14" Silky. Most of my work can be down with the 10" Tajima and it carries easier. But the Silky can handle much larger work. I really wish I had found a 12" Silky with fine teeth. They used to make an 11 tpi model. I think a 12" with the fine teeth would have been the best compromise.
The build of Silky and Tajima saws is so similar that I suspect they're made in the same factory. I have found nothing online to collaborate this idea. But the design is virtually identical. The 10" Silky looks just like my 10" Tajima. I'm sure the blades are interchangeable. Whichever brand you choose I'll think you will immediately recognize that you're using a very fine tool.
