Pruning saws.

Shotgun

Shotgun

Joined
Feb 3, 2006
Messages
8,250
So I like pruning saws for their weight and size and the fact that they close on themselves so no extra sheath or blade cover is necessary. And they work wonders when cutting branches. The problem I'm having with them is when I cut anything vertical like a small sapling or a branch off a tree that's blown over, it tends to bind and no matter how careful I am I tend to bend the blade. Am I doing something wrong or is this just the limitation of the tool? I'm using the Gerber/Fiskars brand. Could it be I just need a better brand?
 
I dont think, I've certainly bent my share, but its all due to me, I get ansy and want to get it done.

Taking the time and letting the saw do the cutting is the big thing, dont force it, it doesn't take much.
 
How are you cutting?

I'm certain the saw is more than adequate.... For cutting stuff down with a saw i try to be extra careful to make a down-ward, away-from-me, angled cut and pushing in the fall-direction from time to time. Also, these saws tend to be better suited to the pull-side of the cut which would mostly eliminate the bending you're experiencing....
 
Fonly's right, alot of it is just lack of patience and finesse at the end of the sawing job. Drives me nuts too. Some kerfs are designed better to prevent binding. I have Silky's Mebae fixed blade saw and it is really effective at preventing binding, the teeth cant out just a wee bit from the width of the steel stock. Fiskars' Woodzig is made from slightly thicker stock than what I see typically in folding saws, and it does a great job of keeping the blade from grabbing, jerking, blah blah blah. Makes life easier with arthritic joints, that's for sure.
 
fmajor007 said:
angled cut
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This may solve it. So simple but it never occurred to me. I normally cut perpendicular to the tree so angling it may be the trick. How much of an angle, slight or near 45*? I only apply pressure on the pull stroke and very little at that. I'm a firm believer of letting your tool do the work.
 
PayetteRucker;10307212Fiskars' Woodzig is made from slightly thicker stock than what I see typically in folding saws, and it does a great job of keeping the blade from grabbing, jerking, blah blah blah. Makes life easier with arthritic joints, that's for sure.
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its funny you mention that, fiskars has been the only style that doesn't severely tighten up my hand, I have issues in the past with arthritis, how ever its another reason why i've come accustom to light, easier to use tools, it doesn't bug me near as bad.

often wondered about that...:rolleyes:
 
As has been mentioned patience and allowing the saw to do the work are key. The other thing I do is look for the direction of fall. There's always going to be a direction the branch/limb/sapling will want to fall. I cut about a third in from this side at the start. Then I cut in from the other side to meet it. Usually that stops any binding.

The other thing I do is add a little of my bodyweight against the branch I'm cutting. This opens the cut while I make it. Kind of same principle when you're using a mid sized or small knife to take down a sapling. That make sense?

FYI I use the Bahco Laplander. I've used it all over the UK, a few places in California and Norway for Arctic training. Great bit of kit. Never broken or bent one yet, touch wood.
 
Shotgun said:
This may solve it. So simple but it never occurred to me. I normally cut perpendicular to the tree so angling it may be the trick. How much of an angle, slight or near 45*? I only apply pressure on the pull stroke and very little at that. I'm a firm believer of letting your tool do the work.
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it may be what your cutting, my experience comes from working with soft woods 4" and under, even that is quite big.

I guess at the end of the day, these are "pruning" saws, not your interpretation of pruning may difffer from mine :D but I feel these fiskars and gerber styles are suited best from ~2" soft woods, not that they wont work for a larger girth and denser wood, but they just need to be used lightly.
 
Dumb question...are your pushing/bending the sapling/branch in the same direction of the cut? Example: I'm a righty, so I'm using the saw in my right hand, place it at an angle on what Im cutting, and cut while simultaneously pulling or pushing the branch/sapling to the left with my left hand. Reverse process for lefties.

This also work when using a knife to cut as opposed to chopping or batoning through vertical stock, place the blade at a angle on the stock, rock blade up and down(pump motion) applying good pressure/leverage on the blade while pushing/pulling stock again in the same direction as the cut. This technique w/ a knife really is only good for smaller sized green wood IME. Best to use a hammer grip and cut as close to the heel of the blade as possible.

Also, yes cutting at an angle should help.

Illustration:
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I have heard from more than a few people that the quality of the saw is very important.
The two companies I have heard great things about are Bahco (the Laplander) and the Silky line of saws...the Bahco Laplander I think is about $20+ on Amazon, and the Silky saws are around $45. But, the Silky saws have a multitude of different styles...many with a pistol grip style handle to really make the pull cut easier on you.
 
My Mebae has a pistol grip, it feels quite like my revolver. Fantastic tool. Alot of old timey woodsmen make wedges with saws in thicker standing stuff-you make a V notch in the tree before sawing the rest of the way through. This way the limb is pulling as you saw through and will prevent the blade from binding.
 
Shotgun said:
This may solve it. So simple but it never occurred to me. I normally cut perpendicular to the tree so angling it may be the trick. How much of an angle, slight or near 45*? I only apply pressure on the pull stroke and very little at that. I'm a firm believer of letting your tool do the work.
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I don't think i have a specific angle (i'm just a hack), but you're probably good to go at 45 or thereabouts... I'm there with ya on letting the tool do it's job!!!
 
Thanks guys. I have some new things to try out. Now I just need a new blade. Christmas tree killed it. :rolleyes::D
 
Dave Behrens said:
Dumb question...are your pushing/bending the sapling/branch in the same direction of the cut? Example: I'm a righty, so I'm using the saw in my right hand, place it at an angle on what Im cutting, and cut while simultaneously pulling or pushing the branch/sapling to the left with my left hand. Reverse process for lefties.

This also work when using a knife to cut as opposed to chopping or batoning through vertical stock, place the blade at a angle on the stock, rock blade up and down(pump motion) applying good pressure/leverage on the blade while pushing/pulling stock again in the same direction as the cut. This technique w/ a knife really is only good for smaller sized green wood IME. Best to use a hammer grip and cut as close to the heel of the blade as possible.

Also, yes cutting at an angle should help.

Illustration:
View attachment 248250
Click to expand...

^ +1.

any saw is going to get bound up if you're cutting in a way that the wood bends and pinches the saw blade. if i can't change the direction of a cut, i will first cut a V shaped notch out, then continue the cut down the center of the notch.

p.s. i use a gerber (fiskar) sportsman.
 
I purchased a Gerber from REI.
This is the only folding saw I have that binds.
It simply got stuck, not from the wood pinching or the spring in the wood.

I replaced with a cheap gardening folding pruning saw which worked a treat

I now use the Bahco Laplander and the 15" Sven
 
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