The value of the saw....

adaman04

adaman04

Joined
Jun 9, 2009
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As much romance as there is in using a large knife or other more "manly" tool to process wood (for whatever use) the value of the saw has become extremely profound to me in the last two weeks in a couple of instances.

First, was last week when we had some hellacious winds blow through town. Roofs were damaged and lots of trees were in rough shape, lots of large limbs down, etc. Wife and I came out fine, but when driving by my grandmother's house I noticed she had what appeared to be an entire tree down. Upon further inspection, it was actually that this tree essentially split down the middle. Trunk was in tact, but all the large limbs on one side broke off competely and had fallen on her driveway blocking her car.

Not, a problem, I'll go grab the chainsaw. Of course, for whatever reason, she didn't want to start. So I could pull on this thing for 20 more minutes or just go at it with hand tools before the next storm blew through.

I had my machete and my 10 year old Gerber Gator folding saw, which still wears the original wood blade albeit bent a bit. Some of these limbs were over 9" in diameter and after trying the machete on some of the smaller ones I realized that was going to make for a long job.

So, I broke out the Gerber and cut up half of a 25-30 foot tree in to workable pieces. The energy and time savings over a machete or axe couldn't be denied. It took me about 30 minutes to work up the whole project.

Today I lashed the saw to a 1x2 and cut a truckload of 2-8" diamater limbs in my own yard.

At around 5 oz and regardless of my experience with other Geber products, the Gator folding saw with it's extremely agressive wood blade and comfortable handle has earned a place amongst my gear. I just ordered several spares online.

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I agree....A saw is a must have piece of kit. The good ones save so much time and energy, which could be very valuable in a survival situation where you wanna conserve energy and calorie burn. I have an Opinel folding saw that has seen alot of use and has held up wonderfully.

Is that the exchange a blade saw? Ive had 2 of those come apart at the pivot while sawing. After that I bought a Corona folding saw from lowes. They are really nice and comfy to use.

A couple Im interested in lately are the Silky, and those sliding fiskars/gerber saws....
 
I have a couple folding Fisker saws I bought at Homer Depot in the garden section. Cheap and pretty tough. One in the car with my kit and one in a backpack. Nice piece of kit.
 
j williams said:
I agree....A saw is a must have piece of kit. The good ones save so much time and energy, which could be very valuable in a survival situation where you wanna conserve energy and calorie burn. I have an Opinel folding saw that has seen alot of use and has held up wonderfully.

Is that the exchange a blade saw? Ive had 2 of those come apart at the pivot while sawing. After that I bought a Corona folding saw from lowes. They are really nice and comfy to use.

A couple Im interested in lately are the Silky, and those sliding fiskars/gerber saws....
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Yes, the Gator version of the E-A-B. The new E-A-B didn't impress me. Quality didn't seem to be there. I've heard the issue with most replaceable blade saws is working with the blade loose or overtightening the blade and stressing it while opening and closing it. Something to keep an eye on for sure. As far as the bargain store brands you generally find, Coleman Colghans, etc. I've always passed on them. Blades snap, handles fail, whatever. I've flexed the blade on my original Gerber many times. I just bend it back to "close enough" and get back to work.

The issues I've heard of with sliding Gerber/Fiskars saw is that the tension screw wears out and can't lock the blade in position, rendering the saw useless. That's why I've become so fond of the folder.
 
I always carry a Sierra style folding saw in my pack. I find it far easier and more precise at some tasks than a knife or ax.

When riding 4X4 trails, and car camping, I also have a gas powered chain saw in the back of the old 4Runner. Gotta have the right tool for the job. :D
 
If I can not break the wood I need for a fire I always use a saw. I know how to use a axe, but a saw just take so much less effort for me.

Geoff
 
I use a Silky Super Accel 210. It costs a little more initially, but it pays for itself in a number of ways. I went through a number lesser, cheaper saws before I wised up. I can't understand why so many people think nothing of spending hundreds of dollars on a knife, but balk at spending $35 on a decent saw, like the Silky.

Those of you who are older probably know about how much more efficient saws are than choppers for many things. You young whippersnappers, well, your time will come when chopping is not as much fun anymore, but but simply a chore that leaves you sore.

The older you get, the more you'll appreciate a good saw.
 
If you're gonna process wood, get the tools - a saw, a splitter, and a carving device. If any of those can tools can be combined in one - great!

As dawsonbob mentioned, here on bladeforums it seems we have the splitting and carving tools quite well covered in all manners and prices, but a good saw is thankfully not quite as spendy as most of the blades here!

Vive la sawvivor!!!!
 
Try a saw with a longer blade, 13 inch blade is nice to keep in a vehicle. Hubby keeps a 10 inch nonfolding saw in his pack. Saws with longer blades take less effort to cut wood.
 
I think for the scenario the OP describes, a good old fashion buck saw is what he wants. They severely out cut those folding lawn trimmers any day.
 
Started out with the Gerber Gator Exchange-A-Blade Saw with spare (Fine) blade and sheath, then, in the interests of lighter weight bought the Fiskars/Gerber/Wilkinson Sword Sportsman Saw.

Followed that with some Bacho Laplander Saws at ridiculously low special offer prices.

Saws are good, useful tools, especially small, lightweight saws which are more likely to be carried. I prefer the Sportsman for its virtual weightlessness!

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The blade on my gator saw also bent, it then snapped while I was bending it back:mad:
 
I have never tried one of the Bacho/gerber style saws but i have a small Sawvivor and love it. I always take it backpacking with me. It's Much more worth it's weight than the Gerber sport axe my backpacking partner always brings.
 
There is no doubt that a bucksaw or a bowsaw is a more capable saw. Good folding saws are something you can put in your pack and keep it there and the extra 5 oz. isn't going to weigh you down. 90% of the wood I cut is 5" or under and a saw like these works great. A 30" bowsaw is more capable for sure, but the ability to stick it in your day pack starts to fall off. :D
 
The take down Sven saw is the best saw out there for either camping or survival. The smaller 15 inch model takes down to a slim package that goes in a small daypack so well, you forget it's there till you need it. Being supported at both ends, theres little chance of bending, let alone breaking it. A spare blade weighs almost nothing.
 
Hey! You are right on. Knives and axes came first, then someone got smart and came up with saws. As a young kid I learned to 'ride' the other end of a crosscut saw and my old man and I cut many eight to ten foot diameter oak trees to fulfil fence post and mine squeeze block contracts. You can't beat a saw when you want to separate one piece of wood from another.
 
Iboschi said:
Could you link that? I've never heard of that. Or outline the process. Thanks!
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Ray Mears splits wood with a Bahco Laplander > link

Another wood splitting video >>> link

:D

I am actually a bit surprised that I didn't see more mentions of the Bahco Laplander - it is a great saw (almost legendary) - it is pretty light, cuts great, is pretty small, locks open, locks closed, uses replacable blades, and is not terribly expensive ($31 delivered from Amazon)

Bahco Laplander vs Silky PDF > link

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