tree pruners

[Cliff Stamp]

I have been using a set of these recently mainly as I was working with my nephew who like most kids now has no experience with axe or knives of any kind and giving an axe to someone who spends hours playing Halo II is more than a bit dangerous. I tried some saws, but quickly had one broken, as the japanese ones are easily cracked if you push on them. I then tried something similar to this :

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B0000TWZZE.01-A2P8BTIID048U5._SCMZZZZZZZ_.jpg

Now they are really limited compared to a knife, they come in a few types, some of the lighter ones have fairly sharp blades and can cut ropes and such, and the really heavy ones work more like wire cutters and have little knife like ability. However the upside is they are very safe and can do a lot of work and will easily cut fairly thick branches both dead and life and of soft and medium density woods.

I don't see these as much use compared to a blade/axe (aside from root or over head trimming) and they are fairly heavy. But they can some in handy if you have to depend on someone who doesn't have much experience, and I doubt that there are many legal issues with carrying them.

-Cliff

 

[Temper]

As poor as Gerber knives are, their saws are still excellent for the money. I use a Exchange-A-Blade all the time when I'm out, it stays really sharp and cuts on both the push and pull.

I dont like the Japanese saws for exactly this reason, give me a Euro saw any day of the week.

 

[Kevin the grey]

I agree with Temper I have a folding Gerber push pull saw that just fits in my back pocket . Can,t carry knives where I live . This puppy actually flics open with just wrist pressure ! But I digress . I have had it for years . While a little short for everyday use . (Mine has a five inch blade .) They are tough puppies . One word though , My model has tempered teeth . I don,t know if it could be sharpened by hand . As I said I have proabably cut close to a cord of wood with this and it still cuts fine . I,ve never oiled it and the handle gets banged around a lot !

 

[x39]

I sometimes carry small pruning shears to cut firing lanes when I intend to hunt from a stationary position. Pretty handy.

 

[Horned Toad]

Clippers are very handy for building a hide site if you dont want to make alot of noise chopping on things

 

[Cliff Stamp]

I used a Gerber which cut on the pull, fairly low end, ~$10, not impressive. I keep meaning to try another as I hear how they are so much better than the one I used.

The Japanese saws are nice in that they are very versatile, they can cut lots of things besides woods, but the durability is really low. I like the swede frame saws for just wood work but they are much heavier and bulky and problematic for limbing.

You can sharpen the teeth on these saws, even the impulse hardened ones which are basically full hardness, you just need diamond rather than metal files. Some of the tooth patterns have very complex grinds though, two to four cuts.

-Cliff

 

[x39]

Cliff, have you ever tried the aluminum framed folding Swede saws? I haven't personally, but they look like a nice rig for heavier cutting than the run of the mill pocket saw.

 

[Thomas Linton]

If children are using them, there are types with mechanical advantage built-in.

The picture looks like the "anvil" type. The bypass type use lesss effort and, if disassembled, the main blade is typically a trailing point knife that can be used for game proceessing (while cussing yourself out for not bringing a proper knife in case of fresh roadkill).

 

[mewolf1]

I always carry a pruner when I'm hunting. It makes short, quiet work out of brush and limbs1" and smaller. I too have used it for the collection of materials for various projects like willow shoots for arrows, back rests,fish traps. The shear is a stealthy tool. Get one with a bright handle color for WHEN you leave it behind inadvertantly it will be easier to find.

 

[Kevin the grey]

Mewolf what are you doing with my pruners ! L:O:L Actually my pair like that went by the wayside . I have an even cheaper Wal-mart pair now . Fit in the pocket though I am leary of carrying pointy things in my pockets .

Cliff , opinions are so subjective . My Gerber is great . I think it is the model before the interchangeable blade model came out . I consider it great as a folder and in truth I have only used folders in my life . It is more than good enough for the occassional 1 inch and larger branch I come across and I have proabably cut that cord of wood I talked about . Its still just a folder that I have with me so I will always have a tool like that with me . I can,t say it is more than a great back up tool as it is all I have used it for .

 

[Cliff Stamp]

Cliff, have you ever tried the aluminum framed folding Swede saws? I haven't personally, but they look like a nice rig for heavier cutting than the run of the mill pocket saw.

Yes, they are very nice for bucking and handling heavy dead fall, much more efficient than the folding pruners. They are awkward for the inexperienced though and unless you have decent wrist strength don't work well one handed. They are also fairly large and thus don't limb well and can't handle smaller woods due to the large tooth pattern.

If children are using them, there are types with mechanical advantage built-in.

I'll take that as well.

The picture looks like the "anvil" type.

Yes that one seems safer to me as it is fairly difficult to cut yourself with and in general just seems safer for kids, it is fairly limited though compared to the ones with sharp blades which as you noted can be improvised in a variety of ways.

.... opinions are ....

Different saw, the one I had was cut with a very coarse chisel pattern, similar to a rough cut skillsaw blade, a small SAK could match its cutting peformance and had much better edge retention.

-Cliff

 

[Kevin the grey]

What most imprssed me was its durability . Not that the handle ever took much more abuse other than being sat upon .(no jokes about the size of my butt !) The handle felt real light duty to me . Kinda a real light plasticky feel and I said well this is one for the backyard . It still looks like it came outa the box after years . Same way for the blade . While I don,t make a habit of twisting saw blades This puppy is still good to go . I honestly couldn,t tell you how it was hardened beyond one surface of the tooth looked slightly blued . I don,t know what style cut is on the teeth beyond it looks like too many surfaces for this old boy to keep them all lined up for sharpening.The back edge of some teeth even has a little round in it kinda like a chainsaw . Honestly the little round could just be the tooths way of slowly giving up the ghost or a way to scoop out sawdust from the cut . No matter what I can flick her open one handed and get to a quick emergency job in a hurry .

 

[mete]

My old Gerber folding saw has teeth like a chain saw and is sharpened with a chain saw file .I find it excellent for cutting bone and wood, it's only 3 oz....Pruning shears come in too types , the scissor type , best for cutting green wood. The anvil and blade type best for cutting dry wood . There are also types that have greater mechanical advantage.