Pruning saws

I got the Zubat and really like it. It cuts much better than my corona. I'm not sure about the case. It does nto hold the saw as securly as I would like, and I have already put a bunch of cuts on the bottom opening from taking the saw in and out of the case. I like how it swivels and it has not fallen out yet. --Great saw!!
Yesterday I ordered a Husky 335xpt "california special" 45cc from Baileys, I can't wait for that little bad boy to get here.
Greg
 
I just read this entire topic and did'nt see what I think is a very important point:
the Silky saw is a high carbon content blade. It cuts great but will not flex as much as say a fanno.
If you have a heavy hand watch out for those silky blades they tend to shatter. Otherwise I really like the way they cut.

frans
 
Hey all -
I've been using a Zubat for over a year now, and it's all I use for cuts under 10". My 020T gets a much needed rest in between removals. A blade will typically last me between 5 and 7 months of heavy-duty everyday use. I love the curved blade action, much better than a straight blade, in my opinion. The rubber handle is great for absorbing shocks, and the blade doesn't loosen up after using it over and over like a Fanno does. The most I do in the way of sharpening is to spray the blade with brake cleaner of WD-40 and take a small flathead screwdriver and clean out the edges.
By the way, Mark, thanks for the great leg saw scabbard. I've been using it for the past six months now, and it's out of this world. I'll see you at the summer meeting, Buddy.
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Also these new baldes are case hardened, there is only a few mills of hard metal over a soft core. If you grind them down you will get to the soft stuf that dulls real quick.

I aclled around and found Alexander Equipment sells replacemnt blades for under $30 for 5 or more. I got a zubat hand saw and 9 ft pole saw. Snapped a handsaw blade after 3 months of use. They don't dull though and I will go at 5 inch wood with it, not manly enough to go for the 10 inch stuff. I get itred just thinking of it
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i notice the "Ibuki"is a lil'higher priced and proclaimed to be more aggressive. Anyone try it? It would be my other choice for moving to Silky, for i believe in the extra force i can squeal on top of a curved blade/handle from more positions.

My big hero JP isn't what enough? Huh?
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! You ever get my check for the second run of those T-shirts for my guys dude?
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This is my opinion of the Ibuki Mr. Spyder. It's the same as a Zubat, but longer. I made a cut on a log at the request of a Wall Industry rep. at a TCI Expo. My impression of the saw was the saw would not perform any better than the Zubat since I couldn't finish the cut using a full stroke of the blade. It cut too aggressively to take advantage of the blade's extra length.
On the other hand, I recieved a tip about the Ibuki. Another climber gives the saw a month of daily use before 1 can take advantage of the saws' entire length. He loves the saw.

Back to the original posters' question: I learned to sharpen only the tip of tricuts. I learned this when I bought a Corona hand saw. Sharpening instructions came with it.
I didn't appreciate the extra time I put into sharpening one with the performance of the saw after I touched it up with a file. I won't spend the time to sharpen 1 since I'm not sure I'm doing it properly.

I do use a Silky now and in spite of it's cost, I find my performance when pruning is better. I make use of the hand saw more now than at any time in my career. Sharpening the saw is not an issue, but cleaning it as often as I can remember to do so is an issue. This should be done daily according to the manufacturers' instructions and I do try to clean it daily. I use dish washing liquid to clean it, and wd-40 to lube it. Sometimes I just lube it. The saw cleans up quick and easy when done often. It does perform better clean.

Joe
 
I use an ARS blade and hand sharpen about once every 2 months( depending on what its cutting).A blade lasts about a year.Its like chainsaw sharpening as you practice you get better. I use a little triangle file and do all four faces in about 1/2hour.I guess I hate throwing things away.We choose these blades because you can sharpen them. Are the Silkys Hardened or can they be sharpened?
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Joe
You have to sharpen valleys and tips and yes you can damage the files.It takes persistance and practise but they do come up nice an sharp.
Hey Spyder: WE make our own scabbards because off the cutting you mentioned.Solid moulded nylon back , leather front,replaceable rollers etc we laugh at some of the cattledog pictures off scabards.
 
Hi, Rob;

The Silkys are impulse hardened. It's possible to have them professionally sharpened, but from my understanding, they're ment to be used then thrown away.

I bought a file that was designed to be used to sharpen all sides of tri-cut handsaws. I still wasn't pleased with the results. I followed the sharpening instructions for my corona, which showed I was to sharpen the tip of the teeth. The results weren't satisfactory enough to continue sharpening the blade. I'll stick with the Silky. Using 1 made my job easier and more efficient. I don't want to give up my performance to save a few bucks.

Joe
 
The shirts are all ready for me to ship out, just gotta get to the post office. But then you probably figured that out since we talked on Sunday.

Hey Joe, do you know what impulse hardening is? I fugure it is a case hardening method so you have a few microns of hard metal around a soft core.
 
OK... I have never tried the Silky.. I am going out on a limb here... You all should try the ARS saw. It may be a little hard to find, but for fine tree pruning you cannot beat this saw. You can abley cut up to 4" and not be laboring to hard.. The finished cut is like GLASS. Kinda spendy tho.
 
JPS, from what I know about hardening processes, it is not a matter of coating one material over another. Instead, it's subjecting the metal to sudden temperature changes to modify it's character.

This is something that dates far back and was well known by blacksmiths. By heating a metal piece in the coals, they were able to mold with hammers as we all know. Perhaps you've seen film or photographs were the iron is dipped in water. Yes, it cools it, but it hardens the metal as well.

The faster the metal cools, the harder it sets. This makes for hard, stiff metal. If allowed to cool slowly, the metal retains more of it's flexibility which may or may not be desirable. That's what I understand about hardening.

My dad is sold on resharpening blades because for a fairly small price, you can extend the life of the blade. On the other hand, none of the employees will touch his blades and prefer their own varieties which they treat as single use.

Nickrosis
 
Louie
Hows TX.... hot I imagine...its snowing here in the hills.As I said we replaced the back with solid Nylon moulded at the handle with replaceable rollers and another small nylon gaurd(replaceable as well)where the saw goes in.Leather front with secature pouch and knife pouch(rescue knife) below.
REALLY liked the Idea off Mark's off attaching to calf area!!Takes the clutter of the Harness.We have already adapted one to trial it.
Thanks Mark!!
 
Joe
Does that mean if you could afford to you would throw away chainsaw chains??Or do you take thm to be sharpened for you? It not just about saving afew bucks,although that can be important in any bussiness.Its a good skill to have in the tool bag.
Louie
Just to explain abit more .We have a nylon roller on the side where the teeth enter the scabbard.This wears out of course,but is guided on both sides by nylon.Arrghh wish i could send a pic....anyway hope this helps.
 
My mistake! the back of our handsaw scabards is actually HDP(high density polyeuethane)sheeting about 3mm.Apparently the stuff they make bullet proof vests out off.We got sent this by mistake, but it could come in handy if some one starts shooting at you in the tree.
 
Thanks for the link to the Silky site. Just a note regarding the chrome plating on saw blades.

Chrome is a lot harder than the steel of the tooth. This makes for a long-lasting edge. If the manufacturers did not go to the trouble of having their stock plated, cutting performance would be very short lived.

This benefit applies to chainsaw teeth as well. The chrome coating is like armor for the tooth. Modern cutting edge technology is a wonderful luxury we should not take for granted.


Click here for Arboreally Yours website
 
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