silky versus corona handsaws

[IanB]

Just another rave for Silky -

I use the BigBoy 360 and the Gomboy 210 with "fine teeth" blades. Nothing else comes close to the velvet-smooth cut surfaces they leave. Customers notice, and appreciate, this detail.

Both saws are folding, but the locking mechanism is rock-solid. (I like my pruner and saw scabbards on the leg straps of my harness.) (Although I am tempted to get one of the curved, fixed-blade models for more aggressive cutting.)(Also thinking of getting one of the new PocketBoys for things like laceleaf maples.)

I prune because I want to give trees the best care possible - and if it weren't for Silky, I don't know how I'd get the job done.

 

[Tom Dunlap]

[ QUOTE ]
I've never broken a Silky blade in a handsaw or polesaw.

[/ QUOTE ]

That statement was a jinx!

Today I was using my Longboy to cut off a dead oak limb. The limb was going away from me at a bit of an angle. About half way through the cut the branch hinged and jammed the blade. By smacking the bottom of the Longboy I was able to free the blade and continue cutting. Then it jammed again...and broke when I tried to jiggle it out.

I'm going to get my micrometer out and see if the Longboy blade is thinner than the Zubat. It seems like it is a bit more flexible. Now I'll order two blades for the Longboy. One to replace and one to save. This should mean that my positive jinx will keep from ever breaking a second blade

 

[matty]

i think i broke the tip or more! off every corona i ever used,never done that on a silky ..try a larger zubat...ive found them the dogs...evan the cheapo silky excels out performed any corona ive used.

 

[jimmyq]

I have broken a gomtaro blade and a gomboy blade. both got pinched and I got armstrong on them. since then I have pinched my zubat polesaw blade a number of times and with careful working, released it. The last time was Monday when I had to climb up, take the blade off the pole and put my blade from my handsaw (also a silky zubat) in the pole, recut the leader, let it fall and dodge the falling formerly stuck blade all is well now.

 

[treehumper]

Broke the tip off my zubat. It bound on a norway maple and snapped on the backstroke. Not very happy.....

 

[KyLimbwalker]

[ QUOTE ]


Tom, you might be on to something here. My scabbards last me a longggg time, and I also keep mine on my leg. Hmmmm



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I stopped using the Silky scabbards- I had too many problems with the buckles coming loose. Also, sawdust would pack in. I now use a Samurai (Silky would work as well) with the old leather scabbard. Works great. I think the plastic scabbards are the problem, not where you wear them.

 

[Tom Dunlap]

The solution to sawdust packing in any scabbard is do drill a drain hole at the bottom of the scabbard. Lay the saw on the outside of the scabbard. Make a mark where the tip of the saw is. That's the center of the drainage hole. I drill a 1/8" pilot hole then follow up using a hole saw with the pilot bit setup really short. Use the largest diameter hole saw that will still leave a bit of scabbard on the edge. This idea works for the Silky scabbards and belting ones too. Stay back from the stitching about 1/8".

 

[KentuckySawyer]

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I now use a Samurai (Silky would work as well)

[/ QUOTE ]

Just not as well!

 

[Blinky]

I broke the blade on a Longboy a week or so ago... by, ummm, dropping it about 30'. I can tell you they rotate to head down really fast when they're falling because not a week later while using a DIY leash I snagged the clip in some twigs and watched it drop 65', just brushing one branch and sticking straight up, head down (folded). That cost me the top plastic compession sleeve and a slightly ovaled lower pin hole.

I made a better hook for it (anybody got a good hook design for Longboys?) and it's been easier to keep up with... been doing a lot of twiggy, spreading oaks lately. I just took it apart and cleaned it and made it a little more shipshape.

That's two hard knocks and I think I used it more yesterday than I ever have in a single day before... it's working fine, I don't miss that compression latch at all.

Better lucky than good, that's what I always say anyway.

 

[Tom Dunlap]

Silky does make a hook for their polesaw heads.

 

[jimmyq]

re the hook, yes indeed, my local supplier showed me one last week and asked what it was for the silky guys just sent it to him with his last order, I sent him links to the thread here about it and showed him on a number of saws how it hooked up, so Canadian folks should be able to get them soon as he is the Canadian dealer for wholesale Silky stuff. www.bigbeartools.com

 

[Blinky]

I was under the impression it only fit the Hayauchi. Does it fit a Longboy?

 

[familytree]

while using a silky the other day a section of it became disconnected, both the button and latch failed, the remaining piece still on the limb swung and the became dislodged from the branch and fell into an above ground pool cover, punctured the cover and almost cut the ground man operating the silky, the cover is gonna cost the company 500 to fix, we had a angry homeowner and almost an injured ground man, i will no longer use the silky on jobs, regardless of how helpful they use to be

 

[Tom Dunlap]

The hook is on my Longboy.

Familytree,

Do you know why or how the latch failed? Did a branch hit the cam and flip it open? It would help the rest of us who use Silky polesaws know so we know what to watch out for.

 

[familytree]

honestly, i got one story from the ground workers, i was working in a larger silver maple trimming and had the ground guys polesawing some of the lower branches. the story as i was told is that they had difficulty engaging the button but after some fiddlin around they where able to get the button to engage and then they closed the latch, i was overhead about to make a cut and i looked down first to check if all where clear, i saw them workin on the branch i had mentioned and waited and thats when i saw the pole saw come apart, i know that all three sections of the pole saw where extended and we had our largest worker sawing for height purposes. he wasnt struggling, there was nothing wrong with the way he was cutting, he had smooth clean strides and thats when everything failed, after i got out of the tree i noticed the button was acting up, the pole now was bent slightly and the button was gone, all could have happened from the fall, personally ive never had a silky come apart like that on me but all i can do is take the word of those i rely on, we were lucky that only a pool cover suffered a punture that day

 

[MikePoor]

The hook or lack of it on the silky pole saws is my only complaint. The hook they make to add on is only good to hang on small branches. also when I'm in the tree tops I like to recrotch using my polesaw and the silky hook can't be used to push rope up & over a crotch. So I made a hook out of "dura-plate" here is a photo!

 

[treesandsurf]

not bad! you would think they would have built a traditional hook on the pole saws by now. Maybe they aren't targeting the arborist folks?

jp

 

[Tom Dunlap]

The button latches on my Longboy started to stick just a little. A drop of liquid silicone fixed that.

Doing a pre-climb inspection of all equipment is just as important as life support gear. If a tool isn't in A1 working condition it fails and needs to be repaired or retired.

 

[Tom Dunlap]

The Silky hook on a Longboy.

 

[Tom Dunlap]

Snap hook on butt end of Longboy.

The rubber bumper has a hole through it. I threaded a piece of Zing-It through and snugged it down onto the brass snap. On the other end of the rubber boot I threaded the ZI through a small nut and tied it off. The nut acts as a stopper to so that the ZI doesn't pull out. At first I had a biner on the Longboy but it flopped around and got in the way. The brass snap is a lot shorter.