Why do climbers shun sawzalls?

[eyehearttrees]

Yep, even with a prunong blade it's slow.

Good for working at weird angles against the trunk or another branch

I've gotta try a silky then LOL!! (are they that much better than other brands? I'd always considered my Stihl pruning saw to be outstanding, but it doesn't touch a fresh Diablo blade on my sawzall)

And yeah for weird angles it's the best because you can 1-hand it with impunity in ways you never could with a chainsaw, also as others mentioned anything near the ground or near crappy stuff it's great because the blades are disposable.....so hard to imagine how a silky, or any manual/unpowered blade, could out-perform a powered blade though :/

 

[eyehearttrees]

Actually regarding roots, I collect large trees out of the ground for bonsai and jeebus a sawzall makes this process 100X faster, couldn't imagine doing grunt-force removals of some of the crap I've collected!!

 

[eyehearttrees]

Some Silky saws are impulse hardened, Others are labeled as sharpenable. a hand file will not work on the impulse hardened saws.

I had bought the feather file advertised for use with silky saws. I think I got that from Wespur or Bailey's? after I bought that I saw that I could get one from Lee Valley as well. They are a little less. I have never tried that one But I would assume it will work just as well.

I have also used a tiny diamond wheel on a Dremel tool to sharpen an Impulse hardened blade. It worked but not as well. I don't know if that is because of the hardening of the blade or because I found it harder To get and keep good angles with that than with a regular file.

Thanks for the info, had been contemplating sharpening the teeth on my Stihl pruning saw and my pole-saw's blade but only file I have that'd even fit is my rakers'-file, didn't wanna mess it up (not that I use it anyways, haven't worn a chain's teeth low-enough yet, was surprised that years'-old saws of mine didn't protrude past my raker-guide, maybe I'm holding it improperly )

 

[SomethingWitty]

I've gotta try a silky then LOL!! (are they that much better than other brands? I'd always considered my Stihl pruning saw to be outstanding, but it doesn't touch a fresh Diablo blade on my sawzall)

And yeah for weird angles it's the best because you can 1-hand it with impunity in ways you never could with a chainsaw, also as others mentioned anything near the ground or near crappy stuff it's great because the blades are disposable.....so hard to imagine how a silky, or any manual/unpowered blade, could out-perform a powered blade though :/

It is powered. It is powered by me.
An extra aggressive silky on 1-2" green cuts has them finished before I could even start a chainsaw.

 

[JeffGu]

...so hard to imagine how a silky, or any manual/unpowered blade, could out-perform a powered blade though...

That's the problem. People often think of a saw and only consider one of multiple variables involved with designing a saw, its blade, its power... for a specific task or range of tasks.

A reciprocating saw is a purpose built tool originally designed for the construction industry to solve a number of problems that other tools just aren't very good at. It can cut through wood, metal, composites... nails, screws and all. It's reasonably light compared to some options, heavier than others. The design is simple, rugged and reliable. The blade can get into places a circular saw or jig saw can't, and in many situations it can get right up against obstructions that other tools can't. The blades can be designed for different materials, within reason, with adequate performance.

However, it has a very short stroke, eats through blades quickly and generates a lot of heat both in the drive train and the blade. The vibration is a serious issue. For demolition work, especially, the tool shines... because the alternatives are either more expensive or a lot more dangerous.

Tooth design, ability to clear waste material, and blade stroke are important for cutting green wood... get those right, and a handsaw can outperform the reciprocating saw with ease. Throw some nails in those branches, and the story changes.

Take a good pruning handsaw (like a Silky) and force yourself to cut at a slow rate, then try it on the same branch at twice that rate. The saw cuts a little faster, but not twice as fast. With the handsaw, the tooth design, material clearance and length of stroke are the important concerns, not the strokes per minute rate. With any power saw, that tends to start becoming the more important thing, but it really depends on the intended application.

Cut a 4"x4" post with a reciprocating saw, then use a 12" miter saw. You'll see real quickly how fast the miter saw proves itself to be the superior tool for that job. But, if the post is actually in the ground, nobody is going to try to hold a miter saw and cut it.

I'm going to guess that reciprocating saws will never replace either the handsaw or chainsaw in tree work. That doesn't mean they aren't handy for certain jobs, just that there are better choices most of the time.

 

[Jonny]

Do you know what country your Stihl handsaw is made @eyehearttrees ? Just wondering. Saw them at the dealer before but it was 70$ or 80$ and can get a good Silky for that price.

I like the Gomtaro and Zubat. I might try a straight Tsurugi next.
I got a Samurai handsaw and pole-saw blade too. Less expensive, they don’t stay super sharp as long as Silkys, but still a fine impulse hardened Japanese pruning saw.
Probably better off spending the extra 20$ on a Silky.

 

[ATH]

If I only had one Silky, it would be a Tsurugi (straight blade, medium teeth). I use a Sugoi a lot more...but it is less versatile. It is a touch quicker on bigger wood, while the Tsurugi fits in tight spots better, while still being very aggressive.

Sugoi is sharpenable, Tsurugi is not (with a hand file)

 

[Reach]

I've gotta try a silky then LOL!! (are they that much better than other brands? I'd always considered my Stihl pruning saw to be outstanding, but it doesn't touch a fresh Diablo blade on my sawzall)

Yes! A Silky saw is far better than anything else I’ve ever used, I can one-stroke a 1” branch pretty much every time. A Samurai is a less expensive alternative, probably as sharp out of the box, but not nearly as durable.

 

[JD3000]

The inexpensive F180 by Silky is another root pruner I use.

 

[islandarb]

I think the blade he mentioned was referring to his Silky, not a chainsaw.

I used to have a root saw made by Corona, it was tough and after a little practice easy to sharpen with a feather file. Not practical if you gotta a lot of dirty cuts to make though. I’m sure a sawzall smokes it.

There is a silky gomtoro specifically for root pruning. Short fucker with stiff blade .....red handle I believe.

 

[islandarb]

Yup..think I will get another. Gomtoro ProSentei is my gig.....so add this.

Silky Gomtaro 240 Root-Cutting Hand Saw

The Gomtaro 240by Silky is a beautifully balanced, straight, root-cutting saw with a 9-1/2-inch, ultra-strong, mono-constructed blade. Now root cutting can be done without the worry of tool o

www.treestuff.com

 

[JD3000]

I bought one cuz he raves about it!

Great saw

 

[Jonny]

Comes in 300mm too.

 

[islandarb]

Comes in 300mm too.

Only seen the 240. But out of stock. Will get Wesspur to get me the 300mm one. I only use gomtoros....

 

[Jonny]

I’m on my second Gomtaro, large tooth. The first one I bought in 05. I wish I still had it, because I strongly suspect the new saw blade is thinner than the old one.

 

[Joeybagodonuts]

I know Silky has a dedicated use for each & every model.. but damn.. it sure is hard trying to weed through the options.. you remember them all for a day & when you circle back to make a purchase weeks later, you gotta go back through all of them to refresh.. Probably a memory problem on my end..lol. I roll with a Sugoi 360 but kinda wish i had the Zubat Arborist edition with the increased TPI just for the size factor.


Question..
Which of the Straight Full Tang's has the most aggressive TPI?

As far as cheaper handsaws go.. buy once cry once.. I had a Corona at one point & that thing was noticably toasted in a couple days with of work.. ( i will admit though, someone may have borrowed it for landscaping at home while i wasn't aware, it just got dull waaay to fast. I still expected more though)

 

[Wrangler]

I know Silky has a dedicated use for each & every model.. but damn.. it sure is hard trying to weed through the options.. you remember them all for a day & when you circle back to make a purchase weeks later, you gotta go back through all of them to refresh.. Probably a memory problem on my end..lol. I roll with a Sugoi 360 but kinda wish i had the Zubat Arborist edition with the increased TPI just for the size factor.


Question..
Which of the Straight Full Tang's has the most aggressive TPI?

As far as cheaper handsaws go.. buy once cry once.. I had a Corona at one point & that thing was noticably toasted in a couple days with of work.. ( i will admit though, someone may have borrowed it for landscaping at home while i wasn't aware, it just got dull waaay to fast. I still expected more though)

300mm Tsurugi with large teeth is really a nice saw,i think a Must Have! It’s so much nicer for pruning jobs(a little too aggressive for delicate stuff) and you’ll probably like it better if you wear it on your saddle because it comes in and out of scabbard so easy! Sugio 360 is my choice for removals but i put it on my leg,i find it akward to get in and out of scabard when it’s on my saddle. Love them both but will take Tsurugi streight blade every time for pruning!

 

[B_Strange]

300mm Tsurugi with large teeth is really a nice saw,i think a Must Have! It’s so much nicer for pruning jobs(a little too aggressive for delicate stuff) and you’ll probably like it better if you wear it on your saddle because it comes in and out of scabbard so easy! Sugio 360 is my choice for removals but i put it on my leg,i find it akward to get in and out of scabard when it’s on my saddle. Love them both but will take Tsurugi streight blade every time for pruning!

I have a smaller Tsurugi and love it for pruning. I would like to try the Sugoi but I am vertically challenged(read somewhere between hobbit and dwarf) and leery of strapping something hugely long to my leg. My Zubat 330 is great but needs a new blade.

 

[SomethingWitty]

I have a smaller Tsurugi and love it for pruning. I would like to try the Sugoi but I am vertically challenged(read somewhere between hobbit and dwarf) and leery of strapping something hugely long to my leg. My Zubat 330 is great but needs a new blade.

It hurt my heart to downsize my saw when I switched to a leg mount. I just can't do the largest tier of silkys on my leg.
I am currently sporting a gunslinger because the vermeer I stopped by did not have any zubats, and it is almost too big. Lightly curved blade with straight scabbard is a nice tradeoff.

 

[Wrangler]

I have a smaller Tsurugi and love it for pruning. I would like to try the Sugoi but I am vertically challenged(read somewhere between hobbit and dwarf) and leery of strapping something hugely long to my leg. My Zubat 330 is great but needs a new blade.

I’m 5’9” and a sugio 360 fits my leg pretty well ,the length is perfect , one strap is just below knee and other is at my ankle.Stays put pretty well but its really irritating when it rotates a little bit and the handle is sticking you in the back of your knee.Its just so convenient to grab though that i just deal with having to reposition it from time to time.