Best hand saw?

[snowwolfe]

I been hand sawing trees on our property mainly as another way to build up the strength in my left arm following disc replacement surgery awhile back.
Current saw is a 30 inch bow saw and it seems to do a pretty good job. Main use for the saw is to cut trees or branches already down and they range up to 8 inches in diameter (any bigger and chain saw's come out).
Any other good saw choices for what I am cutting?

[Artful]

I'd say you chose well - get a couple of new blade to swap between and keep the WD40 handy and it will give you the work out you want will piling up the firewood.

[country gent]

The important thing with a saw is the blades set. it needs to be wide enough the back and sides of the blade dont drag while cutting. Sharp teeth with proper set to them and the saw will cut thru quickly

[bedbugbilly]

Good replies with good suggestions. Keep some spare blades. An old trick from many years ago is to keep a squirt can of kerosene with you and lube the blade with it every so often by putting a squirt on each side of the blade. One of the squirt oil cans that I think you could probably find at Tractor Supply, etc. would work well.

[vzerone]

Yes the bow saw is one of the best hand saws made for what you are doing.

[oldcanadice]

I'd suggest you also look into the larger Silky folding saws. They cut really well, are compact to carry, get into tight places, and work on the oriental style of pull-to-cut that would give the shoulders an additional kind of workout. Haven't tried their biggest, but my 270 will handle the smaller blowdown when I don't have the little chainsaw.

[Le Loup Solitaire]

On crosscut saws in logging competitions a flask of kerosene is used to "lube" the kerfs and keep the saw running smooth. A sharp saw with correctly set teeth will do the best job with less effort....so keep your blades sharp and set right...and kerosened. LLS

[Doggonekid]

I'm lazy I have used for my small jobs a cordless Dewalt reciprocating saw with a 8" corse as I can find blade.

[snowwolfe]

I'm lazy I have used for my small jobs a cordless Dewalt reciprocating saw with a 8" corse as I can find blade.

That defeats the reason I choose to do it by hand

[EMC45]

Funny you ask this. I was using a large bow saw last night cutting up a bunch of fallen trees around the property. It was quite the workout and I enjoyed cutting and knew it was good for the body (arms, back, lungs). My saw is a Fiskars bow saw that I got a WalMart that works good. It is, however, made in China........ :( When I got it I took the blade off and put it in my vise and dressed EVERY tooth with a Swiss file. They were set pretty good, but the edges were not all that sharp. I was cutting up fallen trees that were dry and seasoned up to 8 inches last night. I used the crook of a tree as a saw buck and it went well. As long as I stayed in "rhythm" the saw did what it did. It did it well too. I was just cutting up limbs and fallen trees for the "burn pile" so the kids, wife and I can enjoy it.

[JWFilips]

I have a Sandvik Bowsaw that I have used for 35 years on my property great saw for cutting fresh wood. I bought 2 add'l replacement blades with it back then and only recently put the last blade I had on it ( probably wouldn't have had to but recently I cut seasoned hardwood with it and some dirt! That messed up the old blade

[snowwolfe]

Appreciate the tips. Will make it a point to carry some wd40 or kerosene with me next time. I have found sawing by hand to be somewhat enjoyable plus the upper body workout to my left arm is an added benefit .

[jonp]

Good stuff here. Remember: a good sawyer lets the saw do the cutting

[Artful]

I use WD40 because I'm Lazy and it is convenient - Kerosene probably works better but heck I have been know use motor oil.

[jonp]

The old sawyers used kerosine because it was cheap and the had it handy. Any spray lube like wd40, rem oil, balistol etc will work. Johnaons liquid wax works too. For a saw i kept a bar of canning wax in my bag and gave the blade a rub. Works on shovels, forklift blades etc. Guys at a papermill i worked at kept complaining that the cardboard stuck to the forks. I brought in a box of wax and you would have thought id invented electricity

[Artful]

https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1347703878/eureka_400x400.png

[str8shot426]

Putsch saws. Made in Germany. They have a couple of one man crosscut saws in the 32-36" range. I have used one. They are pretty nice, and have an old school appeal I enjoyed.

[Bullwolf]

I keep two things in my truck for when small trees, or moderately sized branches fall in the road around the Ranch/Farm.

A chainsaw of course... And a folding (cross cut) pruning saw very similar to the one in the image below.

http://www.amestruetemper.com/uploads/images/True%20Temper/products/2300500_L_01.JPG

I use the folding pruning saw far more often than I expected. Keeping the blade lubed and kerf free is about the best use I've found for WD-40 other than drying out a wet distributor cap.

I'm constantly amazed at what I am able saw through with the coarse toothed pruning saw. Many a branch, or small tree has been removed this way, without the need to even start my chain saw.

The pruning saw cuts through hard green woods like oak, madrone, and eucalyptus mighty quick. It's hardly slowed down at all by buck-eye, fir, pine, redwood or other soft woods.

While the main use of my saw is not just for making firewood, it's cut more than it's fair share of burnable wood for those times when I didn't feel like firing up the chain saw.

Originally, I used it for pruning apple branches by hand. Now I use it for a lots more. Even though I always keep one in my truck, the pruning saw is quite portable as well since it's fold-able. I've noticed that it fits nicely in the basket on front of my ATV.


- Bullwolf

[SharpsShooter]

I have one of the folding saws as well. Very much like the one pictured above. As he indicates it will cut through just about anything and the effort involved is minimal.


SS

[Steve77]

Look for Bahco/Sandvic blades for your handsaw. They aren't cheap but they are well designed and made. Makes your bowsaw a pleasure to use.

[oldcanadice]

A thing to note on using the folding pull-saws is that a much shorter blade is needed for a given diameter of wood than with a push-cut bow. Since the blade is under tension when it cuts, it doesn't buckle and it pulls well into the cut as progress is made -- there's nothing in the way to keep it from pulling into the cut. A 10" blade can actually cut an 8" limb in a pinch without having to turn the limb over. The return-push shouldn't put compression on the blade -- just a relaxed return of the blade to the point where you can start the next pull.

My several-times repaired rotator cuffs definitely like the pulling action. Don't think of it as an "instead of", but as an added form of fun for the rehab.