Need a folding saw

Fiskars

The Fiskars saw out of Finland is a great light compact strong ergonomic design.
It cuts tree limbs in a flash and does a decent job of splitting a deer pelvis.

I'm pretty fond of the BAHCO branded folding saws.

http://www.amazon.com/BAHCO-396-LAP...UTF8&qid=1389071942&sr=8-2&keywords=bahco+saw



http://www.bahco.com/english/

I have always been partial to the Sven Saw. They're available from any number of sources, and are surprisingly strong, stable and durable. They take up almost no room in a backpack and are easy to insert/extract.

http://shop.vtarmynavy.com/sven-saw...e=googlebase&gclid=COy3_4G37LsCFcN_Qgod9VIAfA

I have the Bahco works fine.On the bushcraft sites most people say the Silky is best I don't know never used one.My son and I had Fiskars both broke in a short time.

Sven or Silky. Make sure you pick approximately your most encountered wood for the Silky.
Hard, soft, live, or dead.

http://www.amleo.com/silky-pocketboy-folding-saws/p/VP-PB/

I use a cheap Coghlan's saw. Its great, I think it was 7 bucks.

Another option is to obtain a Glock Field Entrenching Tool (shovel). It is a slick little piece of hardware; folds, locks, handle collapses into itself, and it contains a saw stored inside the handle. For it's size and weight, it is a worthy item to pack on a hike or in a vehicle. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVbio2Oc7_A

I like the 21" sven for trunk duty, 15" sven for backpacking duty, and the fiskars folder is handy for true pocket type usage.

The best handsaws I know of (for cutting-speed:effort ratio) are the variations of the Japanese pull saw. The teeth are similar to a shark's teeth. Instead of just a sharp point, the teeth are actually small sharpened blades. It's hard to describe how fast these saws cut with so little effort.

I routinely use this kind of saw to cut wood too long to fit my bandsaw. This includes the odd 2x4". It's faster and easier to use the pull saw for 1 or 2 2x4"s vs taking out and putting away my jigsaw. Maybe 20 effortless seconds to cut a pine 2x4". I'm sure it could be done in 10, if you were in the zone.

I recently cut down a tree with such a handsaw, around 6-7" diameter dry, dry hardwood. It took only 2-3 minutes, I didn't break a sweat, and I didn't get fatigued. (I did most of it with one hand, while smoking a cigarette, lol.)

There's a company called Shark that makes a variety of non-traditional saws using this tooth shape. Here is what I highly recommend. (The only difference between these two models is the TPI, AFAIK.)

Shark 10-3437. 9 TPI.
http://www.amazon.com/Shark-10-3437...=1389172107&sr=8-2&keywords=shark+folding+saw

Shark 10-2337. 12 TPI
http://www.amazon.com/Shark-10-2337...ONP/ref=dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt?showViewpoints=1

I have some Bahco Laplanders and Corona saws the but ones I use the most are my Silky saws. My Silky Bigboy is the best hand saw I've ever used. Eventually I'm gonna splurge and get a Katanaboy.

glass, tile, rock, concrete and esp. PVC pipe can be cut with a carbide tile blade; you can just buy the blade, and hold it in your hand, for fast cutting of pvc pipe and fiberglass. See demo: http://youtu.be/rmxn-nPNhY8

For EDC, emergency, or hunter/survival use, the Farson Tool is very interesting:
http://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2013/07/07/fremont-knives-farson-survival-tool/
also, see demo: http://youtu.be/6FzvWYZ7mw0

Sven is the intersection of affordability, packable design, and a saw that actually works well.

+1 on the Coghlan's saw. I've owned and used one for years.

here is a good folding saw for the budget minded: http://shop.vtarmynavy.com/folding-camping-saw-p14226.aspx

Yeah, I just don't like the biomechanics of folding saws, and I find that any deadfall (we don't burn greenwood in campfires) small enough for a saw can either be limbed with a stomp or snapped in a nearby tree's crotch, broken over my knee, etc. rather than sawn.

Anything too big for that will want a bigger saw or an axe.

If you look at the usage position of the folding saws, you'll note that it puts your wrist in contraction for use, negating the use of all those muscles in your forearm meant to stabilize the wrist/hand. You get some of them, but not all. And you don't get the benefit of the activation of larger muscles in your back and your biceps.
With a bow-saw, you get a lot of biomechanical efficiency when you cut that's less fatiguing and more powerful on the up and back strokes.

This is why I prefer a bow-saw/hatchet combo if I'm going to a place where I need winter fire or there's a lot of deadfall and I have tenderfeet along who want a big fire for marshmallows.

But that's why they make fords and chevies.

(I'm a physiologist, so that's why I think about weird stuff like this.)

wheelgunslinger said:

Yeah, I just don't like the biomechanics of folding saws...

[<SNIP!>]

With a bow-saw, you get a lot of biomechanical efficiency when you cut that's less fatiguing and more powerful on the up and back strokes.

Click to expand...

Same here. Plus, the physics of folding saw design makes it distressingly easy to bend, break or otherwise malform the blade -- even the good ones.

+1 on the Opinal.

Most bowhunters I know carry a folding saw.They use it it to trim limbs for their climbing stands or open shooting lanes.I don't think anybody plans on using one to cut a years worth of firewood.You open it up cut the limb put it away nobody is arguing that a sven or bow saw doesn't work better but you don't have the time or need for them.

I used several of these listed and they all worked fine.

Check out the pic of the Opinel folder saw in the currently active
"Opinel's - what's not to love" thread.