yama
Senior Member
Posts: 124
Joined: Wed Jun 30, 2010 3:10 am
Location: Salem, MA

Pruning saw selection for Japanese gardening

Pruning saw selection for Japanese gardening
There are many manufactures and size of saw and purpses, small job to big job.
1)
Number of teeth per inch. 4.5 teeth per inch to 42 or so teeth per inch
For general use of saw in Japanese garden, I sugest to buy 10 teeth per inch , lenght of 210cm /8.3 inch to 240cm/9,5 inch long saw.
Longer than 9.5 inch is too long for general work in Japanese garden. less than 210cm/8.3 inch ia too short.
Some japanese tool amnufacture 's hand saw handle is short, too short even for those who has small hand. I had Okatusne saw years ago, and I din't like it because handle was too short, I had ARS hand saw 9.5 inch long . I did not like shape of handle also too short.
I have been useing Silky's saw almost 40 years. I think silky saw is very good for general use in Japanese garden. Silky give us many choice of saw, number of teeth per inch, length os saw, and offer replacble blade,
very hard steel and last sharpness for long time.

2) saw I never use
is folding saw, bow saw. folding saw is seem to easy to use, but when I have to switch saw to pruner I have to put saw in back pocket or lay it on ground . when puting saw in back pocket, it is asking for accident even it is folded. specialy working on ladder. Occational use such as camping holding saw may be usefull however

Bow saw is inexpensive. that is only good reason. Useing bow saw in tight place, bow saw is any good. Don't buy , don't even think of it.

Once wood is dry, it is lot's hard to cut than green wood.It is said 6 time harder than green wood.

3) saw's blade is setted /Asari in Japanese
many saw's blade tip seted out ward right nad left wictch lelp to rake off saw dust and can cut effencient. fine carpentry work and cutting bamboo however use saw which has no setted blade and 18 to 20 teeth per inch of saw blade. large teeth saw rip off end of bamboo.

Cutting bamboo need to pay detalied attention. use masking tape to prevent rip, or tune bamboo as cut progrrese so that you have clean cut

4) Arbolist saw
is longer 13 inch to 24 inch , some is long as 30" and teeth are lager, 4.5 to 6,5 teeth per inch. most home owner don't need to this kind of saw.

5) use saw with scabard
first put back saw on your waist seem to uneasy. if you are right handed. hold saw ,and locate scabrad without lookin with your right hand thum, then put right hand thum onto back of the blade,move to tip of saw and feel opening of scarbord , hand stay always back of saw blabe so that you won't cut your self.
You need to have extra set of leather belt 2 " or one size lager belt than your pants belt.
If you extra belt for tools, every time you bend over, tip of tools are awy from your body and very safe that way. Placing tool in your pocket is asking of injry/accident.
Is not only work safe, work can be done much fister.

Mike Yamakami

The Helpful Gardener
Mod
Posts: 7491
Joined: Mon Feb 09, 2004 9:17 pm
Location: Colchester, CT

I agree Mike, best purchase I made in a saw was a good arborists saw. I have a Felco scabbard saw I like a lot, have used a Silky as well, and have a folding saw I use for fine work (like large bonsai; a LOT of teeth per inch and a thin blade...)

I also have my grandfathers old bucking saw (one man version) for big work...

HG



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