Pole Saw Blades: How often do you change 'em out?

[Sunrise Guy]

I hate pole sawing, I admit it, and I don't believe there are any great blades out there. I've tried 'em all, I think, and they all go dull after a week or two, or so it seems to me. I was going to get into sharpening them myself, but after going to three sites on doing so, it all seemed so darn complex that I just blew it off.

OK, so how often do you change out your blade? One reason I ask is that I recently stopped by another arborist's office, and saw a stack of blades on his desk. When I asked him why he had them there, he told me that his crews go through about 2-3 a week!

So, how often do you change out your blades? Also, do you sharpen them yourself or take them to a sharpening shop?

 

[mckeetree]

We get about a month out of a blade.

 

[treeseer]

He probably had the stack because they are cheaper by the dozen.

wirebrush the sap and junk off now and then and avoid crimping and bending them and you should get a month or more.

I love polesawing.

 

[Frank Boyer]

Can any saw shop sharpen the Silky blades? I just got one of their pole saws.

 

[Sep]

I have great luck with the Fanno mono blades. They are oversizes at 17 inches and thicker than most polesaw blades, so they won't bend if they got stuck in a cut. They also are great cutters that stay sharp for a decent period of time.

-Sep

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

If you have the old Fanno type blades, then you can file them every few weeks till the set is too narrow for a curf. I used to send them out for a sharp&set for $5/blade. I liked the Mondo's out of the box, but the guage of steel seemed to lessen the number of sharpenings between set's.

The tricuts, like ARS, are harder because of all the angles.

The silky Hayuchi can be sharpened with a feather file. I have one client who does it, and he wears those magnifying goggles.

 

[Stihl User]

Once they get dull. lol :biggrinbounce2:

No, for real I change them out probably once a month. I hardly use it though so I've had one blade last a year before it needed to be replaced!!!

 

[treeseer]

The silky Hayuchi can be sharpened with a feather file. I have one client who does it, and he wears those magnifying goggles.

Hey thanks for the tip; I'll have to try that (after I figure out where to get a feather file and the goggles).

 

[M.D. Vaden]

With something like ARS handsaw blades, I can get 2 months or daily use before I need to sharpen, and generally sharpen each blade about once if I feel like it.

I prefer the same blades on my pole saw. And I don't use it but maybe an hour per week. So mine stays sharp for a couple of years.

 

[Stumper]

I go through 4-6 per year so I average a bit over 2 months per blade. I also sheath my blades when not in use and try to keep from dragging the blades down the sidewalk. I'm a Fanno Mondo fan as well as the ARS Turbo-cut blades. The Fanno hook tip blade is really usefull for breaking twigs and pulling hangers but it pretzels entirely too easily.

 

[rebelman]

Several months if they don't hit rocks or metal. Groundies figure out quick to baby them. The fanno seventeen inchers work fine for pole and hand saw. I dig pole sawing, it's quiet, and my pole saw work seperates me from many others who don't use them. Whether it's that one visible snag, or a few suckers way up, you can tell the difference immediately and years later.