Hand saw pruning saw recomendations

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5" dia, 20' tall ash, you want on the ground?

3 1/2- 4 lb axe, about 5 licks on each side.


Theres a little more to the story. I have 700 feet along my neighbors powerline and they are all within falling distance. They show no signs of the ash borer but I dont need them getting bigger. I need a controlled fall and I'm pretty good splitting with an axe but I'm not sure how good I am at chopping and controlling the fall. It's not a serious situation just something I want to start taking care of.
 
Notching with a handsaw is not the greatest. The teeth just aren't designed for angling through the grain. That said, I keep a Silky Gomtoro in my saddle. It has a straight blade which makes small notches better than Zubat, which is sometimes crucial for aiming.

Have you considered a cordless sawzall? You'll look like a rookie, but blades are relatively cheap, and it's handy to have for other uses. Ash is pretty dense. I avoid hand cuts thicker than 2-3"s.
 
But what does the best mean? It costs the most and works the best? I have 6 chainsaws why would I buy the one that costs the most. Also asked this question when I used a hand saw to cut a Christmas tree. If it costs 25 dollars and works good then it's the best because again I'll start up a saw and save 100 dollars. A ms660 is the best but I dont own one and have gotten by just fine... see where I'm going. If it costs 100 dollars less and takes 30 seconds longer than that's not a bad thing. I'd be curious to know how a stihl hand saw compares to a cheaper one or more expensive one. Their chains are awesome.


Good point. That's exactly why I bought the $90 Stihl rather than the $300 Silky.
 
Notching with a handsaw is not the greatest. The teeth just aren't designed for angling through the grain. That said, I keep a Silky Gomtoro in my saddle. It has a straight blade which makes small notches better than Zubat, which is sometimes crucial for aiming.

Have you considered a cordless sawzall? You'll look like a rookie, but blades are relatively cheap, and it's handy to have for other uses. Ash is pretty dense. I avoid hand cuts thicker than 2-3"s.


I've done plenty of notch and back cutting on these small trees with the fiskars pole saw. No I'm not going to use a sawzall lol.
 
It's like you all think I'm crazy for wanting to cut 5 inch ash with a hand saw. I've done it with a pole saw, machete, and hatchet. It's not that bad when its green.
!! BUT, BUT, chain saws are so much better.... and faster and funner,er and faster and smell like 2 stroke an they tingle your digits… lol
 
Nice to have a variety of tools to choose from.

Philbert


Yea like I said I love chainsawing but being able to cut a tree or 2 and not make a big production out of it is awesome. I'm not OCD but I like to have my saws clean and sharp after every use so this saves on that.

I took my daughter outside to play in the slush and cut a few trees. I didn't go outside to cut wood. I needed to keep an eye on her she's only 2 and be productive.
 
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