"Limbing" Saws?

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Its more like brush clearing for me Gary. I need a small saw to manouver in tight places. Farm country. Overgrown shelter belts with lots of blown down hardwoods that have large crowns. It ain't at all like logging where you walk a stem. It's a tangled mess. I usually get all the limbs on the ground with a top handle. Lots of crawling, stooping, and reaching to piece apart a crown thats fallen in thick bush. Then when its all apart I buck up with a 60-70cc saw.
 
Whats the old saying (I may have it wrong) but it's how dad told me.

"Don't judge a man until you walk a mile in his shoes"


Same goes for here, but think if I was where the trees are tall and straight
and the little limbs are just cut off the trunk, yes I would use one saw.

But in places where trees may have more wood in the limbs than in the trunk.
Yes I would use a smaller limbing saw.

No matter where it's at and was logging and the only job is logs.
It would be silly to us a limbing saw.

This is JIMO, and you know what they say about "O"...they are like............:)

TT
 
I see this mentioned all the time here. I'd never heard the term until I came to this site some time ago.

So my query is... do some cats actually fall a tree with a large saw (say a 60cc plus)... and then shut that one down... and then start up a smaller saw to "limb" the tree... and then shut that one down... then start a large saw again to buck the tree into the desired lengths?

Makes no sense to me...

I'm not talkin' about monster trees here either...

Gary

Yes..... how else am I going to get to run all my saws in a given year when I only cut about 4 cords of firewood? :laugh: :help:
 
When cutting firewood, I tend to use a 40cc saw on the smaller limbs and the felling saw on the trunks. As others have said, a lot of wood is obtained from the limbs and it is easier to maneuver and cut with a smaller saw.
 
Falling with a saw is dangerous. I certainly hope that was a one time event and the saw was off and you were wearing full PPE. :dizzy:

I can vouch for that. I fell backwards/sideways off a felled tree I was limbing, about 3'-4' to the ground. Here's the kicker, I was running a 3120:dizzy: I wouldn't normally be using a saw that large, but I had just rebuilt it and was wanting to oput some fuel through it. I got lucky and didn't hurt myself or the saw!
 
Most of the time I Fall with a MS460 25" and buck with 038Mag 25" and limb with 038Super 20" yes I have several smaller saws just like the 038's :cheers:

Edit: Unless it a big tree then the 660 and 066 come out.
 
I only have 2 saws, yes I use them both. Just depends on the situation on which I use...
 
work smart

A limbing saw discussion isn't really meant to be turned into a knot-bumping discussion, IMO. Different cutting entirely. Limbing (to me) means you have the saw above waist level, and with firewood, means you'll be swinging it around up there for a while. The big brushy oaks and hickorys that have grown out of the stand, and have limbs well over your head even after you've felled the tree are perfect opportunities to highlight the importance of a limbing saw. A lot of people bump 'em and cut 'em on the ground. It's slow, hard on your tips, and dangerous to the toes, but go for it. It's your perrogative. I cut firewood straight off the lap every single time I can. A firewood cutter does a lot more cuts per tree than a logger, and I'll wager my little 021 will pull through those 2" to 8" limbs just fine, and head-to-head, you might beat me with your 70CC saw (by a little, power vs. maneuverability), but I'll still have energy to go to the dance after. One tree is one thing. When you do 3 or 4 trees that way in a day, and have other things to do after that, I don't see how a firewood cutter could *not* own a limbing saw. Just my opinion though. My saws are all paid for, and that's how I do it. As long as your method doesn't cost or injure me, I don't have any skin in anyone else's game. I would however implore a friend to consider it...give it an honest try, and see if it isn't easier on the body with no appreciable slowdown.
 
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I only had one saw until this year. It is a Huqvarna 61, and not really heavy by most people's standards. I used it for everything until I picked up my MS260 this summer. I had only envisioned using the 260 for brushing roads and trails. Now I find that I am choosing to use the 260 more than the 61 when firewood cutting. It is simply easier to use on branches and tops that are up in the air. So I guess I understand the limbing saw theory now.

Bob
 
Depends on the tree.

However, in many cases I cleaning up fallen, damaged or pushed trees and usually more than one in the same area. In that situation I will typically use a 30-60cc saw to clean the area up and prep the trunks of the tree.

3 reasons

I am cheap and the 460/660 suck fuel. Small saws will cut branches just as fast using a portion of the fuel and oil. The other side of this is I am not willing to wait for a 30-60cc saw to cut up a 36" Maple trunk.

Big saws are a pain to move through the branches and if I am going to trip I would rather toss a small saw than a big saw. Small saws are much easier to find used cheap parts for. I am also not just cutting the branches off but cutting them into firewood length down to typically 2" dia.

Got lots of saws, and always have a small saws to try.
 
Falling saws
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Bucking saws
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Limbing saws

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I see this mentioned all the time here. I'd never heard the term until I came to this site some time ago.

So my query is... do some cats actually fall a tree with a large saw (say a 60cc plus)... and then shut that one down... and then start up a smaller saw to "limb" the tree... and then shut that one down... then start a large saw again to buck the tree into the desired lengths?

Makes no sense to me...

I'm not talkin' about monster trees here either...

Gary

I have never done it that way, but often I don't fell and limb on the same day....
 
Truck usually goes out with at least 4 or 5 saws on it. Limbing, mid range, feller, stumper/ flushcut and pole saw. All depends on the days job(s) and what you think you might run into. Limbing saws really shine for storm damage and bucket work. Going out with only one saw is like trying to fix a car with only one wrench but your industry may be a little different from mine.
 
This is the bucking and Limbing saw. It is dual purpose so can't be good at either one, just OK. Also this is a girly saw, no boys allowed.

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You forgot the remodeling saw category.

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Truck usually goes out with at least 4 or 5 saws on it. Limbing, mid range, feller, stumper/ flushcut and pole saw. All depends on the days job(s) and what you think you might run into. Limbing saws really shine for storm damage and bucket work. Going out with only one saw is like trying to fix a car with only one wrench but your industry may be a little different from mine.

'going out' for me means you're a half mile or more from the truck, no matter how many saws may be in it. Nice thing about thinning is it doesn't take much of a saw to begin with, but the drag about thinning is it doesn't take much of a saw to begin with. I can't speak for bigger timber, but I will. Seems I've observed those folks will walk the trunk, limbing with a long bar, meaning not a lot of reaching. Whatever works, I didn't say anybody's doing it the hard way or the wrong way, just their way.
 

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