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PSA: I used to think a handsaw was fine for big limb removal
For years I'd just climb up with my trusty Silky and spend an hour wrestling with a 10 inch limb, thinking I was being careful and precise. Did that on a big oak job in Tacoma last fall and my shoulder was killing me for two days. Now I bring up the little battery top handle for anything over maybe 4 inches. The cut is cleaner, it's way faster, and I'm not completely gassed for the rest of the climb. The switch happened after I realized I was adding like 30 minutes to every tree for no good reason except some weird pride about doing it 'the old way'. Anyone else make a similar switch on their climbing cuts?
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sanchez.pat5mo ago
Gotta disagree on this one. There's a real skill to using a handsaw up in the canopy. The control is different. A top handle can get grabby on a heavy limb. I've seen guys pinch bars because they rushed it. That Silky lets you feel the wood, read the hinge. It's not about pride. It's about doing the cut right. Sometimes slower is safer.
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grantmartinez5mo ago
Yeah @sanchez.pat has a point about feeling the wood. I've noticed on dead ash or elm, a handsaw gives you way more warning if the fibers are gonna snap or twist weird. A chainsaw just powers through and you can get surprised by the split.
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the_hayden5mo ago
Honestly sanchez.pat gets it. You feel everything in your hands with a saw. A chainsaw just vibrates and roars and you miss the little tells. That split sneaks up on you. I've been caught like that on dead elm. The wood talks if you listen, but you can't hear it over the engine.
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