Wire/Chain saws

[some like it cold]

Hi i have a GF small forest axe and a cheap laplander type saw but im considering buying a small wire or chain saw to carry when im out and about, to this end i have a few questions:

1) Do people have any particular strong thoughts about them and are they useful to have?

2) how does their performance compare to a laplander or a bow saw?

3) is there any particular make people have that they can reccomend?

appreciate any advice anyone can offer )

[Siberianfury]

i used to have a commando wire saw, yes it san cut through a tree but not very quickly.
they are no way near as efficiant as a laplander, but much lighter and more compact.

[JonathanD]

Chain saws are great but heavy. Standard kit now for most forces

[Peter_t]

tbh they are pretty awful, they tend to get kinked then are unusable.

they where first designed to be hidden in the clothes of special forces such as the SAS so if they get captured then can use them to cut through fences in prisoner or war camps. so basically they are designed only to get you out of a pinch rather than an everyday usable tool.

you can also get saws made from chain link with conventional saw teeth on or modified chainsaw chain with half the cutters facing the wrong way (the cutters are only designed to cut in one direction).
i have used both of these and they are pretty rubbish at best. they are very labour intensive to use and awkward to use unless the wood you are cutting is attached to the tree still because you need both hands to use the saw so have nothing to hold the wood steady while cutting.

all the energy you save by carrying a lightweight saw will be lost within a few minutes of using it. imo its just another one of those survival gadgets that in theory sound great but in reality just don’t work

you are far better off sticking to a folding saw or better still carrying a bow or bucksaw.


pete

[Ogri the trog]

Same as the other replies here,
the wire ones are very delicate and apt to breakage and the chains are heavy going. The one time that a chain became useful was to remove a dead overhanging branch above an ideal tent pitch site at the summer moot two years ago. I tied two lengths of paracord to the handles and threw it over the branch about 15 feet up and was able to operate it from the ground.
Mostly I don't carry it now.

ATB

Ogri the trog

[BushEd]

get a bowsaw/bucksaw blade from local DIY shop. I got mine for £1.80. Probably not that much heavier than a wire saw or chain saw. Coils up nicely in the bottom of the rucksack in the cardboard it came in to protect kit. Makes a much better saw, bigger, meaner, quicker.

[Cap'n Badger]

I use a Farrer's patent FOLDING SAW.....(The ones issued in ww2 t' the sappers).....When I need t' cut up s'thing BIG.......But tbh, It gets rarely used...tho when it does BOY can it cut!...Massive teeth an' built like a tank track..lol

[rawshak]

I use a Farrer's patent FOLDING SAW.....(The ones issued in ww2 t' the sappers).....When I need t' cut up s'thing BIG.......But tbh, It gets rarely used...tho when it does BOY can it cut!...Massive teeth an' built like a tank track..lol

Me too, great saws, but like Badger, mine doesn't see the light of day all that often, and I usually try and convince someone else to 'have a go' as they are quite hard work to use

[zagabul]

I also tried the wire saw but it broke the first time i used it.
I switched to the laplander. much bigger but get the job done.

[Phil6201]

I've got one from a Martin Baker ejection seat survival pack, and if used carefully it cuts quite well. I haven't used it much, and I would imagine it would kink quite easily.

[The Cumbrian]

I got an Unbelievable Pocket Chain Saw, and it's pretty good. If you've got a few cuts to make though, take your jacket off first. It's one of the best ways of warming up that I've encountered. As mentioned earlier, with a couple of bits of cord attached it's great for taking down overhead limbs.

Cheers, Michael.

[Nagual]

I got an Unbelievable Pocket Chain Saw, and it's pretty good. If you've got a few cuts to make though, take your jacket off first. It's one of the best ways of warming up that I've encountered. As mentioned earlier, with a couple of bits of cord attached it's great for taking down overhead limbs.

Cheers, Michael.

Aye, got one of these too. I found that it's max diameter of log it could cut was around 8 inches or so, taking maybe a minute or less to do so. Smaller diameters were very much easier. It certainly gets you warm thats for sure. If you had lots of wood to saw, it will tire you out, but if it's just thin-ish (2 -4 inch) logs for a fire, then no problem at all.

[CaptainBeaky]

Not worth the effort

Get a Silkie PocketBoy instead, and save your sweat

[some like it cold]

cheers for the replies and im glad captain beaky posted that because im torn between a silky saw and a laplander what are peoples opinions on this?

[Peter_t]

cheers for the replies and im glad captain beaky posted that because im torn between a silky saw and a laplander what are peoples opinions on this?

silky make far better saws, i use them on a dayly basis at work and so do about 90% of other tree surgeons. it realy depens on how much money you want to spend, the laplander is good value for £15 but then again the silky pocketboy is worth £10 more. whether the quality of the silky is necassary for bushcraft im not sure.



pete

[alpha_centaur]

Chain saws are great but heavy. Standard kit now for most forces

Is that for when the zombies attack

[CaptainBeaky]

silky make far better saws, I use them on a daily basis at work and so do about 90% of other tree surgeons. it really depends on how much money you want to spend, the laplander is good value for £15 but then again the silky pocketboy is worth £10 more. whether the quality of the silky is necessary for bushcraft I'm not sure.

pete

As you said, the Silkie IS worth the extra £10 - a round of drinks or a couple of packets of cancer sticks, for a far better tool, and yes, I've used both.

YMMV

[phaserrifle]

I've used the wire saw from a survival kit, and a pocket chainsaw owned by my scout leader.
the wire saws arn't much cop, although they do work fairly well if you use them as a bowsaw blade (in an improvised bowsaw)
meanwhile the pocket chainsaw went through wood like......a chainsaw (yes a poor joke, but). however I did watch a scout have considerable trouble due to the saw binding up on a 1/2 log, the edges of the log where catching.

I don't think either is a replacement for a folding or fixed blade saw, but for a pocket sized bit of kit I'd go for the chainsaw, and keep the wire saws for survival tins ect, where the ultra-small size comes into its own.