Non-folding pruning saws

[ChingfordHarry]

hi

i have some heavy pruning of unkempt plum, apple and pear trees to do (boughs up to about 80-100mm thick) and my trusty bow saw is too unwieldy, so I am contemplating investing in a decent pruning saw. I don't like folding tools (however well-made they are, the hinge part always breaks in my tender care). So I was wondering if anyone here has tried any of the examples on the RHS website?

Alternatively, does anyone have any other recommendations than the RHS ones?

[Mark Rand]

To be honest, with 100mm thick boughs to cut I'd use the 36" metal bow saw. I use the 12" metal bow saw for smaller stuff. The 12" Wilkinson Sword pruning saw only gets used for crowded bits that are too large for secateurs because it cuts far better on the pull stroke than the push stroke.

I've had the pruning saw for 20 years, but I don't know how long my dad had it before me. The bow saws I've had for almost 40 years...

[ChingfordHarry]

I appreciate that, but it's the bits where it's hard to get the saw in that I'm thinking about now. I've only had my bow saw for about 25 years, so I'm a bit of a newbie

[Mark Rand]

There's nothing* wrong with trimming the smaller stuff away until you can get at the bigger bits.

*Except when it's the smaller bits that you hope to retain.

[ChingfordHarry]

Yes, but that's not what I will be doing. There are multiple thick crossing boughs of which I want to select one - thus is the case on several trees.

[ChingfordHarry]

While this is all very interesting, and I do appreciate that you've taken the time to answer, I'm actually more interested in a direct answer to my original question...

[Plot70]

I use a cheap plasterboard saw from one of the big DIY sheds.
It has a single thickish rigid blade with teeth on both edges and is not folding.
It was cheap enough that you would chuck it away and buy another if it gets blunt.

[Bren In Pots]

MrPots recommends the Silky Gomtaro Saw they're pricy though.

[ameno]

I appreciate that, but it's the bits where it's hard to get the saw in that I'm thinking about now. I've only had my bow saw for about 25 years, so I'm a bit of a newbie

Have you tried taking the blade off in order to thread the saw handle through any gaps or around any branches, then refitting the blade once in position? You can even fit the blade back in with the teeth facing inwards to help cut stuff in awkward positions. I cut some pretty awkward branches on my old cherry tree that way; ones too thick to realistically cut with a pruning saw.

[ChingfordHarry]

Okay, first off - I actually read a review on the "Gardener's World" website, not the RHS. Mea culpa...

Plot70: I use a cheap plasterboard saw from one of the big DIY sheds.

Got one of those and it does a good job mostly but I want something longer and with a better handle.

Ameno: Have you tried taking the blade off in order to thread the saw handle through any gaps or around any branches, then refitting the blade once in position?

Not yet, but that's certainly a good idea for occasional branches (used to do this with a coping saw in woodwork). Having to do it for the whole neglected orchard might be a bit of a pain.

Bren in Pots: Silky Gomtaro Saw

How much? How much!!? Blimey, I see what you mean about pricey. I found a discussion on an arboriculture website (https://www.arboristsite.com/threads...samurai.30940/) that speaks very highly of Silky, as do the discussions on arbtalk.co.uk. I even found a website that compared different "silky saws", which included a bunch of other makes as well as Silky, so it looks as if in some communities they're like a hoover. Before today, I'd never heard of them...

I am a big fan of buying decent tools once - looking in my toolbox I have some tools that I bought nearly 50 years ago that are still in better condition than some I see for sale today.

[DannyK]

I have been using a Darlac Sabre Tooth for years with and without poles. It's hard work using with the poles but better than using a ladder. I get wobbly just standing on a chair! There are some other useful attachments.

I did splash out on a saw and pole from their expert range. Very good but my problem is large branches falling and damaging plants. They don't look so big in the tree!

I have found their telescopic "Snapper" very useful in pruning my cordon apples.

[ChingfordHarry]

Hi DannyK - thanks for this. Darlac tools seem to be for sale on lots of the gardening supplies websites, and spares also seem to be widely available. The "Gardeners' World" review only has a folding saw of theirs (which is in their "best of the rest"), so it's really useful hearing more about them.

Poles are really handy but I find (like you) that they can be quite hard work. I want to bring the trees I have in mind down to about 2.5m (so everyone can reach the fruit without a ladder), so I think I might be able to steer clear of this option (while bearing in mind that I don't want to cut off too many thick boughs and unbalance the trees/have them bleed to death/etc) for the moment.

URL for the review is https://www.gardenersworld.com/revie...t-pruning-saws - it does have more reviews for folding saws than for non-folding saws, so it's less use for me than it might be.

[ChingfordHarry]

Okay, I couldn't resist buying a Silky Gomtaro 30cm pruning saw. I've been in the orchard trying it out on the dead boughs (on plums) that needed to be cleaned up before starting the formative prune after they've fruited - so that will be in a month or so.

Since there are lots of crossing branches, I found the pruning saw was much, much easier to use than a bow saw - I think that even if I hadn't splashed out so much, any pruning saw would be an improvement over a bow saw.

The quality of the cuts was first-rate - they looked like they'd been sanded with 00 paper (what I used to call "flour paper") - and the bark was also cleanly cut with no tears (which all helps to reduce the chances of infection). Cuts I'd made previously with a bow saw (new Spear and Jackson "razorsharp" blade) looked like you might expect - saw cuts, with torn bark on the exit of the cut.

Cutting is fast with little effort (maybe 20 or 30 seconds for a 50mm bough) - you have to watch out for the teeth because they are very, very sharp.

When I got the saw, I thought that I could have done with a shorter one because it looks a little unwieldy, but in use I didn't really notice it being particularly awkward.

I'll add an update once I've tamed the plums...

I can see why MrPots recommends them. This is not to say that other (more affordable) saws wouldn't do the job well, more that I don't think I will be able to blame my tool when I mess up...

[Bren In Pots]

Good to hear you're happy with your saw

[Snoop Puss]

Thanks for the feedback, Chingford Harry. 50 mm in 20 to 30 seconds for such a clean cut sounds brilliant. Lots of people talk about pride of ownership, but pride of usage is far better.

Mr Snoop does a lot of pruning of low dead branches on pine trees and trims the occasional oak. I think I'll get him one for his next present.