Pocket chainsaw advice ?

[R3XXY]

So do any of you guys and gals have any experience with those pocket chainsaws ?

I find my Bacho Laplander takes a hell of a lot of elbow grease and is a bit limited in the thickness of log that it can cut, I've seen some pretty good vids on YouTube of people using the pocket chainsaws.

There seems to be a few different makes, lengths and styles though, some with more teeth than others.

From what I can see (not much) the Darlac ones looks pretty good quality.

Any ideas folks ?

R3XXY x

 

[British Red]

Pretty much a waste of time - much harder to use than a fixed blade saw. If you need more "oomph" than a Laplander the get a bowsaw - there are folding variants available commercially or make a bucksaw frame yourself.

 

[Hog On Ice]

IMO the best of the type is the SaberCut saw - for example: http://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Survival-Technologies-SaberCut-Black/dp/B001H9N8C0 - that said I probably would rig it with a springy stick to tension it and use it like a bow saw

 

[BearInTheWoods]

You just need a normal chainsaw, and a really big pocket.

 

[woof]

I got one, that is a chainsaw chain with handles on it. Its blunter than a blunt thing thats blunt, & requires a huge amount of effort to use it. I've got a couple of chainsaws & can sharpen a chain so "one day" i'll sharpen it, but they are hard work when blunt !. If i sharpen it you are welcome to borrow it & have ago.

Rob

 

[dwardo]

Someone should make a "real" pocket chainsaw. Cutting bar of about 4 inches and using a model aircraft engine for power.

 

[ozzy1977]

Do a search on here it has been covered a few times in the last month or so.

 

[Ogri the trog]

I have a Sabre, and but for one specific use, I would have ditched it years ago!

Your Bahco may be limited to the diameter of log it can cut, but just how big a log do you need to cut for your average weekend/week long bushcraft camp?

Pocket chain saws take a huge amount of energy to use, requiring that you use your entire body to remove a very wide kerf of chippings before achieving your primary intention of separating one piece of wood from another. With a Bahco, the kerf is maybe 2 to 2.5 millimetres wide - a chainsaw kerf is closer to 8 or 10mm wide - four times more wood to process into chips in order to separate the same two ends of wood. It's a "No Brainer"!

The one specific use that I keep it for is to attach long cord handles to and throw it over a high branch - which I have done once as a practise and once as a camping safety requirement.

ATB

Ogri the trog

 

[mrcharly]

Much easier to carry a pocket beaver and teach it to gnaw through logs on command.

 

[ozzy1977]

Someone should make a "real" pocket chainsaw. Cutting bar of about 4 inches and using a model aircraft engine for power.

I would love to see one of those, I bet there is one out there somewhere

 

[dwardo]

I would love to see one of those, I bet there is one out there somewhere

I did have a quick google but found nawt. Worlds biggest chainsaw, loads of them.

 

[udamiano]

I've given a few these a go over the years, and pretty much agree with the above. All of the one i received were blunt and needed to be sharpened before using and single person use was at best a pain in the lower end. Some success was achieved using it between two people, but the nature of the chain makes it prone to binding in the wood unless you can keep enough tension on it. So I would not recommend them as a replacement for a fixed edge saw like a laplander or one of its derivatives, and for larger sections a good old fashioned bow saw.

 

[Mesquite]

About the only decent 'pocket saw' I've ever seen is a WW2 pioneer/commando saw.

Those things really work as they're sharp and could cut down a telegraph pole pretty easily

There's a couple currently on sale on Ebay at the moment

 

[Corso]

I've been might impressed with the Tops folding saw for small stuff - If I were in need of something with a bit more cutting power and still wanted it to be backable I'd look at the SVEN

http://militarymart.co.uk/index.php?_a=product&product_id=2045

 

[R3XXY]

Well thanks for all the replies folks, shortly after posting this thread I stumbled upon Silky Saws.

I bought the 300mm Gomtaro model today, took it out for a test drive and it's

A W E S O M E !!

I can't recommend them enough, absolutely pisses on a Bahco, cuts through wood like butter, almost effortless.

Silky Saws

 

[BearInTheWoods]

I use a Silky for trimming shrubs and trees they are indeed awesome, the only thing to note is that they cut on the 'in' stroke, not the 'out' stroke. Not everybody cares for that.

 

[Dave Budd]

I've lost track how many times I've said this on this forum. Take a look at what the professionals in the woodland industry use: Silky saws. There is a reason that they are industry standard: the work better than anything else out there! Whether it is a folding or a fixed blade one, they all work better than any laplander or so called pocket chainsaw. Amongst the silkys I have is a KatanaBoy, it's a folding saw but with a 600mm blade and teeth at something like 5tpi. Now that thing cuts wood like you wouldn't believe!

 

[mountainm]

I've lost track how many times I've said this on this forum. Take a look at what the professionals in the woodland industry use: Silky saws. There is a reason that they are industry standard: the work better than anything else out there! Whether it is a folding or a fixed blade one, they all work better than any laplander or so called pocket chainsaw. Amongst the silkys I have is a KatanaBoy, it's a folding saw but with a 600mm blade and teeth at something like 5tpi. Now that thing cuts wood like you wouldn't believe!

And they're a lot more expensive.

 

[Dave Budd]

for a reason! Also, they do last a good long time

I started out with them by buying a spare blade and fitting my own handle. That way I got a 30cm+ blade for about £25, just to see how good it was. I'm still using it 5 years later. are in mind that I don't just make knives, I also manage a 10 acre woodland

 

[British Red]

Because they are better value. Professionals don't waste money on tools that are bad value.