I was recently in my local army surplus store and seen a commando wire saw on the shelf, this look to me to be a useful bit of kit. is it werth getting, thanks.
Help with wire saw
- Thread starter Lee_shanahan
- Start date
Wire saws tend to be too short to be of much use. The "teeth" on them are so small that cutting green or even dead wood very quickly clogs them up and they become hot and then they break. The only time I saw one that did what it was meant to was a far more expensive, braided version that was used for cutting bones on large animal carcasses.
The Pocket Chainsaw is in another league altogether. Great for green and dead wood, with decent sized teeth that actually cut. They can also be useful for cutting branches that you cannot reach. By attaching the saw to a length of paracord or rope which is thrown over the branch, you can pull the saw up and over the branch then make the cut by pulling on the two dangling ends alternately. Just make sure to stand off to one side when doing this !
I have also been able in the past to knock up a crude bucksaw in the field, using the Pocket Chainsaw as the blade. This can be more user-friendly around camp for cutting up firewood.
The Pocket Chainsaw is in another league altogether. Great for green and dead wood, with decent sized teeth that actually cut. They can also be useful for cutting branches that you cannot reach. By attaching the saw to a length of paracord or rope which is thrown over the branch, you can pull the saw up and over the branch then make the cut by pulling on the two dangling ends alternately. Just make sure to stand off to one side when doing this !
I have also been able in the past to knock up a crude bucksaw in the field, using the Pocket Chainsaw as the blade. This can be more user-friendly around camp for cutting up firewood.
I agree - for a folding saw, a Laplander or Silky pocket boy will cost £15 - £25 and actually work!
I aggree with all above comments but, it makes a good addition to an emergency kit if you are making your own.
BushTucker said:
Your right that is what they were designed for - to be small enough to be folded into you survival tin!
They are not designed to tackle long term cutting/sawing duties. Emergency use only!!
The 'Sabre Saw' from ultimate survival is a pocket chainsaw that is very effective and can tackle green and dead wood very well!
I have a wire saw. I used it once, put it im a draw and its there to this day! Coiling it up all the time so that it doesnt knot is too much of a faff! Even when you do coil it up you are always gonna get knotts! 
So i use a £3 hand saw that i bought from Aldi about 3 years ago and its still good and sharp!! And i use it all the time!
I returned to Aldi last year to buy 3 more because they were so good but i discovered that they had changed the design of the blade and it kept getting stuck all the time!! Annoying!
So i use a £3 hand saw that i bought from Aldi about 3 years ago and its still good and sharp!! And i use it all the time!
I returned to Aldi last year to buy 3 more because they were so good but i discovered that they had changed the design of the blade and it kept getting stuck all the time!! Annoying!
Thanks alot for the advice, i'll take it all on board. The other option i like is the gerber folding saw is this any different from the laplander?
I bought one of the deluxe ultimate survival kits with blast match and sabre hand chain saw. Cut brilliantly through wood, but the webbing handles also did a good job on my hands.
Now I use some thickish stick through the handles and it works a treat. For all the smaller stuff I would the laplander, and to be honest it gets used the most. A truly excellent tool.
Hope this helps!
Now I use some thickish stick through the handles and it works a treat. For all the smaller stuff I would the laplander, and to be honest it gets used the most. A truly excellent tool.
Hope this helps!
yer i seen those ultimate survial kits, they look awsome fairplay, they much value for money then? last year i bought a folding saw, pretty much the same design as the laplander from wilkos for abot £3-99 and it fell apart on me the first time i used it.
Hello Lee_shanahan
firstly this is not an impartial post, I did a few years ago have a link to the company which invented the original commando wire saw (the new version with the black plastic covered loops and wrist straps was my design) however I think this would be informative with regards to the topic of this thread and I have asked the Moderators permission to post it
The wire saw is not particularly good for use on live or green wood and I certainly wouldnt recommend it for that function, it binds quickly and snaps easily under these conditions, but its important to remember that this is not what it was originally designed for.
it is intended to be hidden in your clothing (sewn into the hem of your jacket or concealed in the sole of a commando boot which is how it was originally stored) and utilised in an escape and evasion scenario to cut the sort of wooden fence posts that surround a temporary POW camp, giving POWs the opportunity to escape early on before they are transferred to a more secure prison facility.
it will normally cut though more than 15 cured fence posts (4" X 4" thick) before it dulls and no longer cuts efficiently anymore, which, hopefully would be enough to see them free and running.
I believe that misguided marketing has lead to the myth that this is an efficient tool for cutting green wood and the subsequently poor reputation of the wire saw.
The other myth about the wire saw is that is breaks because of heat build up and/or wear because of the soft composition of the wire strands this is not normally the case, if it were the wire saw would be unable to cut mild steel as in this video and picture of it cutting 2mm thick angle iron
The cut is 8mm long, at this point the saw dulled to the point that it became difficult to maintain a sawing action without it sticking.
Here is some important info about wire saws:
they were originally designed for cutting cured wood such as fence posts, not green tree boughs. It will cut a standard size 4 by 4 fence post around over 15 times before it dulls, under these conditions it is very unlikely to break.
Whilst it will cut mild steel its slow going and you cant cut very far before you dull the saw
The wire saw is a disposable item, it is design to be used once under E & E circumstances and disposed of. Durability is sacrificed for concealablity because if you cant hide it, you cant use it!
It does not normally break because of heat build-up or wear whilst cutting cured wood or mild steel, it will however break easily if used on green wood due to binding caused by the moisture content of green wood
Like all tools there is some element of correct technique in its use
Its probably not much use for bushcraft unless you foresee yourselves being captured and held by zee Nazis :BlueTeamE
for bushcraft you are much better off with a bucksaw blade and the knowleadge to build a bucksaw frame.
Unless you have one of these which was designed for SOE to cut down Telegraph poles with!:
those are large floor tiles instead of standard wall tiles if thats throwing your size perspective off and this a pocket chain saw in the middle for size comparision:
its razor sharp too!
but seriously, unless your a 'super secret laser guided ninja' in your spare time, your still better of with a bucksaw for bushcraft
Please note that these are my opinions and views, which are not necessarily those of the manufacturers or resellers of wire saws.
firstly this is not an impartial post, I did a few years ago have a link to the company which invented the original commando wire saw (the new version with the black plastic covered loops and wrist straps was my design) however I think this would be informative with regards to the topic of this thread and I have asked the Moderators permission to post it
The wire saw is not particularly good for use on live or green wood and I certainly wouldnt recommend it for that function, it binds quickly and snaps easily under these conditions, but its important to remember that this is not what it was originally designed for.
it is intended to be hidden in your clothing (sewn into the hem of your jacket or concealed in the sole of a commando boot which is how it was originally stored) and utilised in an escape and evasion scenario to cut the sort of wooden fence posts that surround a temporary POW camp, giving POWs the opportunity to escape early on before they are transferred to a more secure prison facility.
it will normally cut though more than 15 cured fence posts (4" X 4" thick) before it dulls and no longer cuts efficiently anymore, which, hopefully would be enough to see them free and running.
I believe that misguided marketing has lead to the myth that this is an efficient tool for cutting green wood and the subsequently poor reputation of the wire saw.
The other myth about the wire saw is that is breaks because of heat build up and/or wear because of the soft composition of the wire strands this is not normally the case, if it were the wire saw would be unable to cut mild steel as in this video and picture of it cutting 2mm thick angle iron
The cut is 8mm long, at this point the saw dulled to the point that it became difficult to maintain a sawing action without it sticking.
Here is some important info about wire saws:
they were originally designed for cutting cured wood such as fence posts, not green tree boughs. It will cut a standard size 4 by 4 fence post around over 15 times before it dulls, under these conditions it is very unlikely to break.
Whilst it will cut mild steel its slow going and you cant cut very far before you dull the saw
The wire saw is a disposable item, it is design to be used once under E & E circumstances and disposed of. Durability is sacrificed for concealablity because if you cant hide it, you cant use it!
It does not normally break because of heat build-up or wear whilst cutting cured wood or mild steel, it will however break easily if used on green wood due to binding caused by the moisture content of green wood
Like all tools there is some element of correct technique in its use
Its probably not much use for bushcraft unless you foresee yourselves being captured and held by zee Nazis :BlueTeamE
for bushcraft you are much better off with a bucksaw blade and the knowleadge to build a bucksaw frame.
Unless you have one of these which was designed for SOE to cut down Telegraph poles with!:
those are large floor tiles instead of standard wall tiles if thats throwing your size perspective off and this a pocket chain saw in the middle for size comparision:
its razor sharp too!
but seriously, unless your a 'super secret laser guided ninja' in your spare time, your still better of with a bucksaw for bushcraft
Please note that these are my opinions and views, which are not necessarily those of the manufacturers or resellers of wire saws.
Thanks alot stuart, i found that information extremely useful. That saw looks lethal, bet it gets the job done tho. I think its fair to say invest in a good saw and i carn't go wrong. Are there any sites that sell decent saws at a reasonable price?
Amazon probably offer the best price on the Laplander (around £19 delivered I think). Frost's High Carbon Mora, Gransfors Small Forest Axe and Bahco Laplander are a lethal trio to tackle just about anything and all for about a quarter of the price of a Woodlore these days (under £80 the lot )
(under £80 the lot )
Was a time when we had those hand chain saws in the G10 stores, along with billhooks. Alas, some eedjit decided they were not needed anymore and they dissapeared. A shame really because the army had Husqvarna chainsaws that aren't to be used anymore due to health and safety and the fact that the chain bar is about five miles long! They bought a new Makita chainsaw but what with current legislation it is very difficult to find a soldier who can legally use a chainsaw! The hand chainsaw could have filled the role there.
Unless presumably for battlespamel said:
now theres a sight that would chill the enemy to the marrow The Ultimate Survival kit? Is it worth it? It cost me £55 a couple of years back. The Blast Match is great as you can use it one handed if you only have one hand available for any reason. There are lots of variations on the chain saw now. The case is strong and you can just fit a small 2 inches folder in. Basically it looks good, but Silverback is right, a Mora, Laplander and Gransfors SFA will do.
I can sympathize with the Wilko specials. At the end of the day, if you get the right quality tool to start with, it may cost a bit extra, but will definitely save you time and money if you look after them.
I can sympathize with the Wilko specials. At the end of the day, if you get the right quality tool to start with, it may cost a bit extra, but will definitely save you time and money if you look after them.
Silverback said:Unless presumably for battle
You ever seen a Ghurka with a kukri running at you and screaming like a banshee, now thats awsomely scary!!
Similar threads
