Wire saws...useful or gimmick ?
- Thread starter Toddy
- Start date
I have seen these advertised for sale in the usual places for a long time but I've never actually handled one. But the surprising thing to me is that they have been around so long. A so-called articulated saw M-1879 (scie articulee) was an issue item of field entrenching equipment in the French army, although I don't know if any other army had such a thing. It looked like the trench saw above. I suspect it worked better than a wire saw and much better than that little saw blade on your pocket knife, which is overwhelmed with a two-inch branch. I know and I found out the hard way. There were also saw-back bayonets but it was considered a bad thing to be captured with.
I have had 2 or 3 wire saws over the years and found them to be a waste of time quite frankly, they usually snap at the shackle within minutes. I upgraded and bought a Sabrecut saw with the pouch form Ultimate survival about 5 years ago now and it’s still going strong, Nice bit of kit, but best to wear a pair of gloves or wrap your hand with some cloth when using it or the nylon strapping on handles will strip the skin off your fingers very quickly , trust me on this one having no skin between your fingers hurts for days.
Plus you ended up with your rifle stuck in an enemy and found it hard to get out if it caught on the ribs...(Also like most sawbacks I've used too think and generally useless.)
I don't think much of wire saws. What I do use when I want a mini saw is a lifting rod from a broken Bosch Jigsaw with whatever blade I need. It's quick change so no faffing. A few blades can be kept in the handle so packed down fits in the palm of my hand.
Steve
Steve
I had the chance to try a variety of these when on a survival course. Even the ones that were a chainsaw chain were pretty hopeless and were either hopeless as saws or did more damage to your hands than the wood you were trying to saw through. If things were absolutely desperate, I might give them another try but I would only use them as a last resort and I certainly wouldn't bother carrying one.
Biker
Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
One of the uses I put those wires saws for, and found them great, was for cutting out hard to get to plastic waste pipe, or, in a pinch, copper pipes that you just can't get a hacksaw too. But that's pretty much only in a building site situation. Never considered using one "in the field" simply because I have better tools for that sort of thing. Might buy some for Christmas cracker fillings though and watch my nieces and nephews set to on the kitchen furniture. 
widu13
Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Wire Saws. IMO a useful gimmick. Day to day- no way, emergency use, tiny and light- yes.
I'm a bit old school. My army E&E course taught us about the tobacco tin survival kits. Of course it was much easier to buy one from Survival Aids and adapt it to our needs. The wire saws do what they are designed for- they help to make a shelter with little to no noise. I was always taught that if you got 2 shelters use out of one you had done well. The thickest poles we cut with them were an inch diameter or less.
Slow steady strokes with plenty of stops prevent the "burrs" from overheating and melting which just leaves you with wire rope!
I'm a bit old school. My army E&E course taught us about the tobacco tin survival kits. Of course it was much easier to buy one from Survival Aids and adapt it to our needs. The wire saws do what they are designed for- they help to make a shelter with little to no noise. I was always taught that if you got 2 shelters use out of one you had done well. The thickest poles we cut with them were an inch diameter or less.
Slow steady strokes with plenty of stops prevent the "burrs" from overheating and melting which just leaves you with wire rope!
Try taking the blade out if the hacksaw and just wrapping a bit of masking tape (or something like) around one end as a "handle." That'll reach just about anywhere a finger will.
Biker
Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Point taken. I had the wire saw to hand and used it, job done. As for the hacksaw blade and the masking tape trick... no need, I have one of these.
Point taken. I had the wire saw to hand and used it, job done. As for the hacksaw blade and the masking tape trick... no need, I have one of these.
After over 20 years in the Air Force using the duct tape trick to reach into tight spots in an airplane, I finally found those handle too. LOL
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