Hiking, Camping and Shooting
  • Home
  • Hiking
    • Footwear
    • Headgear
    • Navigation
    • Hydration
    • Food
    • Photography
    • Raingear
    • First Aid
    • Emergency Supplies
    • Day Pack
  • Camping
    • Shelter
    • Sleeping
    • Hydration
    • Cooking
    • Tools
    • Light
    • Electronics
    • First Aid
    • Maps and Books
    • Organization and Storage
    • Disaster Preparedness
  • Shooting
    • Handguns
    • Carbines
    • Rifles
    • Shotguns
    • Magazines
    • Optics and Mounts
    • Shrouds and Accessories
    • Slings
    • Holsters
    • Loaders
    • Carrying Cases
    • Safety Items
    • Range Items and Tools
    • Targets
    • Ammunition
    • Cleaning Supplies
    • Gun and Ammo Storage
  • Adventures
    • North America
    • Europe
    • Oceania
    • Asia
    • South and Central America
    • Middle East
  • Blog
  • About
  • Contact

Camp Saws

1/2/2019

1 Comment

 

What’s the Right Saw for You?

After I posted the blog about getting a new Silky Ultra Accel Curved Blade Folding Saw (Large Teeth 240mm, 446-24) for Christmas I received a few questions asking about the pros and cons of different types of saws and how a person should go about choosing a saw. So I thought that I would take a crack at answering those questions in this blog post. Note: We also have a Chainmate CM-24SSP 24-Inch Survival Pocket Chain Saw. You can see the details related to both of these saws on the Camping/Tools page.
 
Types of Saws Overview
First of all there are three basic types saws to consider when looking for a saw to take with you into the outback (specifically excluding the typical “wood shop” hand saw – which is great for construction at your house – but lousy in the woods):
​
              1) Bow Saws
              2) Folding Saws
              3) Pocket Chain Saws
Picture
Bow Saw
Picture
Folding Saw
Picture
Pocket Chain Saw
​Since each of these types of camping saws are significantly different let me touch on their advantages and disadvantages.
Bow Saws – Bow saws are probably the most efficient type of camping saws. A reputable brand’s saw will have a stronger frame, more clearance and longer blades, improving your ability to cut larger logs and green wood. The biggest advantages of bow saws are that they are sturdy and efficient. The biggest disadvantages are that they are heavier, oddly shaped and do not pack very well. To address these disadvantages there are several folding bow saws on the market, but in our opinion these hybrid designs decrease the effectiveness of the saw (mostly due to the reduced clearance space between the saw blade and the frame) and only partially solve the packing issue since you have to reassemble the saw to use it. If I was in a stationary campsite, I would choose a bow saw because of their stability and efficiency – but a bow saw would not be my choice if I’m hiking and camping due to their packing shortfalls. If you want to check out bow saws you might look at the following 8 popular ones:

  • Filzer Buckster Bow Saw
  • Bahco 21” Ergo Bow Saw
  • Gilmour 21” Bow Saw
  • Sven Saw 15-inch Saw
  • Agawa Canyon - BOREAL21 Compact Folding Bow Saw
  • Gerber Freescape Camp Saw
  • Coghlan’s Folding Saw
  • Zippo AxeSaw 
Folding Saws – Folding saws are our preferred type of saw for camping since they do the best job of balancing cutting efficiency and packability. There are lots of folding saws on the market, but we prefer saws that cut on the “pull stroke” instead of saws that cut on the “push stroke”. In our experience the fatal flaw on most folding saws is the thickness (or thinness) of the blade. On pull stroke saws there is less pressure on the blade when it is cutting since it is being pulled back toward you. Whereas on saws that cut on the push stroke there is maximum pressure on the blade when it is being pushed forward to cut. Often times this causes the saw blade to flex and bend/break if it binds up while cutting. In contrast, if a pull stroke saw binds while cutting it just gets stuck – without bending/breaking the blade. The biggest tradeoff on folding saws is the length of the blade since that dictates what size wood you can cut and how long/heavy the folded saw is. We think that you need a blade that is at least 8 to 9 inches long to be effective. The other critical component of a folding saw is the handle – so make sure that you have one with an ergonomic design that fits your hand (diameter, length and material) and how you saw. Also make sure that the saw has a mechanism that locks the blade into position when it is in use since there are few things more painful than having a saw blade cut into your hand while sawing. If you want to check out folding saws you might look at the following 8 popular ones:
 
  • Silky Ultra Accel Curved Blade Folding Saw, Large Teeth 240mm, 446-24
  • Silky Folding Landscaping Saw GOMBOY Professional
  • Bahco Laplander Folding Saw
  • Corona Razor Tooth Folding Saw
  • Ichiban Samurai Saw
  • Kershaw Buck Commander Folding Saw
  • Eversaw 8.0 Pull Cut Saw
  • SOG Folding Saw
Pocket Chain Saws – Pocket Chain Saws are just what they sound like; a chain similar to that on a gas-powered chain saw that is driven by you pulling back and forth instead of a motor. The critical considerations on a chain saw are the length (since that determines what size wood you can cut) and durability (since the only component is the chain and a cheap one will either quickly wear out or break). If weight is an overwhelming consideration then a pocket chain saw is a good option since it will pack into a small pouch (approximately 3" x 4" x 2"), weighs only 3 to 4 ounces and will get the job done on any reasonable sized log that you want to cut.  The biggest shortfall of the pocket chain saw is that it really can only be used for rough sawing of wood; you can’t easily use it for cutting notches or joints. So if you are using it for bushcraft activities it might suffice for the getting the timber – but not for the finer cuts. If you want to check out pocket chain saws you might look at the following 4 popular ones:
 
  • Chainmate CM-24SSP 24-Inch Survival Pocket Chain Saw
  • Sportsman Pocket Chainsaw
  • LivWild Hand Chain with Pouch
  • Nordic Pocket Saw
Selecting the Right Saw for You
So now that we’ve covered the basic differences between saw types, what factors should you evaluate when looking for a saw to take with you on your outback adventures? Although the evaluation factors differ a little depending the type of saw you prefer, in general we think that you should look at the following: 1) length, 2) strength, 3) weight, 4) number/type of teeth on saw, 5) diameter of log that can be cut, 6) durability, 7) ergonomic design, 8) ease of blade replacement and 9) cost.
 
Of course one of the most critical items on a saw are the teeth on the blade. The standard way manufacturers measure the teeth on a blade is by the inch - often listed as “teeth per inch” (TPI). In addition to the number of teeth, the size of the teeth is also a factor. Larger teeth (and lower TPI) typically provide faster cutting and are better at cutting softer wood and smaller teeth (higher TPI) are good for cutting harder wood. Blades with 2-8 TPI are good for ripping soft woods with the grain. Medium blades with 10-20 TPI are for crosscutting and moderately hard materials. Fine blades with 20-30 TPI (not really applicable to camp saws) are for very hard materials and/or very precise cuts.
 
If you want to see more detailed information, and reviews, about saws here are some good articles/websites to checkout:
  • https://myopencountry.com/hiking-camping-gear/tools-accessories/best-backpacking-saw/ 
  • https://trulygear.com/best-backpacking-saws/ 
  • https://www.trekwarrior.com/best-survival-saw/
  • https://ogoutdoors.com/best-backpacking-saws/
  • https://hiconsumption.com/2018/10/best-camping-saws/ 
  • https://thriftyoutdoorsman.com/best-camping-saw/  
Picture
1 Comment
Zain Farid link
12/21/2021 01:48:49

Thank you for sharing this amazing informative blog. If you need Knife you must to know about it and its reviews. Please visit <a href="https://bestknivesreviews.com/">best knives reviews</a>.

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    What's On This Page?

    Here's where we post reviews, questions, answers, thoughts and other information that's of general interest to our followers in a blog format.

    Categories

    All
    Adventures
    Camping
    Disaster Preparedness
    Hiking
    Interesting Gear
    New Gear
    Our Thoughts
    Shooting
    Site Additions
    Trade Shows
    Website Statistics

    Archives

    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016

    RSS Feed

Home
Hiking
Camping
Shooting
Disaster Preparedness

Adventures
Blog 
About

Contact
​Privacy Policy
Legal and Copyright Disclaimers

               Copyright 2016-2023 Hiking, Camping and Shooting
  • Home
  • Hiking
    • Footwear
    • Headgear
    • Navigation
    • Hydration
    • Food
    • Photography
    • Raingear
    • First Aid
    • Emergency Supplies
    • Day Pack
  • Camping
    • Shelter
    • Sleeping
    • Hydration
    • Cooking
    • Tools
    • Light
    • Electronics
    • First Aid
    • Maps and Books
    • Organization and Storage
    • Disaster Preparedness
  • Shooting
    • Handguns
    • Carbines
    • Rifles
    • Shotguns
    • Magazines
    • Optics and Mounts
    • Shrouds and Accessories
    • Slings
    • Holsters
    • Loaders
    • Carrying Cases
    • Safety Items
    • Range Items and Tools
    • Targets
    • Ammunition
    • Cleaning Supplies
    • Gun and Ammo Storage
  • Adventures
    • North America
    • Europe
    • Oceania
    • Asia
    • South and Central America
    • Middle East
  • Blog
  • About
  • Contact