Wood saws on the trail

[David M]

I was wonderimg how many people take lightweight saws on the trail for chores such as: clearing smaller trees that have fallen across the trail, cutting firewood, making improvised shelters and making tent stakes? I just "saw" these things - except for the third one - done by a saw carrier on a recent Mt Feathertop walk.

There are a few models that seem to be popular for this (mentioned on US sites), the "Sawvivor", the Swedish "Sven" and the garden pruner Bahco "Laplander".

Thoughts?

[tas-man]

I've got a Bahco "Laplander" that I have taken on day walks where thick scrub or regrowth on old tracks was expected. It works well on green and dry timber. Got off eBay from Germany last year. It weighs 190 grams and the blade folds into a groove in the handle for safe carrying in your pack, and a button locks it securely in both the open and closed positions. Here are some photos showing it open and closed.

However my preferred tool when weight is no object is . . .

[tas-man]

There are many video's demonstrating the Bahco Laplander. Here's one for starters -

[David M]

I checked my Bahco pruning saw, bought in Oz at Bunnings and it appears identical to the Laplander model except that the handle is all orange and the model written on the blade is PG-72. It also weighs 180g but it does not come with a lanyard like the US/Canada/Europe models. So it looks like I already have a Laplander .

[tas-man]

I checked my Bahco pruning saw, bought in Oz at Bunnings and it appears identical to the Laplander model except that the handle is all orange and the model written on the blade is PG-72. It also weighs 180g but it does not come with a lanyard like the US/Canada/Europe models. So it looks like I already have a Laplander .

Does the tooth pattern look the same? The Laplander has deep hardpoint teeth set to work well in dry hardwood in particular. Having looked at some of the other videos comparing similar saws, there are models that have the same handle moulding but different saw blades. What did you pay for the Bunnings one?

[Peter C]

Drawing from my experience in horticulture and having used a variety of branch saws, I would recommend 'http://www.silkysaws.com/' saws, Japanese made and almost works of art. A little more expensive usually than the Bahco's, but defiantly better quality. Another make worth considering is Barnel. http://www.forestrytools.com.au/index.php?id=23 is one of a few sites I have found with a decent range. I have dealt with these guys a bit and found them very good.

[tas-man]

Thanks Peter C for giving us your recommendations. I had never heard of these saws before but they both look impressive, and the weight of the 130cm Barnel at 160 grams is a plus.

[David M]

I checked my Bahco pruning saw, bought in Oz at Bunnings and it appears identical to the Laplander model except that the handle is all orange and the model written on the blade is PG-72. It also weighs 180g but it does not come with a lanyard like the US/Canada/Europe models. So it looks like I already have a Laplander .

Does the tooth pattern look the same? The Laplander has deep hardpoint teeth set to work well in dry hardwood in particular. Having looked at some of the other videos comparing similar saws, there are models that have the same handle moulding but different saw blades. What did you pay for the Bunnings one?

Well, I did think it was the same model after doing freeze frames of various YouTube videos of the Laplander. However various UK websites offer both models, the Laplander and the PG-72 implying that they are different. In the description it says on the Amazon UK site that the PG-72 has an XT-7 teeth pattern and the Laplander has an XT teeth pattern but it does not indicate what that difference might be. There is also a Canadian web seller http://answers.mec.ca/answers/9421-en_c ... rt=recenta where they advertise a Laplander but some point out in the comments that it is a PG-72. There is an Australian Bushcraft video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBB32VEAP7A of the Laplander but someone says in the comments that it is sold as an orange PG-72 at Bunnings. Others then comment that the PG-72 is slightly different includng the PG-72 having a thinner blade than the Laplander. FWIW my PG-72 has a blade thickness of about 1.2mm measured at the spine and the teeth are about 4mm from base to tip. Perhaps someone can post measurements for the Laplander. I cannot recall what I paid at Bunnings.

[tas-man]

I spotted the Bahco orange handle saw in Bunnimgs today and the saw blade teeth pattern looks identical to my Laplander. The price was $32.50.

[David M]

OK, maybe I have too much time on my hands but here is an image, with scale, of the tooth pattern on the Bahco PG-72.

[Beacon Hill Ben]

I was wonderimg how many people take lightweight saws on the trail for chores such as: clearing smaller trees that have fallen across the trail, cutting firewood, making improvised shelters and making tent stakes? I just "saw" these things - except for the third one - done by a saw carrier on a recent Mt Feathertop walk.

There are a few models that seem to be popular for this (mentioned on US sites), the "Sawvivor", the Swedish "Sven" and the garden pruner Bahco "Laplander".

Thoughts?

Yes, I have the Bahco/Laplander and it works great. Much more efficient than both an axe or machete, both for weight and energy required to do the cutting. I second the recommendations for Silky, that would be my next buy. However, at 160/180g, they still are too heavy for lightweight hiking (never mind ultra lightweight). You just don't end up using it that much to justify that weight.

So now I bring a Wenger Ranger 78, which also has a decent 4" saw, which is enough for hiking purposes. And for 160g you get a decent locking knife, can/bottle opener etc for free.

[tas-man]

OK, maybe I have too much time on my hands but here is an image, with scale, of the tooth pattern on the Bahco PG-72.

Ditto! LOL

[David M]

I have taken some measurements from the photos of the Bahco Laplander and the PG-72.

o Both blades are 8 points per inch (the same as 9 teeth per inch).
o They both have straight plain teeth in an alternating crosscut pattern.
o The teeth depth for both blades is around 4.5mm.

I am not sure about the spne thickness of the Laplander but for the PG-72 I previously reported about 1.2mm.

There appears to be a very slight difference in blade profile. The Laplander appears to be more narrow at the end. The following measurements were made from a line representing the teeth points to the spine of the blade at various tooth positions.

(Does anyone know how to do fixed pitch or tables?) I will insert a graphic for my table as I cannot see how to do it otherwise.

Saw patterns Bahco.gif (7.95 KiB) Viewed 10242 times

In conclusion the blades appear to be very similar with an identical tooth pattern and a very slight difference in profile which may not be significant in any case. I cannot comment on the thickness of the Laplander blade which may be different to the PG-72.

[tas-man]

<snip>I am not sure about the spne thickness of the Laplander but for the PG-72 I previously reported about 1.2mm. <snip>
I cannot comment on the thickness of the Laplander blade which may be different to the PG-72.

I can confirm that the Laplander blade is 1.25mm so very close to the PG-72 blade.

[corvus]

Bought a BAHCO PG -72 Expert saw at Bunnings today tested it out on dry and living wood in the garden with excellent results so I guess we have just added an extra 187 gm to some of our walks
corvus