Tried using a handsaw on a 30 inch oak limb - lesson learned the hard way

I was trimming a big oak in a backyard in Salt Lake City last month and my chainsaw died halfway through cutting a 30 inch limb. Instead of driving back to the shop I grabbed my Silky saw thinking I could power through it. Man that took me almost 45 minutes of pure arm fatigue and the cut was crooked as hell when I finished. The branch also twisted slightly while I was sawing and pinched the blade twice. I learned real quick that big limbs need proper tools or you're just asking for trouble and a sore shoulder. Anyone else ever get stuck using the wrong saw for a job like this?

3 comments

3 Comments

ward.anna17d ago

My neighbor tried to cut down a mulberry tree with a dull hatchet once and it took him most of a Saturday. The way the wood kept splintering instead of cutting clean was something else, branches just hanging there all torn up. He ended up with blisters on both hands and the tree looked like a beaver had been at it for a week. Had to call a guy with a chainsaw anyway to finish the job after all that effort.

david_reed2217d ago

Yeah but honestly a dull hatchet teaches you more respect for the tool than any chainsaw ever will. @ward.anna I bet your neighbor learned a good lesson about keeping his edge sharp that day. Sometimes the hard way is the only way it sticks.

hannah_west3917d agoMost Upvoted

Is it really that big of a deal though? Lots of people have taken way longer on a tree branch and lived to tell about it.