Hacksaw as a survivial tool ? Opinions

C

CellerDrummer

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Aug 7, 2011
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I keep one in my travel tool box when we go on road trips and it made me think...

A- Good quality blades last a long time and I use it to cut through just about anything...Also carry a couple spare blades...
B- Good blades are not that expensive and easily changed out
C- I think a hack saw would be easier to use than one of those fold up saws and you can't change the blade on most of those...
D- I'm thinking about finding a lightweight model and adding it to the BOB...

What do you guys think about a hacksaw in the to-go BOB bag ? I have also seen vids of guys using small fixed blades to process wood...They first cut a small wedge in the top and use a wood shim stick to split the wood insted of batanind with a larger fixed blade..Easily done with a hack saw as well

CD
 
For an urban bag,maybe (i always have 1 in my tool bag and truck)
but for a "woods" bag,I dont think it would be too effective.
I have yet to see a really aggressive enough blade for a hack saw
that can come anywhere near what a true folding wood saw can do

bahco-folding-pruning-109984.jpg


Ive been in situations where the only saw I had with me was
a hacksaw and needed to cut 1 of todays 2x4 or something
took forever to get half way through it.
I wouldnt dream of trying to cut through even
a small piece of a resinous pine branch
 
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They make a great striker tool for a fire starter, don't weigh a lot and will cut a lot. However, I think there are better options. If you make the call to carry a 5in or so section of it I wouldn't say it's a bad idea though. I don't see a full size saw though.
 
Lowe's carries them. Great tool around the house OR in your kit. Pro tip, though--get a big rubber washer with a 1/4" hole in the middle to put between the knob and the screw that attach the blade to the tool. Makes for a much more secure fit without the aluminum knob getting scarred up.

It takes hacksaw blades too. :):thumbup:
 
it's a good idea, however, hacksaw blades are not very aggressive. they are fine enough to cut through just about anything but i prefer a much thicker and more aggressively toothed saw for wood, it's just much faster and more effective. but then again, I don't know what you might end up having to use it for if its in your b.o.b.
 
I've used bow saws for over 20 years.

Last time I went to HomeDepot looking for one I found a Husky 12" bow saw about twice as deep as a standard hacksaw for $12.

It came with wood and metal blades.

So far it works great and both blades are easy to find.

Metal blades can wear out fast but in my experience most wood blades last quite a long time.
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
Lenox Trifold saw. I love mine.

31PL5ydW1HL._SL500_AA300_.jpg
Click to expand...

I have a multitude of saws on my service truck and this is one of them. I run into situations where there isn't much room to cut out broken plumbing for repairs and this one allows access in tight spots. Give some thought to the actual type of blade you keep in it. They are available in several different TPI (teeth-per-inch) depending on the type of materials you intend to cut. Woold takes a coarser blade (fewer TPI) than plastic. Plastic takes a coarser blade than metals. I also have a cable saw for the really tight spots. It is a last-resort tool.
 
I keep @ 3" piece of hacksaw blade wrapped up and tied to my Coughlan 5 in 1 survival aid. 10 TPI or fewer should work for wood. The hard steel does a great job for striking sparks off a ferro rod. It will work to start a fire with a piece of cotton and the little flint rod on the 5 in 1. It will take up little space in a small PSK along with an exacto blade. As far as hack saws go, I think there are better choices for a larger BOB.
 
I dunno about hacksaws but my Silky Accel 211 cuts through wood like crazy. A folding wood saw sounds like a great addition to a BOB.
 
Alot of the nicer more popular saws offer replacement blades. Bahco and Silky offer replacement blades in different tooth sizes even. Just seems alot more efficient to use the right tool for the right job. The Wyoming Saw is a field saw designed with multiple blade options and can be changed out in less than a minute...
 
I’m amazed that i didn't see a link to that survival tin on survival.com on here for this. I'm not sure how sturdy this would be, but there right with you on a fixed blade saw. So far my one hand trekker has come in handy a few times. Here’s the like to that survival tin/saw.

http://www.survival.com/best.htm

Take care
 
They sell those handles that hole a regular hacksaw blade, I have one in my tool box, you can adjust the length the blade sticks out and push it in all the way to make it more compact. I usually cut the blade down a little but they work awsome and they are oly a couple bucks for the handle and they usually come with a few blades too
 
Is there a hand holder for reciprocal saw blades or jig saw blades?

The selection for wood cutting blades are far greater than hacksaw blades
 
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