practicalities of a wire saw?

S

Skytorn

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Jan 22, 2010
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Hi, I was wondering whether you guys carry a wire saw when you're out on a hiking or camping trip. I've never used one, and they're cheap enough for me to find out for myself whether they're useful, but I'm living in the middle of a city and, well...

I just want to find out -right now- whether I could use a wire saw to efficiently cut a small tree in half. Thanks!

Addendum: I'm expecting that an actual saw would be better for the job, obviously. But the wire saw being so light would be invaluable to me if it was even halfway as effective as a folding saw at cutting wood.
 
Wire saw for me have proven exceptionaly prone to breakage. So I carry a pocket chainsaw instead. I make it up into a framesaw on site if I'm gonna be doing much sawing. Threy perform very well.
 
from what i hear some of the wire saws are better than others, but i suspect many people just loop the wire around the branch they're cutting instead of using a branch to make a frame that stretches it out straight. keeping the wire from flexing repeadedly while being used.

if it has to do a 180° on every stroke, it will probably fatigue quickly.

i've got a couple, and i hate to admit it, but i've never bothered using them. need to find them and go play.

some of the pocket chainsaws look good, but i've heard some are better than others and i'm not sure what's what.

a decent foldig saw like a Silky or Bahco seems like a simpler solution. not as light as a wire, probably close in weight to a pocket chainsaw.

one advantage for the pocket chainsaws may be that if you can get a line over a high branch you can cut it from the ground. i've seen them used for clearing brances near homes like that, but that's not really a "bushcrafty" use.
 
wildmike said:
I carry a pocket chainsaw instead.

:thumbup: on the pocket chain saw. Takes up no more room than an Altoid's can. The only "wire saw" I have ever had that did last were the one's from BePreparedToSurvive.com website. I have about 5 of them in some small kits, & these are best if you can find a small limb & make a bow saw. I have cut branches & limbs up to about 4"-5" in diameter, but nothing larger. The pocket chain saw is a beast when it comes to cutting. Good luck.
Be safe.
Click to expand...
 
Better than nothing, but if it were my choice (and I had room to pack it of course) a folding saw is a better bet. I'd take a few as a backup though just because of how small and light they are.
 
Terry aka IAWoodsman did a great vid on using a wire saw. i dont have the url but im sure you can google it. i think its a great piece of kit for last ditch. i bought a coghlans and it cuts ok (its no Bacho or Silky).
 
I've used the "BCB Commando Wire Saw" a few times.

It works OK but tends to stick in thicker branches if you don't cut from above and can't put weight on them to keep the cut open. I didn't use a bow but did keep the angle of the wire as close to straight as my arms would allow. Two-and-a-bit inches thick branches were about as big as I went and it did break one of the little spiral strands eventually. I would imagine it would cut though *my* idea of a small tree (4-ish inches or so) before failing.

I killed my last one by cutting 1" copper water pipe in a very hard to reach corner. It did the job, but the necessarily sharp angle and edges of the partially cut pipe broke all the spiral strands by the time I was through.

To sum up: I think it's a potentially useful addition to a small 'survival' kit despite its limitations.
 
Never bought one because of all the people who have used them and told me they broke within the first ten minutes, I stick with a smaller folding saw and it works.
 
I thought they didn't make them any more, but I saw them in a store the other day. :eek:

I had one when I was a kid. It could cut through a 6" (15cm) branch in only a few hours....
 
Check out IAWOODSMAN on youtube he does a realy great review on the wire saw!!
Maybe he will chime in on the topic also!!
 
Here it is, take it for what it is worth. I like the quality saws, but the cheaper ones suck. This is the way I was taught how to use them.

[YOUTUBE]6pKk--LaKzY[/YOUTUBE]
 
I have a couple of wire saws, but have yet to use one.

I plan on buying a couple to put into altoids psk's...

but, I think one of those pocket chainsaw's would do alot better...
 
How large of trees do you want to cut?

If you're only talking a couple of inches diameter or so, you might want to look at the various Swiss army knives that include a wood saw. The saw works, plus you get the benefit of the other tools.
 
I've used a lot of wire saws, at one time they were the thing you could get for a light weight packable saw. I wouldn't touch one now. I quit using them completely because they all broke, wire was are garbage. I carry a pocket chainsaw and sometimes a folding saw I mostly have the chainsaw with me & seldom the folding saw. Both work perfectly. If you need or want a good packable saw go with one of those.
 
In my survival tin I use a pocket chainsaw -- they lie flat coiled at the bottom of the tin.

Wire saws can be useful but only if you get the right kind (I've seen quite a few varieties) and as far as I'm concerned it's almost necessary to use them with a tree limb to create a makeshift saw and keep them taught (like the guy does in the video above).

If you're not restricted to something the size of a PSK, then a folding saw would probably end up being better for you
 
I might be impressed if I see a video of it sawing through a branch too big to break. I dunno if anybody has time to do that, though ... let alone watch it....
 
I've never had very good luck with wire saws, even the "nice" ones. My pocket chainsaw has been going strong for a few years though.
 
2 weeks ago i made a pocket chain saw because i kept breaking wire saws. i still keep a wire saw in my survival tin but i trying to use the pocket chain saw when i can.
 
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