In Boatman's post about additions to Doug's PSK, he mentioned adding a wire saw. That got me to thinking that a while ago I recall reading that some (many) of the wire saws aren't durable enough to suvive more than a few cuts.

Are there brands that are durable? I've seen Ultimate Survival's chainsaw-like saw. I assume that would be durable, but don't know if it cuts well or simply weighs too much.

Maybe Doug or someone else can do a comparison test between different brands of survival saws???

By the way, I did read Doug's chain saw review. In that review he mentioned that a wire saw review would be coming. In the mean time, does anyone have any experience and/or recommendations for wire saws?

Ken K.

Doug already has some info here . Also, here is another review of the Ultimate Survival saw . I have not tried any of these saws myself.

I have wire saws from BCB and Coghlan´s. The saws need to be handled and stored properly. If they get kinks or are bent excessively during the cut, there are destroyed pretty quickly. When you apply little pressure and pull straight, they can be used for a long time. I´ve used my BCB saw to fit wood boards for a colleagues kitchen and to cut tree limbs. The cuts where pretty precise and the saw doesn´t show any signs of wear.
OTOH I´ve seen one saw destroyed after cutting half way through a half inch tree limb. The guy who destroyed it applied a lot of pressure which resulted in a small bending radius. The saw got too hot and broke at a kink. The forum rules do not allow to quote his opinion on wire saws.

Rbruce:

Great link!

I would never buy a wire saw just from the logic and physics angle.

Bountyhunter

Bountyhunter,
Can you explain what you mean? I know wire saws aren't the best tool, but they are compact.

The durability is why I keep a short saw blade in the PSk as well as the wire saw. I like have a saw on my multi tool and SAK as well.

Rbruce:

By virtue of its size, the abrading surface has got to be small, thereby giving little result for time and energy expended.

I would rather hack away with a knife for anything that I could not break with my hands and or leverage.

The manual chain saw is not as compact or light, but to me at least, makes a whole lot more sense for its intended purpose.

Bountyhunter

Bountyhunter,
Thanks for the explanation of your thoughts.

Robert

I've tried the cheap single-strand saws - the typically broke once they got warm - about 30 seconds into a cut.

I've got a couple of the braided wire saws - they have held up much better in routine cutting tasks (trimming the errant tree limb, etc...) I would toss one of these in the kit (it also has swivels, which helped prevent kinking).

I have the "Pocket Chainsaw" - the one that comes in a little metal can. I've played around w/ it while camping & it zipped through a 4" diameter log in about 20-30 seconds. It seems fairly robust (it is also relatively heavy).

Sam

I have used my wire saw for 10+ years.It is the BCB type that is braided.I have used it a lot.Every year I use it to cut down our Christmas tree.This last year it had a five inch diameter base.They do work but they are a compromise of course.With care they will do the job and last for a while.For the porpose it is easier than to carry a chain saw in your pocket <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />
BOATMAN
John

kenk : the long and short of it is always buy quality items of kit,always...even the small stuff..your life my depend on it...in my survival tin i carry the compact BRITISH MADE wire saw and in a larger veh. kit i carry a chain saw in a can U.S.MADE (pocket chain saw)....again for quality buy the wire saws MADE IN ENGLAND or the U.S.A. the ones made in the u.s. are made by a company who makes them for the military for there survival kits.....vince g 11b inf.. <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Among the many things I did for cash when I was younger, I used to trim and fell trees.

I am one of those wierd people who actually reads contracts before he signs them and reads instruction manuals before operating the new equipment they come with.

When I first started trimming trees and purchased tools of the trade, I read extensively about chain saw use, not only the included owners manuals, but whatever I could find on the subject. One of the most important things I found, which saved me considerable time and effort using a chain saw was how to sharpen the chain saw blades.

Most people know how to sharpen the blades or they send them out to be sharpened. What most novices do not know is the setting of the bumpers in front of the teeth they sharpen. The bumpers are those little rounded humps in front of each tooth that keep the blade from taking too deep a cut and stalling the motor. Bumpers also help reduce kickback of the chain saw. If you set the bumpers too low, you may end up taking a deeper cut per tooth than you or the saw can handle. If you set the bumper too high, you end up making sawdust and exerting extra effort by trying to force the chain saw to cut faster.

You can buy bumper adjusting guides that come with different height setters at most places that sell chain saws, but they are not a common item at hardware stores. For the 16" 33cc Homelite Supereze chain saw I own, I use the .025 bumper height. The height depends on the saws power and your physical abilities. I buy three sets of chains (Per recommendations of the literature I read.) and use them until the teeth are worn down too far to sharpen anymore. I then throw away the chains AND the drive sprocket that propelled them and buy a new drive sprocket and three new chains. If you sharpen the chain teeth correctly and set the height of the bumpers according to saws power and your ability to control the saws bite, the weight of the saw practically cuts through the wood by itself and the result are curls of wood chips coming off the cut. When the chips start looking like sawdust, change blades or resharpen and reset bumpers, and go back to cutting again.

The manually operated chain saw is human powered, so you would want to set a much shallower cut height for the bumper than you would with a power saw. Measure the original height when you buy the chain, and if it feels good when using it, maintain that height. If you have difficulty cutting with it, you can make the bite of each tooth shallower by sharpening the blade and leaving the bumper alone. It is highly unlikely that the average person among us will ever put a lot of wear on a manual chain saw, but it is still nice to know how to sharpen them.

SAFETY CHAIN for power chain saws. I don't like them and I won't buy them. They have a longer bumper on them with a shallower cut and they are a pain in the butt to reset the bumper after sharpening. I buy the professional style chain in as thin a blade as I can get. The thin blades wear out faster from resharpening and resetting, but they slice through wood like crazy, and my time is worth more per hour than the cost of replacing blades and blade sprockets.

Bountyhunter