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School me on these please,are they as good as advertised?which one would be best for general camp duties and shooting lanes onto clearings I hunt in the kaimanawas,I have an old pruning saw fixed blade but looking to go to a folding handle setup,the” pocketboy “ model looks handy but will a longer bladed model be better?thanks
Curved blade or straight?
I have a pocket boy and big boy.
Both have blades with biggest spacing ie fastest cut… and also curved.
I am not after the quality of cut but the speed.
If weight an issue I take the pocketboy
If I want to tackle big trees and speed defiantly the big boy… love this saw…
I have a Silky folder, had it for something like 20 years now and on the 2nd blade. I have no idea what the current equivalent model is now but it's a brilliant saw, destroyed the first blade slicing brestbones. Only used the 2nd for wood, and it's lethal on wood (sliced my bloody finger near off with it - the paramedic with me was F-all use, nah harden up bro as I leaked all the way back to the vehicle). The hinged one isn't too much heavier but much easier to cart in my opinion, I carry it in my pack normally plus easy to swap the blade out if you stuff one!
For smaller wood I wouldn't bother with the saw though, compound hinged secateurs are a shit ton quicker.
Silky Zubat 330 curved
Extremely sharp and efficient
No problem cutting foot thick pines when they have blown over and blocking a road
Anything smaller is just plain fun to cut
Used them many many years at work
Attachment 204342
Looking at the outback edition of the gomboy line..
My favourite is the Gomtaro 300.
Have used a few of their models over the years as an arborist and often take it hunting if I’ll need to cut firewood.
Easy enough to chuck in the pack and it’s not heavy.
I prefer the extra blade length over some of the smaller folding models, but they have some big folders too.
Keep them away from soil and bone and they’ll keep their edge a lot longer.
Yep, silky saws are awesome. Have a few different models will depend exactly what your doing as they all have pros and cons. If you get the chance to play with the big 650 saws they are amazing.
+1 for a good pair of loppers if just doing small stuff
They are excellent. When cutting, don't put too much downward pressure on the blade. It will ensure the blade lasts much longer and makes for a very efficient cut. And always have a first aid kit handy! I've been nicked by the blade. Just the lightest brush against skin and the blade demands a blood sacrifice!
Years back, an orchardist recommended them to my father for pruning the ~70 fruit trees at our place. They were an eye opener, made all conventional saws look like stone age tech. Second that comment about keeping your fingers clear..
Here's a Scotsman's tip. My wife is brutal on gear and wrecked a saw in dirt. Being a woodworker, I just buy repl't blades and epoxy on a wooden handle I make. It's "her special saw".. Keep the real ones for myself.
As @6x47 said - dirt will wreck the blade, and quick smart too. Keep it clean.
I tried a silky against a Bahco carpenters saw and the carpenters saw cut faster with less effort so I just take that for track and camp work
Not sure about my exact model, but it's a straight blade model with an approx 30cm blade on it. I don't venture bush without it ever.
I too have a silky , folding model with around an 8in blade I think , use for campfire duties . That said it lives in my bag and travels with me whenever I go bush . Amazing the speed of cutting .
My only complaint was it not locking closed so I have made a simple inner tube sleeve to slide over it and hold it closed .
And it needs to be oiled or rusts pretty quick ...
F180 is my one for what it's worth...
https://silkystore.co.nz/products/f180-with-tabs
+1 for the F180.
Farmlands sell them.
So.....I have purchased several of these. Fantastic cutters, small enough folded to fit in my enduro bum bag when off piste on the hunting bike. Will draw blood given the slightest inattention. BUT, and its a big but for me, I have had two of the bloody blades snap into multiple bits, or just the tip fracture off in only a couple of hours work in my forest. Yes, I know how to work them, but I am pissed that the blades have been hardened to such a high tensile strength that they shit themselves if you are not concentrating.Quote:
Originally Posted by No.3
I thought a silky would be an upgrade to my Bacho 200mm folding saw (as its 15 years old and blunt). But my next will be a nice new sharp Bacho. I can confirm the blade can be tweaked and straightened OK if that happens. Tweak a silky blade and you are left holding 10 razor blades:wtfsmilie:
You had a play with a 650 or 700? Depends on the job but the saw is quicker if you are putting PPE on and filling up fuel and oil. Silky takes up a lot less room in the truck as wellQuote:
Originally Posted by Dusty Fog
This started happening with their new light weight blades. That coincided with the increase in steel prices. Go figure!Quote:
Originally Posted by XR500
For pruning I cant see a Silky beating the old forestry galv frame Bow saws, were they 'Jack' mines got a replaced handle so I cant read the brand
Yeah definitely better than the bow saws, just purely teeth geometry and quality although they aren't comparing apples with apples in terms of portability and weight. Not sure what's up with the new steel used for the blades that's a real concern if they are snapping. Sounds like the hardening and tempering process has changed or something like that as it's weird for any steel to shatter if properly tempered. Almost like they need to go to an induction hardening on the teeth and adjacent steel and leaving the back unhardened...
Which saws are pruning gangs using - aside from loppers ?Quote:
Originally Posted by No.3
The gangs I've had anything to do with have been a mix of powered and pole - but I'm not playing with the forestry ones at the mo. The last forestry one I was around were still using a mix of powered and bow, but the bow were basically on the way out and this was at a forest fire control line so even the chainsaws weren't doing much. The D(fricken huge) dozer was doing a shitton of work however.
Not relevant really for packing purposes though, a bow saw at 700mm long for the shortest one (I have two of those at home inherited from the previous owner of a rental property I had for a while) is not really a feasible packing option. A F180 Silky at 220mm and 165grams is however.
Here’s what I use at the momentAttachment 204497
I was thinking of getting a folding saw to clear some windfall from an old track I found, but it sounds like these silkies are too dangerous for me to play with!
Just measured my 1980's NZFS pruner - 500mm x 540 grams. Looks a bit like a tapered 'G' clamp Not practical to pack because the nasty sharp double cut blade would need to be taken on and off, but man they cut fast !Quote:
Originally Posted by No.3
put up a picture please moaQuote:
Originally Posted by Moa Hunter
Yep, were called Jack saws.....key differences to a Silky was much thinner kerf so shifting much less material, and they cut on push and pull.Quote:
Originally Posted by Moa Hunter
Entirely different tool IMO ..Silky takes it away for simplicity and portability.
I have got some stuff from here in the past. There is Jack saw amongst this lot. https://www.timbersaws.co.nz/categor...oductView=list
They have anything you need for pruning and forestry.
I would really like to but since I went to Windows 10 I cant do anything with recent photos, only old photos from 'My Pictures'. I dont know how you blokes put photos up from phones either - all this swiping up down left and right cant figure it.Quote:
Originally Posted by tac a1
Anyway the NZFS saw is similar to the saw in the link put up by Tahr with the cast frame, but with a 3mm thick spring steel frame and pink plastic handle and a bit of curve over the handle giving a wider cut. Same type of blade.
Ahh that looks a little better than the bow saws I have here, same blade tech but those are slightly smaller with a more rigid handle. Mine are more like a cross between the Jack jobbie and what you get at Titer Men for mum's garden... They def cut well and no argument about what you want to take if you were doing a lot of hand sawing, but for a portable camp or pack saw the liitle folder Silky jobbie wins hand down. I did try one of those little hand folding chain saws - they are way lighter and much more portable again but no way I'd want to be using them for anything more than one or two cuts at a time.Quote:
Originally Posted by Tahr
Those Silky pole pruners look like a fun toy until you drop them!
What @Tahr said...
https://www.timbersaws.co.nz/product...te-pruning-saw
Spent an awful long time with one of these in my hand back in the day ......
And this is why I signed up. Random shit like this that solves a problem. Have a pruning saw similar to that one in the shed for years, unable to find a replacement blade for it. Problem solved!!Quote:
Originally Posted by Maxx
Arrived today looks a solid piece of kit,hopefully try it out in a couple of weeks.Quote:
Originally Posted by The bomb
Lucky those Silky saws are a good product...cos any real fella would otherwise run a mile given the model names they adopt........exhibit A: "Gomboy"....:D
Goes with one of my knifes I have,it’s brand is called “manly”Quote:
Originally Posted by Maxx
