Had to choose between a pole pruner and a handsaw for a big oak job yesterday

I was up in a 60-foot red oak in Austin, and I had to decide between using my 8-foot pole pruner or just climbing and using my folding Silky saw. I went with the handsaw because I needed cleaner cuts on some heavy limbs over a fence line. Took me twice as long as the pole would have, but the control was way better. Anyone else prefer one over the other for precision work?

2 comments

2 Comments

mason_ward1mo ago

Were the limbs you were cutting over the fence pretty big in diameter, like over 4 inches? I've never had good luck with pole pruners on anything much thicker than that because the cut starts binding halfway through and then you're stuck with the branch pinching your bypass blade. The Silky saw gives you way more control to cut from different angles as the limb starts dropping. Did you have to make any notch cuts to control the fall direction or were you just taking them straight off?

reese_bell1mo ago

@mason_ward bound cuts are a nightmare, just go straight to the Silky and skip the headache.