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Camp saw

Glenn MacGrady

Glenn MacGrady

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I'm usually too lazy to cut firewood for fires, but I bought the BAHCO Laplander folding saw this year mainly for pruning and cutting around my property.

bahco-laplander-folding-saws-500.jpg


It cuts like butter and is a great pruning saw. With an 8" blade and weighing only 7.2 oz., it folds up into nothingness in my canoe packs and so I took it on my most recent canoe trip. I highly recommend it.

Here's the Amazon link where you can read other reviews.
 
My favorite is a Fast Bucksaw, made in Hastings, Minnesota. It's a small buck saw that folds up into a stick. It's not as small as the one above, but it cuts through large logs blocking the portage as well as firewood, and does so super fast. I've had mine for two years and it has proven itself to be the best firewood saw I've ever owned. Here's the link:

http://www.fastbucksaw.com/
 
That raises the issue of the type of saw for a canoeist.

A good bucksaw would probably be best for processing a lot of firewood, especially larger logs. Most of these require assembly and disassembly with nuts or fasteners. They are especially useful if you are staying in the same spot for multiple days.

A folding pruning saw like the Laplander requires no assembly. You just flick out the blade, which locks in place. Push the button to unlock and fold to close. You can carry it in your pocket on a hiking or portage trail for quick and easy cutting of branches. Also quick to deploy on small streams with (as Mike McCrea would say) woody occlusions. Flick out the blade, cut the occlusion, fold, and put back in pocket of your pack or tie to a thwart.

Pruning type saws with quality blades can easily cut through 4" logs, which is big enough for what I do. I used the saw to clear away junk brush for a better view of the lake from an unofficial camp site.
 
The Laplander looks like a good saw, and I'd like to try one out. Assembling the Fast Bucksaw was kind of a hassle until I had adequate practice, but it now takes less than a minute to set up. (Although it would be nice to have it all set and ready to go.) I've had a number of pack saws and for me it's all about how efficiently it cuts, even though I rarely base camp for more than two days. If the Laplander cuts as well as the Fast Bucksaw I'm sold. It's smaller and easier to pack.
 
Hogan said:
If the Laplander cuts as well as the Fast Bucksaw I'm sold. It's smaller and easier to pack.
Click to expand...

The only way to know is to have an actual saw-to-saw cutting and handling competition.

Do you have a video camera with which you could film an actual competition and give your opinions? If so, I would contribute by mailing you my Laplander for the test. The video could be posted on YouTube and linked here. I think such a video would be of lasting interest to canoe campers and other bushcrafters.
 
My husband loves this saw

http://fourdog.com/copy-of-bobs-quick-buck-saw-21/ He goes through some good 8-10 inch stock which is about the max we want to deal with in diameter on canoe trips.

I have a Gerber Sierra Saw similar in design to the Laplander for cutting small things. I have trouble with stuff though over two inch diameter..as the saw starts to wobble and bind. Its a fine saw for cutting small diameter kindling lengths.

I still for some reason prefer the feel of the old Lee Valley Portable Buck Saw even though its fiddly to put together and god help you if you lose the wing nut.

https://www.leevalley.com/en/garden/page.aspx?p=44171&cat=2,42706,40721&ap=1

We had stove issues on our two week long Yukon River trip and wound up cooking over fire quite a bit. I had inadvertently packed the Buck Saw instead of the Four Dog Saw. I heard a bit about that and was ergo assigned to saw wood..as I had brought MINE and not HIS.
 
I've also got a Bahco Laplander, and love it. It's great for dayhikes and hunting trips, where i have to walk. i just slide it in my pack next to a water bottle. Very handy for trimming brush around deer blinds. Very sharp and easy to use.

I've also got a couple homemade versions of the take-down bucksaw. I based mine on the NWWoodsman's Design, but my bag is made from an old jean's leg. http://nwwoodsman.com/Product/Tools/EdgedTools/WoodsmanFoldingBucksaw.html

I prefer the bucksaw for easy canoe trips, since i don't have to carry it. I prefer processing firewood with a longer stroke saw.
 
I carried a small folding saw on trips for a few years and it was fine for wrist size fire wood if you didn't need much. It is a handy size so it goes in the day pack. It would cut larger wood of course as in moving a down limb. But repeated cuts to make fire wood out of larger stuff wore you out in a hurry. I now have the NWWoodsman's folding bucksaw for trips. I works great but is kind of a pain to assemble. Almost need three hands to do it. The one in Yellow Canoe's link looks supper easy to assemble. I now have saw envy. Dave
 
I backpack more than I canoe camp and when I pack for canoe trips it isn't much different except for my paddling and fishing gear. This also makes for easy single portages as everything is in one small bag. For that reason, my saw is almost always a tiny gerber slider. http://www.amazon.com/Gerber-22-41773-Sliding-Saw/dp/B0013481TE It is able to process some decent sized logs even for its small size. I don't make giant fires anyway, just big enough to cook with or have some entertainment as the sun sets.
 
Hi Duct Tape, I followed out your link to Amazon, it seems that the quality of your saw has declined of late. Under the evaluations there are several unhappy people. Not trying to be a downer or wet blanket but what with the export of trade to China we all need to be wary of recent productions of old favorites. I guess you had better take care of your saw!
Rob
 
oldie moldy said:
Hi Duct Tape, I followed out your link to Amazon, it seems that the quality of your saw has declined of late. Under the evaluations there are several unhappy people. Not trying to be a downer or wet blanket but what with the export of trade to China we all need to be wary of recent productions of old favorites. I guess you had better take care of your saw!
Rob
Click to expand...

That's a bummer. I was hoping to get another when this one wears out, but even after a few years it is still going strong.
 
Video: Laplander vs. folding buck saw comparison

Video: Laplander vs. folding buck saw comparison

You can find many videos reviewing and comparing the Bahco Laplander against other pruning type saws. It seems to fare very well and win most of these competitions.

YC mentions her Gerber pruning saw twisting and binding. This can be characteristic of cheap or too thin blade steel, and the Gerber may be both. Gerber folding knives, for example, are no longer considered top quality. A high quality carbon steel blade like the Laplander, which cuts in both directions, shouldn't have these problems. Indeed, I have had more blade twisting problems with a small folding buck saw than with pruning saws, though I probably have only used one folding buck saw (I forget which one).

Here is a video comparison of the deployment, specs and timed cutting performance of the Laplander vs. a folding buck saw called the Sawvivor. The reviewer ends up saying, probably with some hyperbole, that the Laplander is "tenfold, if not more" better.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3I55hiyKs4g
 
I carry a Schmidt Packsaw made in Maine. It's 24" and I carry a spare blade duct taped and screwed under my thwart. It came with a metal rod for a tensioner, but I replaced that with cord and a stick which I use to twist the cord to tighten the saw (I have replacement sticks strategically placed around the forest floor wherever I canoe trip)
I have had it a long time and it's a good saw for summer camping or cold weather camping imo.

404539389.jpg
 
I have had saw envy since clicking on the link in Yellow Canoe's post. Last night I went ahead and ordered a Bob's Quick Buck Saw in the 21" length. I was debating till I noticed that Bob who makes them is 90 years old. Decided not to wait any longer. Anyway, thanks YC for the link. Dave
 
Ditto. I got one also and have been using it in the yard. It's a great saw, folds up nicely, no little parts to lose. I appreciate the lead, YC.
Dave
 
I've been using the Trailblazer buck saw (same as the Lee Valley) now for the last 6 years. I have one in 24". It can be finicky to put together when you're hands are cold, but generally it goes together in about a minute. The threaded rod on mine is flattened so that you can never loose the wing nut. The saw can process wood very efficiently. I find it most useful for wood 6" diameter and under though. After cutting a few 12" logs, it can become a chore.

The Trailblazer (http://www.trailblazerproducts.com/products/view/21/) is a quality piece of kit, but I'm strongly considering a wooden style buck saw for two reasons: 1) Replacement blades aren't readily available at the local store, it uses a plastic "bumper" epoxied to each end that slides into slots on each handle. Most of the wooden saws I see use a more standardized (and probably cheaper) blade that has a hole on each end and mates to pins on each handle end. These are more easily acquired locally. 2) I trip in cold weather and the aluminum handles are cold on the hands. A couple of weeks ago it was in the teens and when I grabbed the saw, my hands kept sticking to the aluminum.

I would like to mention a similar style saw that I use for day hiking and backpacking for people who want to travel light. The Campsaw weighs less than 10oz, and cuts some decent fire wood. I use it with a small, lightweight hatchet and it has performed well for me. http://www.modernoutpost.com/shop/knives-tools/396-camp-saw-plus.html. It can also be used to hang a pot over the fire. I have a stainless cooking pot that I'm going to try it with on my next overnight snow shoe trip (if we ever get more snow) and I will try to get some pictures of it in use.

Barry
 
I'm surprised there is no mention of a Sven Saw...I have been using a Sven for over 20 years and it still slices through any hardwood like butter.
Folds nice and small, good for paddling trips and backpacking.

SS03002.jpg
 
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