Reciprocating saw vs Japanese hand saw

[proninyaroslav]

I often see bonsai professionals using a reciprocating saw for some reason instead of a hand saw and I wanted to get one for fast cutting of thick stumps and roots. But will it be really more effective and fast than a regular Japanese saw like Silky or Samurai? Or is buying a reciprocating saw pointless if I already have a Japanese saw?

 

[19Mateo83]

I use corona hand saws. They are sharp, fast cutting , good quality and relatively cheap.

Amazon.com

 

[ZombieNick]

You might be over thinking this one. They do the same thing but one is a power tool. If you need to make many cuts, are working with larger material, or find the need to cut roots in the ground, the reciprocating saw will make that work quite a bit easier. If you are simply looking for something to cut branches on a bonsai, a hand saw will most definitely do the job.

 

[Dav4]

There's a time and place for both. The only issue I have with using a reciprocating saw on roots is that I usually work alone and if the blade binds up while cutting, it's going to smash your tree around if it's not properly anchored or held. With that being said, I usually use hand saws for big roots and branches... but I do have a Millwaukee sawzall that I've used for root pruning and landscape work among other things.

 

[proninyaroslav]

There's a time and place for both.

How much faster will a reciprocating saw be than a good handsaw? Let's say I have a rather thick stump of old wood, which itself is very hard, which of them can handle it faster?

 

[Maros]

How much faster will a reciprocating saw be than a good handsaw? Let's say I have a rather thick stump of old wood, which itself is very hard, which of them can handle it faster?

Its super fast. Very convenient. Also very helpful with collecting tress. Buy one and you will never regret it.

 

[proninyaroslav]

Buy one and you will never regret it.

I was also deciding between an 8" cordless chainsaw, but the reciprocating saw seems more durable and makes a clean cut

 

[Potawatomi13]

Personally believe it depends on number of trees in collection or being collected, hardness of wood and diameter of wood being cut.

 

[Maros]

I was also deciding between an 8" cordless chainsaw, but the reciprocating saw seems more durable and makes a clean cut

We both know you want to own both machines
And battery powered chainsaw, small single hand makes sense, more for collecting, but in general as well. Look at the videos o Peter Chan where he prepares ground grown trees.

Reciprocal saw is more useful at first, you can use wide range of blades ( I have about 10, lengths from 10cm to 25 cm), different tooth size, for wood, plastics, steel. Mine has 4 speeds settings, useful at times.

 

[ShimpakuBonsai]

I have a reciprocating saw for years but I never used it on one of my bonsai trees.
Another option is a mini chain saw if you want to cut stuff off very quick.

 

[Shibui]

The recipro saw only works well where the thing you are cutting is anchored well or the base of the saw can be pushed hard against the branch/trunk/root. If it's not fixed the branch just vibrates back and forth with the saw blade and doesn't cut.

Chainsaw is not much good for roots or close to soil. It only takes one stone or one touch on soil to take the edges of every tooth on the blade. Recipro saw blades are much more forgiving of soil so great for cutting roots.

My opinion is: horses for courses. Small hand saws for smaller branches on bonsai, recipro saw for larger cuts where it can be held firmly and especially roots. Chainsaw for larger chops on trees in ground.

 

[Maiden69]

There's a time and place for both.

Couldn't say it better. I have 3 different Japanese saws and a cordless Dewalt saw.
Kings Country - 5"
Kakuri - 3 1/8"
Silky - GOMBOY 240

I use it on root balls specifically. Sunday I moved the cherry below into a new bag, I used the Dewalt with a Diablo 12" carbide tipped blade and it took me a while. The area where I cut was a little over 10" of solid cherry roots. Had I used my Silky I would probably end up messing up the blade because of the pumice and lava rock in the soil. I did used the Silky once I cleaned up most of the soil to cut the roots closed to the trunk.



Same here on my tiger bark ficus, sawzall for the first raw cut, then smaller saw to refine in order to get the tree where you want it.

 

[Bonsai Nut]

Chainsaw is not much good for roots or close to soil. It only takes one stone or one touch on soil to take the edges of every tooth on the blade. Recipro saw blades are much more forgiving of soil so great for cutting roots.

This is a really important point. If you touch a chainsaw to soil, odds are you have almost instantly lost your edge and need to resharpen or replace your chain. The exception to this (if you do a LOT of collecting) is a hand-held trencher - which is like a specialized chainsaw designed to be run in dirt. Otherwise, a reciprocating saw with the lowest tooth count you can find is best. The cuts will be very rough, but you can clean them up after you remove the tree from the soil.

 

[BrianBay9]

I use the reciprocating saw exclusively when collecting, cutting roots in soil. Main advantages - power, and easily changeable blades. As discussed the dirt will quickly dull any blade. The recip. blades are cheaper and easier to change.

 

[Dabbler]

hand saw = work on a bonsai
power tools - root work / collecting

least that's what I do

 

[shohin_branches]

I have a 6" chainsaw, a Sawzall, and a hackzall (one handed sawzall) makes yamadori a lot easier. I'm bringing them all again this year for our club yamadori outing in April.

 

[proninyaroslav]

I use it on root balls specifically. Sunday I moved the cherry below into a new bag, I used the Dewalt with a Diablo 12" carbide tipped blade and it took me a while. The area where I cut was a little over 10" of solid cherry roots. Had I used my Silky I would probably end up messing up the blade because of the pumice and lava rock in the soil. I did used the Silky once I cleaned up most of the soil to cut the roots closed to the trunk.

I tried to cut a relatively small wooden beam using a 2800 rpm 1200 watt corded reciprocating saw with a blade like in the photo, the beam vibrated like crazy if I held it with one hand on a table. This requires securing with a vice. How then to work with a living tree? I think it will be impossible to hold with hands. Maybe I need a saw of lower power or lower rpm, which one are you using?

 

[Maiden69]

I tried to cut a relatively small wooden beam using a 2800 rpm 1200 watt corded reciprocating saw with a blade like in the photo, the beam vibrated like crazy if I held it with one hand on a table. This requires securing with a vice. How then to work with a living tree? I think it will be impossible to hold with hands. Maybe I need a saw of lower power or lower rpm, which one are you using?

 

[proninyaroslav]

View attachment 533922

It seems that it is even more powerful than a regular Chinese saw that I use But I still don’t understand how can you cut the roots or stumps without crazy shaking

 

[Ruddigger]

Maybe you’re using the wrong blade. It only shakes the object if the blade is binding up. I just repotted my Trident, my small dewalt sawzall was a huge help cutting open the nursery can and removed the large tap root.