Milwaukee Curved Pruning Saw, 35 cm Blade, 4932498623

Milwaukee Curved Pruning Saw, 35 cm Blade, 4932498623

Milwaukee article number 4932498623 is a hand pruning saw with a curved blade about 35 cm (14") long. The teeth use Japanese pull-cut geometry and the blade is chrome-plated. Saws in this class handle branches up to 200 mm in diameter.

Pull-cutting - why it suits living wood

A European saw cuts on the push; a Japanese saw cuts on the pull. The difference is mechanical and it has concrete consequences. On the push, the blade works in compression and must be thick enough not to buckle. On the pull, it works in tension - and steel takes many times more tension than compression. That is why a Japanese blade can be substantially thinner at the same strength.

Two things follow in practice: a narrower kerf, meaning less material to remove and less effort; and better control starting the cut, because on the pull the blade does not skate across the bark the way it does on the push.

The curved blade

The curve is not styling. When pruning overhead - the most common posture with a saw like this - a curved blade holds itself in the cut: the weight of your arm and the direction of pull press it into the bottom of the kerf rather than pushing it out. With a straight blade you have to add pressure yourself, and with your arm raised that is exactly what tires you.

Quadruple-ground teeth

The teeth are ground on four faces. Each tooth cuts with several edges rather than one, which spreads the wear and holds the edge considerably longer. On living wood that has a second meaning: a sharp tooth severs the fibres, while a blunt one tears them - and a torn cut heals slowly and is an entry point for fungal infection.

Chrome-plated blade

Chrome plating does two things at once: it reduces friction in the cut, which matters in living wood because of resin and sap, and it prevents corrosion. Pruning saws are used seasonally and often put away damp - the chrome is what preserves them between seasons.

How to cut a branch properly

A branch more than a few centimetres thick is cut in three passes. First an undercut 20-30 cm out from the trunk, about a third of the way through. Then cut from above, slightly further out - the branch falls and the undercut stops the bark tearing down the trunk. Finally, take the stub off at the branch collar, without cutting into the collar itself: that is the tissue the tree uses to close the wound.

Maintenance

After use, clean off resin and wipe the blade dry. Japanese-geometry teeth are difficult to sharpen and are generally not restored at home - with saws of this type the blade is replaced. That makes cleaning and dry storage more important than on a conventional saw.

Technical specifications

Questions and Answers