Bahco Laplander Saw

I like double bit felling axes, for what that is worth. None of this "2 different edge grind" business I have learned is common outside my AO. Around here, you use the same grind on either side, so that when one edge gets dull or damaged, you don;t have to lug it back to the house and break out the files.

My first thought when I saw the pic you posted was "Well, that's Indian". Very, very much some of the 16-18th century stuff I have seen from there.

 

I never gave much thought about design or origin...just fired up the plasma torch and started welding. Interesting. ..I wanna look into designs further now...

If it has an edge, I'm hood with it. I can't ever remember not having a blade.

I had to have been somewhere around 8....I had a Barlow folder...downward hammer punch into a log. Then, the resulting pinkie finger half severed from it closing on impact. I still remember like it was yesterday. Hid it so well my mom never knew...or at least she never let on.

Respect the blade. She's beautiful, but she will bite.

 

Heard that. I hadn't had my first knife more than ten minutes before I I got hung up in a piece of wood trying to whittle it. Somehow managed to slice open the entire length of my inner forearm on the other side trying to yank it through the wood.
Been a pretty running theme. I don;t even stop working anymore unless blood is dripping onto something I'm working on for a customer.

 

Not giving up hope that sometime I'll be able to make things for others for a living.

Thanks for sharing...too many stories. I'll have to gather some of my collection sometime for a pic...it's been a life long love affair.

 

Years ago (like 30-35) I used to do a lot of back packing and wilderness camping. Experimented with a variety of wood cutting options that were available at that time; small axes, hatchets, saws, bit knives, etc. Options are a bit different now but then it didn't take long to figure out that a saw required a lot less energy to cut a limb than the other options. Weight was also a big deal as I carried this stuff for miles. Ultimately settled on a Sven saw and a modest sized fixed blade knife as best overall solution for my backpacking and camping. Used less energy, weighed less and generally was fastest to boot. The Sven saw was very light and folded up easily and strapped to the side of my pack just fine.

AT

 

I think Silky's are great too. Mainly lug a Bahco because a comparable size Silky feels like it is double the weight. One of my friends brings a huge @$$ Katanaboy to camp.

 

No joke! I reattached my friend's finger from axe contact...

 

Tell him to hold the other end?

 

Oh, there was a whole long story behind that one...

 

And yet the Bahco seems much lighter. And the katanaboy is like a chainsaw! It goes through seasoned dry wood well too. But much too big to lug around, IMO. Great for car camping though.

 

Never compared the Bahco to the katanaboy. Those were separate statements. I'm just saying that I have a Silky that is a comparable size to the Bahco Laplander. My Silky (don't remember model) is heavier than my Bahco. That is what I remember. My Silky is mostly metal while my Bahco is mostly plastic. I do not have a katanaboy, my friend does. He brings it car camping, so I got to use it.

I think both the Silkys and the Bahcos are great. Have both. Used both. But I prefer to carry my Bahco to my Silky because it feels significantly lighter to me.

That is all I was saying. My wife used my Silky and Bahco last. So now I don't even know where the Silky is. If I can find it, I will weigh the two. I bought a new Bahco because I thought I lost my old one. Did not know wifee took that one too. So if I can find the old one, I will weigh all three to compare weights. Don't know if the older Bahco is the same weight as the new one. My old one is about ten years old, I am guessing.

 

So does a tomahawk...just saying.

 

The Silky I have feels heavier than the Bahco I have.

 

Well, I asked the wifee where the saws were. Got the Silky Gomboy. Gave it to her with the case. The case is gone. She didn't have the Bahco. Showed her the new one and reminded her when she saw it that she said she took it. Well, she has no recollection of that even, Senator. Old Bahco in limbo now.

So here are the Silky and Bahco together.



What I like about the Bahco over the Silky... It is lighter and it locks both closed and open.

What I like about the Silky over the Bahco, it is steel and has two locked open positions. It also cuts cleaner.

Like I said before, both are awesome. And I really like them both. They both cut really well. Maybe later, I will do the ultimate test... Saw a piece of dry seasoned kiawe with both saws. Hope the kiawe doesn't break the saws...

Here's the weights.



Bahco Laplander - 6.6 oz.



Silky Gomboy - 8.3 oz. With the plastic case that is now no more, it is even heavier. Feels like over a pound.

Anyway, not to derail @Bear's thread. Just wanted to make sure I wasn't nuts for saying my Silky was heavier than my Bahco.

 

Hey @Brokor, fyi, I saw a Silky Gomboy 240 large teeth on Amazon for $39.93. Pretty cheap for a Silky. Little bigger than mine (210).

 

Well, I sawed a piece of kiawe with both saws. Fortunately, my random grab was fortuitous. This piece of kiawe wasn't the hardest one I have cut. But it was long enough to cut a section from the same side with each saw. The diameter was about 3-4 inches. Pretty much about as large as what I would be looking at cutting in the field.

Both saws went though it well. The Gomboy was a little bit faster, as expected. It is a little bit longer and thinner. The Bahco also cut close to a knot that I had to power through.



The winner of the test... whatever I am going to grill or smoke next...