Ontopic <--- Serios Thread. Post your best outdoor/shop rules that work for you.

I dunno why, but even with the right blade, sawzalls suck for chopping up trees.

Main trunk = bow saw
branches larger than 2 inches = 5 or 6 strokes with bow saw
branches smaller than 2 inches = loppers, 2 seconds, snip snip
 
The tree I took down was only about 6" diameter at the base and maybe 10' tall
Just worked from the top down
No way I was buying/renting a chainsaw for one job

Ya, I don't have a whole lot of tree cutting to do, so I just picked up a little electric chainsaw. Works a lot faster when I do. There's always limbs falling down at the cottage, so it made it worthwhile. Bow saws are fantastic though.
 
I recently found myself climbing up a ladder next to a tree to trim some dead branches, and I used the sawzall. It's pretty much impossible to balance yourself 10 feet up a ladder and use a bow saw, and there's no way in fuck I'm using a chainsaw for that. Sawzall gets the job done (albeit slowly), and can be one-handed without too much trouble.

I really should get a saw on a stick..
 
I dunno why, but even with the right blade, sawzalls suck for chopping up trees.

Main trunk = bow saw
branches larger than 2 inches = 5 or 6 strokes with bow saw
branches smaller than 2 inches = loppers, 2 seconds, snip snip

Those sizes are machete usage for me. Has to be about 4"+ for me to use a saw
 
I recently found myself climbing up a ladder next to a tree to trim some dead branches, and I used the sawzall. It's pretty much impossible to balance yourself 10 feet up a ladder and use a bow saw, and there's no way in fuck I'm using a chainsaw for that. Sawzall gets the job done (albeit slowly), and can be one-handed without too much trouble.

I really should get a saw on a stick..

I was about 10 feet up yesterday using a bow saw, it wasn't that bad. I find it more awkward using a pole saw sometimes.
 
I was about 10 feet up yesterday using a bow saw, it wasn't that bad. I find it more awkward using a pole saw sometimes.

you've gotta give your ladder a bit more of an angle if you've got the length and steadiness, so you dont feel like you're gonna tip backwards.

Also, 20 inch bowsaw so you can easily onehand it. Bigger ones are awesome for ground work, but for up in a tree, 20 inch is the sweet spot.
 
I recently found myself climbing up a ladder next to a tree to trim some dead branches, and I used the sawzall. It's pretty much impossible to balance yourself 10 feet up a ladder and use a bow saw, and there's no way in f*ck I'm using a chainsaw for that. Sawzall gets the job done (albeit slowly), and can be one-handed without too much trouble.

I really should get a saw on a stick..

I used a pole saw to do that.