On Sat, 20 Mar 2004 00:42:11 GMT, "Stephen M. Henning"
wrote:

What everyone is saying is true but there is another option that is
better. There are new inexpensive motorized pole saws that are
sometimes called power pruners, or prunning sticks. The saw is a
miniature chairsaw that would easily cut 3" branches at any height. The
fact that you can hold the pole at a distance greater than your height
makes it almost impossible to hurt yourself. Several companies make
them including Echo, Bosch, and Poulan. I haven't seen any in Walmart
but they may be getting them in. Or a local dealer may take the Walmart
card as credit for one or someone my buy the Walmart card. It is worth
a try.

Ack! Every time I see those things at builder supply houses I have
visions of branches swinging back in and knocking the cutter over.
It's not as easy as it might seem to predict which way the branch will
go if you don't have much experience.

I am a professional arborist but I doubt I'll ever buy a "pole pruner"
chainsaw. I've used them, and found it very difficult (despite
considerable effort) to make proper cuts, and the contortions required
to do so made the thing get really heavy, really fast. I'd prefer to
climb the tree and make the cut properly from a comfortable position
(though of course I realize not every homeowner is up to that). I
think of this as a tool for hackers and yard guys, not arborists, and
I don't recommend them for anyone.

As for the OP, I think a cheap electric saw will do everything the guy
wanted, wont get gummed up and be hard to start if it sits a long
time, and doesn't have enough power to get beyond most users' control.
As someone said, you will need to learn to sharpen a chain or be
prepared to buy them a lot, especially if you will be cutting things
off near the ground (dirt and rocks wreak havoc on chains).

But I'm more inclined to agree with the suggestion to get a
high-quality hand saw with "razor-tooth" or "triple-edge" design. It
will go through most small brush like butter and you're a lot less
likely to cut yourself or parts of your plants that should be left
uncut (which is not to say they are not dangerous--my worst in-the-job
injury was from a pole saw that I knocked loose in a tree and it
snagged the back of my hand as it fell). Coupled with a good pair of
loppers (readily available with 1 1/2" cutting capacity), a hand saw
will take care of 90% of what you want to do in the garden. Anything
else, you might be in the market for a professional.

good luck,

keith
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