Hello All,

I need to cut four small hazelnut trees growing on an embankment near my house. From what I can judge they are around 2-3m in height and the thickest branches are around 30-40mm in diameter.

I have never done this kind of thing before and had even contemplated the risky idea of climbing on to the embankment to cut them! Then I saw a pole saw in my local hardware store by accident and that set me on the right track.

However, I still remain a novice here. The choice of pole saws appears bewildering. There are manual ones with blades that look absolutely deadly, corded and corded electric versions as well as petrol driven ones (which I would not want to use). The cheapest manual saws are quite cheap (the right side of £50) and the cheapest electric ones are not that much more expensive.

What are the dos and donts that I need to be aware of here? Do manual saws really work or is it worth spending a bit more to avoid the grunt work and danger and get an electric one instead? If so, what are the features to look for?

As you can see - a novice. Any help would be much appreciated.

On 12/28/2011 11:06 PM, FredAt wrote:
Hello All,

I need to cut four small hazelnut trees growing on an embankment near my
house. From what I can judge they are around 2-3m in height and the
thickest branches are around 30-40mm in diameter.

I have never done this kind of thing before and had even contemplated
the risky idea of climbing on to the embankment to cut them! Then I saw
a pole saw in my local hardware store by accident and that set me on the
right track.

However, I still remain a novice here. The choice of pole saws appears
bewildering. There are manual ones with blades that look absolutely
deadly, corded and corded electric versions as well as petrol driven
ones (which I would not want to use). The cheapest manual saws are
quite cheap (the right side of £50) and the cheapest electric ones are
not that much more expensive.

What are the dos and donts that I need to be aware of here? Do manual
saws really work or is it worth spending a bit more to avoid the grunt
work and danger and get an electric one instead? If so, what are the
features to look for?

As you can see - a novice. Any help would be much appreciated.




It is not clear whether your intent is to cut down the trees in question
entirely or simply to prune them. Either way, if these trees are the sole
reason for buying the saw then I'd skip the purchase entirely and pay
someone to whack them. Surely there is someone in your vicinity with the
requisite skills (minimal) and the desire for a quick fifty quid (great)
willing to put in the hour's work.

Of course if your saw need is driven by other trimming jobs and these are
not numerous and the trees are not large then a high-quality manual pole
saw will probably suffice. I've been using a Fiskars extendible saw/pruner
for more than ten years now with good results. The one I have is like this

http://www2.fiskars.com/Products/Yar...t.-Tree-Pruner

but it appears that it may not be sold in the UK (safety regulations?) or
maybe I'm simply misreading their website. The blade is wicked sharp and
the lopper works well up to its capacity. In any case something similar
from another maker would probably serve as well.

Thank you for the tip. I live in Luxembourg so the chances of getting someone to do the job for me for 50 quid are next to negligible. Multiply that by 5 and maybe... . That apart the trees are doing a great job of stablizing the embankment so I want to leave them and just prune them down. I had the job done 3 years ago when I had the house built so I guess I need to repeat it on a 3 year cycle which is why I thought of buying my own.

I have found Fiskars pole saws in my local DIY stores. Is it really feasible to hold and manipulate a pole that is 2+m long?

FredAt writes:

Hello All,

I need to cut four small hazelnut trees growing on an embankment near my
house. From what I can judge they are around 2-3m in height and the
thickest branches are around 30-40mm in diameter.

I have never done this kind of thing before and had even contemplated
the risky idea of climbing on to the embankment to cut them! Then I saw
a pole saw in my local hardware store by accident and that set me on the
right track.

However, I still remain a novice here. The choice of pole saws appears
bewildering. There are manual ones with blades that look absolutely
deadly, corded and corded electric versions as well as petrol driven
ones (which I would not want to use). The cheapest manual saws are
quite cheap (the right side of £50) and the cheapest electric ones are
not that much more expensive.

What are the dos and donts that I need to be aware of here? Do manual
saws really work or is it worth spending a bit more to avoid the grunt
work and danger and get an electric one instead? If so, what are the
features to look for?

As you can see - a novice. Any help would be much appreciated.

Manual pole saws are for trimming an occasional small limb.
You have no hold on the limb to they are not as easy to use
as they look.

Electric are easier but not suited for whole trees.

For a whole tree, and occasional use an electric chain saw
it the preferred tool.

As for being afraid of climbing an embankment, that must
be some embankment. Lay an extension ladder on the hill
if you're worried about sliding down.

If you're still worried, hire a professional.
Something like you describe won't cost much at all.

Also consider that trees hold embankments together
so they don't collapse.


--
Dan Espen

On Thu, 29 Dec 2011 12:54:04 -0500, Dan Espen
wrote:

FredAt writes:

Hello All,

I need to cut four small hazelnut trees growing on an embankment near my
house. From what I can judge they are around 2-3m in height and the
thickest branches are around 30-40mm in diameter.

I have never done this kind of thing before and had even contemplated
the risky idea of climbing on to the embankment to cut them! Then I saw
a pole saw in my local hardware store by accident and that set me on the
right track.

However, I still remain a novice here. The choice of pole saws appears
bewildering. There are manual ones with blades that look absolutely
deadly, corded and corded electric versions as well as petrol driven
ones (which I would not want to use). The cheapest manual saws are
quite cheap (the right side of £50) and the cheapest electric ones are
not that much more expensive.

What are the dos and donts that I need to be aware of here? Do manual
saws really work or is it worth spending a bit more to avoid the grunt
work and danger and get an electric one instead? If so, what are the
features to look for?

As you can see - a novice. Any help would be much appreciated.

Manual pole saws are for trimming an occasional small limb.
You have no hold on the limb to they are not as easy to use
as they look.

Electric are easier but not suited for whole trees.

For a whole tree, and occasional use an electric chain saw
it the preferred tool.

As for being afraid of climbing an embankment, that must
be some embankment. Lay an extension ladder on the hill
if you're worried about sliding down.

If you're still worried, hire a professional.
Something like you describe won't cost much at all.

Also consider that trees hold embankments together
so they don't collapse.

Your last comment is noteworthy... I'd not remove anything growing on
a steep embankment. And hazelnut trees have great value for
attracting wildlife. That said I have Fiskar's 16' pole pruner, a
fabulous tool, all Fiskar's products are top notch, I especially like
their loppers. I'd not consider a power pole pruner unless one did
trimming professionally and would use it often. Also a power pole
pruner is a dangerous tool, plus it's just something more to
maintain... the manual saw blade may need occasional replacement but
only costs $10... if you're handy it can be easily dressed with a
three cornered file.

FredAt writes:

John McGaw;945925 Wrote:
On 12/28/2011 11:06 PM, FredAt wrote:-
Hello All,

I need to cut four small hazelnut trees growing on an embankment near
my
house. From what I can judge they are around 2-3m in height and the
thickest branches are around 30-40mm in diameter.

I have never done this kind of thing before and had even contemplated
the risky idea of climbing on to the embankment to cut them! Then I
saw
a pole saw in my local hardware store by accident and that set me on
the
right track.

However, I still remain a novice here. The choice of pole saws
appears
bewildering. There are manual ones with blades that look absolutely
deadly, corded and corded electric versions as well as petrol driven
ones (which I would not want to use). The cheapest manual saws are
quite cheap (the right side of £50) and the cheapest electric ones are
not that much more expensive.

What are the dos and donts that I need to be aware of here? Do manual
saws really work or is it worth spending a bit more to avoid the grunt
work and danger and get an electric one instead? If so, what are the
features to look for?

As you can see - a novice. Any help would be much appreciated.



-
It is not clear whether your intent is to cut down the trees in question

entirely or simply to prune them. Either way, if these trees are the
sole
reason for buying the saw then I'd skip the purchase entirely and pay
someone to whack them. Surely there is someone in your vicinity with the

requisite skills (minimal) and the desire for a quick fifty quid (great)

willing to put in the hour's work.

Of course if your saw need is driven by other trimming jobs and these
are
not numerous and the trees are not large then a high-quality manual pole

saw will probably suffice. I've been using a Fiskars extendible
saw/pruner
for more than ten years now with good results. The one I have is like
this

'12 ft. Tree Pruner / Yard and Garden / Products | Fiskars'
(http://tinyurl.com/cjltfyn)

but it appears that it may not be sold in the UK (safety regulations?)
or
maybe I'm simply misreading their website. The blade is wicked sharp and

the lopper works well up to its capacity. In any case something similar

from another maker would probably serve as well.

Thank you for the tip. I live in Luxembourg so the chances of getting
someone to do the job for me for 50 quid are next to negligible.
Multiply that by 5 and maybe... . That apart the trees are doing a
great job of stablizing the embankment so I want to leave them and just
prune them down. I had the job done 3 years ago when I had the house
built so I guess I need to repeat it on a 3 year cycle which is why I
thought of buying my own.

I have found Fiskars pole saws in my local DIY stores. Is it really
feasible to hold and manipulate a pole that is 2+m long?

It's not easy. Far from it.
For trimming trees there's nothing as easy to use as a lopper:

http://tinyurl.com/c4u5tkk

I've seen tree guys use one of these:

http://tinyurl.com/bpnht96

The one pictured has a 12ft reach (3.6 meters).

Good idea to leave the tree. Pruning will make it stronger.

--
Dan Espen

FredAt wrote:
John McGaw;945925 Wrote:
On 12/28/2011 11:06 PM, FredAt wrote:-
Hello All,

I need to cut four small hazelnut trees growing on an embankment near
my
house. From what I can judge they are around 2-3m in height and the
thickest branches are around 30-40mm in diameter.

I have never done this kind of thing before and had even contemplated
the risky idea of climbing on to the embankment to cut them! Then I
saw
a pole saw in my local hardware store by accident and that set me on
the
right track.

However, I still remain a novice here. The choice of pole saws
appears
bewildering. There are manual ones with blades that look absolutely
deadly, corded and corded electric versions as well as petrol driven
ones (which I would not want to use). The cheapest manual saws are
quite cheap (the right side of £50) and the cheapest electric ones
are not that much more expensive.

What are the dos and donts that I need to be aware of here? Do
manual saws really work or is it worth spending a bit more to avoid
the grunt work and danger and get an electric one instead? If so,
what are the features to look for?

As you can see - a novice. Any help would be much appreciated.



-
It is not clear whether your intent is to cut down the trees in
question

entirely or simply to prune them. Either way, if these trees are the
sole
reason for buying the saw then I'd skip the purchase entirely and pay
someone to whack them. Surely there is someone in your vicinity with
the

requisite skills (minimal) and the desire for a quick fifty quid
(great)

willing to put in the hour's work.

Of course if your saw need is driven by other trimming jobs and these
are
not numerous and the trees are not large then a high-quality manual
pole

saw will probably suffice. I've been using a Fiskars extendible
saw/pruner
for more than ten years now with good results. The one I have is like
this

'12 ft. Tree Pruner / Yard and Garden / Products | Fiskars'
(http://tinyurl.com/cjltfyn)

but it appears that it may not be sold in the UK (safety
regulations?) or
maybe I'm simply misreading their website. The blade is wicked sharp
and

the lopper works well up to its capacity. In any case something
similar

from another maker would probably serve as well.

Thank you for the tip. I live in Luxembourg so the chances of getting
someone to do the job for me for 50 quid are next to negligible.
Multiply that by 5 and maybe... . That apart the trees are doing a
great job of stablizing the embankment so I want to leave them and
just prune them down. I had the job done 3 years ago when I had the
house built so I guess I need to repeat it on a 3 year cycle which is
why I thought of buying my own.

I have found Fiskars pole saws in my local DIY stores. Is it really
feasible to hold and manipulate a pole that is 2+m long?

yes

D

On Fri, 30 Dec 2011 09:54:21 +1100, "David Hare-Scott"
wrote:

FredAt wrote:
John McGaw;945925 Wrote:
On 12/28/2011 11:06 PM, FredAt wrote:-
Hello All,

I need to cut four small hazelnut trees growing on an embankment near
my
house. From what I can judge they are around 2-3m in height and the
thickest branches are around 30-40mm in diameter.

I have never done this kind of thing before and had even contemplated
the risky idea of climbing on to the embankment to cut them! Then I
saw
a pole saw in my local hardware store by accident and that set me on
the
right track.

However, I still remain a novice here. The choice of pole saws
appears
bewildering. There are manual ones with blades that look absolutely
deadly, corded and corded electric versions as well as petrol driven
ones (which I would not want to use). The cheapest manual saws are
quite cheap (the right side of £50) and the cheapest electric ones
are not that much more expensive.

What are the dos and donts that I need to be aware of here? Do
manual saws really work or is it worth spending a bit more to avoid
the grunt work and danger and get an electric one instead? If so,
what are the features to look for?

As you can see - a novice. Any help would be much appreciated.



-
It is not clear whether your intent is to cut down the trees in
question

entirely or simply to prune them. Either way, if these trees are the
sole
reason for buying the saw then I'd skip the purchase entirely and pay
someone to whack them. Surely there is someone in your vicinity with
the

requisite skills (minimal) and the desire for a quick fifty quid
(great)

willing to put in the hour's work.

Of course if your saw need is driven by other trimming jobs and these
are
not numerous and the trees are not large then a high-quality manual
pole

saw will probably suffice. I've been using a Fiskars extendible
saw/pruner
for more than ten years now with good results. The one I have is like
this

'12 ft. Tree Pruner / Yard and Garden / Products | Fiskars'
(http://tinyurl.com/cjltfyn)

but it appears that it may not be sold in the UK (safety
regulations?) or
maybe I'm simply misreading their website. The blade is wicked sharp
and

the lopper works well up to its capacity. In any case something
similar

from another maker would probably serve as well.

Thank you for the tip. I live in Luxembourg so the chances of getting
someone to do the job for me for 50 quid are next to negligible.
Multiply that by 5 and maybe... . That apart the trees are doing a
great job of stablizing the embankment so I want to leave them and
just prune them down. I had the job done 3 years ago when I had the
house built so I guess I need to repeat it on a 3 year cycle which is
why I thought of buying my own.

I have found Fiskars pole saws in my local DIY stores. Is it really
feasible to hold and manipulate a pole that is 2+m long?

yes

Yes indeedy... I use my 16 footer fully extended with no problem. Just
don't force it, let the saw teeth do the cutting at their own pace.
Actually there are times I could use one that is longer.

On 29/12/2011 17:20, FredAt wrote:
John McGaw;945925 Wrote:
On 12/28/2011 11:06 PM, FredAt wrote:-
Hello All,

I need to cut four small hazelnut trees growing on an embankment near
my
house. From what I can judge they are around 2-3m in height and the
thickest branches are around 30-40mm in diameter.

I have never done this kind of thing before and had even contemplated
the risky idea of climbing on to the embankment to cut them! Then I
saw
a pole saw in my local hardware store by accident and that set me on
the
right track.

However, I still remain a novice here. The choice of pole saws
appears
bewildering. There are manual ones with blades that look absolutely
deadly, corded and corded electric versions as well as petrol driven
ones (which I would not want to use). The cheapest manual saws are
quite cheap (the right side of £50) and the cheapest electric ones are
not that much more expensive.

What are the dos and donts that I need to be aware of here? Do manual
saws really work or is it worth spending a bit more to avoid the grunt
work and danger and get an electric one instead? If so, what are the
features to look for?

As you can see - a novice. Any help would be much appreciated.



-
It is not clear whether your intent is to cut down the trees in question

entirely or simply to prune them. Either way, if these trees are the
sole
reason for buying the saw then I'd skip the purchase entirely and pay
someone to whack them. Surely there is someone in your vicinity with the

requisite skills (minimal) and the desire for a quick fifty quid (great)

willing to put in the hour's work.

Of course if your saw need is driven by other trimming jobs and these
are
not numerous and the trees are not large then a high-quality manual pole

saw will probably suffice. I've been using a Fiskars extendible
saw/pruner
for more than ten years now with good results. The one I have is like
this

'12 ft. Tree Pruner / Yard and Garden / Products | Fiskars'
(http://tinyurl.com/cjltfyn)

but it appears that it may not be sold in the UK (safety regulations?)
or
maybe I'm simply misreading their website. The blade is wicked sharp and

the lopper works well up to its capacity. In any case something similar

from another maker would probably serve as well.

Thank you for the tip. I live in Luxembourg so the chances of getting
someone to do the job for me for 50 quid are next to negligible.
Multiply that by 5 and maybe... . That apart the trees are doing a
great job of stablizing the embankment so I want to leave them and just
prune them down. I had the job done 3 years ago when I had the house
built so I guess I need to repeat it on a 3 year cycle which is why I
thought of buying my own.

I have found Fiskars pole saws in my local DIY stores. Is it really
feasible to hold and manipulate a pole that is 2+m long?

A possible alternative is to get hold of a decent quality flexible or
wire saw at a camping/survival store. Attach a suitable cord (nylon
clothes line should be ok) to one end. Tie a weight to the other end of
the cord and lob that over the tree trunk. Pull it down, remove the
weight, and tie it to the free end of the wire saw. Pull up the saw
until it is in the position you want the cut to take place. By using
this method you can easily cut the tree, as the full force of your pull
and the sawing motion is applied to the cut. Repeat for the other trees.

--

Jeff

On 12/29/2011 12:20 PM, FredAt wrote:
John McGaw;945925 Wrote:
On 12/28/2011 11:06 PM, FredAt wrote:-
Hello All,

I need to cut four small hazelnut trees growing on an embankment near
my
house. From what I can judge they are around 2-3m in height and the
thickest branches are around 30-40mm in diameter.
snip...
I have found Fiskars pole saws in my local DIY stores. Is it really
feasible to hold and manipulate a pole that is 2+m long?



I find that the Fiskars pole saw is fairly easy to handle even when
extended to its maximum length (closer to 4m) and I am not what you'd call
an outstanding physical specimen. The only real problem I've had is when
I've tried to reach a limb for sawing that necessitates holding both of my
arms high overhead and grasping just the end of the pole. Clearly I'm
trying to do more than the saw is meant for but it certainly does tell me
the next morning which muscles I abused in doing it. Within the saw's
intended range -- no problems.

FredAt wrote:
Hello All,

I need to cut four small hazelnut trees growing on an embankment near my
house. From what I can judge they are around 2-3m in height and the
thickest branches are around 30-40mm in diameter.

I have never done this kind of thing before and had even contemplated
the risky idea of climbing on to the embankment to cut them! Then I saw
a pole saw in my local hardware store by accident and that set me on the
right track.

However, I still remain a novice here. The choice of pole saws appears
bewildering. There are manual ones with blades that look absolutely
deadly, corded and corded electric versions as well as petrol driven
ones (which I would not want to use). The cheapest manual saws are
quite cheap (the right side of £50) and the cheapest electric ones are
not that much more expensive.

What are the dos and donts that I need to be aware of here? Do manual
saws really work or is it worth spending a bit more to avoid the grunt
work and danger and get an electric one instead? If so, what are the
features to look for?

As you can see - a novice. Any help would be much appreciated.




I have one of these, which has a saw and loppers. It works well, even
with the flexibility inherent in a fibreglass pole.

http://www.leevalley.com/US/garden/p...,42706&p=59355

On Dec 28 2011, 11:06*pm, FredAt
wrote:
Hello All,

I need to cut four small hazelnut trees growing on an embankment near my
house. *From what I can judge they are around 2-3m in height and the
thickest branches are around 30-40mm in diameter.

I have never done this kind of thing before and had even contemplated
the risky idea of climbing on to the embankment to cut them! *Then I saw
a pole saw in my local hardware store by accident and that set me on the
right track.

However, I still remain a novice here. *The choice of pole saws appears
bewildering. *There are manual ones with blades that look absolutely
deadly, corded and corded electric versions as well as petrol driven
ones (which I would not want to use). *The cheapest manual saws are
quite cheap (the right side of £50) and the cheapest electric ones are
not that much more expensive.

What are the dos and donts that I need to be aware of here? *Do manual
saws really work or is it worth spending a bit more to avoid the grunt
work and danger and get an electric one instead? *If so, what are the
features to look for?

As you can see - a novice. *Any help would be much appreciated.

--
FredAt

A manual one will do for you. You want saw and loper.
Mine extends to about 14 feet and is not hard to handle fully
extended.
You can lop off stuff less than an inch and saw through maybe 6
inches.
I have an older 8 foot one but bought newer a couple of years ago with
more growth.

Some feedback for anyone running into this post. I ended up buying an Akita electric pole saw. A manual saw may be OK for regular pruning jobs but pruning four three year old growths of hazel on a steep embankment using a manual pole saw is not a sensible thing to do. The Akita did the job really well. I have to admit that the power cable is something of a nuisance and getting it up the embankment (I had to prune some of the trees from the top) was no easy job.

Something of a non-sequitar - up until now I had looked upon our hazelnut trees as something of a nuisance. I saw them growing on our embankment and knew I had to deal with them one day and it always bothered me. Now that I have pruned them I realize that they are wonderful little trees. The birds love them, the wood is fine grained and workable (I have kept most of it)... . In three years time I'll have to do it all over again but they are doing a great job of holding our embankment in place.