! TREE & SHRUB TOOLS

Three Tree Tools - is all you need for most tree and shrub pruning. Nowadays, when looking for a tool we are given so many choices, it's hard to make a decision as to which is the best tool for the money. I am often asked while taking care of peoples trees "Where did you get that............?". I've tried a lot of tools over the years, but I do have my favorites. You really only need three quality tools to prune trees. I am going to list them here for you and I'll also tell you where to get a good price on them.

1) Florian Ratchet cut pruner - A great tool for pruning shrubs and small ornamental trees. I've made hundreds of cuts in a day and the ratchet system really saves your hands. It's also a great tool for seniors too, since only a little pressure is needed to make a cut (costs about $45).

The Florian company is located in Plantsville, CT and they sell the pruners online (http://www.florianpruners.com/) . I used to drive to the plant and buy blems at a discount, but they stopped doing this now. They are a good tool and will last a lifetime for the average homeowner. (One tip: If the metal blade is not cutting on center after extended use, just clamp the blade in a vise and overbend it just a little to the side so it cuts on center again).

2) Pole Saw with Blade and Pruner - I prefer wood pole saws, instead of fiberglass. They are lighter, but the downside is that they are not electrically insulated. You should not be near wires anyways !. When walking around with a polessaw, make sure it is horizontal and not up in the air. You do not want the saw to hit a wire while you are walking. Wood is a lot lighter than fiberglass and you will notice the difference on your shoulders after cutting a couple of limbs. The wood pole saw sections, blade and pruner head are available from http://www.karlkuemmerling.com/ . Order the following:

-No. 20 head & blade assembled to 3 - 6' octogon wood poles with ferrules (about $95)

(easier to hold than round)

-Marvin PH-4R pruner head (about $45)

(a good medium pruner, others to small or to heavy for most use)

3) Silky "Gomtaro" 12" handsaw w/sheath (about $45)

(small enough to cut larger shrub branches, large enough to cut large tree limbs, very sharp, always wear gloves !)

-You might notice I did not include loppers, the large handled branch pruners. These are good to use if you have them, but not really needed. If a branch is to big to cut with your hand pruners, cut it with the saw. You can walk around your property with just the hand saw and hand pruners to do most of your pruning. The tools above will probably be the only ones you will ever need. They are built for heavy commercial use and should last a homeowner a lifetime.

A tip: the pole saw blade will become dull over time. We used to have them sharpened years ago, but they came down in price so much we just buy new blades as we need them now. If you know a person who sharpens things you could get it sharpened. Also, I now use a pole blade made by Stihl (the chainsaw company). It bolts right onto the pole head to replace the original blade that it comes with. It is tri-edge sharpened like the Gomtaro hand saw, makes cutting with a polesaw much easier and will last a long time, but it is a bit expensive (about $50). You can find it at any Stihl chainsaw dealer in your area.

Good Luck and Happy Pruning!

! WHICH CHAINSAW TO CHOOSE?

Chainsaws are dangerous. My father was a tree worker and never let me use a chainsaw and for good reason. Despite this they can be used safely. Just don't ever get to comfortable with one. It's good to be a little scared. Unless you are cutting huge amounts of wood I recommend buying an Echo chainsaw with a 12" or 14" bar (about $200 at Home Depot).
This is a good starter chainsaw and I still use one while climbing trees. They have a nice narrow shape which is easy to handle, are lightweight, reliable, and inexpensive compared to other "professional saws". The best point about this saw is that it is not to powerful. Because of this it will not "kick back", as much as the other more powerfull saws, making it a bit safer for someone that does not use a chain saw every day.

Remember :

1) Never let the tip of a chainsaw touch the log as you start to cut it. This will cause kickback and can be very dangerous.

2) Always hold the saw to your right side a bit while cutting. In the event the bar does kick up, it will not contact your face.

3) With the hand that holds the top handle on your chainsaw, make sure you wrap your thumb under the handle, to ensure your hand can not slip off the handle in case of "kick back".

Tree Swings are for Everyone !

Tree swings really are for everyone. I enjoy swinging on swings too!. What a great way to just think and enjoy life. I think it's just as much fun to watch the kids enjoy the swing. I have installed many tree swings for people over the years. I often tie a rope around the main trunk of the tree high up in the canopy and then drape the rope over a far reaching limb before lowering it to the ground. I have found this method usefull in trees that don't have any suitable limbs closer to the ground.

I buy my swings from a great website called "Breezy Swings". They make nicely painted custom swings with thick ropes to give that old fashioned look and feel to the swing.

My Wigwam Shelter

A few years ago I decided to try and build a native american style wigwam. Through a bit of trial and error I did it. I got the original layout from W.Ben Hunt's "The Complete Book of Indian Craft". It is an older book copyrited in 1973, but it still available. I recommend it for anyone interested in making old style native crafts and projects with basic hand tools. I've referred back to it many times over the years. The wigwam came out nice. I found a local firewood guy that also milled logs. He had a pile of tulip trees that I was able to peel the bark off in pieces the size of large shingles. These were probably a bit smaller than native peoples originally used, but I did not want to peel the bark off of living trees to get bigger pieces. As you can see from the photos the shelter came out fine. My children really enjoyed helping to collect the bark and building it.