When Loppers Wave the White Flag
I’ve got a bit of a recurring problem around here. Saplings and young trees have a habit of popping up in all the wrong places.
Loppers can handle some of it… until they can’t. Once you’re dealing with something thicker or tougher (hello stubborn hardwood), those trusty loppers start to feel like you brought a butter knife to a woodpile.
Most folks would reach for a chainsaw at that point. Gas or electric, take your pick.
But not me.
I actually do own an electric chainsaw. Perfectly good tool. Works just fine.
I just won’t use it.
Why I Keep My Distance
That hesitation goes back many years to an encounter with what I like to call a “circular saw on a stick”. You know the kind: some gas-powered weed whackers let you swap out the string for a spinning blade with teeth that mean business.
Well… I crossed paths with one of those in the worst possible way.
A trip to the trauma center and well over a hundred stitches later, I came out okay thanks to some very skilled doctors. You would not know it to look at me now. But let’s just say the experience left an impression.
To be clear, the operator knew what they were doing. It wasn’t recklessness. Just bad luck and bad positioning.
Still, ever since then, anything with spinning teeth and momentum has earned a healthy amount of respect and distance from me.
The Middle-Ground Solution
Which left me in a bit of a bind. Trees still needed cutting.
Enter the middle ground: a Sawzall with a pruning blade.
Now, I’ll admit, it looks a little intimidating at first. There’s still a blade involved, after all. But here’s the difference: it only cuts on one side, and it stops instantly when you release the trigger.
No lingering spin. No “just one more bite” from the momentum.
That alone makes a big difference in how it feels to use.
I also find it much easier to control. Kickback is manageable, and the whole tool feels more cooperative than combative.
And those 10- or 12-inch pruning blades? They can handle more than you’d expect. Not quite chainsaw territory, but close enough for most of what I run into around the farm.
Worth a Try
So if your loppers are waving the white flag, and a chainsaw makes you a little uneasy, you might give a Sawzall a try.
It just might surprise you.
Click to Read Previous Issues of This Newsletter
.
Click to Subscribe to This NewsletterYou can also subscribe by clicking on the “Subscribe” button on the top left of previous newsletters.
Like what you read here? You can help keep the barn lights on by sharing this newsletter with a friend who loves farm life, pets, or homesteading,
If you’d like to do a little more, a voluntary donation or a visit to my Amazon store for your own farm or pet needs helps keep the newsletter going strong.
And if you reply to the newsletter email (or use the contact button above) and tell me what you’d like to read next, that helps too!
Click to Make a Voluntary Donation Visit My Amazon Store
This post contains affiliate links, which means I may earn a commission
if you click through and make a purchase through these links.
This post is intended for informational purposes only. All information provided does not constitute veterinary medical advice and should not be used as a replacement for professional veterinary consultation. I am not a veterinarian or any other medical professional. Please consult your veterinarian regarding any change in treatment or supplementation for your companion animal.
.