Chapter 4: The Right Tool for the Job
You must choose the correct pruning tool because it affects the well-being of the tree or shrub,and it can also protect your safety. Choosing the wrong tool can affect the outcome of your pruning job, not to mention leave you frustrated. Try not to get overwhelmed when shopping for your tools, although the variety of tools can overwhelm a beginner. Some pruning tools are job-specific, while others are universal. The bottom line is you do not need a large or expensive variety of pruning tools to do the right job. You will only need a few basic tools to handle home pruning jobs. And if you happen to be left-handed, tools exist for southpaws, too.
You can purchase gardening tools at hardware stores, as well as in the gardening section of large department stores.
Choosing the Right Tool
When you have decided on which tool to use for pruning, remember the tool is specific to the job. For instance, using a chain saw to cut small branches on a plum tree results in excessive damage to the tissue of the plum tree, but at the same time, using a small hand-held pruning tool to cut a large limb can break the tool or result in an untidy or incomplete cut. Saws made for pruning have wider and longer teeth than a wood saw a carpenter might use. The saw’s teeth are designed so they do not get clogged with green plant tissue during the cutting process. If you ever try to cut a green tree limb with a carpenter’s saw, it quickly becomes apparent the saw will not work. After two or three thrusts, you can no longer use the saw.
For your safety and to keep your tools like new, be sure to use proper equipment appropriate for pruning.
Shears
Four types of gardening tools are considered shears: anvil shears; bypass shears, also known as hand shears; manual shears; and electric shears. You use shears for lighter work, such as creating a hedge or for cutting limbs up to 1/2 inch in diameter. They cost less than most pruning tools, but the low cost means they do not work well and break quickly. The best quality shears have removable blades you can sharpen and parts you can easily replace if they wear out.
1. Anvil Shears
Anvil shears have one blade instead of two. When you squeeze the handle, you push the main or top blade down into a flat section of soft metal called the anvil. Anvil shears are cheap — less than $10 — and because of the low quality, anvil shears have a tendency to break. They create a poor cut because no follow through from a second or bottom blade occurs. Once the top blade becomes dull, the anvil and dull blade simply crush the plant tissue, causing it to separate when you squeeze the handle. You should only use an anvil shear for the lightest work, such as clipping houseplants, thin-stemmed flowers, or small twigs.
2. Bypass Shears
A bypass shear may cost a little more but can offer a valuable addition to your pruning equipment. It could soon become your most used tool in the garden. Many of the better models have a tension screw to keep them closed. You can carry a bypass shear in a pocket as long as it has a safety catch to lock it closed, or you can place it in a holder worn on your belt. You can completely take apart a good bypass shear for blade sharpening, cleaning, and oiling. A bypass shear has two blades and works like a pair of scissors, where one blade is closely aligned with another, and they slide past each other, making a clean cut. Use bypass shears for pruning branches and stems up to ½ inch in diameter.
3. Manual Shears
Most people think of manual shears when they hear the word shears. Manual shears are long and pointed and are made in the bypass style of two blades that work like scissors. You use them for cutting large amounts of leaves and small branches at one time. People most often use manual shears for creating a long hedge by trimming all the bushes in a row to the same height and width. They also use manual shears to shape solitary plants into specific or whimsical shapes. Manual shears are a challenge to use because you must have an eye for the shape you are trying to create while manually chopping the leaves and branches for a long time. They can also tire you out quicker than electric shears because they require more physical energy on your part.
4. Electric Shears
Electric shears are the modern cousin of the manual shears. The blades slide forward and backward against a stationary row of metal teeth. As the electric shear passes over the small branches and leaves of the shrubbery, the branches slip into the gaps between the stationary teeth, and the sliding blades snip them off. An electric shear is an invaluable tool for a big shearing job that might involve hours of tedious work using a manual shear because less exertion is used; the electrical automatic sliding of the blades means a quicker cut with less effort exuded. Electric shears are one of the most popular pruning tools because they are fast, easy to handle, precise, and less tiring.
Loppers
You use loppers for cutting limbs from ½ to 2 inches in diameter, depending on the model. Loppers are also good for reaching into overgrown brush and brambles to make a pruning cut. The cutting mechanism of a lopper is similar to the hand shears, meaning there are anvil and bypass types. The handles of a lopper are much longer than a hand shear and provide leverage when applying pressure for cutting large branches.
If cutting dead or dry wood, an anvil-style lopper works better, and for live wood, the bypass lopper works better. Dry wood has the tendency to get stuck between the blades of a bypass lopper and can cause the tool to bend or break as immense pressure is applied to the blade when the long handles are squeezed together. Some people prefer wooden handles because they absorb shock and are more comfortable for your hands, but wooden handles make the tool heavier, which can tire you out quickly. Some of the newer models are made with strong, lightweight metals and are great for big jobs where you might carry the tool all day. Once again, a more expensive model you can take apart, oil, clean, and sharpen is your best choice.
Pole pruner
A pole pruner is lightweight pole made of plastic or fiberglass that may have a saw blade, a bypass tool, or both mechanisms attached to one end. The pole is usually 4 to 6 feet long, with some models providing even longer poles. The bypass tool attached to a pole pruner works like a bypass shear except one blade remains stationary and the other blade has a long rope or cord attached to it in the area where the handle would normally be. When you pull the cord, it cuts the branch as the blades close together. A spring is fastened between the blade handles so the blade snaps open after the cut is completed and the cord is released. For larger limbs, the saw portion is placed against the limb and the pole is manually moved up and down until the limb is cut and falls away.
A pole pruner looks safe enough, but it is actually one of the more dangerous pruning tools because you are working almost directly underneath the limbs you are removing, and they can fall on you. Although that may sound dangerous, it is not even the most dangerous part of working with a pole trimmer. The most dangerous part is the blade can loosen while you saw the limb and fall into your face while you look up to see what you are doing. For that reason, when using a pole trimmer, position yourself so that the branches and mechanical parts cannot fall on you. Better yet, if you require a pole pruner because limbs are out of reach, you should hire a professional arborist to do the job. Also, always avoid using an aluminum pole pruner around power lines, or you risk electrocution.
Saws
Pruning saws are used when your pruning job involves heavy work involving thicker limbs, such as when you need to cut a branch that is more than 3/4 inch in diameter. Shears do not work well on thicker wood because shears tend to either break or squeeze the limb being cut and damage its bark. When cutting live branches, you should use a pruning saw and not a carpenter’s saw, as previously mentioned. Carpenter’s saws work effectively on dead wood only because they get sticky and clogged when cutting live branches.
1. D-shaped and pointed-nose bow saws
As mentioned before, a wood saw has bigger teeth with wider spaces between them than a carpenter’s saw so plant tissue does not collect in the teeth while working. A D-shaped bow saw looks like a D and has a metal frame that curves over the straight blade. The metal frame provides strength so the blade cannot twist or crumple when you apply pressure as you push or pull the saw. You should not confuse it with a traditional woodworking tool, also called a bow saw, which has a small blade and a wooden frame. A D-shaped bow saw comes as small as 21 inches long or big enough for two people to use, with each person commandeering one end of the saw.
Another similar tool is the pointed-nose bow saw, which is similar to the D-shaped bow saw but the end opposite the handle end is tapered or narrowed. This tool works great in tight or overgrown areas. For example, a pointed bow saw comes in handy when cutting the lower limbs from a tree, such as a cedar, that may have hundreds of limbs interfering with the cutting process.
2. Curved-blade saws
Curved-blade saw. Image courtesy of the USDA.
Curved-blade saws are also known as pull saws because the cutting action occurs when you pull the saw toward you. You operate a curved-blade saw with one hand, and most models have blades around 12 inches in length with a 5- or 6-inch handle. You can fold and carry some types in a pocket, while you hold others in a saw holder. They are handy for the professional gardener or landscaper because they are lightweight and can remove limbs up to 1-1/2 inches in diameter.
3. Electric- and gasoline-powered chain saws
A chain saw is considered one of the most dangerous hand tools you can purchase, with more than 36,000 injuries and deaths reported each year in the United States alone. Chain saws come in all sizes, from lightweight models with 10-inch chains and holding bars used for simple landscape maintenance to 42-inch monsters used for felling large trees. To determine the right saw for your job, buy a chain saw with a bar length half the size of your largest project. For example, if the largest tree or branch you plan to ever cut is 20 inches in diameter, you need a 10-inch saw blade, which is 10 inches for each side of the branch or tree. Gas chain saws must have the right mixture of oil and gasoline in the fuel tank per the saw’s manual and should be kept clean and oiled to prevent rust. Drain the fuel and oil the chain and bar if you will keep the chain saw in storage for any length of time, such as over the winter.
Chain saw. Image courtesy of the USDA.
Electric chain saws rarely have longer than a 12-inch bar and are designed for pruning work and cutting down trees and shrubs with smaller diameters. The electric cord can become a hazard when working in thick brush or close quarters, but electric chain saws start up when you are ready to go to work. The same cannot be said for a gas-powered chain saw, no matter how well-maintained you keep it.
All chain saws have blades that dull quickly, and you must sharpen them often. A chain saw should cut through wood quickly and effortlessly. A dull blade makes the saw and the operator work harder than needed. A dull saw can be dangerous because it cuts slowly and will catch on the wood you are cutting, causing you to easily lose control of the saw and harm yourself. You can always buy a new blade when one dulls, but it is inconvenient and expensive to run to the hardware store to replace a perfectly good blade every time you need to do a job. You can buy an inexpensive chain saw blade sharpener or file the shape of a number two pencil but a little thinner. To sharpen the blade, simply run the sharpener back and forth between the teeth of the chain saw blade. Although this may take some time to get used to, sharpening a blade is cheaper than buying a new one. If sharpening a chain saw blade makes you nervous, you may want to leave sharpening the blade to an expert.
4. Reciprocating saw
A reciprocating, or oscillating, saw is a small electrical or battery-powered saw used for a variety of household chores. Carpenters and sheet rock workers commonly use this tool. It is called a reciprocating saw because the blade moves back and forth so one motion “reciprocates” for the other motion. You can use this saw as a pruning tool as long as you remember to install a blade into the saw that is specific to pruning before you begin your pruning job. This pruning blade has large, aggressive teeth and comes in 9-inch and 12-inch sizes. If you prune with a woodworking blade installed, you run the risk of the blade jamming halfway through the project or breaking the blade. You can use reciprocating saws for pruning large branches, as well as cutting down small trees and shrubs.
Ladders
A ladder is an important tool often used by the pruning professional and homeowner. A step ladder that opens into a small A-frame suits most small jobs where you need to extend your reach a few feet. When it comes to accessing higher limbs, you should choose an extension ladder that telescopes upward. It allows you to put the top of the ladder a foot or so above or so above the limb you intend to prune or against or against the tree trunk; you can also tie it to the tree for extra stability. Pruning involves a constant shift in weight, as well as some physical exertion that can destabilize an A-frame ladder on soft or uneven ground so you want to make sure your ladder is stable. Also, consider purchasing a ladder made with lightweight materials, such as aluminum and fiberglass because this material can last for many years. Wooden ladders decay from exposure to the elements and are heavy to move around the garden, but a wooden ladder offers a safer choice if pruning near electrical wires because aluminum ladders can be conduits for electricity.
Tool Maintenance and Storage
These vintage pitted pruning shears are still in good condition because of proper maintenance.
Good pruning tools are expensive but can last for years, if properly maintained. You should change bow saw blades when they become dull, and you can sharpen shear and lopper blades by taking the tool apart and placing the blades one at a time in a vice grip with the blade up and the handle toward you.
Then, take an ordinary 10-inch mill file, and drag it across the blade in an upward motion to sharpen the blades. A mill file, also known as a diamond file, can have a single or dual row of teeth. You should use a 10-inch mill file because it is the correct coarseness for sharpening shears, and an 8-inch mill file is too fine. Keep in mind that you want to improve the edge already placed there by the factory, which calibrated it to be in the right position for when it meets the other blade. If you get carried away and file it until the blade is angled in another direction, the tool cannot cut properly when you put the tool back together, no matter how sharp you make it. A rule of thumb is to sharpen your tools once every six weeks — or once a year if you do not prune often. If you maintain your pruning tools and sharpen them often, then it should only take about ten minutes to run your blades against the file. Ten to 20 draws with a mill file should do the trick, but if you do not keep your tools sharp and you allow them to get dull, then you may need to do 40 to 50 passes.
It is helpful to have a gardener’s bag to carry with you as you prune your trees.
Before storing all tools, wipe the metal blades with an oily rag, lightly oil the moving parts, and hang them up, if possible, on nails or pegs on a wall in your shed or garage. You might want to use a pegboard or plywood sheet. This keeps them handy, all in one place, and prevents rust on the metal surfaces. Plus, you can easily identify which tools you may be missing or may have left outside. To preserve your tools, rub any wooden handles with a rag that contains a little linseed oil. It is especially important to properly store your tools before winter so that when spring arrives, they are in good shape and ready to go.