"T i m" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 3 May 2021 23:18:29 +0100, "NY" wrote:

snip

I've snapped two pruning saws when the blades got seized in branches on
the
push stroke.

Were they 'good' ones? (Silky etc)

I think one of them was a cheap one, but the other was a Wolf.

The first time the saw was a write-off because the break was
near the handle (*); the second time it was only the tip of the blade that
snapped off.

Having a blade that is not kept rigid by a thicker bar (tenon
saw) or kept in tension (bow saw) is just asking for problems...

Depending on how it's used or if it's a 'pull saw' (Japanese, coping,
fret, band, wire etc), it can be, especially if you allow the cut to
be in an area that becomes in compression during the cut.

I spent much of my youth sat on or holding timber for Dad as he was a
keen woodworker and it was important that I *held* any unsupported
'end', not lifted (or it would pinch his saw) or it be allowed to drop
whilst being cut though.

I did a lot of the work during the day time when my wife was at work,
otherwise I'd have got her to press on the branch to keep the cut open.
Surprisingly a cut on the upper side of the branch (having made an initial
cut on the underside to prevent splintering) tended to close up, despite the
weight of the branch which you'd expect to open the cut.

I found the best trick was to remove the blade from the cut after I'd pulled
it towards me on the cutting stroke, and then re-insert it at the other end
of the stroke, rather than trying to push it away from me, because that was
when the blade got stuck.

This was cedar, which seems to be a very hard wood compared with pine/larch.
It was still alive and so was green rather than dry wood.