Smith’s Folding Limb Saw – Review

U.S.A. –-(AmmoLand.com)- As a kid, when we’d build a deer blind the last step would be to remove any tree limbs blocking your view or shots. Dad would be up in the blind and us kids would be on the ground with a bow saw. He’d point out limbs that were blocking a shot.

Smith’s Folding Limb Saw

Years later, this is still the last step for when I slap up on of my brush blinds or throw up a pop-up blind. Now though, I’m in the mountains in Idaho building my blinds. I can’t lug around a long treesaw or bowsaw though. That’s where a Smith’s Folding Limb Saw comes in. It is a folding saw and folds down to 9 ½-inches in length but unfolded it stretches out to 17 ½-inches and is a limb cutting machine.

I take a lot of people bear hunting. 90% of the time I hunt out of brush blinds that I constructed out of local materials. I’ll lay logs off the side of a big yellow pine and fill in the gaps with bark, cut grass and limbs. With the Smith’s Folding Limb Saw you can cut limbs and grass to fill in the gaps. You can also cut shooting lanes down to your bait barrel. When cutting brush out of my shooting lanes I don’t cut it down to the ground. I leave it about 18-inches tall so they don’t feel exposed.

You also want your lanes big enough so that when you see a bear moving towards a shooting lane or a trail that you will have enough time to draw back and let an arrow fly.

I took the Smith’s Folding Limb Saw up to the mountains with me a couple of days ago while baiting for bears and tested it out. I was pleasantly surprised at how well it cut. To make the saw a little sweeter, Smith’s added a couple of features to it that I haven’t seen on other saws.

SIDE FEATURES

1. Fire Starter-Smith’s recommends using the cutting edge of the saw on the fire stick. I’d recommend laying your tender on a hard surface. Press the fire stick into the tinder and rub it to throw the sparks. You will have to rub a couple of times to remove the back coating before it will work. There is a whistle on the end of the Firestarter but I couldn’t make it blow very loud.
2. Blade Sharpener-I thought this was a great addition. Most people don’t have the tools or know how to sharpen a saw. This little oval shaped diamond steel makes it easy to put an edge back on your saw. To use, insert the tip between the first set of teeth. Rub it back and forth until sharp. If you have trouble going back and forth then just pull it out. When sharp, change the angle of your hold and move up one set of teeth and repeat.

To prevent the saw from opening while in your pack I’d recommend wrapping a thick rubber band around it.

So if you hunt out of a blind, I’d suggest that you throw a Smith’s Folding Limb Saw in your pack. It might just be the item that throws things in your favor and allows you to punch your turkey or bear tag this spring or deer tag this fall, whether you hunt out of a treestand or a ground blind. And don’t forget, if you’re hunting in a treestand, you always have open gaps that expose you. With the Smith’s Folding Limb Saw you can cut a limb and tie it with a string to fill in the open spot.

I think the Smith’s Folding Limb Saw with Sharpener is a great deal with an MSRP of $19.99. And as is usual, we will close with the specs.

• Super strong teeth for faster cutting
• 8-inch blade
• Works best for cutting medium size branches and limbs
• Comfortable and durable handle with soft grip
• Spring loaded locking mechanism
• Longer blade than some competitive products
• Tooth Sharpener
• Fire Stick

About Tom Claycomb

Tom Claycomb has been an avid hunter/fisherman throughout his life as well as an outdoor writer with outdoor columns in the magazine Hunt Alaska, Bass Pro Shops, Bowhunter.net, and freelances for numerous magazines and newspapers. “To properly skin your animal, you will need a sharp knife. I have an e-article on Amazon Kindle titled Knife Sharpening #ad for $.99 if you’re having trouble.”