How to use a Silky Saw and Blade Maintenance

Are you new to using Silky Saws, and wondering how to use it correctly?

Many saws are designed to cut on the push stroke, but Silky Saws cut on the pull stroke, this cutting technique may feel a little odd to begin with especially if you are a first time user. But we promise, once you’ve used a Silky and have got the hang of the sawing technique, yo

u will never go back.

So, here’s our guide to using a Silky Saw:

1.      Hold the handle firmly, but not too tight, on the first stroke place the saw so that the teeth closest to the handle grab the wood first, make a few light pull strokes on thew wood to create a small groove.

2.      After the first pull stroke slide the saw back to the starting position with a soft push stroke, make sure this is done with no force. The thin blades will not bend as they are under tension while being pulled across their cutting surface and the blade will just follow the cut. If you push with force, you run the risk of bending the blade and breaking it, you should only be applying any cutting pressure on the pull stroke.

3.      Never push hard when using a Silky Saw, if the blade becomes stuck never wrench or twist the handle if the saw becomes stuck you will damage and break the blade. Always lift the weight off the blade to release the saw.

4.      Our Silky Saw precision engineering result in a fine kerf, because of this you need no force, you don’t need to use any muscle speed when sawing, we say over and over again to any of our Silky users… always let the saw do the work whilst you pull it across the wood.

5.      Always make sure to slow down when finishing the cut this prevents splintering and jerking.

So, for the safety bit, always cut away from your body, wear gloves and eye protection. Make sure your Saw is folded when not in use or

placed back in its sheath. When cutting on a surface always make sure that it is stable, you should use a vice or your foot when cutting branches.

Our blades are razor sharp and every care should be taken whether they are being used or are being stored away between use.

Whilst on the subject of blades, did you know that many of our Silky blades aren’t sharpenable? This is because the teeth are induction hardened. This is a process where the tips of the teeth of the blade are heated to a very high temperature for a split second. Due to only the tip of the teeth being hardened the rest of the tooth keeps its cutting quality and its flexibility. Induction hardened teeth have three times the lifespan of non-treated teeth, whereas the teeth on blades that are not induction hardened can be sharpened using one of our Silky Files.

To keep your blades in the best condition possible always makes sure to remove sap, resin and dirt using warm, soapy water, never clean with harsh abrasives this will tarnish your blade and could dull the teeth. Always dry thoroughly to prevent rust. We also recommend lightly oiling your blade after drying, as long as the oil is not too greasy, as this will only improve the longevity of the blade.

We hope this helps to give you a little low down on using a Silky Saw and blade maintenance, but don’t forget, we love hearing from our Silky Users, please feel free to give us a shout if you’d like any further info on using your Silky Saws. We also love to see any socials posts using Silky Saws, feel free to tag us…. you never know we may just mention you in one of our posts!