Tools

The basics

Recently I purchased a chainsaw attachment for around $300 which fits onto my ECHO PAS engine. Since I mostly do pruning, not logging, I opted for this attachment instead of a regular dedicated chainsaw. If you take down trees and cut them into firewood then definitely get one of those.

Yesterday I had to remove six dead cedars so I used this chainsaw attachment to take down the tops in sections, leaving a three foot “joystick”. The joystick gives you nice leverage when you try to take out the root ball.

The new, sharp chain sliced through the dead stems nicely. And that is the point: chainsaws speed things up, especially when you are getting paid by project, not by the hour.

Another job I have lined up involves lifting pine branches growing from a neighbouring property off my client’s maple trees. It’s time for some separation and the chainsaw attachment is perfect for this work because it gives me some space between me and the branches. With a dedicated chainsaw I would require a ladder which would be awkward.

Before you start

Always read the manual and consider your safety before firing up the chainsaw attachment. Make sure you have bar and chain oil in the chamber and always keep your hand tool close by. You will need it if the chain slips off the bar, gets loose or the unit requires cleaning. One optional purchase is a spare chain. I fully intend to learn how to sharpen my chain to save money and learn a new skill. I am an ISA certified arborist but I have never sharpened a chain.

My fear is working out in the field and having the chain break on me. It is nice to have a spare chain.

Safety is important in the field. Every. Day. So, make sure you have a helmet and eye and ear protection. I have a helmet with earmuffs and a shield. Having the long bar between you and the chainsaw makes this set-up safer than with a regular chainsaw which is closer to your body.

A note on pruning quality

Here is a pro tip: chainsaw attachments are great for taking down trees in sections but not for making awesome, precision cuts close to the main stem. It is very easy to slip and cut into the bark when making a finishing cut at the branch collar. I prefer to make these cuts with a handsaw.

One of my clients has a dead tree in front of his house and he needs to remove it. So, I will take it down slowly in firewood chunks. Note how there are not any precision pruning cuts to make here.

Rating

If you own an Echo PAS engine then this chainsaw attachment is a great buy. Visit Foreshore Equipment in Burnaby and tell them Red Seal Vas sent you.

From Japan, with love

It used to be that only my trusted Felco 2 hand snips would hang on my belt. But now my belt also supports the Japanese hori-hori knife. It’s very sturdy so you feel its weight a little bit, it has a sharp tip like most knives and one side is serrated. This comes in handy when you are dividing perennials in the fall.

The knife also bailed me out yesterday when I was taking out dead cedar trees. Since I forgot to bring a shovel (don’t ask!) I was able to stick the knife in the ground and find the roots, which I then severed with my hand snips. I hate to do this with my hand snips because they get dull quickly. The hori-hori knife is designed for dirty work. It’s also sharp enough to slice through thin roots.

Who needs a shovel? I used the knife to stab a circle around each cedar and the extraction went well after that. All six trees were dead and fairly easy to extract.

Pro tip: leave the bottom portion of the cedar stem standing so you can use it as a joystick during removal.

Extras

This project sounds super easy, and it was. But it also highlights the importance of extras. Normally I only maintain the front of this eight unit complex, once a month. And if you stick around long enough, do a good job and get to know people, they will give you extra work.

No, I didn’t get rich from this side project but it did pay off a portion of my recent chainsaw attachment purchase.

Other uses

The hori-hori knife is labelled as a digging and weeding knife. It’s a huge gift if you work with freaks who insist on weeding with their fingers. That’s because we need to uproot the weeds and the sharp hori-hori knife is perfect for this work.

I get involved in this debate every season: weeding requires tools, unless you’re only hand picking massive trophy weeds. Professionals use tools! And as soon as I say it, people get sidetracked wondering if Red Seal Vas is a professional instead of focusing on weeds.

Personally I find hand weeding with my fingers very taxing on my fifty-something hands. Why abuse myself when I can uproot the weeds with my beautiful $30 hori-hori knife.

Sheath

You will need a sheath for your hori-hori knife because it’s sharp and you’re less likely to lose it. The Japanese got it right by making a closed belt loop sheath. Lee Valley got it wrong by making a button belt loop. It took me literally five minutes in the field to lose the knife because the button closure is too flimsy for non-stop landscape activity. Don’t buy this belt loop; get one that’s closed.

Conclusion

For $30 the hori-hori Japanese digging and weeding knife is a great tool to hang on your belt right next to your snips. You can use it for weeding, dividing perennials, digging and to keep degenerates away.

Why care?

As you visit this blog and read the headline, you’ll probably think “why should I care about an arborist store?” It’s not like I’m an arborist; I hire those people in shiny helmets so they can charge me exorbitant sums of money for tree and shrub maintenance. Hold on, let me explain.

It’s important to know where your nearest arborist store is because they sell quality, sharp hand saws, snips and loppers; tools homeowners are most likely to use. Yes, the big box stores carry those tools but they’re not as good. Go for quality so you can make great cuts, every time. It happens to me every year: I show up at a client’s place and they eagerly push their own tools on me. The hand saws have rust on them and finger prints from the Second World War. So, I politely decline the offer and use my sharp hand saws.

Getting there

The arborist store in located in an industrial area on 1515 Broadway Street, unit 605, in Port Coquitlam. I didn’t find it easily but the outdoor signs helped. The store itself is nice enough. It’s like a candy store for arborists.

I was there to buy a pole pruning attachment and not seeing prices on the items was annoying. It forces you to check the price on every item with the dude behind the counter. I found what I was looking for but it wasn’t cheap. However, I expect to get my money back after a few tree jobs; it’s an investment so I didn’t cry about it.

Then I noticed a Japanese hori-hori knife for weeding and pruning; and for protection from degenerates. I also love the sheath which attaches nicely to my belt. Months earlier I purchased a smaller knife at Lee Valley but, incredibly, the sheath had a button on the belt loop. Clearly, the designers don’t work in the field. It took fifteen minutes for the button to fail and the knife slide down my rain pants. This is a major fail. The Japanese got it right!

Exit

Before paying I registered my business with the store and now, as I suspected, I’m getting weekly junk mail with discount codes. I also picked up free stickers before snapping a few pictures and leaving the store. Obviously, professional tree dudes know this store well but I would argue that homeowners too, should get to know it. They can buy good quality, sharp tools here, from snips and hand saws to loppers.

I bought my pole pruner attachment so I can do easy tree work. The Japanese hori-hori wasn’t exactly a required item but I do like the knife. You can weed with it and divide perennials.

You don’t have to be an arborist to visit this store. Walk in and check out the sharp tools on the wall right in front of the cashier. Pay extra for good quality.

Felco all the way

When leaf clean up season is over, we do finesse work to get sites ready for Christmas. This type of finesse work involves bedwork and lots of hand snipping. Think spent perennials and the odd annoying branch. The same goes for home gardeners.

To get ready for the finesse work, I walked into my nearest Lee Valley store and bought brand new Felcos, even though I already own a few pairs. I really wanted a new, sharp pair; and I even got extra springs and a sheath. New Felco 2s, two springs and a sheath set me back C$100.

As I walked away from the door to my car, I realized that this was by far the best gift you could give for Christmas to a landscaper or a gardener. It’s December 18 as I write this blog post, so there’s still time to get a pair of Felcos.

Not my first plug

Now, this isn’t my first blog post about Felcos and there is no need to type up a disclaimer. I love Felco hand snips and I’m happy to say it; I don’t profit in any way from saying it. One day I hope to!

The red handles last forever and the blades can be changed. Normally I sharpen them before replacing; it’s cheaper. Also, a leather sheath is mandatory for professionals. I keep my snips on my hip at all times because you never know what defects you will find in the landscape. It could be a simple shoot sticking out from the top of a shrub or it could be a broken tree branch. Or perhaps someone missed a perennial during cutback.

With Felco snips on your hip, you’re always ready. And I like to be ready.

Early Christmas

Now, my old pair of Felcos was still fine. I could have kept it as a back-up pair but I did something better. I moved my old snips on to a new foreman-in-training who was still using an inferior and much cheaper model. I won’t name the maker; it wasn’t Felco.

Predictably, the dude was all casual about the loan but I know he’s hoping some of the Red Seal magic rubs off on him. Having my old snips on his hip, reminds him of his brilliant Red Seal manager and allows him to look like a pro. Honestly, it will take a lot of training to turn him into a real pro.

If you’re still looking for a gift for a gardener or a landscaper on your list, get a pair of Felco hand snips. It will set you back about C$80 and it’s worth every dollar. Trust me.

Throw away society

When snow last week kept me at home, I turned to blogging. I always have a list of blog post ideas and a folder full of clippings and articles. One of those articles came from the Vancouver Sun newspaper.

The writer commented on our throw away society and I agreed with her hundred percent. I’m as guilty as the next person. Although, I should add, that I’m changing. I signed up for an account at Return-It and ordered free sticker labels. Now all I do is attach one label to a clear garbage bag full of bottles and drop it off. No more sorting filthy bottles.

Return-It itemizes all returned bottles and deposits the money to my account. I can let it accumulate there or redeem it to straight to my chequing account.

The next step for me will be recycling old electronics and cables which are rapidly accumulating in my place as my kids turn into teenagers.

Felco forever

Now back to the Sun article. What struck me was that the writer used Felco snips as an example of a tool designed to last forever. And Felcos really do last forever. The red rubber coated handles will easily outlive me.

I did a little maintenance experiment with my Felco 2s because they are easier to dismantle. They sport just one bolt. So, I popped it, cleaned out the main surfaces and installed a brand new blade.

Then, I replaced the spring. Those are the two components that you will ever have to change. The total retail cost was about C$25 and I’m hoping to submit it as a business expense on my taxes next year.

The difference in cutting quality is noticeable. The snips make nice sharp cuts easily. So easily, I regretted not composing this blog post earlier.

Incidentally, pruning demands sharp tools. Snips, loppers and hand saws. Dull tools make poor cuts and tend to shred plant tissues. Always use sharp tools.

Conclusion

Felcos are great so they’re not cheap. But the up-front C$80 cost is justified. The snips will last forever. All you have to do is replace the spring once in a while and sharpen the blade. If you choose to replace the blade, it will only set you back C$25 at your local retailer. And I believe that’s a small price to pay for beautiful pruning cuts in the field.

If you already own Felcos, maintain them well. If you’re considering buying a pair, don’t worry about the cost. The red rubber coated handles will probably outlive you.