The “throw-saw” makes tricky felling safe
Swing, aim, let go and saw! It shouldn’t be any harder than that to work in difficult situations in the forest. At least, not if you believe the Swedish developers behind the Throw-Saw (Kast-Sågen): Svante Hansson and Agne Bergkvist. They demonstrated the saw in action at Elmia Wood.
More than fifty years of experience working with safety issues around hand-operated motor tools made Svante and Agne wonder:
“We wanted to minimize the risks operators face when cutting trees that are leaning, are under tension or are on a power line,” Svante says. “Dealing with these trees is one of the most dangerous jobs in the forest but with the right equipment it doesn’t have to be that way.”
Teeth in the right place
The solution is a line with a weight attached. The user throws the line over the hung tree. When the line is in place the user attaches the saw chain and pulls it into place.
“Then you move to a safe distance. The line is 47 meters long so you can keep a good safety distance.”
A draw handle is attached to the line and a patented “flag” – a pennant-shaped weight – guides the chain to the right place.
“The flag ensures that the saw chain’s teeth end up in the right place. Then you pull back and forth and presto, you’ve felled the tree.”
No chain pinch
Because the chain always naturally ends up on the top side of the tree stem, there is no risk that the tree will pinch the chain, as can easily happen with a power saw.
The line has also been tested for electrical safety, making the Throw-Saw suitable for use with power lines.
“The saw is certified to Swedish standards and approved for use doing “special work involving electric voltage.”
The system can also be used to fasten objects like a winch or rope high up in a tree.
“The entire system weighs only 1.5 kilos and is so small and simple to take with you, that everyone who may have do difficult tree felling should have one of these among their equipment,” Svante concludes.