Bow Bars. Are they Safe?

[Adirondack]

I have read a few older threads on Bow Bars. It would seem they would be a better bucking bar than a regular bar for stuff 18 inches or under.
1. the bar is dropped in from the top which eliminates the strain on the low back. The weight of the saw is rested on the log and you are in a standing position. Not bent over to keep the bar horizontal to the ground.
2. chips flow away from the sprocket which would possibly keep less chips from building up in the bar grove.
4. They have extra guards on the top and bottom of the chain which would be more protective than the regular bar without any bar guard.
3. It seems like you would have a greater chance of kick back with the wrong entry into the log. But if it does kick back you are standing up and could react better to the force than the normal position of bent over. Just have to be really careful when entering the log.

So the question is are they unsafe and that is why they are not more common? If so what am I missing that makes them more unsafe? Or is there another reason why they are not common equipment. They seem like a great idea, so what is the deal.

Thanks.

 

[FATGUY]

I've never used one, but listening to the old timers talk, I wouldn't even want to try. Get a longer bar maybe to help with your back. You'd be surprised the difference a few inches makes. It's only what I've heard, but I heard they were so unsafe that a lot of guys went and got jobs at companies that didn't use them.

 

[Work Saw Collector]

There was a thread a week or two ago that said they are dangerous with inproper use. I have been thinking about one myself.

 

[Saw Dr.]

Some people can make a butterknife unsafe. You need to be more careful with a bow saw, but the more modern ones with the guards and such on them seem to be OK. You need to get Mr. Bowsaw or Thomas72 to weigh in here. They both have quite a bit of trigger time on bow saws. The modern ones are designed to be used in conjunction with a chainbrake, so that is a good thing.

 

[mowoodchopper]

Some people can make a butterknife unsafe. You need to be more careful with a bow saw, but the more modern ones with the guards and such on them seem to be OK. You need to get Mr. Bowsaw or Thomas72 to weigh in here. They both have quite a bit of trigger time on bow saws. The modern ones are designed to be used in conjunction with a chainbrake, so that is a good thing.

#1 good post!

 

[edisto]

You'd be surprised the difference a few inches makes.

That's what she said?

B200 is right...I'd be wary of using one, but I am the type that gets much too complacent with power equipment. I'd explain further, but I have to get this butter knife out of my thigh.

 

[thomas72]

For bucking small trees it is really hard to beat a bow bar, if used correctly. They are nothing to be scared of, and really can make a day of cutting easier. Like stated before you have to know how to use a bow and how not to use a bow. A bow saw really is not any more dangerous than a regular bar if all of the safety equipment is on it. The most often injury caused by a bow that I have seen is to the area above the knee. People will run the bow with out the guard on the bottom and since it juts down so far below the newer saws it is very easy to hit your upper leg with it.

 

[lawnmowertech37]

they make good display bars i have one that is setting on the screened in porch if anyone wants it all i will take is the shipping cost you can have the bar for Free just pay the shipping

but promise me you will use it only for a display saw

 

[Adirondack]

I am game. How much is shipping?

 

[ol'homey]

My Dad bought a Homey C72 with a big bow on it around 1970. I started using it when I was around 12-13 yrs old and finally wore the bow out in the early 90's. I replaced it with a 20" hard tip bar. One of the best ideas I ever had. Here was the problem for me. I only had 1 saw and that saw had a big bow on it. Ever try felling a big oak with a bow? What a PITA! Of course nobody was around then to tell me you don't fell trees with a bow! Back then you were lucky if you had one decent saw. What was I supposed to do, put a bar on it to fell and limb the tree, then change to the bow to buck it? The bow was good for bucking your average sized pine tree once you got it on the ground. That's what it was designed for. It sucked for everything else. Lots of people like it because you can hold the saw vertical when bucking. With my saw you had better have a good stout thumb for the oiler because with 25+ lbs of saw bearing down on the bow it needs a lot of oil to keep it cool. You let the chain get a little dull and it will start smoking fast. Another thing people like about the bow is you don't have to worry about the kerf closing up on you when bucking on the ground. That's true, but what do you do after you cut all the way through a big log and damn thing closes up and you can't get the bow back out? I remember that happened to me once when I was 16 and about 25mi out in the woods. I took the saw off the bar, put it in the truck and drove back home. Told Dad what I did. He got his axe and we went back out there and cut the bow out. I learned back then that bad things can happen when you go to the woods with only one saw (this also applies to guns, trucks, or anything else that Murphy can break on you in the middle of nowhere!). Bottom line: If you have a bunch of saws and you want to put a bow on one to have fun with when bucking that's fine, but if you only have one big saw for felling and bucking stick with a bar.

 

[slowp]

A bow bar was the first saw I learned to run. I was the first girl to last longer than a half hour on the thinning crew. I made it through the season and then went at it again until the snow got too deep. We marked timber in between.

We had 1970 something Macs. Mine had guards and the chain brake. Chain brakes were kind of new, I think. The guys had removed all of the above to make their saws lighter--we had to pack them into a few units. I think taking the guards off also let them fall bigger trees. We were supposed to dump trees that were culls and were left after the area was logged, along with thinning the smaller stuff.

My only problem was learning. I survived some bad things, while dumping lodgepole. Once, I stepped back to get out of the way only to find there was a tree there, the falling tree knocked the saw out of my hands. I also got my saw stuck a lot. But no kickbacks. But we were mostly dumping the trees right onto the ground, then just had to buck them up in lengths for slash piling.

I went over to get help because my saw was stuck and got there in time to see a coworker have a kickback. He would have been seriously hurt if it weren't for his tin hat. He was knocking off limbs prior to falling a tree, and his saw kicked back right onto his head. His eyes were big and he had to stop and have a smoke. He mentioned to me it was a good thing he was wearing a hard hat. That's the worst thing that I saw happen with a bow bar.

I don't know how safe a practice it was, but since lodgepole was considered a weed, we dropped a lot of it by putting the dog against the tree, running the saw with one hand, and pushing with the other hand.

 

[turtle561]

the first time i saw a bow was when a one of the commercial fishermen at the dock offered to trim the stumps of a dozen palms that had died from lethal yellowing for his months dockage. he had a homelite super wiz with large bow on it. he worked his way around the stump making a series of plunge cuts at a downward angle towards the center using the spike as a pivot.took no time at all. when he was done there was a dished out stump with the center below ground level. it held water beautifully, and they rotted out in a few seasons. i think he said he had cut pulp wood in northern florida for awhile. it was clear he knew what he was doing. it was something to see.i've been interested in them ever since.

 

[madhatte]

I think we've still got a couple of old Homelite bows stashed in a back corner but nothing to run them on. This discussion has me curious. Mayhaps I'll buy a pawnshop Homie to give a bow a try.

 

[FullCry]

Bow saws

I own two saws with bows on them. Back in the 60's and 70's all the logging was done here in the south with chain saws and not machinery like today. My Uncle had a small logging operation and had several saws like the one below to cut the logs up on the ground. They felled the timber with bar saws. What I like about a bow saw is cutting up wood on the ground and if your careful at the end of a cut you will never hit the dirt. A lot of people that see my bows automatically say that they are dangerous and kick back too much. I used mine enough when Hurricane Opel came through here years ago that I learned about the kick back on that saw. It only kicks back when in the cut on a log and the handle is about vertical then it will start kicking like a mule so I learned when the saw handle was a little before that point to just get another bite and I never had kick back problems again.Yes them manual oilers are hard to push but when mine warms up it gets a lot easier. The only time I have pinched my bow was on an uprooted 5ft. diameter Live Oak I believe. The kind of Oak that is real thick but not very tall and has big limbs all over it. The tree was uprooted and leaning against another one. I started sawing three or four feet up from the butt and had to switch sides and finally pinched it.I did cut it out with one of my Stihls from the bottom. In my opinion bows have a place in cutting wood but most average folks will say they are dangerous. To me it like a gun...someone trained is ok,but put a gun in the hands of someone with little experience and I won't hunt with him.

<a href="http://s98.photobucket.com/albums/l252/FullCry_2006/?action=view&current=DSCN0447.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l252/FullCry_2006/DSCN0447.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

 

[ol'homey]

Re. kickback that bow saw was the only saw I ever ran for many years so I just got used to it and it was no big deal. When you contact the wood it's going to pull the forks up against the wood. As long as you keep the forks against the wood and keep the dia. of the wood small enough so you're not cutting close to the top of the bow i don't remember having a problem with kickback. Never try to cut anything higher than waist high. Never, never try to lift the saw to make an overhead cut, and the most important rule for anyone using a bow. ALWAYS MAKE SURE THE FORKS ARE IN PLACE AND IN GOOD SHAPE BEFORE USING THE SAW!!! The forks are the only thing stopping the bow from kicking back and tearing your head off when the bow contacts the wood. Had a good friend of the family, big ol' husky ox of a man, probably 300 lbs, borrow Dad's saw to clear some land. Dad told him whatever he did don't take the forks off the saw. Well he had a big oak he had to buck and it was too big for the saw with the forks on so guess what. He took the forks off, the saw kicked back, and now he has a straight vertical line just to the right of his nose from his eyebrow through his cheek down to his chin. Lucky he didn't lose his right eye. He said he didn't think that saw was powerful enough to get away from him like that. Back then he had arms as big around as my legs and i guess he just didn't have enough respect for the saw. Shame he had to learn his lesson that way. I knew what the saw could do and I always tried to be careful and safe with it and luckily it never bit me. There was no such thing as safety features, chain brake, antivibe, chain guards, saw chaps etc. back then. You knew if you fired that saw up and wasn't careful it could ruin your day in a heatbeat so you had to respect it.

 

[Mr. Bow Saw]

I posted this befor but here it is again.

 

[Mr. Bow Saw]

 

[Mr. Bow Saw]

 

[stihlavarna]

In the second to last pic, you can wear loafers when using a bowsaw

 

[ol'homey]

Eye protection, hearing protection, helmet, boots, chaps, gloves, who needs all that crap. Now go throw on a pair of slacks and loafers and let's go cut wood sonny! And don't forget the beer and cigs. I don't want you tensing up out there while you're tossing around that 30 lb saw all day.