Ax or Saw?

[SaranacADK]

You have room in your pack for a saw or an ax but not both. 
What do you take and why? 

I'll start.

Folding saw, 24" length or so and a 4-7" heavy-bladed knife (for batonning decent sized rounds.)

My reasons:
Safer when you are remote and far from first aid.
For me - I can cut more, faster
lighter in the pack.  (I have an aluminum setup that folds up to a slim package

Risks/disadvantages as I see 'em:
Saw blades can break.  You may be able to re-hang an ax head in the field but making a saw blade... not likely. (Take 2 blades)

I'm sure there are more of both but this is what I can think of at the moment.


Ground rules:
No saw-back axes 
Knife considerations are valid and can/should be included 

I know this is one of those unanswerable questions but I am interested in your reasons for choosing one over the other.  I think arguments can be made for both and sometimes other's experience can point out things we have not thought of.

[Sharpshooter]

I'm an ax man.

Axes are a bit more versatile than saws. 

A saw is limited by blade length to the size of wood it can work, that's not a problem unless the only wood you find is larger than the saw's capacity.  An ax has no such limitation.

The ax can split large rounds into smaller pieces; a large knife can do the same but at the exclusion of smaller knife tasks unless you are carrying a small knife as well.  Carrying two knives in this situation is the same as carrying an ax and knife.

[Cpl Punishment]

Axe.

Safety.  It's a matter of doing a little thinking before you start swinging to make it so that the axe can't hit you on thw swing or follow through.  I've never cut myself with an axe.  Damn near every time I use a saw I cut myself.

Saws break.  I have especially bad luck with buck saws and bow saws.  The blades can bind and break too easily.

In the long term, your saw blades will all break or come to the point that they can't be sharpened anymore.  An axe is there for the long haul.

Speed.  With proper technique, you'll get through a given piece of wood with an axe faster than with a saw.

[SaranacADK]

Good points on the ax. 

Can't argue on the logic if applied to the right set of circumstances. 

I think the variables matter somewhat.  I might go with the ax in certain circumstances like away for a long time and/or very remote. (where a bad cut is a bad cut and a problem either way)  Funny how we see the other tool as more dangerous.

When I proposed the question I had in my head my typical 2 days out into the Northeast woodland.  Plenty of forearm sized dead stuff to work with for a fire.  If I knew I was going to make more substantial cuts because there was not so much of the small stuff the ax makes sense because you are not limited in size.

Have to admit - you both make strong cases for the ax

good discussion - thanks for your input.

[Big Mike]

I do tend to carry a small folding saw in my daypack,

…but usually rely on a big Bowie type knife for most tasks.


When camping I generally have both an ax and a saw,

…but if I had to rely on only one, it would be an ax.

[Rino]

Axe,definitely,to many bend or useless saws,axe can serve as knife,saw cannot.IMHO

[odiseys]

Saw !
I can not swing axe close to ground... especially in dense forest
I need less time to saw log, rather then chop
It is lighter, and cant easily become dull ... as an axe e.g.
...need less space then axe

Knives and saw before: knives and axe
Axe is really much more beautiful then saw

Knives and saw..... definitely

[Big Mike]

I think that we will all agree that the saw is more efficient then the ax.


But in the field the axe is king because it is fairly fool proof.


Saws are bent and broken with little chance for repair,

...as well as dulled with little chance of resharpening.


A skilled woodsman can sharpen his ax on a rock.

[Rino]

GB and fatwood



WM1 and Fiskars retracting saw(excellent saw)


We are missing some photos here

[SaranacADK]

We are missing some photos here

Yes we are! 

Great photos and some very nice tools.

[hangtime]

Ok - I'll jump in here. . .

     A lot depends on your situation IMO.  Timber cruising, woodswalking, general camping chores and the like seem to favor the axe.  If you are hunting the axe becomes something of an awkward, heavy nuisance you generally wish you'd left at base camp.  Carrying a rifle, binoculars, shooting sticks and enough food and water to last you eight to 10 hours of serious hoofing at altitudes ranging from 4000 to 7000 feet will make you seriously consider a lightweight folding saw.  Here in the west a lot of the wood you encounter at low to mid elevations is extraordinarily tough, springy, small diameter stuff without enough resistance to make an axe the prized possession it is in the forests of the east.  A small belt hatchet seems to be the best the axe family has to offer in this type of terrain.  I have used the Wyoming saw, the Sven saw, the Opinel folding saw and several varieties of wire saws all to good effect here in Arizona.  The saw is best used in conjunction with a good bushcraft knife and usually augmented by the additon of a small folder as well. 
     I have touched up my saw blades more than once with the 2 1/2 inch stone I carry in my pack and a small carbide tool works very well also.  Keeping your skin whole is a major concern when you are a long way from help.  The wounds I have inflicted on myself and seen inflicted on others with a saw have all been relatively minor pocket first aid kit kind of stuff whereas damage from an errant axe blow is generally trauma center material.  There's a reason we've all heard of "battle axes" and none of us has ever heard of a "battle saw". 
     Don't get me wrong here; I own, use and have a keen appreciation for axes of all kinds but I am also mindful of their limitations especially in some of the circumstances I've outlined.  Thanks for a good thread.

[HorizonSon]

BOTH!

1.  A good/excellent quality double-bit axe with a 28~32 inch handle (depending on the person's height and length of arm).  Note that I am STILL in the market for a good/excellent quality double-bit axe.  I had found a maker that hand-forged them, but lost the link

2.  A bi-directional chainsaw chain with hand-loops on each end. This is light-weight (sort of), packs super small and can be "launched" waaay up into a tree for limb cutting.