I love a good tool, living as I do, I use a lot of tools. My life is very hands on and I do most of repair jobs in my home, as well as doing jobs on the land as well. My favourite tool, is really one, that everyone needs. Well especially if you live an outdoors lifestyle.
Can you guess from the photo above, what it is. That's me waving it above my head. (Well my shadow). It was gifted to me on my birthday, a few years ago, from a very dear fried of mine and it is one of the best gifts that I have ever received.
My Amazing Japanese Saw/ nokogiri (鋸)
I honestly use this saw almost daily and have had to replace the blade twice now. Luckily my friend hails from Japan and visits there usually once a year to see her family. I saw her partner using one a few years ago and fell in love with it.
This saw cuts on the pull action, instead of push action like most other saws. It cuts so well, I mean look at those fine teeth up above. It's like cutting bread, it cuts that well. I use it for pruning, or cutting canar ( which is the cane you can see in the first picture of the saw). Canar is great for making fences and I have used it to make many a fence.
I use it a lot when I am harvesting olives, as we often need to cut away branches. I have also use it, when I am working with wood, making shelves for the inside of my truck and also for the couch I made. It cuts so nicely and with so little effort and it is really lightweight. I also use it to cut firewood. I have become quite attached to that saw and I will only let others use it, if I am present. Others meaning, very close friends.
One of the biggest projects I have used it for, is the Compost Toilet that I built a few months back. I had a friend who was helping me and he used power tools, whereas I used my saw. I used it to cut through some pallets, that I used in the frame of the build and also for cutting left over planks , that we used in the top part of the toilet.
I know that power tools are faster, but I really prefer to use hand tools, if I have the option. It's much more enjoyable for me and I am not so much of a fan of the vibration that comes from using power tools. I find sawing through wood, to be very meditative.
On top of it, I also feel like a bit of a ninja, with my nokogiri in hand!