Tools List

In the modern era of disposable low quality tools purchased at low prices in large poorly staffed stores, it is difficult to locate long lasting and high quality tools. In some cases, it was hard to find them, and even harder to find people reviewing them. Some of the items are now available at Amazon and others can be purchased online at Peaceful Valley Farm Supply. I would link them to Amazon for convenience, but the widgets don’t appear to work and there are comments in the forums that this violates the terms of service.

Some of the tools I find useful, in no particular order are listed below.

Stihl Chainsaw MS361

This is a fairly heavy chainsaw, weighing in at around 13 lbs. But it’s got some serious power. I think it’s rated over 4 hp. I’ve cut through locust and poplar with no problems. I even did some milling with it using the Granberg saw mill. Keeping the chain sharp with a manual file has become a real chore. It might be time to find a good electric sharpener for it.

Ty’Mup Taper

This nifty tool is perfect for tying up grapevines. I’m sure it has many other applications as well. I am going to try it on the tomato plants this year too. It’s a tad bit tempermental in terms of the pressure that needs to be applied, but that might get easier to judge with more use.

Stanley Hogringer

This tool takes wire pieces, similar to staples in a staple gun, and when the trigger is pulled, it ties the ring around whatever is in the jaws. It saved an immense amount of time attaching the deer fence to the support wires.

Felco #F-2 pruning shears

These are possibly the best pruning shears ever. I use them for all sorts of things, but mostly for pruning grapevines. They have replaceable blades, although in the 7 years I have owned them, I have not had to replace the blades yet. The first few years they did not get a whole lot of use. When I am walking through the woods, I like to carry them in my pocket, and cut back any vegetation that is encroaching on the path.

Custom Leathercraft XL145 Tradesman Gloves

I bought several sets of work gloves before I found a pair that were rugged, protected my hands, and still let me use a cell phone. They are not very warm for working in the winter, but a standard set of insulated work gloves from Tractor Supply were suitable for that. After a season, I finally broke down and washed them, and they looked nearly brand new. They are starting to show a little wear around the thumb, but that’s probably not bad for what they have been through.

Fiskars PowerGear Bypass Lopper

These loppers do a great job of clearing larger shrubs and small trees. It’s probably time to get a new set. The old set was loaned out, and came back with one of the handles loose, and the next time I used them, the insert broke off, and now the handle does not stay on very well. I’m sure that there were several occasions where they were used for small trees that were larger than their recommended diameter.

Fire Rake

I got this tool from Forestry Suppliers. They have the JimGem brand and the Council version. I got the cheaper one. It’s great for clearing large amounts of small brush, and also for clearing vegetation down to the soil.

Leatherman Pruning Multi-tool

I got this for Christmas, probably by way of Amazon. While not quite as nice as the Felco, it sure is handy to have when you have forgotten the pruning shears. The rest of the tools are very strudy, and possibly more useful for other applications, but it does contain a good knife and the usual screwdriver bits.It’s now one of the items I always take with me when heading out, even if I don’t think I’ll need it.

Stihl FS130

This is the ultimate brush clearing tool. I got the optional hedge trimmer attachment. I wanted to get the power scythe, but the dealer said the only difference was that the power scythe costs more, has less coverage, but can run flush up against a building. The hedge trimmer is cheaper, covers more area, but cannot be used close to a building. There aren’t any buildings, and when I do get some, I can just use the string trimmer. It cost a good bit altogether, but wow, this thing just rips through brush. I’ve cleared the multifloral rose, pricker bushes, wild grape vines. It’s much faster than a brush saw. The down side is that it is a bit heavy. I tried to use the shoulder harness, but the end result was that it hurt my back. The left arm strength has built up nicely from the chainsaw, so it’s not really a problem anymore. It probably needs to be sharpened now, but it still works well.

Dremel 1453 Chain Saw Sharpening Attachment

I got this for Christmas. It was pretty simple to setup and the hardest part was looking up the pitch of my current chain. If you have done sharpening by hand, then this is a real time saver. I’ll probably get an inverter so I can run the dremel at the worksite. I have yet to try the newly sharpened chain, but the actual sharpening process was nice and easy. Be sure to wear safety glasses as listed in the instructions. Little bits of metal were flying around and I’m sure that can’t be good for the eyes. Hopefully, there will be an opportunity real soon to try out the chain on some locust.