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Old August 6, 2001, 05:09 PM   #1
handgunhunting
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bone saw questions

I need a bone saw to start processing my deer. I looked at the Wyoming saw and it looks just like a normal hack saw blade. My question is what is the difference between a bone blade and a hacksaw blade?
Will a normal hacksaw blade work?
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Old August 6, 2001, 08:36 PM   #2
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Bone saw is designed to cut bone & wood (more aggresive blade) while a hack saw is design to cut through metal (a less aggresive, but more "intense" & focused blade/type of teeth) - different tools for different material.

Bone/bow saw will do the trick "better" for less expended energy - on bone.

Used to carry a fold-out bone saw, big ol' knife, etc. (even a hatchet ) - no longer. Nowadays, I carry a single Swiss Army knife (Victorinox) Hunter/Huntsman model which has a lock-blade & fold out saw blade + a couple other (minimal) gizmos. Light-weight but plenty sturdy do to several elk to date. I do carry a ~$20 Coleman brand skinning knife for heavy chores (if ever needed - not yet to date), but which does have the nicely curved blade to assist in the skinning (that part has been used).

I've quartered/done the deed to several elk with "just" the SAK too many times to mention. No sense carrying a butt-load of (heavy) gear when small & efficient does the the trick. Horsing your way through an elk is more sweaty than just cutting through where it is supposed to be cut anyway ...

It'll all come apart if cut in the right place, & I daresay, one could quarter, & fully field-dress an elk, with a 2" blade.

When it's back at "the house," is a different matter altogether - I'd go for the best I could buy & to hell with the weight-savings - slap it on the table & go to town with the band saw.
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Old August 6, 2001, 08:42 PM   #3
handgunhunting
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all i will be doing is the ribs,legs and neck of a deer nothing really heavy that is why i was thinking of a corse hacksaw blade
I am still looking at the wyoming saw II for the deer
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Old August 6, 2001, 09:21 PM   #4
labgrade
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I may be off as to "processing."

If done at the house, doesn't matter for weight, etc. = just go with what works best & what you can afford. Again, at home, I'd probablly go for a powered band saw = no sense screwing around.

In the field, you could go for a "specialty saw" (aka Wyoming whatever) but still, you'd be hard-pressed to find something really any better than what I already mentioned above. +, you get blades & stuff added in & in a small, leighweight package which will do anything in the world, if you know how to cut up an animal - they do "break" along certain, predisposed points of their anatomy.

Swiss Army knives somehow do have the "trendy" aspects to them - can't disagree, but after used, they prove themselves time & again.

Between dumpin the "heavy" knives & other stuff I never really needed, I have probably cut my daypack weight from 20 to well under 10 lbs. & that's with everything I'd ever need to survive at least a couple overnights, otherwise unaided in winter Colorado mountains.

Works plenty for me & my hunting companion/s. Pushin' 50 yrs old & I can use all the help I can for not haulin' around extraneous gear through the mountains. I only take what works.

Your mileage may vary.
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Old August 7, 2001, 10:52 AM   #5
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I’ve used a hacksaw for many deer and it works fine. Never hunted elk so I don’t know about that. I tried a real bone saw once. It had slightly coarser teeth and cut a tiny bit better. I’ll stick with the hacksaw. Cheap, no big loss if you forget to clean it, just get a new blade. Get the coarsest tooth blade you can find.
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Old August 11, 2001, 10:02 AM   #6
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Labgrade: I'd be interested in hearing more about how you quarter an elk with a 2" blade, particularly dealing with the spinal column.

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Old August 11, 2001, 11:37 AM   #7
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i just found a new Wyoming saw blade at sports authority it is 11 1/4 inches long the hacksaw i have in my tool box is for a 10 inch ant 12 inch blade with a little playing around with the tension screws i got the blade to fit my hack saw and it works very well now for only $3.00 (and if i want $4.95 fo a new hack saw) i have a good bone saw
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Old August 11, 2001, 03:04 PM   #8
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I am like "griz". A hacksaw works just fine except that the teeth are a lil fine and tend to clog up. A meat saw works like a charm. Failing having either handy an axe will do the job a hellofa lot quicker but maybe not quite as neatly. That axe (hatchet) will whack off the feet at the knees, the neck, split the pelvis, and remove the ribs from the backbone like the coonass says "RAT NOW CHERE".
When we "drop one" down here we gut in the field immediately. Upon reaching either home or the camp we hang em by the neck, yank the hide off of em, cut off the feet at the knees, use a knife to detatch the front shoulders, a knife to get the backstraps and tenderloins (cat-eyes) off, then use a hatchet or meat saw to get the ribs off the backbone, then a hatchet or meat saw to cut through the backbone right above the hams, split the pelvis to get the hindquarters seperated, and finally whack off the neck then the neck from the head. You are left with 2 rib slabs, 2 front shoulders, 2 hindquarters (hams), 2 backstraps, 2 tenderloins (cat-eyes) and 1 neckroast. Throw away the feet, hide, head, and backbone.
Take my word for it, it took me longer to type this, and TRY to make sure it was spelled right than it takes to do it, and by doing it this wayyou get 95% of the meat in 10% of the time compared to other methods. The front shoulders, hindquarters are just right for roasts (yes we like em big down here), or deboning for sausage. The backstraps and cat-eyes sliced thin and fried. The ribs, boiled for a few hours with crab boil seasoning to get em tender then on the pit, and the neck either de-boned for sausage or pot roasted after being stuffed full of all kinds of pepper, garlic, and Cajun seasonings.
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Old August 11, 2001, 03:23 PM   #9
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I have the Wyoming saw and it is essentially a hack saw with a different blade. And it comes apart for easier carrying. We keep talking about buying a battery powered Sawzall but the cost is holding us back. The band saw would be great except it would be tougher to pack in than it is to pack the elk out. Not to mention the generator.
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Old August 11, 2001, 03:56 PM   #10
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CoyDog,

Didn't say I do, said you could - if necessary.

Main knife's got the blade + saw = ~3.5" long & relatively "flimsy" (by some standards). You don't have to horse a blade through to make it work. Still, we quarter/bone elk with these.

The shoulders aren't hooked onto anything except by muscle, which all but "unzips" around the shoulder blades. Follow the bones right around the hams (between the different muscle groups) & pop the "stuff" right around the ball joint. Bone the neck, ribs, straps, tenderloins & whatever not caught in the first pass.

Even to just quarter, working the blade along the cartlidge that connects bones will pop 'em apart.

Friend o' mine says he can bone an elk without getting into the guts - have no idea about getting the tenderloins w/o doing that.
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Old August 13, 2001, 04:07 PM   #11
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Ive used the saw on a swiss army knife to crack a pelvis before.. its not the best but it works. I carry a small meat saw with me that iI bought at a grocery store. it works fine. Wyoming saws are great, but HEAVY if you are carrying it all day. I usually carry 3 knives, a wyoming knife, a swiss army knife, and a cold steel tanto, which CAN an has been used to quarter an elk. Yeah i carry too much stuff, the wyoming saw stays in the truck.
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Old August 13, 2001, 07:19 PM   #12
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"I usually carry 3 knives, a wyoming knife, a swiss army knife, and a cold steel tanto."
And you are worried about the weight of the Wyoming saw ? I carry the Wyoming Saw attached to my meat pack along with four canvas game bags. I do all my cutting with what ever pocket knife I decide to carry.
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Old August 13, 2001, 08:32 PM   #13
labgrade
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Maybe a bit more back to handgunhunting's question .... "will a hack saw work?"

You betcha. Don't use 'em personally, but that's one of those quirky things we shooters are famous for.

My huntin' bud started off with using one of those Gingsuie (whatever)-type knives on his first elk. That's what he brought & the whole deal looked pretty much like a male dog first becoming aware of his sexual identity. & - all at the same time. A hoot - but, it got the job done. Could have been done a bit "prettier" but it got done - in time ....

Whatever works/floats yer boat, I say.

Personally, I'll go light-weight & have yet to split a pelvis girdle (on any wildlife - but that's a whole 'nother topic, ain't it? ) ... don't see the reason ....
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Old August 13, 2001, 09:12 PM   #14
handgunhunting
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I only hunt deer nothing real bis and i dont camp I bring the deer back to my little shead to hang till i can get back for the evening .
so i dont care about weight I do care about the money (witch i have very little of)
I have found that the wyomong 1 blade very well will fit my hacksaw frame. So i got a good bone saw for just under $3.00
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