Cutting smooth as Silky

Last month I was assigned to siding duty at our annual charity fix-up day with AmeriCares. I'd come prepared with a utility knife, knowing that's what you usually use to score and trim a shingle's width. When it came to cross-cutting, however, it soon became all too clear that some other method had to be found, or I would lose not only patience but possibly a finger as well. The chop saw was way over on the other side of the house and in high demand.

TOH technical editor Mark Powers, working nearby, saw my dilemma—or likely heard the expletives I was muttering under my breath—and said, "Here, use the Silky Saw." He handed me what looked kind of like an oversized bread knife, but it turned out to be the most elegant handsaw I've ever used. It cross-cut "like butta," speeding up the job and saving my sanity.

Made in Japan of high-carbon steel, the teeth are designed for ultrasmooth, precise cutting on the pull stroke, and are easy to clean and rust-resistant. Silky is known among arborists for its pole saws, but also makes woodworking saws. The model I was using, the TSUBASA 285 HASSUNME, goes for about $43. I soon realized it was capable of tasks far finer than cutting shingles, like, say, finally building that medicine cabinet in my bathroom wall to replace the rusty old original. Not quite meaning to drop hints, I sang the Silky's praises so much over the course of the day that its owner, TOH editor Scott Omelianuk, finally said, "Keep it." Who am I to question the boss?