How to use a Fiskars pruning saw
Updated: 21 October 2026
You are about to cut, or you already have a curved kerf from leaning on the blade. A Fiskars pruning saw in this set is not one stroke. The SW-240 is a pulling cut. One 15 inch PowerTooth file says pull and push. The bow saw's bullets do not name a stroke at all. Use the stroke printed for the saw in your hand, let the teeth cut, and stop when your feet leave firm ground. Which shape to buy is the [Fiskars pruning saw buying guide](/hub/power-saws/fiskars-saw/sub/fiskars-saw-buying-guide). The models are on the [Fiskars saw comparison](/hub/power-saws/fiskars-saw). Peter F. used the amazon.co.uk files and public UK pruning guidance. This is not a lab lesson. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
You are about to cut, or you already have a curved kerf from leaning on the blade. A Fiskars pruning saw in this set is not one stroke. The SW-240 is a pulling cut. One 15 inch PowerTooth file says pull and push.
You are about to cut, or you already have a curved kerf from leaning on the blade. A Fiskars pruning saw in this set is not one stroke. The SW-240 is a pulling cut. One 15 inch PowerTooth file says pull and push. The bow saw's bullets do not name a stroke at all. Use the stroke printed for the saw in your hand, let the teeth cut, and stop when your feet leave firm ground. Which shape to buy is the Fiskars pruning saw buying guide. The models are on the Fiskars saw comparison. Peter F. used the amazon.co.uk files and public UK pruning guidance. This is not a lab lesson. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Stroke | Length | Weight | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  Fiskars Fiskars SW-240 pruning saw | Pull | 22 or 24 cm | 200 g | 7.0 | about £76.72 | View offer |
| Best value |  Fiskars Fiskars 15 inch PowerTooth saw | Pull and push | 15 in | 23.8 g row, ignore | 7.6 | about £49.53 | View offer |
 Fiskars Fiskars SW31 bow saw | Not in the bullets | 24 in / 625 mm | 595 g | 8.4 | about £20.35 | View offer |
On this page
Read the stroke before you lean on the blade
Look at the bullets before you put weight on the handle. The SW-240 says a pulling cut, and a review in that file tells you not to load the return. If you push a pull-only blade like a panel saw, you bend a thin plate and tire your shoulder without deepening the kerf. Wonkee Donkee's general handsaw guidance says force on both strokes wastes effort when the saw is pull-only. That page is not a Fiskars test, and it matches the SW-240 bullets. It does not match every row. Model 393440-1001 says the PowerTooth blade cuts on the pull and the push, and it mentions undercuts. On that saw, a light push is what the listing claims. Do not copy that claim onto the SW-240. Model 393440 does not state a stroke. One review says pull. Treat the stroke as unstated and start gently. The Pro folder is a pull saw with a flexible blade. Reviews say it twists if you force it. Use the 13 TPI teeth on softwood, squared timber or PVC, which is what the bullets name. If you are still choosing a frame or an open blade, read bow saw vs pruning saw.
A straight bow-saw cut
The SW31 is the bow in this set: a 24 inch frame, a damp-wood title, 595 g. The amazon.co.uk bullets do not say push or pull. UK trade pages describe that pattern as cutting both ways. UK reviewers, in a file of 4.3 from 1,019, describe a two-way action that stays straight if you do not force it, and a banana cut when you do. One reviewer straightened the work by supporting the log and using a lighter stroke from the waist, rather than jabbing with the arms. That is a review of this ASIN, not a factory setting. A log on a saw horse, or any rest that keeps the kerf from closing, lets the blade track. A sagging branch pinches the plate, and forcing it is how blades bend. One UK buyer bent the SW31 on a thick laurel trunk. Long strokes use more of the 24 inch blade than a short scrub in the middle. If a supported SW31 still wanders after you ease off, the blade is the suspect. Reviews say it looks replaceable. This file names no spare, so check the live page before you assume one is a stock part. One UK reviewer cut a thumb on these teeth. Take the packaging strip off first. Cover the teeth with whatever guard actually arrived. The highlight mentions one, and the box line does not.
The undercut and the collar
A branch that is still attached will tear bark if you cut only from the top. The Royal Horticultural Society describes a shallow undercut about 20 cm out from the trunk, then a top cut a little further out, so the branch falls without stripping the bark, then a final cut just outside the branch collar. Do not cut flush. The collar is the swelling where the branch meets the stem, and the tree closes a wound better when it stays. Those distances are a gardening method, not a Fiskars feature. The Arboricultural Association points to BS 3998:2010 for a step cut, and for a final cut in sensible proportion to the parent stem. The buyer-facing point is the sequence and the collar. Buying this saw does not qualify you under that standard, and this page does not quote it. On the SW-240, make the undercut on the pulling stroke. On 393440-1001 the listing mentions undercuts and a two-way blade, so both strokes are what it claims, still without forcing the plate. A bow frame is a poor tool for a tidy collar in a fork. Whether you may cut the tree at all is the Fiskars saw for green wood page, not a sharper stroke.
Where you stop
Stay on firm ground, to the side of the branch, not underneath it. The Health and Safety Executive wants low branches taken from the ground, and does not want you standing under the limb. A ladder under a branch you are severing is the wrong platform for any saw here. A chainsaw ticket does not change that. If the wood is near an overhead line, stop. If the folder is twisting, or the bow is banana-cutting a log you cannot support, stop and change the set-up or the saw. Look for a nest before you cut in the nesting season. GOV.UK puts the usual window at 1 March to 31 August, and a nest in use is protected whether or not the date feels convenient. A tree preservation order is a separate stop. Call a tree surgeon when the work is off the ground, under the branch, beside a line, or on a protected tree you are not sure you may touch. A saw horse does not cover storm damage.
Common questions
Do I push or pull a Fiskars saw?
Read the bullets for that model. The SW-240 is a pulling cut, and you should not load the return. The 15 inch saw 393440-1001 says pull and push. The SW31 bullets are silent, while UK trade pages and UK reviews describe a two-way bow if you do not force it. The folder is a pull saw. Using one model's stroke on another is how a thin blade twists.
How do I stop a bow saw wandering?
Support the log so the kerf cannot close, and use long, light strokes instead of forcing the middle of the blade. A UK reviewer of this SW31 straightened a banana cut with a saw horse and a lighter stroke from the waist. If it still wanders, the blade may be bent. The file says it looks replaceable and does not name a spare.
What is an undercut?
A shallow cut on the underside of a branch, made before the top cut, so the branch does not tear bark as it falls. The RHS puts that undercut about 20 cm out, the top cut a little further out, and the stub just outside the branch collar. It is a method for a branch you are removing from a tree, not a technique for bucking a log on a horse.
Should I cut flush to the trunk?
No. Leave the branch collar, the swelling at the join, and take the stub just outside it. A flush cut wounds the trunk more than the tree can close cleanly. A bow frame also makes a flush cut awkward and can scar bark beside the kerf, which is why the pruning saw is the tool for that finish.
What if the folding blade twists?
Stop pushing. The Pro folder's blade is flexible, and reviews say it twists when you force it, especially on fresh wood. The bullets limit it to softwood, squared timber and PVC. If the cut is a green branch, change saws. Leaning harder will not straighten a twisted 25 cm blade.
Can I stand on a ladder?
Not for these cuts. HSE wants low branches taken from the ground, and does not want you under the limb. A ladder puts you where the branch can land. If you cannot reach the wood with your feet on the ground, this saw is the wrong tool for that stem. That is the point to hire someone, not to add a pole you were not sold.
When do I call a tree surgeon?
When the branch is above you, when you would stand under it, when overhead lines are close, or when the tree may be protected and you have not checked. Also when the wood is felling rather than lopping you can justify. A saw horse does not cover storm damage. The green-wood page is the legal check. This page stops at the kerf.
Related pages
Sources
Public UK sources and the Fiskars UK Xtract page, plus the amazon.co.uk listings compared here. Listings captured on 19 October 2026.
- Forestry Act 1967, section 9 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- Forestry Commission: when you do not need a felling licence (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- GOV.UK: Tree preservation orders and trees in conservation areas (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- GOV.UK: Wild birds, protection, surveys and licences (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- GOV.UK: Countryside hedgerows, regulation and management (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- HSE: Arboriculture (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- Consumer Rights Act 2015, what statutory rights are there under a goods contract (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- Fiskars UK: Xtract garden saw L SW75 (retrieved 19 October 2026)