Palm Trimming & Cutting Tools

Chain Saw

Landscapers use chain saws to prune individual fronds and to fell entire palm trees. A standard chain saw consists of a motor assembly and a fixed, oblong bar. The saw's motor drives a sharp-toothed chain around the bar as a landscaper presses the tool against a tree or frond. Because chain saws cut quickly and efficiently through tough palm materials, they are often safer than manually operated handsaws. However, chain saws are heavy and landscapers must take care when wielding chain saws atop ladders. Many professionals use pole-mounted chain saws to access elevated fronds from ground level.

The most basic palm-trimming tool, the pruning saw, consists of a toothed, sickle-shaped blade attached to straight handle. Pruning saw teeth are broad, jagged and arranged in an offset pattern to improve material removal. Like a pocketknife, the blade of most pruning saws folds into the tool's handle. Pruning saws are suitable for trimming fronds at both ground level and atop ladders.

The pruning saw's pole-mounted counterpart consists of an identical blade attached to the end of a telescoping or fixed-length pole. As with the pole-mounted chain saw, the pole-mounted pruning saw allows landscapers to access elevated fronds from ground level. In addition to a saw blade, many pole saws have a scissor-like pruning shears assembly attached to the end of the pole. A string runs from the shears to the end of the pole and, with a pull of the string, the shears slice through branches, limbs or palm fronds.

Landscapers use safety gear, rigging and ladders during palm maintenance. Because thorns or spikes stud the fronds of many palm varieties, essential safety gear includes long pants, long sleeves and gloves. Landscapers typically use extension ladders to access the tops of palm trees. Folding ladders are prone to wobble on the uneven soil that surrounds palm trees; extension ladders lean securely against a tree. The most basic safety rigging is a set of ropes tied to ladder, worker and tree. However, there are project-specific rigging products available, such as specially designed ladder frames and climbing gear.