Silky Saw has long since been a staple in the outdoor community as a reliable and high-performance tool. What makes them so different from other folding saw and arborist tool companies? In this blog article we will walk you through some of their history, manufacturing processes and materials, and last just an overview of the products that have gained them their popularity. We are proud to be carrying Silky and hope that at some point one of their tools makes it into your hands so you can appreciate like we do.
History:
Since the very early 1900s, Silky has manufactured quality wood processing tools in Ono, Japan. With a continual focus onleading in design and innovation, Silky continues to raise the bar in endurance and cutting efficiency. All the way back in 1919, founder Mr. Katsuji Miyawaki created and produced the “Tamakitune”, the original brand of silky, which would be roughly the first time that the idea of a saw was innovated on. Eventual, in 1970, the saw industry took another leap forward when the saw setting machine was invented. Then, in 1980, Silky created and patented a proprietary saw setting process that provided a remarkable improvement in sharpness. In 1985, both Gomtaro and Gomboy were introduced featuring the first rubber clad handles creating a sensation in the industry and later became the standard for folding saws.
Silky continues to lead the industry in developing epoch-making designs. They believe that it is critically important to humans’ survival that trees, forests, and greenery are well maintained and cherished. They have the intent to stay eco-friendly with a strong passion for excellence in the design and manufacturing of their saws. This is clear and evident by the fact that most people have replaced the word saw with Silky when shopping for a folding saw.
Manufacturing:
Silky boasts many features and technologies that are unique to their brand and really help to differentiate them in the saw market. Starting from their flagships, all silky saws feature a few important things. They tout laser cut, impulse hardened blades that excel in performance and have an incredibly long service life. They also use a unique alloy steel engineered and produced steel specially made for them. This creates a harder, longer lasting edge, delivers exceptional tensile strength, and provides the ideal combination of hardness and flexibility.
Impulse hardening is a special process where in which silky blades get their performance. This technique uses a high frequency heat where the teeth are heated and instantly hardened. This process takes advantage of localization of the heat to just the teeth so that they harden yet the rest of the blade remains unchanged retaining its normal flexibility. The hardened teeth are harder than an ordinary file and stay sharp roughly three times longer than non-hardened teeth.
The handles are also a large focal point in Silky’s overall design. They use a rubber compound elastomer handle that is either inserted or vulcanized to an ABS plastic or steel form. This adds comfort, reduces vibration transfer to the user, and give the user superior grip even when faced with wet, cold, or gloved conditions. All of this will greatly decrease fatigue and provide additional safety. It also guaranties that the compound never gets slippery, even when wet.
Unique packaging also accompanies each saw. Every fixed blade saw comes with a custom designed scabbard for storage and safety. All folding saws are designed to completely protect the blade when it is folded. Finally, several folding saws have a convenient carrying case that can be clipped to the belt or the pack for safe keeping.
Product Technologies and Logos
Below are a list of all of the technologies that Silky employs.
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Non-set Teeth - Blades are made from SK-4 high carbon steel and taper ground i.e. thicker at the tooth edge, thinner at the back of the blade. This taper reduces resistance giving smoother, easier, faster cutting performance. |
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Mirai-Me Smooth Cutting - The teeth of the future! Blades have precision ground, razor sharp teeth with 4 cutting angles along their length. They leave an especially smooth surface after cutting and are ideal for pruning, greatly reducing the risk of infection. They can rip-cut, cross-cut and slant-cut. |
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Impulse Hardening - Using a special high frequency heating technique, teeth are heated instantly and hardened. Because of this localized heating process only the teeth of the blade are heated and hardened. The remainder of the blade is unchanged and still retains its normal flexibility. The hardened teeth are harder than an ordinary file and stay sharp about three times longer than non-hardened teeth. |
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Hard Chrome Plating - Hard chrome plating produces an exceedingly hard, durable surface. The blades are resistant to rust and the effects of resin. They are finely or mirror polished and wipe clean easily. |
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Rubber Handle - Almost all Silky saws have rubber compound elastomer handles either inserted or vulcanized to ABS plastic or steel are comfortable to hold, reduce vibration and offer superior grip when hands are wet or cold and when wearing gloves. |
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Four Rows of Teeth - Teeth are set in such a way that there appears to be 4 rows of them. These are rough cutting hand saws for heavier tasks. They can rip-cut, cross-cut and slant-cut. |
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Sharpenable - Because impulse-hardening is not applied, the blades marked with this symbol can be sharpened with a file. |
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FPA-ANERKANNT FPA - approved in Germany. |
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THE GOOD DESIGN AWARD G-Mark - Award by Japan Industrial Design Promotion Organization. |
Product Overview
Silky offers a very large variety of tools to aid in your forestry, bushcraft, arborist, or home needs. Gaining its fame from their folding saw, Silky now offers a large variety of both straight and curved blade folding saws. Be sure to check out the specification for each saw when selecting your own as there are many differences including blade length and teeth size. To go along with the had saw category, Silky also offers a selection of non-folding saws for added performance with a bit of a sacrifice in portability. For more serious cutting tasks that may require more reach, they offer a full line of pole saws that are both light and fast, ready to tackle big tasks. For the person who just needs a heavy piece of steel to get the job done, Silky has a chopper for you. From their large chopping blades to their chopper hand axe, these Silky tools are robust and ready to get the job done. Finally, for the wood worker, Silky offers a great selection of professional woodworking saws. No task you have nor the tool you need, Silky has you covered.