North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[sherwin <sherwindu@att.net>]

On 4/12/2011 2:05 PM, Chris Garriss wrote:
> I've one I bought about 10 years ago - not bottom end but not commercial
> either.  Works best when scion&  rootstock are similarly sized - does not
> have to be exact by any means.
>
> When Lee Calhoun was doing custom grafting he was using a very nice, very
> "flexible" commercial unit...also rather expensive.
>
> With the tool I have I can work 3 - 4 times faster.   For small time
> grafters (like me), sharing a tool would make more sense.  But I would not
> give up the one I have by any means.
> On Apr 9, 2011 8:32 PM, "sherwin"<sherwindu@att.net>  wrote:
    Chris,

    I'm trying to determine why a backyard orchardist would prefer a 
tool to a knife.

   What kind of relative success rates have you had with tools vs. 
knives.  I kind of
   gather that you are still using a knife.  If you are only doing a 
few trees at a time,
   are you saving significant time with the tool.  I never used this 
tool, but it seems
   like it could be tricky to line up this 'omega' cutout and does it 
hold itself in place
   while you wrap it with a rubber band and outer cover.  The newer 
tools claim they
   have attachments for several kinds of grafts, including bud grafts, 
but I am skeptical
   as to how effective they are.

                                                       Sherwin