Chainsaw gear

[zzr1200]

More importantly what chainsaw did you get?!

So true.....???

 

[Welderpaul]

More importantly what chainsaw did you get?!

I bought a Husqvarna 435.

I would have probably gone for a Stihl but these seem nicely made.

 

[Welderpaul]

My feet will be staying on the ground.

A lot of what I cut will be large 3m x 1.5m pallets which we get buying plate and sheet. They are made from 4"x4" and 5"x5" clean timber with minimal nails holding them together. We have stacks and stacks of them, they soon mount up with the amount of stuff we buy.
I'll also be cutting a few normal pallets up mostly for kindling.
I need to build a wood store. Oh and also fit the log burner.

 

[Kram]

For pallets I'd suggest using a circ saw, quicker, quieter, less need for ppe and safer if you dont have much experience with chainsaw.

Saw horse means everything next to be lifted and would make it painfully slow work of it.

I prefer cutting stuff at ground level, I'd use a short 10" bar if its only small stuff
and move into a good position, often crouched down, to use the saw dogs. Either cut logs in a stack, or learn to bore cut to avoid hiting the dirt. You can half cut, then roll the log, but I rarely do that.

 

[gaz1]

i suggest both circular saw with a metal /wood blade is fine to use

cut the latts first with circular saw close to the 4x4s stick the 4x4s in a saw horse and cut with chainsaw

as gives plenty of offcuts of wood

dig out the nails after from the wood stove its what i do

 

[gaz1]

as illustrated

if you want a chainsaw chopsaw a silly jig will do it

 

[JOEPRO]

I bought a chainsaw when I was a teenager, zero fear and climbing trees etc with it. A little McColloch Mac 335. Zero injuries with it despite hundreds of hours use and no safety equipment... but nowadays I have just bought a much larger Stihl chainsaw and it is slightly scary to use so I will be looking for chaps etc too. I already have the mesh face mask.

 

[mart]

Don't cut with the tip of the saw, as there is a risk it will bounce back towards your face!

 

[Welderpaul]

Presumably the aformentioned pallet wood I have (4x4" timber or thereabouts) doesn't need any seasoning, it just needs to be dry before burning?

Once the pallet is apart the wood is in 8' and 4' lengths, clean and untreated.

 

[gaz1]

Presumably the aformentioned pallet wood (4x4" timber or thereabouts) doesn't need any seasoning, it just needs to be dry before burning?

can you guarantee that your pallets have remained dry for one year ?

never presume a pallet is dry or well seasoned you should still season for 1 year fizzy might be able to do though

what you need to figure out is how much wood are you going to need and how much too store

 

[DAPPH]

If you're just cutting firewood make yourself a saw horse about waist high out of old timber. It'll hold the wood and it'll keep the saw out of the dirt and the saw is safer and easier to use at waist height. Also you'll not be temped to put your foot on the workpiece. Be careful of small timber the chain can grab and throw small stuff.

Having dogs teeth made of nails or old ripsaw blade to grip thin or round stuff in the fork of the sawhorse is handy .. having a six legged saw horse with the middle set of legs about 14 inches from one end allows better safety when cutting smaller logs . Fitting a heavy decently weighted chain to one side of the middle legs to drop over these smaller logs helps hold them down to the ripsaw teeth thus gripping the logs/ sticks .

 

[DAPPH]

My feet will be staying on the ground.

A lot of what I cut will be large 3m x 1.5m pallets which we get buying plate and sheet. They are made from 4"x4" and 5"x5" clean timber with minimal nails holding them together. We have stacks and stacks of them, they soon mount up with the amount of stuff we buy.
I'll also be cutting a few normal pallets up mostly for kindling.
I need to build a wood store. Oh and also fit the log burner.

Use some of those big uncut pallets and plenty of long screws in pre drilled pilot holes to make as many wood stores as you have space , for cover then in poly shrink wrap when they are full ???

 

[DAPPH]

i suggest both circular saw with a metal /wood blade is fine to use

cut the latts first with circular saw close to the 4x4s stick the 4x4s in a saw horse and cut with chainsaw

as gives plenty of offcuts of wood

dig out the nails after from the wood stove its what i do

Do you use a big welders magnet to pull out the burnt nails out the fire box when they are cold or just wait for them to drop in the ash pan when cold .

 

[premmington]

If you are only crosscutting firewood have a look at the chaps and then spend the change on boots.

Bob

+1 for

Chaps - boots and gloves.

-------------------------


After decades of using petrol saws - as I get older - most firewood I cut up - is with battery saws - I even use recip saw - with white cobolt blades on scrap wood/pallets.

But the real move forward is a silky pole saw - for trimming trees at height - what a move forward this is - for gardening chores. Super well designed tool - quick pull cutting.

-------

Spent Easter weekend with my 92yr old Dad - tidying his garden up - Dad was out in garden all the while (even in the rain showers) - sweeping up - joining in - doing his bit! No Dad was not - throwing a 4stroke Honda hedge trimmer about - but he was collecting the cuttings. Mother (aged 90) laid on beer and cold meat sandwiches - bowls of salad.

Sounds odd - but real highlight of the weekend was watching my dear Father rolling about on the damp lawn with my two dogs - he was huggin them - patting them - they were licking him - he was giggling and petting them back. Dad at one point was on his back being licked to death - loving it - lapping it up. Dad is not frail for a very old man - he is very robust - but his mind is going. He always had gun dogs - Father was allot of things - but he was always very kind to the dogs/animals/children in the household.

Sitting on a chair on Mums patio - with the sun shining - watching my Father who will be 93 in Sept - kneeling on the wet lawn - playing with my two dogs for hours on end - while drinking a bottle of Abbot ale - and eating a sandwich my frail mother made me - is as good as it gets Lads...

 

[gaz1]

Do you use a big welders magnet to pull out the burnt nails out the fire box when they are cold or just wait for them to drop in the ash pan when cold .

my stove dosnt have an ash pan as homemade as goes for the ash theres hardly any even after the full burn of it after 3hrs with just one log and starters so im not actually chewing through a load of logs

so for clean out i just brush out all of the ash out of the front door into a bucket that either goes in the bin or on the garden

i then spread a fine layer of ash inside of the stove

 

[mart]

@premmington
That is a nice story, thank you for sharing it. It would have been worth filming it - priceless.

 

[Keith 66]

Don't cut with the tip of the saw, as there is a risk it will bounce back towards your face!

Just google Bill singleton chainsaw accident. He had a kickback & drove himself to hospital, Its a sobering xray.

 

[Migmac]

Just google Bill singleton chainsaw accident. He had a kickback & drove himself to hospital, Its a sobering xray.

I worked with a guy who had a scar from his chest up to just below his eye, kick back ! The chain brake doesn’t always activate.

 

[slim_boy_fat]

....you will be sweating your balls off,....

Better that than cutting them off. There's always the shower at the end of the job.

 

[mart]

The short story of Bill Singleton's chainsaw accident is worth reading, it may save your life learning from his error
As Keith 66 says, it is a sobering.
I sliced off my face with a chainsaw! | That's Life! Magazine

I sliced off my face with a chainsaw!

WARNING: Graphic images

www.thatslife.com.au