CHAIN SAWS
AND HOW THEY’RE USED
If you’re interested in saws, I’ve selected some from Amazon.com. Price them out and compare them:
The videos I've provided will illustrate some of the cutting techniques I've learned. Just remember to go slow at first, keep the chain in air or wood only, and be safe. And by the way, when I said in one video that I would "get rid" of the end piece off that log, I didn't mean I was going to toss it in the garbage! OK? I'll burn it all right, but I'll pile it separately from the regular length pieces.
If I were a novice woodcutter now,
I think I'd purchase
an electric chain saw.
I would do so for these reasons:
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1. Maintaining and operating a gas chain saw presents a whole additional world of problems. You need to worry about mixing gas, keeping the air cleaner and spark plugs clean, and, sooner or later, tinkering with the needle adjustments for idle and high speed operation.
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2. Because gas motors are fickle, a gas powered chain saw behaves strangely at times, and you need to adjust your operating procedures accordingly. It is essential that you watch for the saw to "buck" at the least expected times, especially if it's a high-powered one.
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3. Electric saws are every bit as capable of cutting wood as gas saws. They provide an experience that lets you concentrate specifically on the operation of cutting. You'll get all the experience you want caring for a chain and bar. If you desire to go and get the added advantages (and headaches) of gas saws later, you can certainly do so.
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4. You can do most of your actual sawing at home, as I do. Gas powered saws are handy when you're out in the woods away from AC outlets, but if you're just picking up six-foot to ten-foot pieces of dried wood to bring home, you may not even need a saw. I carry a bow saw with me to trim longer pieces of wood so that they fit into my truck or trailer. Yes, there are times when I wish I had a gas saw out there too. I understand, however, that if you have a little extra cash, some DC powered electric saws are available now that run off a vehicle's battery, and I know that some of the newest, including Black and Decker and Makita brands, have rechargeable, self-contained batteries as well. I believe you’ll find both in the Amazon.com lists I’ve prepared.
My Remington Chain Saw
Please keep in mind, I’m not a novice with chain saws. I’m not being condescending when I suggest an electric saw would be good for beginners. After years of using gas saws, I bought my Remington saw to cut some fireplace wood and clean up windfalls in the yard occasionally. I just discovered, completely by accident, that this is a very rugged, extremely good quality chain saw, and much more useful than I’d at first thought it would be.
I purchased my Remington electric saw just about three years ago. I've never sharpened the chain. I have adjusted the chain tension perhaps twice during that time. I keep it in its box, and when I need it, I take it out, refill the bar oil reservoir, and cut wood. When I'm finished, I put it back. It has been absolutely trouble-free. The three and a half horse motor has plenty of power. Many times, I've used it to cut through hardwood over twenty inches in diameter, so that I've had to rotate the log in order to get through it.
I get wood periodically from a friend who owns a farm outside of town. He has a lot of dead trees that he’s constantly cleaning off his property. He has wood of various lengths, and I take any that I can lift and haul. Some logs are pretty big, but I don’t hesitate to take them home, now that I know how my saw behaves. I can only lift one end of some of these logs. But I tilt them onto the tailgate and slide them in. I usually take my bow saw with me to cut longer pieces, but most of the time, I select and load lengths of wood from four to ten feet long.
At home, I often cut the wood as I pull it off the truck. It works best to cut the biggest pieces that way. No sense handling that stuff more than necessary. I've also piled it up next to the driveway and cut it there as well.
Other Saws
I Have Owned and Used
The most powerful saw I've ever used was a Stihl 041 Farm Boss. There were a lot of standing dead cottonwoods out on that river bottom land I mentioned in “The Story of My Life.” They had to come down. Some were easily three feet in diameter at the base. The Farm Boss had a nineteen-inch bar, which was obviously handy for that work. Incidentally, cutting trees of that size, particularly dead ones, can be dangerous. Getting a saw pinched in a tree that’s teetering every direction but the direction you want is a very unpleasant experience. (Yes, I've been there too. Had to replace the bar.) Make sure you have an expert show you what to do before you try.
Another good saw was one my dad bought me for Christmas one year. It was a Homelite 150. It was a little underpowered, and the idle and carburetor needles needed adjusting regularly, but access to those items was very easy, so once I figured out what I was doing and how I wanted it running, I just carried a screwdriver with me as I went. It was my saw of choice when I was cutting wood less than a foot in diameter. The sixteen-inch bar was plenty long enough, and it had a protective end on it that prevented kickback. I had to cut and limb lots of standing dead ash trees. The removing of limbs is a particularly bothersome issue with ash trees, but that little saw made it easy. It was so light it eventually felt like an extension of my arm. I think it had something to do with magical ergonomics. I could trim the tree trunk out of almost any tangle of brush without any problem.
Both the Homelite and the Stihl had sprocketed ends on the cutting bars. I usually greased them after I was finished cutting for the day. The grease pushed out the sawdust and left it in good shape for use next time I needed it. I didn't worry then about sawdust freezing it up in the winter or moisture rusting the parts.
In those days, I was good and fast at using the saws, but I was not appreciative of the finer points of keeping a chain sharp. I would run the chain into all sorts of things. Once I nearly wrecked a chain when I ran into some staples that had been pounded into a tree used as a fence post. Most of the time, though, I rather carelessly, and frequently, ran the chain into the dirt. It didn't dawn upon me how important it is to keep the chain in one of only two places: 1) in air, or 2) in wood. Until I learned my lesson, I had wonderful opportunities to learn how to sharpen my own chain. I developed some of my own special methods, and over time, learned how to do it right. Maybe I can illuminate you on some of those tips later.
Anyhow, if you're in the market and haven't owned a chain saw before, you should try out several of them before you buy one. You could rent a couple different kinds to see which ones you prefer. Search the internet for more information, and go to Amazon to do some comparison shopping before you make up your mind about what how much you want to spend and what you're going to purchase.
Here are websites where you’ll be able to find information about some of the other excellent saws I’ve used:
If you’re thinking of buying (or selling) firewood, make sure you look at my next page, which answers this question:
What the heck is a cord of wood anyway?
Did you just want to go back to VIEWFROMTHEMIDDLE.org?
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