Who is cutting wood?

its not about a man card thing, its about buying enough product to do the job cuz its a tough job for the product never mind the person running that product.

I've read of people blowing up multiple cheap saws and by the time they figure it out they could have bought 1 good saw which they would have a better time running

You might consider buying wood which is what my GF used to do, no saw, no sharpening chains, no transporting the wood, buddy drops it in the alley, already split to size, just stack it in the shed

In any case good luck with it !

After spending way to much time trying to restart my 20 year old Husqvarna 350 every few years or so, an electric or cordless chainsaw is starting to look very appealing for infrequent use. I took it into a local shop to see if it was simply the idling and/or High low set screws. We'll see but one thing I did not realize is that ethanol is not recommended and stabilizer is good all the time. Doh! so we'll see if I can get a few more years out of it. BUT, electric would be so much easier since I'm basically just cutting for camp fires and occasional downfall cleanup.

At the store, along with Husqvarnas, they now carry a brand I've never heard of Kress. For their commercial equipment, they offer a battery back pack and whole battery infrastructure, which looks weighty & spendy, but might be useful for some:

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Originally Posted by XXX-er

its not about a man card thing, its about buying enough product to do the job cuz its a tough job for the product never mind the person running that product.

I've read of people blowing up multiple cheap saws and by the time they figure it out they could have bought 1 good saw which they would have a better time running

You might consider buying wood which is what my GF used to do, no saw, no sharpening chains, no transporting the wood, buddy drops it in the alley, already split to size, just stack it in the shed

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Nah, I like cutting wood with my wife/kid, they enjoy it too.

[blog incoming...] TLDR-- buy a quiver of saws and a quiver of axes, and even buy wood. Be a happy family.

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Originally Posted by XXX-er

You might consider buying wood which is what my GF used to do, no saw, no sharpening chains, no transporting the wood, buddy drops it in the alley, already split to size, just stack it in the shed.

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That's where we're at now. The amount of MY labor for a season of heat costs more than buying it from a crew who can process it 5-10x faster than myself, and therefore they can sell it for cheaper than I can cut it. $800-1000 a winter to heat my house or 6-8 full days of me in the field just to get rounds... that I then have to split at home. It's a sport, you do it for fun and then it gets tiring as I get older. Except when I see deadfall in April on public land right by my house. That's an easy haul. I still cut those guys. Usually acacia, which is clean burning wood, but sparks more than I prefer. Makes for a messy firebox.

I never fell trees anymore. Fuck that shit. I know the art, I get it, but it terrifies me. Plus, felling usually involves walking over undergrowth throughout the day.

My Stihl saw is still kicking ass after 15 years, though. And I've blown through 2 electric saws for those home cuts in the same amount of time. That said, cheap Oregon electric saws for cutting things at home for an hour or two here and there is way worth it. They're lighter and quieter. And running a saw that doesn't require ear protection for a bit after work is good zen.

Better zen is just splitting with a Fiskars out in the cold in a T-shirt on those nights I can't ski but can still see the floodlights on the hill across the valley. My kids also have their own splitting axes... a family of Fiskars.

My 15yo daughter can swing a mean axe. I'm quite proud of that. And my 12yo son is on the Kendo team at school now (sword fighting), so his swing is also dialed. My 9yo keeps asking for the bigger axe, but his eyes are bigger than his muscles. Gotta be careful with these kids. The youngest wanna be as cool as the oldest. Same with skiing-- "Bro, slow down. You're not that good yet."

Cutting wood certainly is a sport and not even remotely related to saving $$. That’s the truth. And yeah, doesn’t pencil out for labor/time versus buying. Not even close. But for some reason we still do it.

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Originally Posted by Trackhead

Nah, I like cutting wood with my wife/kid, they enjoy it too.

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I grew up cutting wood with my family and have a lot of fond memories. I remember being paid a penny per piece carrying wood to my mom to load in the truck when I was around 3 or 4 years old. I'd guess she just tossed most of them over the side when we went back for another armful since they weren't much more than twigs, but for us kids it made us feel like we were helping. I remember the first time I was allowed to use the chainsaw and first time I was allowed to split with a little hand axe.

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Originally Posted by gaijin

[blog incoming...] TLDR-- buy a quiver of saws and a quiver of axes, and even buy wood. Be a happy family.



That's where we're at now. The amount of MY labor for a season of heat costs more than buying it from a crew who can process it 5-10x faster than myself, and therefore they can sell it for cheaper than I can cut it.

My Stihl saw is still kicking ass after 15 years, though. And I've blown through 2 electric saws for those home cuts in the same amount of time. That said, cheap Oregon electric saws for cutting things at home for an hour or two here and there is way worth it. They're lighter and quieter. And running a saw that doesn't
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Gf burns wood but she is a small yoga instructor who doesnt do anything but stack the fire wood, so she would just call up Lars the logger to dump a 2 cord truck load in the back alley and write him a cheque. Lars is a very reliable firewood seller ( an oxymoran in firewood business IME ) Lars was a logger but he was off being a real logger making money so he had his wife run this load which means she fed the fire wood processor with a front end loader, to fill up the dump, no splitting cuz Lar's wife set the wedges on the processor as requested so every piece of wood was the right size

On the other end of the spectrum y'all seem to be into more work while blowing up more hardware that has the least amount of capability you can get away with which is actualy a pretty standard attitude

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Originally Posted by XXX-er

On the other end of the spectrum y'all seem to be into more work while blowing up more hardware that has the least amount of capability you can get away with

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I'll report back on my fairy saw, we'll see. I'll miss the brap brap of the two stroke sound, which is admittedly kinda fun, but probably only briefly.

I think i would still wear the helmet with the sound protection, with the chip screen and the chaps and the gloves and the fluorescent vest and carry the bandage for a saw cut even with an electric saw

For Halloween i went to a dance as a logger so wearing the flourescent vest the chaps the Sthil helmet, I used the hearing protection on the helmet and in the morning I could still hear

again its only a bad idea if its outside of the capability of your hardware but where is that and when does anyone stop with substandard chainsaws & equipment, same with forgetting that condom ?

I work ER full time and have seen enough chainsaw/power tool trauma to have enough common sense (usually) to wear eye/ear protection, etc. Except when welding, I wear sandals and shorts for that. I love burning my toes.

Do chaps make a meaningful difference with electric saws? I wear them, but I've also read that the instant torque of an electric motor makes them ineffective.

i spent most of my life as a silly fuck but when it came down to running saw/ cutting ski run 1st thing I did was read the Sthil owners guide. Then i got all the safety shit which I always used, also I figured out best practises to kill trees before they killed me. Then I retired from it before me or any of the crew i was running got hurt cuz this is dangerous shit so i payed attention and took it serious

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Originally Posted by anotherVTskibum

Do chaps make a meaningful difference with electric saws? I wear them, but I've also read that the instant torque of an electric motor makes them ineffective.

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as i understand it the chain snags in the kevlar and stops the motor, I havent had that happen but maybe someone else can say?

I see a lot of chaps with the face nylon cut so maybe its a good idea ?

If that face fabric get snagged its easy to fix with wait for it


aquaseal

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Originally Posted by anotherVTskibum

Do chaps make a meaningful difference with electric saws? I wear them, but I've also read that the instant torque of an electric motor makes them ineffective.

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They're better than nothing, but all of the tests I've seen the electric saw will go through standard chaps. The chaps do stop the saw, but not quick enough to prevent some damage to your leg. There's plenty of videos floating around of people doing that test (on a dummy) with more or less the same result.

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Originally Posted by XXX-er

i spent most of my life as a silly fuck but when it came down to running saw/ cutting ski run 1st thing I did was read the Sthil owners guide. Then i got all the safety shit which I always used, also I figured out best practises to kill trees before they killed me. Then I retired from it before me or any of the crew i was running got hurt cuz this is dangerous shit so i payed attention and took it serious

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Well now we know why you endorse industrial rated saws if you’re cutting ski runs in BC. Yeah, an electric saw or $250 big box saw probably wouldn’t last long.

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Originally Posted by Trackhead

Well now we know why you endorse industrial rated saws if you’re cutting ski runs in BC. Yeah, an electric saw or $250 big box saw probably wouldn’t last long.

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All the stems were at or below tree line so they arent really big, mostly 12" or maybe 16" at most but that is not the point

The point is that pro quality saws will make more power, they will make that power all day without melting and stay running for years while they are making more power

so other than the hit to his wallet initialy the user will have no regrets

or buddy can just buy multiple saws as they quit working

i don't see why this concept is such a hard thing to understand but then I'm not that smart eh

Less weight, too

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Originally Posted by XXX-er

i don't see why this concept is such a hard thing to understand but then I'm not that smart eh

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Sometimes you don't need a Dodge 5500 diesel to pull a 1,500lb trailer once or twice a year, a half-ton will work just fine. I think that's the logic.

wrong analogy but in any case go ahead and buy whatever

No disrespect, XXX, but have you ever used a battery operated chainsaw? Cuz nobody who has cut wood with a well tuned pro timber saw would disagree that it's a damned good tool. But I've used both, though I haven't cut a ton of wood with either, and I'm confident in saying that they're both very useful under the right circumstances.

Confucius say, do not attempt to remove fly from friend's forehead with a hatchet

no

but you go ahead, see if it works maybe it does maybe it doesnt

come back and tell me so I can laugh at you

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Originally Posted by Trackhead

Sometimes you don't need a Dodge 5500 diesel to pull a 1,500lb trailer once or twice a year, a half-ton will work just fine. I think that's the logic.

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But what if you suddenly find yourself on a ski run that needs to be cut?

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Originally Posted by John_B

But what if you suddenly find yourself on a ski run that needs to be cut?

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Well, we have some ok ski touring near my house that I've considered ravaging with a saw to remove the dead/down for easier skiing on shallow winters. So maybe he has a point.

It's funny - cutting ski runs is one of my primary uses for the electric saw. Although most of the areas I'm cutting require a bit of discretion. Going at it with a big gas saw would likely lead to a confiscated saw and some heavy fines.

The maintenance manager would drive us out in the side by side, after 6 hrs he would pick us up at end of day,

we got seasons passes also the difference in day tickets manager said " I don't wana see these day tickets advertised on FB " so I kept it on the downlow, we cut a lot of new runs and its been ongoing, I think they brushed the whole mtn this year

there were 3 big stems down on a bike trail last season, buddy got 2 and missed the last one, I figured he didn't see around the corner but its cuz it but he ran out of battery so had to come back the next day, it seemed a bit lame for a tool to quit after a 4 cuts

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Originally Posted by toast2266

It's funny - cutting ski runs is one of my primary uses for the electric saw. Although most of the areas I'm cutting require a bit of discretion. Going at it with a big gas saw would likely lead to a confiscated saw and some heavy fines.

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Depending on how things shake out this winter, might need your help with some light ski run clearing, it's all burned, dead stuff, so wouldn't be illegal. Nice 800-1000ft tree runs on the right day, snowcat/sled laps.

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Originally Posted by Trackhead

Depending on how things shake out this winter, might need your help with some light ski run clearing, it's all burned, dead stuff, so wouldn't be illegal. Nice 800-1000ft tree runs on the right day, snowcat/sled laps.

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That sounds pretty sweet. Love skiing through burns.

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Originally Posted by toast2266

It's funny - cutting ski runs is one of my primary uses for the electric saw. Although most of the areas I'm cutting require a bit of discretion. Going at it with a big gas saw would likely lead to a confiscated saw and some heavy fines.

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This occurred to me the other day for an access route and a few runs in our burn areas, as well as some bike trail clearing and camping to justify unloading my Husqy for a cordless. How many amp hours and volts are good minimums?

Any ideas on valuation of a ‘low mileage’, 2005 350/18” that still cuts like butter…..once it’s tuned and goes?

Edit: as an aside, for the last sharpening, I used a Dremel guide and sharpening stone. It was quick, easy and worked great. Other than keeping an eye on the stone diameter as it wears, any downside to this vs a file and guide?


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PSA: Not sure it’s available elsewhere but there is a 25% (up to $100) rebate for battery and chainsaw and other rates for electric outdoor power equipment (and e-bikes) from our electric coop through the end of the year.


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Got my fairy saw today. Ran it at 3/4 charge and cut the wood below (lodge pole). First impression is it’s way more pleasant than fucking gas stink two stroke, it’s faster than my 18” craftsmen, it’s perfect for quiet backyard use. I love it.

Charge time 1 hr to 80%, 1.5 hours to 100%. I spent $800 for saw and two batteries. Plenty of juice to cut a truck load of wood around here.

It’s not an industrial saw, but electric motors are in everything and are proven reliable. Less moving parts, no piston, crank shaft, carburetors, air filters. Has a tool less chain tensioner and a sight window for bar oil.

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3/4 charge about half a truck load of rounds.
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Happy new saw day!!!

I would like a battery top handle (other than my underpowered DeWalt) for climbing. Either the new 545 or the new Stihl. No one who's used a commercial battery saw made in the last few years would knock their capability. Working a big brush pile with a tiny commercial Stihl that my arborist let me borrow just as cool as using my 462, but in totally different ways. If I could only own one saw to do every possible thing (other than climbing), it would be the 462.

I think I'll go buy a 661 today because I'm tired of having to make 2-sided face cuts on big trees. It would be much safer and more accurate to just look down the sights and pull back. I was off by a good 5-7 degrees on a fall yesterday. Totally acceptable margin of error in this case, but on trees where I can make perfect face cuts from one side of the tree, they go exactly where they point.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw...-gm?authuser=0
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw...-gm?authuser=0

Not as high as it looks. Only limbed the first 40 ft to prevent the limbs poking holes in my road fabric.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw...-gm?authuser=0
https://photos.fife.usercontent.goog...-gm?authuser=0

Re: top handle battery chainsaws:

https://youtu.be/uVUbjq91W5c?si


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Mattig, cool pics. Looks like interesting work. I rarely use the old 066 at we have at work and have never used the 661, which looks like a beast. I’ve been impressed with the 500i over the last 3 summers. Ours are set up with 28” bar and we carry a 36” incase a situation comes up like you describe, if it’s safer to cut a really large tree from only one side. Pretty amazing blend of power/weight. Worth looking at. 462 was the workhorse of the fleet before the 500i.


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A local faller told me the 462 was the best saw he had ever used, he bought 3 of them, he got them " Walkerized " at Walker's saw shop on Vancover island which is THE place for getting your saw souped up, buddy is 65 and not that big so i think he wanted a lighter saw

2.75 batteries for this heap. Blade speed really stays high through entire battery.
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Originally Posted by skisurfmirth

Mattig, cool pics. Looks like interesting work. I rarely use the old 066 at we have at work and have never used the 661, which looks like a beast. I’ve been impressed with the 500i over the last 3 summers. Ours are set up with 28” bar and we carry a 36” incase a situation comes up like you describe, if it’s safer to cut a really large tree from only one side. Pretty amazing blend of power/weight. Worth looking at. 462 was the workhorse of the fleet before the 500i.


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Ha, you're killing me. I couldn't bring myself to spend the extra money on the 500 at the time (462 was on sale to boot, but I have 500 envy). And yeah, I think a backup 36 inch bar is probably the best idea. It won't be quite enough for a few, but it'll do for most.

Today's tree made it much closer to the goal posts we use for bragging rights. Closest I've come to the elusive field goal so far.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...83f0a42ac7.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...0c68cd43c7.jpg

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1.25 batteries for a truck load of wood. Ran outta truck before we ran outta electrons.
Attachment 500862

Got another good load of red oak firewood. I found several nice dead oaks in the national forest with bark falling off, but felling them was tricky without getting them hung up. I'll likely get one more truck load before I call it quits for the season. Looking forward to trying my new splitting maul and splitting axe.
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Originally Posted by Grange

Got another good load of red oak firewood. I found several nice dead oaks in the national forest with bark falling off, but felling them was tricky without getting them hung up. I'll likely get one more truck load before I call it quits for the season. Looking forward to trying my new splitting maul and splitting axe.
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That's a lot of heavy wood to stack in a truck bed with a shell on it! Better your back than mine.