The chainsaw thread...

[~mikey b]

A must watch for all sawyers.

that video made me think of James

[Meadow Skipper]

^Best chainsaw video ever.

[Meadow Skipper]

Came across this on YouTube and thought it should be on our chainsaw stoke/porn thread. I was mesmerized watching this guy work:


Here's another one, look at the size of these guys' balls...um, I mean bars:

[Powder Ho]

Came across this on YouTube and thought it should be on our chainsaw stoke/porn thread. I was mesmerized watching this guy work:


Here's another one, look at the size of these guys' balls...um, I mean bars:

Do you think that was a 660 w/ a 48" bar? I've used Bear rifled wedges for years. They've saved my butt more than once.

[bodywhomper]

bump.

not sure if it's still in question. an arborist friend sometimes uses a li-battery powered saw for some tasks. his principal reason was to reduce the exhaust in his face because he's has some previous health issues due to too much exhaust. supposedly a pretty quiet saw.

my family just bought our first home and i just bought my first saw; used stihl 270. my arborist friend is offering to teach me the craft. lots of over-growth on our property; it's a long term project. i'm pretty excited!

a ? for the mags: thoughts on safety chaps for a novice; needed, suggested, over the top? i'm usually a pretty careful guy with power tools. my friend's an old arborist with all limbs intact and has taught the craft to many folks. he hasn't mentioned chaps. i bring it up is because another old friend who's a rancher, farmer, soil/geologist/scientist, and forester shared his personal story of caution about almost removing a lower leg when bucking a limb under tension (he hadn't notice) and his saw grazed his kneecap.

tia

[Meadow Skipper]

Chaps are a pretty good idea - I would never tell someone not to use them. They're sort of like helmets for skiing - a lot of people will tell you you're insane if you don't use one. But old-timers are often seen without. That said, I don't often use them, but I'm an old-timer - all my good years are behind me so I figure wtf.

To scare yourself google up images using chainsaw+chaps+cut.

[XXX-er]

I bought the helmet, the chaps, the caulk safety boots and all that stuff cost close to what I paid for the MS 261 but its a good idea

I buy the best snow tires as well

[DarkStar]

Awesome videos MS, good find! Id guess 880 on both of those vids, altho the sugar pine you could prob run a 660 and be okay. Id think if youre a dedicated timber cutter that takes down big trees frequently youd probably want the 880 tho. Especily running bars as long as the guys cutting the redwoods.

As for chaps, i would definitely say yes! if only because they have saved me a leg before! I would also recommend at least wearing steel toed boots, altho if you can afford it the full kevlar boots are the bees knees. Boots may be overkill if you are just taking down a tree or two on your property, but when i was cutting down dozens of trees a day for a couple months, i had some close calls that made me glad to have the boots!

[Meadow Skipper]

...I would also recommend at least wearing steel toed boots, altho if you can afford it the full kevlar boots are the bees knees. Boots may be overkill if you are just taking down a tree or two on your property, but when i was cutting down dozens of trees a day for a couple months, i had some close calls that made me glad to have the boots!

Paging stfu&gbtw. stfu&gbtw, to the white courtesy phone.

[~mikey b]

Dood

You might hurt his feelings....

[Hugh Conway]

Id think if youre a dedicated timber cutter that takes down big trees frequently

there's what 10 of them left in the first world?

[~mikey b]

I know 10 within 10 miles.

[Hugh Conway]

cuz there are so many big ole tree's left to cut within ten miles of you right now. Every cock needs a cock punch.

[~mikey b]

Nothing BIG, but there are a few folks falling big trees around here. And they live within 10 miles. Trees are furghrr

[DarkStar]

Im not talking redwood big here. I feel like anything more than 24" in diameter and you might want more than a 440. I cut timber that big in CO. Wa, Or, Ak, Canada, thats a whole other story

[stfu&gbtw]

Paging stfu&gbtw. stfu&gbtw, to the white courtesy phone.

You should start your own footwear blog...

Funny enough, but after all that, I never did find a pair of safety toe boots that really worked well. Been cutting in my LS makalus. Whites makes a safety toe logger, but that's a $600 boot. Maybe if I was a real lumberjack... Of course, then I'd be cutting in vibram 5 fingers like MS here..

Yes to chaps. Don't have to but tap your leg with a moving chain to completely fuck up your day/week/year/life.

Been getting after the wood pile the last few weeks after playing golf when I should have been cutting. Wacking up some blow down from the big wind storm 2 years ago (141 Hugh!). Got 4 decent trees today.. 22" or so at the base, the good part is probably 35' long. Big enough to be worthwhile, small enough to handle by myself.

[irul&ublo]

Yes to chaps...

PM Rontele.

[stfu&gbtw]

PM Rontele.

Not those kinds of chaps. Maybe you should pm rontele...

[Meadow Skipper]

Funny enough, but after all that, I never did find a pair of safety toe boots that really worked well.

Well, I'll be darned.

...Maybe if I was a real lumberjack... .

If you were, you'd say logger instead of lumberjack.

Sorry, couldn't resist.

[stfu&gbtw]

Well, I'll be darned.


If you were, you'd say logger instead of lumberjack.

Sorry, couldn't resist.

Jesus christ....

[bodywhomper]

thanks for the recommendations regarding chaps. i'm gonna visit my saw shop during the week. i've been wearing some older leather mtn'ing-type raichle boots (similar to ls makalu) doing work lately. no safety toe, but good in other regards. i might be able to get some safety toe boots via my work; gonna ask, it wouldn't be a bad thing to have.

there are plenty of loggers by me in the lower sierra, too. many do work locally and abroad. also, with the market downturn, i've seen a few local residences that have logged their backyards that were full of 150 year old cedar and pine to take a chunk out of their mortgage. last week at the local hardware thrift store there was a saw with a really long bar (59"?) for sale. it sold w/in a few days.

i could imagine peeps wearing the bright orange chaps in many clubs and bars in the bay area, especially with a hardhat in the mix. they don't exactly fit into the leather and feathers scene by me, but that crowd would still probably be into it and would figure that you just didn't have time to change after work; throw-in/borrow a loin cloth and you're good-to-go.

[Meadow Skipper]

... i might be able to get some safety toe boots via my work; gonna ask, it wouldn't be a bad thing to have...

The point is that safety toe boots kind of suck to wear, especially sawing.

[stfu&gbtw]

The point is that safety toe boots kind of suck to wear, especially sawing.

Of course, if you find a pair that fit, or have $600 for a custom made pair, safety toe may save you a toe nail or broken toe one day.... I know some people never make these sorts of mistakes, but one more than one occasion over the years, I've either been glad I was wearing a safety toe, or wished I was. That being said, the heavy leather of the makalus is probably protection enough for most impact related stuff.

[Meadow Skipper]

...the heavy leather of the makalus is probably protection enough for most impact related stuff.

I wish you hadn't deleted that thread because I could point to my posts and have a well-deserved "I told you so" moment.

ETA: FWIW, a lot of people on wildfire crews have taken to wearing Makalus.

[LukeS]

ETA: FWIW, a lot of people on wildfire crews have taken to wearing Makalus.

I don't know if I would want those on a fire. Steel shank might get a little warm, I know a lot of people wear the la sportiva glacier but theres a lot of reports of those delaminating.