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Forced time-off produces trouble

Old 03-25-20, 05:49 PM
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TiHabanero
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Forced time-off produces trouble

Was ready to start a new job on Monday, but the gov of our state shut everything down except essential services so I have a forced 3 week vacation. Being one unable to sit still, the chainsaw came out and two fifty footers are in the bag. Three more to go. Being 60 I have found the energy level is a bit shy of what it used to be, but I am getting it done one tree each day. Cleanup is worse than the cut up!

Been putting these trees off for a few years, but now I have zero excuse!

For what it is worth, I am using an 18" Stihl chainsaw from a local hardware store. The guy told me to never use gas with alcohol in it and to always use Stihl bar oil. I use recreational gas which is 100% gasoline, no alcohol. Fired right up after sitting all winter in the garage. The chain is good for about 6 trees of hardwood and pine. Not bad. I did use it to cut some dried apple wood which is hard as a rock and that killed off the chain real quick.

Getting good at controlling the direction of the fall, too. This is my favorite kind of yardwork.
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Old 03-25-20, 06:07 PM
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I have some Stihls. They require a gas/oil mix, not 100% gasoline.

They sell chain-sharpening files that can greatly help extend the life. Also I learned to never push the saw through the wood (like I used to do).
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Old 03-25-20, 06:27 PM
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Originally Posted by wgscott
I have some Stihls. They require a gas/oil mix, not 100% gasoline.

They sell chain-sharpening files that can greatly help extend the life. Also I learned to never push the saw through the wood (like I used to do).
Yes, I used to think sharpening a chainsaw chain was a black art that could only be performed by experts. It is actually easy to do and only takes 5 or 10 minutes. All you need is the correct kind of round file. Youtube is full of videos showing you how.
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Old 03-26-20, 02:19 AM
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The Stihl is a two-stroker, but the gasoline I use in the gas-oil mix is 100% petrol, no alcohol. Forcing the blade through a cut is hard on it as it builds up excess heat. Just let it do its own thing and it will pull itself through. As for sharpening the cutting edges, my buddy who sharpens chain saw blades as a part of his job, says that only really good ones will hold the redone edge. Cheapos, which I am assuming is what comes on most saws unless professional grade models such as the really big ones lumberjacks use, are better off replaced. He did tell me that the bar oil makes a difference and to use Stihl, which confirms what the hardware store guy told me.
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Old 03-26-20, 03:02 AM
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I have a chain saw , but I never rode it because I couldn’t find the pedals! And don’t get me started on the lack of handlebars.
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Old 03-26-20, 04:51 AM
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I found that touching up the chain after each tank of gas worked better than waiting til It got dull. Hope you’re wearing eye/ear protection and chaps!
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Old 03-26-20, 08:25 AM
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TiHabanero
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Thought about chaps, but they are no where to be found around here. Just being very careful and deliberate. No risky moves. Add to that the thing is relatively mild compared to the Husqvarna I used a few years ago. That monster was wicked! Of course being a 24" bar and the motor to push it had a lot to do with it. Boy oh boy, it was heavy. Cannot imagine lugging those big boys around all day.

I met a guy that attached a chainsaw motor to a bicycle. He burned it up real quick.
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Old 03-26-20, 09:10 AM
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Originally Posted by TiHabanero
Thought about chaps, but they are no where to be found around here. Just being very careful and deliberate. No risky moves. Add to that the thing is relatively mild compared to the Husqvarna I used a few years ago. That monster was wicked! Of course being a 24" bar and the motor to push it had a lot to do with it. Boy oh boy, it was heavy. Cannot imagine lugging those big boys around all day.

I met a guy that attached a chainsaw motor to a bicycle. He burned it up real quick.
I've seen programs of lumber jack contests. At the pro level they use motorcycle engines in their chainsaws. It is astonishing how fast they go through a 2 foot log.
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Old 03-26-20, 09:45 AM
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You have room to drop the trees or are you climbing? Had an old Mac with a 10" blade that weighed nothing. Best little limb-r. I'm at a point were I'm going to hire someone to put it on the ground for me.
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Old 03-26-20, 09:57 AM
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Gee according to some here on the forum your should lube your chain with wax!!!
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Old 04-03-20, 07:29 AM
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I keep 3 chains in my box. When one starts to get dull I just swap out then sharpen the used ones when I get back to the shop. I use a Dremel tool with the correct size sharpening stone. I can sharpen them all pretty quickly, just remember to have a light hand, doesn't take much pressure or time to sharpen each tooth. I see they now have the diamond embedded sharpening stones, not sure if they work an better. I use hi-test alcohol free gas and Stabil in my gas oil mix. If I'm not gonna use it for a while I pour back the fuel then run it until it runs dry.
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Old 04-03-20, 10:30 PM
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Yesterday dropped tree 4 after getting the truck pulled out of the mud in the back yard. Today dropped tree 5. Final tree that needed to be felled. There were five 60 year old pines planted in a row alongside the west end of the house, about 12 feet from the house itself. One has been dead for about 8 years, the other four were in serious decline. Figured I can do them now by myself, or pay someone with a crane 1000 bucks a tree 10-15 years from now. This last tree landed within 6 inches of center, near perfect. Now the neighbors are stopping by asking me to take care of their trees! If I can't fell them directly without climbing or crane, then I don't do it. Figure on getting 500 bucks a tree. Less than that it is not worth the effort. Already I have an all day job waiting for me at one house.

The crack of the tree when it breaks the pivot joint never gets old. Very exciting, and to drop one almost exactly on center brings great satisfaction.
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Old 04-04-20, 12:31 AM
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I'm also age 60. Recently had to dismantle several trees on my property. One was several years dead and leaning precariously in the direction of the neighbors house. I had to climb and dismantle it piece by piece, from the top down. Got it done without mishaps, but it was not fun at all. About soiled myself more than once.
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Old 04-04-20, 01:04 AM
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I’m a self proclaimed chainsaw wizard Years of cutting cedar posts and clearing land you tend to get good at it. It takes some time to get proficient at chain sharpening. Finally bought an electric sharpener that spins a stone and that’s makes sharpening easier. Want a good workout? work a chainsaw for a few hours.
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Old 04-04-20, 09:18 AM
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Originally Posted by TiHabanero
.
Being 60 I have found the energy level is a bit shy of what it used to be.
I use recreational gas which is 100% gasoline, no alcohol. .
Getting good at controlling the direction of the fall, too.
Is it good for the over 70's too? Sounds fun with the right person . . . .
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Old 04-04-20, 06:28 PM
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70 is a fine age to start cutting trees as long as the strength in the arms and alertness is still there. It can be dangerous with the wrong person at the helm. The mouth cut steers the tree and it can be adjusted before the back cut is done. Have someone show you how it is done and you will discover it is not difficult other than the amount of back breaking work it requires!
Cut up of the tree is a ton of work. The trees I dropped took about 3-4 hours to drop and cut, plus pile up the branches. Loading, hauling and stacking the pieces of cut up trunk is a real workout, and if done with the same technique used to do squats, it is very doable without injury.
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Old 04-04-20, 06:32 PM
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Sounds to me like too much work that would interfere with cycling.
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Old 04-04-20, 07:17 PM
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do yourself a favor and get some canned fuel. 100% non-ethanol and already pre-mixed with additives for long term storage. trufuel is one brand but stihl has it's own brand as does husqvana, there is nothing better for your small engines that require gas/oil mix
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Old 04-04-20, 08:02 PM
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I had two hazardous trees, one oak and one sweet gum, that were very close to my house hanging over my neighbors homes. I paid a professional tree removal company to do the work. The base of the oak tree was only about 3 feet from the side of my house, and it was huge. After it was felled, I counted 109 rings. The trunk, one foot off the ground, was a 17 foot circumference. The gum tree was not as close to my house, but if it went down, it likely would have crashed into my neighbors home. It is a good thing it was removed. The trunk was rotting from the inside out, with quite a bit of the center already gone. My neighbor and one of my friends got a lot of free firewood.
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Old 04-12-20, 09:51 PM
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Use rapeseed vegetable oil for bar oil. Kinder for your lungs and the garden.
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Old 04-13-20, 10:11 AM
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Originally Posted by Hondo Gravel
Want a good workout? work a chainsaw for a few hours.
I don't know what's harder - planning/taking the trees down or cutting them up and clearing the yard.
I haven't climbed a tree to cut in a decade, and was banned (by family) from that activity, thankfully.

Also, waiting for the day when the family bans me from working on the roof.
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Old 04-13-20, 11:09 AM
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My tree dropping days are probably over, but I am currently cleaning up after a hired tree dropper removed two oaks, one
26-28" leaning about 10° toward the house and the other a 36" with two of three trunks dividing about 20' up that were
dead and hanging over the house. Hiree had a mobile man platform that would reach 40'+ feet up but left sections of
tree all around. I converted about 40' of limbs in the 6-10" diameter 5-6' long into ****aki mushroom farms and the
rest will eventually be firewood. Tree cutter would have chipped all of these otherwise.

I too have been impressed by how much better a chain cuts after 4-5 swipes on each tooth with a round chain file. I
do have a rotary powered chain sharpener but the file works fine until the tooth gets so rounded over or worn down
on the leading edge that the powered sharpener is needed to take that off. Then again new Oregon 22LP chains are in the
$15-17 range. Walmart has bar oil in gallons for ~$10.
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Old 04-13-20, 12:28 PM
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In my neck of the woods to drop a 30+ inch tree is a 1500 dollar minimum. Too rich for my blood. Figured I am still healthy enough to do it myself so I did. The largest tree had a 24" trunk. When we first moved in we cut a locust tree planted 6 feet from the house. trunk was 30 inches and we did it with an 18" saw. Well, almost did it with the 18. Neighbor had to rescue us and the house with his big old Husqvarna. It would have fell into the house without his help! Just gotta wonder who planted that thing so close to the house?? Not good for the foundation, not good for the gutters, and a mess when removing.

As for fuel, recreational gasoline is available here so we use it. Much less expensive than premix in a can. 100% petrol, no ethanol, about 3 bucks a gallon, down 1 dollar a gallon from last year.
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