Overkill

[turnkey4099]

Not a good day. 3 days ago 'Craig' called me. 1/2 a big locust had falled from 'Russ's' lot into his field. Niether of us had Russ's phone number, he and his wife were in care homes somewhere. Craig wanted me to clean up the tree (I had already offered). I didn't want the wood, jus the fun and exercise doing it. From the road it looked like a smallish stem, figured one day. Me and Craig agreed that I would clean it up, haul the brush and stack the firwood sepearate from my stash in case anyone showed up to claim it. Not a bad haul, about 1/2 cord

Day 1 - Thusday: I arrived and found the down stem to be big, 24" + at the base. Someone had been "working" at it but there was no pattern to his attack, Random cuts, severed branches, chunks cut up into random lenghts, not much done at all. Found out later from the house renter that "joe" had turned up to work on it but didn't have a saw, borrowed hers'. Never came back (she didn't say if he returned the saw.

So day one was brush clearance - had planned to donate it to Von next time I went down on the willow clearance project. Not to be. Lots of brush and I had to do something with it, wound up with 2 1/2 loads in my wood storage lot - I'll burn it next time we have a good rain or next winter.

Was having some problems with my 'go-to' MS361'. run great but set it down a few minute and it would be stubborn starting. Then I found it would start by giving it a "manly" pull vice my "old mans p88888 pull"

Finished with most of brush hauled and a lot of the top cut to 16".

Day 2, Friday: Whittlign around on the main log still attached to the tree, Jammed the 361 truning to cut the log free, Pull the power head and used the old MS310 to free it. Remounted bar chain on 361 and no start. Great! Now I was down to the old, well clapped out 310. and the 192T. Managed to cut up eveery thing except a few branches trapped under the log. Turned to noodling rounds. Not to be, the 310 with good sharp chain didn't have the pwer to pull chain on a noodling cut. Back home and mounted the MS441 with a 20" bar and fresh chain.with plans to finish in the morning

Today, Hi Ho! Hi Ho' off we go for a short session noodling and loading...HAH!

Couldn't pull the 441 more than one rev at a pull so no start...Okay...try 310 again. Suffered through 4 blocks having to baby it all the way. then the light dawned "MS441 HAS A COMPRESSION RELEASE DUMMY".
Swapped chains bars and for one reason or another nothing worked except the last resort.

Ended by nooding remaining rounds with the 441 wearing a 32" bar.

I now have a day planned for tomorrow sorting out every chain I have (at least a dozen), sharpening them.

The MS361 waa diagnosed as a failed ignition module. He had a tester on it when I checked ywesterday, pull normally and no spark. Give a good heave and it would spark. He will order parts and keep me advised.

 

[rwoods]

I feel for you and I admire your work ethic. I have had a few one day jobs turn into multiple days. But once you commit you finish it. I bet you learned that before I was born, and that it is one of the reasons that you are still at it. Ron

 

[turnkey4099]

I feel for you and I admire your work ethic. I have had a few one day jobs turn into multiple days. But once you commit you finish it. I bet you learned that before I was born, and that it is one of the reasons that you are still at it. Ron

Oh yeah! My mouth has overloaded my rear on more than one occasion!

 

[turnkey4099]

After piling it looks like almost a cord. The rough measurements are

2 ricks 80"x 50" x 16"
1 rick 60" x 34" x 16"

I tried converting to cubic ft and got lost in all the conversions.

Problem with the MS310 yesterday is solved. I filed all the chains and then cleaned saws. That log had a bunch of very powdery rot for sevral feet from the base. Saws were full of it.

MS310 filter was jusst a big fuzzy glob. About all the air it was getting probably was leaking around the gaskets

Now to get the MS361 back and get back to the willow clearance projects. Next up is to fall 1 tree and 1 snag with burned out hollow bases. Bad lean on the tree at that. I'll chain it and just blast throught the back cut. There isn't enough in what remains to do an undercut without risking a real blow up.

 

[ReggieT]

After piling it looks like almost a cord. The rough measurements are

2 ricks 80"x 50" x 16"
1 rick 60" x 34" x 16"

I tried converting to cubic ft and got lost in all the conversions.

Problem with the MS310 yesterday is solved. I filed all the chains and then cleaned saws. That log had a bunch of very powdery rot for sevral feet from the base. Saws were full of it.

MS310 filter was jusst a big fuzzy glob. About all the air it was getting probably was leaking around the gaskets

Now to get the MS361 back and get back to the willow clearance projects. Next up is to fall 1 tree and 1 snag with burned out hollow bases. Bad lean on the tree at that. I'll chain it and just blast throught the back cut. There isn't enough in what remains to do an undercut without risking a real blow up.

Great job mate!
btw...not worried about "wood thieves" making off with all your labor and spoils?

 

[turnkey4099]

Great job mate!
btw...not worried about "wood thieves" making off with all your labor and spoils?

Oh, yeah I do but I haven't losst a thing to thieves since I moved in in 1976. Neighbor lost a new pickup loaded with professional electrician tools, John Deere dealer 1/4 mile down the highway lost the entire stock of Stihl saws twice. Thief was caught and they did get some of them back. With somewhere over 80 cords of wood in my stash I would assume the garage would be a prime target for thieves...obviously there are some primo saws in there. I really should invest in some surveillance equip.

 

[zogger]

Oh, yeah I do but I haven't losst a thing to thieves since I moved in in 1976. Neighbor lost a new pickup loaded with professional electrician tools, John Deere dealer 1/4 mile down the highway lost the entire stock of Stihl saws twice. Thief was caught and they did get some of them back. With somewhere over 80 cords of wood in my stash I would assume the garage would be a prime target for thieves...obviously there are some primo saws in there. I really should invest in some surveillance equip.

Super hide the good saws and leave busted saws laying around for grab bait.

 

[ReggieT]

Super hide the good saws and leave busted saws laying around for grab bait.

I LOVE IT!!!
LOL

 

[turnkey4099]

Super hide the good saws and leave busted saws laying around for grab bait.

Oh yeah, I have two 'busted saws". The smashed 192T that I ran over 1 month after buying would make a good one to be first seen.

 

[turnkey4099]

Contacted the owner of the lot the tree grew on. She had noone lined up for the wood, had a couple who asked about cutting up the tree but none followed up. She has noone asking for the wood.

Bottom line: we will both be asking around if anyone wants about a cord of good locust firewood. My asking will be at the 'welfare' offices to see if someone is really in need.

I never thought that giving away wood could be a problem

 

[hardpan]

Can't give away locust? Not much hotter wood around. I suppose people might be interested if you split, hauled, stacked and then placed it in the wood burner. LOL. Kind of pathetic to me.

 

[turnkey4099]

Can't give away locust? Not much hotter wood around. I suppose people might be interested if you split, hauled, stacked and then placed it in the wood burner. LOL. Kind of pathetic to me.

Oh, there are plenty of people who would jump at it if they knew. I'll either give it to a needy person or sell it as 1/2 cord plus for around $95, lacking takers, my stove likes it just fine.

As for firewood out here? It doesn't get better than locust and very little of that is available. I lucked out when the locust borer moved in and killed lots of it withing 30 miles of my house - about denuded the area of any dead ones.

 

[al-k]

Very nice of you to do that, 20 years ago when i cleared my own building lot for driveway [ 400'] space for house and 300' for power line i had so much wood i didn't know were to put it. Tried to give it away and no one would take it, all cut 18-20 inch, red oak , black birch and ash.It ended up rotting in the ground .

 

[hardpan]

Oh, there are plenty of people who would jump at it if they knew. I'll either give it to a needy person or sell it as 1/2 cord plus for around $95, lacking takers, my stove likes it just fine.

As for firewood out here? It doesn't get better than locust and very little of that is available. I lucked out when the locust borer moved in and killed lots of it withing 30 miles of my house - about denuded the area of any dead ones.

It warms me (pun intended) to think of you giving it to someone down on their luck.

We have very little locust near my home so my experience with it is slim. 20 miles away much more can be found. I cut a fair amount of it many years ago from an old brush pile that was pushed up with a dozer and very well seasoned. I have never seen a wood dull a chain so fast. The backhoe operator that was pulling the pile apart said he could take me to a fence he helped put up 40 years earlier and it was as solid as when it was new. He said it was important to put the posts in upside down for best results.