Hints, tips and tricks for noobs and geezers

[unclemoustache]

Thought it might be a good idea to start a thread with our combined practical advice.

Please don't clog the thread with reposts, pointless comments, and other junk. Just good practical advice.

I'll start it off with some of the basics:


1. For your saws and two-stroke engines, never use fuel more than 3 (or two) months old. Dump it in your truck and get fresh.

2. Always use the highest octane you can get, ethanol-free if you can. If you can't, put in some kind of fuel additive/enhancer that counteracts ethanol.

3. Keep your chain sharp.

4. keep your air filter clean.

5. Learn how to tune the carb. Lots of videos on youtube to help.

6. Wear your PPE!!!! Even if it's uncomfortable. A big gash in your leg or head (or a splinter in your eye, or gradual hearing loss) is a lot more uncomfortable.

7. Have a buddy with you when cutting in a remote location, or at least keep your phone in your pocket, or let people know where you are and when you expect to be back.

8. You will never regret paying extra money for higher quality, but you may darn well regret saving money and going cheap.

9. Never loan out your saws. Or better yet, keep a little junk saw on hand to loan out to friends/relatives. (And don't assume they know anything - tell them about avoiding dirt, kickback, fuel, oil, etc)

10. Always bring at least two saws and/or replacement bars and chains in case you get one stuck.


Carry on!

 

[cheeves]

Very Good Unck!!!
To that I'd add a cell phone, multi functional tool, some kind of munchies and liquid!! Also keep a towel in the truck for whip
ing off the sweat, change of tee shirt ( like polyester), and knit hat! I also have a short double-barrel 12 g back of seat and a first aid kit with sutures!! But out of it all is to stay focused when getting wood!! Been doing it for more than 40 years, mostly alone, and things can go wrong fast!!! Always, Always, no matter what, keep your cool!! And remember to wear a belt!! It makes a good tourniquet, along with your boots laces, if need be!!!

 

[dave_376]

I agree except for the high octane gas, I asked the guy at the station and he said he refills the high test tank every 3 of 4 months because the sell so little of it while the 87 gets a refill once a week or so. I always felt the high test was old before I got it.

I always keep a few wedges with me for bucking logs up, they keep the logs from pinching the bar.

 

[zogger]

Difficult cuts, I give it two or three different days looking all around before they come down. Sometimes you dont see everything on the first look.

Sharp chains trump a larger saw with a dull chain

Cut small, take it home, stack it up with the other wood. It adds up well, no splitting needed.

If you have the option, when dealing with vines on trees, especially poison ivy, kill them a year before, axe them off at the base. They will eventually get so dry, and unstuck from the bark, you can yank big sections of vine right out of the tree before cutting.

Carefully inspect older trees for flying insects coming and going, various stinging critters do not like their house hitting the ground or being disturbed. Go to plan B on those, whatever your next best option is..

Hollow and rotten trees just suck...sometimes better to just pass on them. If you have the option, check where they will eventually fall, clear the landing zone in advance.

It is false economy to overload your truck or trailer.

Do whatever it takes to get many seasons in advance on cut split and stacked. Stuff happens, better to be ahead than cut year to year, plus, you dang well know the wood is dry then

If you can only afford one good pro saw, 60 cc class rules. It splits the 50, 70 plan adequately.

Noodling is your friend..

 

[deepsouth]

If you're not lifting logs, cut most of the way through then roll them.

Look at leverage aids to help with handling.

Wedges, I'll say that again. Spare chains and swap out before they get dull.....sharpen later on.

 

[CTYank]

Inspect your saw carefully before each refueling for anything loose or out-of-position. Fix any problems before continuing. Learn to file chains.

After fueling, test the chain brake at least once daily, not just randomly when it's coming at you.

Prepare at least two escape paths when felling, and don't stand behind center of backcut. See "barber chair." When felling, look up.

 

[Cheesecutter]

I always have 2 log chains in my truck, I keep them in plastic storage boxes under the back seat along with a couple load binders. I also keep a small tool bag in the truck stocked with a couple screwdrivers, spark plug, bar groove cleaner, pliers, bar nuts, grease, raker gauge, ear plugs, and Allen/torx wrench. I also keep a $10 bill in there for little "emergencies".

When cutting, I carry a bigger tool bag that has a hatchet, 18" pry bar, 2 stroke oil, extra gloves, several extra chains, a 3' nylon sling, wedges, scrench, and files.

 

[jerrycmorrow]

KYHOYA

















keep your head outa your azz

 

[old CB]

Just before you kill your saw, pull the starter cord out about 6" and hold it loosely. When the saw dies, you'll feel a sharp pull on the cord. By holding the cord out, your hand absorbs that yank rather than the cord. "Shock load"--which is what happens to the cord if it's left in place--is the worst thing for rope or cordage of any kind.

Before learning this trick, I had to replace worn/busted starter cords every so often. In the years since, I've never replaced one.

 

[husqvarnaguy]

Make sure flippy caps are on securely.

 

[cheeves]

Difficult cuts, I give it two or three different days looking all around before they come down. Sometimes you dont see everything on the first look.

Sharp chains trump a larger saw with a dull chain

Cut small, take it home, stack it up with the other wood. It adds up well, no splitting needed.

If you have the option, when dealing with vines on trees, especially poison ivy, kill them a year before, axe them off at the base. They will eventually get so dry, and unstuck from the bark, you can yank big sections of vine right out of the tree before cutting.

Carefully inspect older trees for flying insects coming and going, various stinging critters do not like their house hitting the ground or being disturbed. Go to plan B on those, whatever your next best option is..

Hollow and rotten trees just suck...sometimes better to just pass on them. If you have the option, check where they will eventually fall, clear the landing zone in advance.

It is false economy to overload your truck or trailer.

Do whatever it takes to get many seasons in advance on cut split and stacked. Stuff happens, better to be ahead than cut year to year, plus, you dang well know the wood is dry then

If you can only afford one good pro saw, 60 cc class rules. It splits the 50, 70 plan adequately.

Noodling is your friend..

Great as always Zog!!

 

[Fred Wright]

Mark or map trees to be cut during winter when there are no leaves to hide potential risks.

Observe the lay of the land first. If you can't get to a felled tree and you're not equipped to drag it out, it's a wasted effort.

Ensure that no one or no thing is anywhere near the fall zone. If you drop a tree across a power line or in the road and a motorist runs into it you will be held liable.

If a tree looks too iffy to fell on your own, it probably is. Better to suffer some ribbing from an experienced cutter than be laid up in the hospital, or killed. No tree is worth that.

Limbing felled trees is an art. Logs like to roll over on your leg when their supporting limbs are cut.

Safely clear springpoles before starting to limb and buck. Never, ever just whack through a springpole. Similar to a medieval trebuchet, springpoles hold an immense amount of stored energy. I've seen what can happen when a springpole was cut where the felled tree lay on it. Wasn't a good outcome.

Hung trees typically do more damage to the ego than anything else - when handled safely. Don't walk under a hung tree. Never attempt to cut down any tree that's supporting a hanger. The tree will likely chair and bring the hanger down on your head.

More than one widowmaker has lived up to the name. These include dead limbs protruding from the main stem. Even a small branch could be travelling at over 40 mph by the time it hits the ground.

In truth, many epitaphs could contain the words "It'll just take a minute..." Safe work often takes time. Don't get in a hurry or place unrealistic timelines on jobs.

If a round feels too heavy to lift, it is. Bust it, noodle it or get a helper.

Waste not, want not. Small limb rounds make great starter wood. Dry brush is excellent kindling. It's plentiful and it's free.

Above all, stay focused on your work. All the time.

 

[old CB]

Two rules will prevent 99.6% of chainsaw accidents.

1. Before touching saw to wood, be sure you have good footing and good balance. Especially when limbing and bucking a tree, you're often standing on/in a mess of branches and loose material. Don't assume that your footing is good, test it--bounce up and down in place. (If you're balanced on one foot, leaning out on a hillside, with your arms outstretched to cut that springy limb, expect to get hurt.)

2. Before touching saw to wood, know how the saw and the wood will react. The saw, for instance, will either pull itself (and you) toward the wood, or when backchaining it will push away. So you need to be ready and balanced for that. And when the saw finishes/leaves the cut, it will have momentum that you need to be prepared for.

And how will the wood react? Where's the tension or compression? Will the saw bind in the cut? You need to know these things beforehand. Quite often there's a number of reactions to account for: what the saw will do, what the piece you're cutting off will do, what the remaining part of the tree or limb will do, what the material below will do when that cut piece lands on it, etc.

When felling a tree you can't always know every last reaction, but you should know the range of possible reactions and how they will affect you. Will the tree fall in clear ground? Will its limbs brush through neighboring trees on its way down--major caution here, as either your tree or a neighboring one could fling a widowmaker--will the tree break over a rock or stump, could the butt of the tree come back at you? These and a dozen other considerations must be known in advance. If you don't know, don't hesitate to walk away. Either get help from someone experienced, or leave things alone.
**************

Actually, these rules depend on several others. Don't work when you're fatigued or distracted--if you didn't sleep last night, or you just had a big fight with your girlfriend, don't fire up the saw, do some shop maintenance instead. And NEVER HURRY with a chainsaw, as in "I've just got an hour left, I think I can clean this up if I hustle."

 

[jrider]

If you are hungover, leave the saw in the shed/garage for the day and do some lighter work if you need to feel productive.

 

[rmount]

If you are hungover, leave the saw in the shed/garage for the day and do some lighter work if you need to feel productive.

And its not just hung over that you have to look out for. The police around here have started setting up breathalyzer road checks in the mornings as some guys drink heavy enough the night before that they are still blow over the limit the next day. Be careful out there, you might not be as alert as you think you are!

 

[Whitespider]

While you have access to tools/equipment/spare parts for correcting why it won't start... test-start your saw(s) before you leave the shop/house/wherever... if you know far enough ahead, preferably the night before.

Have you ever heard this comment? - "I wonder what's wrong... it ran just fine the last time I used it."
I always hate asking the next question, "Ummmm... when was that?"

 

[turnkey4099]

An item of emergency gear I never seen mentioned. A pocket knife. A SHARP pocket knife.

I didn't used to carry one until I read a couple reports where guys cut their way out of a jam with one. One of them cut his own arm off when his hand got trapped by a boulder.

Harry K

 

[jerrycmorrow]

...A SHARP pocket knife...

never leave home without one. when my pants go on so does my old timer. had it for 35 years. blade is about 1/2 the depth it was when new. carry on

 

[unclemoustache]

Always avoid snackeys. Bring 08 along with you if you happen to enter a snackey-infested area. He'll give you time to escape.

 

[slowp]

:coffee: