Just starting out with firewood. Have some questions....

[butterfly7171]

Fantastic

i would like to say the advice i have read here is very impressive .you all have given very good advice to a new guy.it is nice to see such depth in helping someone.k

This site is one of the best finds for me. Everyone has really been patient and gone out of their way to help this newbie and I really appreciate it. Knowledge is power and everyone here is more than happy to share theirs with each other. And, there aren't any disagreements and everyone seems to respect each others opinions.

 

[zogger]

This is in the classifieds

This site is one of the best finds for me. Everyone has really been patient and gone out of their way to help this newbie and I really appreciate it. Knowledge is power and everyone here is more than happy to share theirs with each other. And, there aren't any disagreements and everyone seems to respect each others opinions.

this went up lately

http://www.arboristsite.com/classifieds.php?do=viewitem&itemid=765

..as to disagreements on the site..it's a big site, there's been a few "heated discussions" here before...not so much on the firewood forum..well, a little, heavy mauls versus light splitting axes hahahahaha

..saws in general, almost like buying shoes, you need to try them on. Most good dealers have demo saws you can try out in some big log they keep out back. that's really the only way to find one that YOU feel comfortable with. too much saw will be intimidating, too little and you won't get nuthin done...you need to find that goldilocks "just right" one for your first saw. So..you need to go try out several.

Unless you go used. I went..hmm...early 70's to the mid 2000s before I ever owned a new saw. I went with ten and twenty dollar used saws all that time in between. I guess in today's joke money considering inflation and whatnot that would be fifty to a hundred bucks. And that's only been twice now, and both times it was because I absolutely with no shadow of a doubt needed a good saw that day or pretty soon and couldn't wait on finding a deal used. Normally I buy used most everything.

 

[fiasco]

I read alot of good reviews on the Dolmar. I think I have to look around and get a feel for these chainsaws. It has to be something that I can handle and feel confident with. Lighter weight to start with is going to be the best solution for me now. Which of these that you listed above are easier to handle ?

In terms of weight, here are the manufacturer's specs for the saws listed above. Some may be power head only (bar and chain not included), some may include bar and chain. Some may be fueled, others dry. Some may be a pound lighter but feel weird for you to handle.

The lighter saws would be:
Stihl MS 250 @ 10 lbs.
Husqvarna 353 / Jonsered 2152 both @ 11 lbs.
Dolmar PS-460 and 510 are allegedly the same @ 12.1 lbs.

For comparison:

The MS 290 is 13 lbs.
455 Rancher is 12.8 lbs.

IMHO, going cheaper is just going to get you a saw that can't quite handle the rigors of getting 5 or so cords ready for winter each year. But there are many people who can make a Poulan Wild Thing get the job done.

The best thing to do is hit the local dealers of the major brands (Dolmar isn't quite a major brand but they're owned by Makita and make high-quality stuff, they just need a decent marketing department and distribution network; Jonsered is usually a red Husqvarna with a different shaped handle) and see what feels good in your hands and which dealers are helpful and which give you the heebie-jeebies. A quality dealer is going to set the saw up for you and hopefully let you try it out a little bit (most saws need carburetor adjustments because the EPA standards are ridiculous and the manufacturers have to set them up on the ragged edge of self-destruction to pass emisssions).

Zogger's post above is also great advice.

 

[zogger]

Just for grins..echo

their 500p (50 cc) is 10.6 lbs powerhead, the 550 with the new ignition system is 13.3

my 600 weighs lots more than that......feels like it anyway after a few tanks

I tell ya, my dinky little husky just runs and runs and runs and cuts like a..well, not a big dog but at least a medium dog, at only 36 ccs! I run a 16 on it and buck regular decent size firewood with it all the time. It ain't just a limbing saw. Supposed to be, but it ain't. Musta lucked out and got one of them wednesday afternoon built saws... I love that thing. The echo I like, they are bulls, seriously underrated IMO, that little cheap husky though runs like a whippet.


Well, I goobered one, but have another still NIB, the 600s. I consider the one I goobered to be my learning saw for new designs. Plus it gives me good material for EPA bashing rants. I am all for clean air, but really..them boys are clueless about small engines and what they need.

Heck I never even ran a saw with a chain brake or anti vibe that was worth a flip until a few years ago. BWAHAHAHAA first time I ran one the brake activated somehow and dang I couldn't figger out what happened for awhile there....did I feel like a dweeb...."chain brake, wazzdat"?!? heheheheheheh

 

[woodbooga]

That $179 saw's gotta be the latest incarnation of the little 017 I learned to firewood with. Got it cheep off from someone who said it was broken, but had just put the chain on backward.

Most of this site's membership like the bigger stuff. I loved my little o17. My FIL has it now. He's damn strong but 2 heart attacks and some ministrokes later, he finds it fits him.

I do most of my cutting with a 3-saw plan of a Stihl 210 (little bigger that the one you're considering), Jonsenred2150, and a Stihl 360. Most of what I cut is under 8" in diameter. I can fill my Ranger rounded over on a tank of gas with that little saw. I love the power of the mid-range saws but am always amazed at how much gas they use by comparison.

Given your newness to it all, my recomendation is to but the $180 Stihl, get some experience, and sock away $10 a week to get a bigger saw in the 50-60cc range. By the time you get enough to buy, you'll be cutting like a champ.

And a good user rule of thumb...do not fear the saw. Respect it. Fear will get you hurt. Respect acknowledges its power, risks, rewards, and how you as a user are a matrix for all of these characteristics.

 

[spike60]

I was up in Fort Ann about a month ago, if this thread had been up at that time......

It is a bit of a ride though.

The saw recommendations are starting to become a bit too numerous here for someone who is new to the game, and it may seem confusing. Most of us, including myself, tend to recommend our favorite brand saw because that's what has worked for us.

But being a dealer, (Husky & Jonsered), I think that the dealer you buy from is at least as important as the saw itself for someone with little experience. If the Stihl dealer where you shopped gives you a good vibe, then that might be where you should concentrate your efforts.

You're also not that far from Greenwich. The Cutting Edge on RT 29 is a Dolmar dealer, and they have been there for 30 years. You won't find better people to deal with anywhere.

Getting a small saw to start is not a bad idea. As most guys say, it won't be long before your looking for something bigger. But having two saws is also not a bad idea either. Not just cause us saw geeks like having many saws, but simple things like getting pinched, dulling the chain and such make having a backup saw more of a necessity than a luxury.

 

[zogger]

small saws bring home the bacon...err...firewood

A few pics of firewood cutting today using my small husky 137, 36 CCs of firewood harvesting goodness. Cheap on fuel, just rocks. This is cleanup from that I don't know what it is that smashed a section of fence the other day after the windstorm. I think it might be some kind of elder, but don't know, Cuts and splits a lot like soft maple though, so I imagine it will be OK fuel.

This is by far and away how I get my firewood over the year, moms nature delivery systems.... My echo is on the bench waiting for me to finish sanding out the jug, so I set out with my teeny one saw plan and the deutz pickup, down to the swamp! Had a little side trip to make, go find a lost calf and get it back to its momma....

 

[GeeVee]

First he gets me with the Deutz p/u, then the first pic is that cute lil Calf. Too bad they don't stay that size..... Still a serious pooping machine though....

Good advice above, as well. Saws are equal, dealer support is not.

 

[banshee67]

..Cheap on fuel...

not when youre filling it up with that!

 

[zogger]

Just trying it out

Grabbed some cans on sale for the emergency long term storage/preparedness deal. I'm a survivalist freak, stockpile stuff, etc. got solar panels, stored food, whatnot. I believe in the boy sprout motto "be prepared" taken a little further than most folks.

Thought I would try a coupla of the cans to make sure I really wanted the stuff. I'll try another can in around a year from now. Stuff works fine, saw idled good, four stroked outta the cut, then dug in and pulled (such as a small saw can pull) in the cut on those thicker pieces.

Still cheap though for the amount of wood harvested, call it a buck fifty per load in mix cost with the canned and that saw. I've run two (not quite full) tanks in the saw and put one tank in the trimmer and still have some sloshing around in the can. And that's the second load of wood hauled back, my usual load, around half a ton. With that heavy toter box on there that makes around 3/4s ton which is all I want to tote on the rear forks driving down to the swamp and back. Gets medium gnarly muddy in spots and got a steep hill on the way back to climb in reverse....

 

[banshee67]

i was just messin with ya, whatever works for you is whats best
:chainsawguy:

 

[zogger]

Work

First he gets me with the Deutz p/u, then the first pic is that cute lil Calf. Too bad they don't stay that size..... Still a serious pooping machine though....

Good advice above, as well. Saws are equal, dealer support is not.

It was way more work finding and catching that calf than it was cutting and humping that wood. I had to move the herd to the bottom pastures last night, and when they went by..no calf! Freaking T storm going on at the same time..grumble. I figured by this morning they would have bellowed at each other and the calf would be down hanging by the fence or slipped through. No such luck. So I had to go cruise around an hour, get out and walk the woods, looked all over. Thought we had been rustled because poachers been sneaking in tagging deer and cutting fences and so on. man that steams me, the cows get out...that's why I moved them a week early. They opened the fence twice this past week.

Anyway, my loyal hounds, also known as the pack of jackals here found it in the tall grass then it bleated and ran. Dang I could *not* catch up, too fast to drive the tractor after them. Finally they all grabbed it, the calf is freaking out, I come running up and tackled the calf. Now what! I am 100 yards from the tractor, The beasts want to eat the calf, it is wiggling and kicking. Had to half drag half carry the thing back to the box and heave ho it in, kikin the dumazz dawgs outta the way. Never seen them so anxious to eat some raw meat before.....I think that calf bleating bawling sets them off, plus no momma there to fight them off. Normally a good NO stops them, not this time..although they *did* find it.

Man I was blowing hard and drenched in sweat once I had it loaded...cutting the wood was a nice "cool down" even in this heat and humidity after that.

Guess I need to learn to be a cowpoke and use a lariat or sumthin...

 

[zogger]

Oh, that's OK

i was just messin with ya, whatever works for you is whats best
:chainsawguy:

the canned fuel stuff has been a topic of discussion before, so thought I would chime in with a small review "works just like two stroke mix".

For large scale commercial cutting, nope. For harry or sally homeowner a few cords a year, why not, eliminates some hassle and gets the job done for a few extra bucks. A lot of guys wouldn't even go through a gallon of mix all summer just for the trimmer and blower, so maybe good there as well, and less worries about gunking up the equipment. And I dig on the long term storage of it, without having to go buy steel drums of race fuel or etc.

I paid ten clams a gallon for two gallons max way back during the embargo..just enough to get home, park it. Had to change jobs because of that, found a more local job pretty quick and used a bicycle to commute. Lucked out, that's it..pure luck.

I will never ever forget that, how fast reality can change on ya. Having some emergency canned mix in the garage might come in real handy,,cuz ya never know in this modern weird whirrled what might happen tomorrow.

 

[butterfly7171]

chainsaw

In terms of weight, here are the manufacturer's specs for the saws listed above. Some may be power head only (bar and chain not included), some may include bar and chain. Some may be fueled, others dry. Some may be a pound lighter but feel weird for you to handle.

The lighter saws would be:
Stihl MS 250 @ 10 lbs.
Husqvarna 353 / Jonsered 2152 both @ 11 lbs.
Dolmar PS-460 and 510 are allegedly the same @ 12.1 lbs.

For comparison:

The MS 290 is 13 lbs.
455 Rancher is 12.8 lbs.

IMHO, going cheaper is just going to get you a saw that can't quite handle the rigors of getting 5 or so cords ready for winter each year. But there are many people who can make a Poulan Wild Thing get the job done.

The best thing to do is hit the local dealers of the major brands (Dolmar isn't quite a major brand but they're owned by Makita and make high-quality stuff, they just need a decent marketing department and distribution network; Jonsered is usually a red Husqvarna with a different shaped handle) and see what feels good in your hands and which dealers are helpful and which give you the heebie-jeebies. A quality dealer is going to set the saw up for you and hopefully let you try it out a little bit (most saws need carburetor adjustments because the EPA standards are ridiculous and the manufacturers have to set them up on the ragged edge of self-destruction to pass emisssions).

Zogger's post above is also great advice.

I stopped to get some free wood from a guy who does woodcarvings with a chainsaw. But, I found out the wood is pine. I have heard mixed reviews on burning pine. Some say do not ever use it in the woodstove due to creosote buildup. Others say use it for kindling and then others say mix it in with hardwood. The person who said I could mix it is a the guy who sold me the stove and he has a good reputation. I sure don't want creosote buildup and it makes me nervous. Maybe I'll start wood carving.
Anyway, this guy had a few different chainsaws and he uses Stihl and likes them. I handled one of them and it was lightweight and easy to handle. Of course, I wrote the model # down and now can't find it. There is a dealer nearby that he goes to called "This and That" so I will stop over there someday. I will have to wait until I have more cash. Installed the stove and buying the wood tapped me out for now.
Tomorrow I am going to get some pallets and try to cut them with a circular saw. It will probably take alot longer but will be good practice for me. I just started using the circular saw and it does take some skill. I want to build a picnic table and put a small deck on my house. I put up some fence boards down at the barn and they came out pretty good. Been really busy taking care of 20 horses and assorted other animals over the last few days. No time to cut wood. Trying to get my shed ready for 1000 bales of hay. I have a 30x30 shed and it has been a challenge with the hay. There are hay distributors who actually can deliver hay all stacked in a storage bin and then when you feed it out they replace the bin fully stacked. I can't imagine what it costs !

 

[zogger]

Been a long time

I stopped to get some free wood from a guy who does woodcarvings with a chainsaw. But, I found out the wood is pine. I have heard mixed reviews on burning pine. Some say do not ever use it in the woodstove due to creosote buildup. Others say use it for kindling and then others say mix it in with hardwood. The person who said I could mix it is a the guy who sold me the stove and he has a good reputation. I sure don't want creosote buildup and it makes me nervous. Maybe I'll start wood carving.
Anyway, this guy had a few different chainsaws and he uses Stihl and likes them. I handled one of them and it was lightweight and easy to handle. Of course, I wrote the model # down and now can't find it. There is a dealer nearby that he goes to called "This and That" so I will stop over there someday. I will have to wait until I have more cash. Installed the stove and buying the wood tapped me out for now.
Tomorrow I am going to get some pallets and try to cut them with a circular saw. It will probably take alot longer but will be good practice for me. I just started using the circular saw and it does take some skill. I want to build a picnic table and put a small deck on my house. I put up some fence boards down at the barn and they came out pretty good. Been really busy taking care of 20 horses and assorted other animals over the last few days. No time to cut wood. Trying to get my shed ready for 1000 bales of hay. I have a 30x30 shed and it has been a challenge with the hay. There are hay distributors who actually can deliver hay all stacked in a storage bin and then when you feed it out they replace the bin fully stacked. I can't imagine what it costs !

You can burn pine, just make sure it is real dry. Same for any other species, the dryer the better. Your wood can't be "too dry". Green wood is what gunks up chimneys. Where you are though I wouldn't bother with it much, but as long as you got it, burn it.

small bales..man, a long time for me. Used to work on a huge dairy, they did all small bales, three cuttings a year. THAT got to be a lot like work. One day we cracked ten thou bales in the barn. That was baling, getting them in, run up the escalator loader thing, then hand stacked.....

I NEVER want to do that again.....and the farmer baled them big, they were half my body weight...I mean, dang....I was sore and tired. Took till ten at night under lights to finish that day's baling. usually took a few days to bale everything. Yes, that hay barn was HUGE.

Here we use all large round bales, the only thing I handle by hand is putting the rings around them.....lots mo easier

Watch for pinch using the circular saw on the pallets, nice straight cuts and don't lean on wiggly pieces....

..keep your eyes on the classifieds on this site and your local craigslist, you should be able to find a suitable saw for half price of an equivalent weight/size new saw, or close enough. This is summer, best time for used saw shopping.

20 horses!?! Running a stables or all yours or rescue horses or what?

This is weird, but..I've worked taking care of horses twice, yet never ridden one....

..rode an old tame bull once. Jumped on, he just stood there..but technically I rode a bull! hahahahaha

 

[avalancher]

I stopped to get some free wood from a guy who does woodcarvings with a chainsaw. But, I found out the wood is pine. I have heard mixed reviews on burning pine. Some say do not ever use it in the woodstove due to creosote buildup. Others say use it for kindling and then others say mix it in with hardwood. The person who said I could mix it is a the guy who sold me the stove and he has a good reputation. I sure don't want creosote buildup and it makes me nervous. Maybe I'll start wood carving.
Anyway, this guy had a few different chainsaws and he uses Stihl and likes them. I handled one of them and it was lightweight and easy to handle. Of course, I wrote the model # down and now can't find it. There is a dealer nearby that he goes to called "This and That" so I will stop over there someday. I will have to wait until I have more cash. Installed the stove and buying the wood tapped me out for now.
Tomorrow I am going to get some pallets and try to cut them with a circular saw. It will probably take alot longer but will be good practice for me. I just started using the circular saw and it does take some skill. I want to build a picnic table and put a small deck on my house. I put up some fence boards down at the barn and they came out pretty good. Been really busy taking care of 20 horses and assorted other animals over the last few days. No time to cut wood. Trying to get my shed ready for 1000 bales of hay. I have a 30x30 shed and it has been a challenge with the hay. There are hay distributors who actually can deliver hay all stacked in a storage bin and then when you feed it out they replace the bin fully stacked. I can't imagine what it costs !

Pine has gotten a bad rap mostly to old wives tale and by folks who dont have a clue. What do you think they burn in Wyoming?Pine of coarse. In the Pacific Northwest douglas fir is king, and its all we burned growing up and its the same as pine as far as amount of pitch in the wood that can cause creosote.

Last year I burned almost four cords of pine, couldnt sell it so I burned it in the house and shop stove.Burns quickly but sure kicks out the heat.My wife loves pine for that first fire in the morning, a quick fire to heat up the kitchen.I try and keep at least a few cords on hand every year just for her.
If you latch on to some pine for free, then by all means bust it up and stack it.Keep it dry and you will have no problems if you burn at least on fire a day nice and hot to keep your stack clear, which is a practice you should keep with any species of firewood.
Absolutely nothing wrong with pine.

 

[fiasco]

Glad we didn't scare you away!

Pine will burn fine, just make sure it's dry. Out west, you don't get much hardwood to burn, and you don't hear of places burning down all the time!

Dry is the key. Pine will also burn quick, that's why it's not favored in areas where there is plenty of hardwood species to burn.

In terms of the circular saw.........be as careful with that as you are with a chainsaw. I got in a fight with one and lost, but it was my own fault (using it left handed and one handed with a right handed saw on a big sheet of plywood. Was trying to hold the wood with my right hand, the saw kicked, the guard stuck and I got a cut wrist with five disconnected tendons, a neat groove in the bone, an expensive ride in an ambulance, surgery, lots of drugs and three months of PT!

 

[Misfit138]

I agree; Pine is fine..if dry.
I find Red Pine to be fairly good actually- definitely better than White.
(You can usually tell Red Pine trees right away, because they have a 'gnarled' look to them and the needles are pretty thick.) Red Pine drys relatively quick and burns pretty good in my experience.
I have found White Pine to be lower quality overall. It is very, very lightweight (low density) and you can certainly feel the flimsiness of it the moment you pick it up. It burns very fast. You can cut and split your pieces quite a bit larger to offset this behavior.
But as so many have said, "It all burns".

 

[GeeVee]

Pine burning is okay. Think of it this way? You are going to sweep your chimmney once a year anyway, right?

 

[butterfly7171]

animals

You can burn pine, just make sure it is real dry. Same for any other species, the dryer the better. Your wood can't be "too dry". Green wood is what gunks up chimneys. Where you are though I wouldn't bother with it much, but as long as you got it, burn it.

small bales..man, a long time for me. Used to work on a huge dairy, they did all small bales, three cuttings a year. THAT got to be a lot like work. One day we cracked ten thou bales in the barn. That was baling, getting them in, run up the escalator loader thing, then hand stacked.....

I NEVER want to do that again.....and the farmer baled them big, they were half my body weight...I mean, dang....I was sore and tired. Took till ten at night under lights to finish that day's baling. usually took a few days to bale everything. Yes, that hay barn was HUGE.

Here we use all large round bales, the only thing I handle by hand is putting the rings around them.....lots mo easier

Watch for pinch using the circular saw on the pallets, nice straight cuts and don't lean on wiggly pieces....

..keep your eyes on the classifieds on this site and your local craigslist, you should be able to find a suitable saw for half price of an equivalent weight/size new saw, or close enough. This is summer, best time for used saw shopping.

20 horses!?! Running a stables or all yours or rescue horses or what?

This is weird, but..I've worked taking care of horses twice, yet never ridden one....

..rode an old tame bull once. Jumped on, he just stood there..but technically I rode a bull! hahahahaha

I have split and stacked 2 cords of hardwood and have it covered. Hopefully it will dry for winter. That is why I am interested in the pallets, they will get me started. Also, I have 1/2 cord dry wood and some pine that Iwill dry and burn also. I will clean my chimney once a year and it will be easier since it a nice straight short stack.
I help stack 1000 small bales every year for my horses. That feeds only 4 horses but I feed them good. I think their food quality is better than mine ! I own 4 horses and my friends own the rest. Some are rescues and others are used for lessons and riding. But, mostly we feed them and clean up after them. You gotta love them to do all the work ! I ride English and Western. I love to ride and have a couple that I ride. 2 are 20 years old and semi retired. The other is 7 years old and my baby is 4 years old. I will be breaking him in at some point but he is not ready yet. And neither am I.
Never rode a horse?? It is never too late to try. I started owning horses when I was 42. not going to say how old I am now...
I still have to learn the circular saw and keep it even and straight. I kept having problems and thought it was the saw until I figured out it was me. Now I can cut a pretty straight line without it jamming. But, I am familiar with the kickback already and am being real careful.
Tomorrow I pick up some pallets !
What kind of animals do you have? I also have 3 dogs.
I'll keep my eye out for a used saw but I always like new things. But, maybe I can get something used alot sooner.