2018 Windfalls and Blowdowns

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Last thing we did was cut part way through the two Hickory's and then pulled the last of the tangle down.
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Multifaceted, my Wife is Jealous, she got a Husky 445 for Christmas, and is Anxious to try it out, but our wood cutting area is Stihl Snowed in.

The "Rae's Flannel Fest 2018" thread was about Her 50th Birthday Party last month, she had a "Lumber Jill" theme.

My Wife was Tickled to see that she isn't the only Gal that Enjoys wood cutting.

Doug

I remember seeing that thread, looked like a lot of fun! My wife has run a saw before, but it's been many years since she picked one up to speak of. I let her practice with guidance working on bucking some large and small limbs using the logjack for about an hour, then she helped with limbing the large branches I dropped from up high. I bet your wife will enjoy that Husqy 445. I don't think mine is "in to" cutting wood enough yet to want her own saw, but for now the little CS-400 works well enough.

I tell you, after yesterday and thinking back over the summer with the large trees we dropped, I'm feeling that I need a bigger saw myself. The 271 hangs, but feels underpowered at times. As long as I keep the chain sharp, it does OK.

looks like a nice pile of wood. i love hickory except it takes a long 2 years to dry but worth the wait.

That's about on par with some oaks, a year doesn't seem to be enough sometimes. I'm getting ahead in my stacks already so I don't mind the wait, but finding space for all of this is going to be my next chore. Might have to start a secondary wood yard at the bottom of the hill.
 
Two successive Nor'easters within a week, first was all wind and rain, this most recent was all heavy wet 12-14" snow. Scout jumped up on this root ball of a large Red Oak that toppled slightly and hung up on another tree. I'll probably wait for another storm to finish this job, I've got plenty of work on the ones that came down last week.

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That's one from last week there in the background.
 
Took out the the new MS 461 w/ 25" bar today and it made short work of the remaining big log of cherry. The additional HP from this bigger saw made a huge difference, but it took some getting used to. Towards the butt of the log near the base it was hollow and full of detritus and decay, and even though I propped up the log while bucking, eventually it wanted to go back into the hole. Forgot to get pics of the finished work before sundown - had unexpected company just as I finished, but managed to snap this photo:

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And here she is all cleaned up and a fresh 'tickle' with the round file before putting her away. The bar is nice and dirty from work, and yes, the chain is loosened for storage....

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Took out the the new MS 461 w/ 25" bar today and it made short work of the remaining big log of cherry. The additional HP from this bigger saw made a huge difference, but it took some getting used to. Towards the butt of the log near the base it was hollow and full of detritus and decay, and even though I propped up the log while bucking, eventually it wanted to go back into the hole. Forgot to get pics of the finished work before sundown - had unexpected company just as I finished, but managed to snap this photo:

m0Yh1tU.jpg


And here she is all cleaned up and a fresh 'tickle' with the round file before putting her away. The bar is nice and dirty from work, and yes, the chain is loosened for storage....

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My buddy asked me to grab his saw from the case and buck up a little tree in his drive. I grabbed it and started cutting and noticed the chain was real loose. Then I looked down and a bar nut was missing. When I asked he said his Printer brother told him you had to loosen the chain whenever you stored the saw. I've never loosened a chain for storage and don't know any pro tree guys that loosen the chains on their saws every day, or at all. I feel if your loosing bearings it's because the chain is too tight to start with, same if you are burning up tips, sprockets and bars. If you only have a couple saws, by all means loosen them, and if the owners manual says to, do it. But, all of mine are ready to go when I pick them up. My little Echo has a 10 mill bar nut, the Stihls have a 3/4 nut, the big Homies have a 5/8, not sure what the medium and small Homies have. I still have enough people call for storm damage that I need to be able to grab a saw and go, so my nuts are tight. :)
 
My buddy asked me to grab his saw from the case and buck up a little tree in his drive. I grabbed it and started cutting and noticed the chain was real loose. Then I looked down and a bar nut was missing. When I asked he said his Printer brother told him you had to loosen the chain whenever you stored the saw. I've never loosened a chain for storage and don't know any pro tree guys that loosen the chains on their saws every day, or at all. I feel if your loosing bearings it's because the chain is too tight to start with, same if you are burning up tips, sprockets and bars. If you only have a couple saws, by all means loosen them, and if the owners manual says to, do it. But, all of mine are ready to go when I pick them up. My little Echo has a 10 mill bar nut, the Stihls have a 3/4 nut, the big Homies have a 5/8, not sure what the medium and small Homies have. I still have enough people call for storm damage that I need to be able to grab a saw and go, so my nuts are tight. :)

It's just something I've been doing in the winter, I don't think it's in any of my manuals. I've heard anecdotes about doing that, but only that. I don't like running my chains tight anyway, so they'd probably be okay, and I just leave them like they are in the warmer months when they're put away away for the day.

Ha ha, I've only had a bar nut back out on me twice before, around when I first started using a saw regularly. Now I always check before use. Nowhere near a pro here by any stretch of imagination, but I do like maintaining my tools just as much as I like using them. That goes for all tools... I'm weird like that. I'm a man of ritual.
 
My buddy asked me to grab his saw from the case and buck up a little tree in his drive. I grabbed it and started cutting and noticed the chain was real loose. Then I looked down and a bar nut was missing. When I asked he said his Printer brother told him you had to loosen the chain whenever you stored the saw. I've never loosened a chain for storage and don't know any pro tree guys that loosen the chains on their saws every day, or at all. I feel if your loosing bearings it's because the chain is too tight to start with, same if you are burning up tips, sprockets and bars. If you only have a couple saws, by all means loosen them, and if the owners manual says to, do it. But, all of mine are ready to go when I pick them up. My little Echo has a 10 mill bar nut, the Stihls have a 3/4 nut, the big Homies have a 5/8, not sure what the medium and small Homies have. I still have enough people call for storm damage that I need to be able to grab a saw and go, so my nuts are tight. :)
He probably also removes all the ammo from his magazines so as not to stress the springs! I imagine would have to ask a burglar to wait just one second, while I refill these mags...
 
Maybe my perspective isn't quite right but you might want to watch out for the leaning oak when you are working up the downed one... Looks to want to fall on your head. :omg:

Funny what a camera representation of reality can do. The two trees are sufficiently far apart so that this one wouldn't topple near the one already on the ground. Not to say the crashing to the ground couldn't catapult a lethal chunk of a smaller tree or limbs that far. You are right got to keep your wits about you. There are too many snags from storms as long ago as 10 years ago that are still hung up there waiting to wreak mayhem.
 
Last nor'easter with all that heavy sticky snow wreaked havoc on my pine trees, tops blown out, uprooted, broke in half...got em mostly chopped up ready for a chipper except this one. Think it's beyond my "far-from-pro" abilities. Hate to leave it hanging there like that, not sure what to do...



 
Negative, Ghostrider...

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Oh I thought we had one of those generic my buddy stories that he was talking about, so you are the buddy?
Cause that would have changed my whole assessment. Since I would consider anyone with "Mow loan lah vey" in there sig, on a bumper sticker or a tattoo of the aforementioned, generally armed and prepared in general, including multiple loaded magizines!
I know my mags are (with the exception of the ones that aren't) I don't really loosen my chains though, no real off season and they aren't overly tight anyway.
 
Oh I thought we had one of those generic my buddy stories that he was talking about, so you are the buddy?
Cause that would have changed my whole assessment. Since I would consider anyone with "Mow loan lah vey" in there sig, on a bumper sticker or a tattoo of the aforementioned, generally armed and prepared in general, including multiple loaded magizines!
I know my mags are (with the exception of the ones that aren't) I don't really loosen my chains though, no real off season and they aren't overly tight anyway.

My wife's grandad told me about that with metal expansion/contraction so I started doing it, also in conjunction with other anecdotes, so I was doing it in winter. No harm no foul. Dogma is a b***h. I always set the chain tension before use, so it gets me in the habit of paying mind that type of stuf.

Not saying it's necessary to, only that I had the chain loose in the photo for a reason in case anyone pointed it out. As a ritual, I do that after use after cleaning off my saws and touching up the chain. Again, I'm a man of ritual and it brings me joy, that's pretty much it. Since others have mentioned that it's not necessary, I'll be glad to forego it :)
 
My wife's grandad told me about that with metal expansion/contraction so I started doing it, also in conjunction with other anecdotes, so I was doing it in winter. No harm no foul. Dogma is a b***h. I always set the chain tension before use, so it gets me in the habit of paying mind that type of stuf.

Not saying it's necessary to, only that I had the chain loose in the photo for a reason in case anyone pointed it out. As a ritual, I do that after use after cleaning off my saws and touching up the chain. Again, I'm a man of ritual and it brings me joy, that's pretty much it. Since others have mentioned that it's not necessary, I'll be glad to forego it :)

If it bring you joy, do not be concerned about what others believe. Tighten it, loosen it or wear it for a necklace. Just continue as you were, cause joy aint always easy to come by, so collect all you can....
 
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