Could you explain what you mean by this... it doesn't sound quite right to me
Oh that's because it
isn't right!!! I haven't found an efficient way to sharpen yet, spent a while trying to "hone my sharpening game" (bad pun sorry) but never got to the point where (with
any amount of time spent being careful on it) that I could do a chain and be happy with it (had every problem from sideways-pulling to simply never ever getting close to new-chain-sharp)
So I just buy these generic 2-packs from walmart for ~$15, and when a chain no longer works well it either gets a touch-up sharpening for a lil more use before being swapped, or it's swapped immediately...makes far too big a difference (having a good/sharp chain) and the ~$7.50 for a new one beats the 20min+ it'd take me to do a C- sharpening job :/ I'm open to mechanical-sharpening ideas (I only have the basic 5/32's files, guides and raker-file), tried 30deg and 35deg angles doing it freehand (with the guide of course), tried the 'rocking' approach Buckin Billy Ray teaches ('get the gullet'), never once said to myself "damn this was a good job of sharpening" after testing a sharpened-chain :/
How big of a "fat trunked tree" are you talking? With the right technique you should be able to cut through damn near a 40" log with a 24" bar
Honestly unsure...It's more "to be capable", having the 42cc/18" Poulan as my most powerful feels improper (hell my 355t is right on its heels and oftentimes a more inviting choice even on-ground..)
It's just feeling unprepared/knowing I'm unprepared for bigger jobs - which is my entire goal right now - anytime I'd do contract work for removals they'd get this guy to come and he's got a big fancy Stihl the bar must be around 5' it's nuts but there's been several jobs where I'm doing the whole job except the 2nd half of the trunk...I don't do contract work anymore, "struck out on my own" this past year, so - with storm season starting to feel very real - I'd found myself feeling very naked only having a 42cc I mean jesus if a tree fell on my property I can't even be sure I'm capable of bucking it up, I've tried doing big trunk buck-ups with the poulan before and "it can do it" but it takes 10X longer than it should (nevermind the chains/bars you're frying trying to force that type of unit to just sit there at full throttle to buck 20' of Live Oak trunking....Live/Laurel Oaks make up a good 80% of my workload, laurel camphors probably 10%, all can develop these massive trunks that an 18" wouldn't touch, when I seek work right now / my whole "lead generation" is built around limb removals (specifically stuff that needs rigging IE over-house and over-pool limb removals are my most-frequent job) and I'm eager to get some full on removals on the schedule (and, w/ storm season, am expecting to be able to make that happen!!)
I agree with the other guys, in any sort of hard wood that 24" bar will make that a dead dog of a saw. Im not understanding where your getting these ideas that its advisable to run such large bars on smaller displacements saws.
Almost all of what I do is hard woods, actually I've never even done a full Pine/coniferous tree only limbing jobs (have been on dozens of full removals for oaks/camphors though), and the most-common is also the heaviest Live Oak at 76lbs / cu ft...so with an 18"/42cc as my best/strongest saw, I was/am feeling unprepared, had been under impression I could get away with 30-something on the 590 but now reading these replies I'm not even sure if wanting a 3'+ b&c is smart....I do know I'm underprepared having just the 18"/42cc as my best though!
Would be very thankful for reco's/thoughts on whether it's smarter to "go all in" and still aim for a big bar (with a higher displacement powerhead), getting something that's good for just 24" it..it "feels" too small still, no? I guess I would never really need such length
routinely so now am almost thinking
"get a powerhead that's properly fitted at 24", but buy a 32" b&c that you keep 'on-hand' so you can up-size it temporarily as-needed!', would you guys ever do that (putting on a longer-than-appropriate b&c
just for here&there use)? Seems a decent solution to the "would rarely need >24, but badly want it my arsenal - also don't wanna pay $1k+ for a saw that may get used bi-monthly"! Can't imagine frying clutches/etc would be a worry if it was occasional use & the sawyer was careful /mindful not to be gunning/pushing it, would at least let you finish big trunks w/o doubling the work by doing "half from each side" cuts w/ a short bar!
)
