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NoTill

New Member
Joined
Jul 14, 2019
Messages
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Location
Metro Atlanta GA
Hi all. Longtime lurker, first-time poster. Since my main interest on this site is chainsaws, I will post this here.

A short bio: grew up in Western NY in the 70's, using wood to heat a Civil War era farmhouse. Not much insulation and rattly windows that had 3/16" ice inside the outer sash by February. Learned how to get dressed quick in the mornings!

Chainsaws were a new experience for Dad and I. With OJT and guidance from friends, we learned how to do it safely. I believe a Stihl 010 was our starter saw. Although we had 59 acres of abandoned farmland, it was steep. Full-tilt firewooding would have meant acquiring a tractor or 4WD truck. We went the route of buying firewood to supplement what we felled.

The learning curve included things like this: One summer day, was taking down a 12" sugar maple. Blue sky, zero breeze. Fairly full crown, and sugar maple leaves create a lot of sail area. Made the face cut, started the back cut. Looked up to watch for first movement, corner of my eye caught other tree branches being stirred by a maverick wind gust out of nowhere. The gust took my tree, gently pushed it back onto the saw bar, then dissipated. The woods went back to being completely still. Weird. Nothing for me to do but leave the pinched saw there, wait a day for a breeze to push the tree off the bar. Lesson: wedges are your friend, even if you don't clearly need them.

40 years later, I'm relatively free of chainsaw-related injuries. An occasional head-knock, thigh bruise, or twisted ankle, but no major lacerations. Can't even remember having a kickback event of more than a few inches. I've upgraded my PPE over the years. I may make a quick cut with no PPE, but I feel kinda naked without chaps, helmet, Kevlar gloves. Usually steel-toe boots.

Have learned a lot of info from members of this site. Saw history, technology, modifications, sharpening, etc. Thought I was pretty good at freehand sharpening. Not so much. Better results now that I'm using a Granberg File N Guide, clearing gullets, rounding rakers. Moving up to square-filing sounds like good performance bang for the buck next.

Thanks to all, and please keep the info flowing. A lot of the rookie users/first-time homebuyers out there don't have personal mentors. Sites like this are where they can receive accurate guidance. Youtube (although a mixed bag) is also a great source of info. The various vids from afleetcommand convey a lot about older saws, I appreciate his and Bob's work.

Sidebar: I don't know how many folks know about cultivating edible mushrooms on logs, but it is a pretty natural offshoot effort for anyone that has log access and chainsaw skills. Briefly: Cut 3"-8" logs in manageable lengths, drill holes, fill holes with sawdust spawn ($20 for a 5-lb. bag does 20-30 logs), cap holes with wax. Takes about 20 minutes per log once you're rolling. Wait 9-18 months for your mushrooms to start popping out. Moisture management during that period is key, but can be minimal effort if approached sensibly. This is my first season doing it. Three different strains of shiitake mushrooms, also lions mane. My logs are colonizing well, should be producing this fall or spring.

I now live in Smyrna, GA. Do a little bit of TSI on a parcel nearby, and invasive removal on some public greenspaces. If any of you have a chance to volunteer on similar projects, your chainsaw will quickly prove how much of a force multiplier it is when compared to a bucket of handsaws. Probably most corners of the world now have invasives.

If there's any members in N GA that have interesting oldish or modded saws, I'd be happy to trade my labor on a wood-cutting effort in return for getting to see some interesting beasts! Thanks.

My general chainsaw interests tend towards oldish saws. Most experienced with Stihls, but I like Husqvarnas, want to learn more about Dolmars. I don't have much need for anything above 50 cc. I ain't no spring chicken, so small, lightweight, and good anti-vibe are key factors. I've had to try hard to persuade myself to not buy the 2511T. Now that Echo's introduced the rear-handle version, I have less of an argument to not buy. If anyone hears details on their USA rollout, please share.

Thanks,
Dave
 

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