One Saw Two bars and chains

[Wow]

I"ve used chainsaws for so long it's very rare for me to pinch my bar or jump a chain, BUT. it can happen to the best of us. Chains are no problem but a pinched bar can be if we took only one saw to the job site. For me the most likely time a pinch occurs is when limbing. Bigger limbs 3 inches and up can fools us. We night not be sure which way the pressure will be on the bar. Normally a streep angle cut will warn us but pinches can happen very quickly. IF I have only one saw, I take an extra bar and chain. It makes good sense to have TWO bars and chains. Remove the motor from the pinched bar, install the other bar and free up the pinched bar. Most of us know this but i''m tossing this out for those who might not have heard about it. Not everyone on this site has the same experience level. As they say, live and learn. I'd assume, all of us are still learning and teaching each other. Have a safe day,

 

[spuldup]

And wedges. Never hurts to slip one in the back cut when limbing if you are unsure of where the tension/compression is.

 

[Philbert]

I have used the ‘bar swap’ several times, and have taught it to others.

Works best with a STIHL, or other ‘inboard clutch / outboard sprocket’ saws. Harder with ‘inboard sprocket / outboard clutch’ saws, like many Husqvarnas.

For a while I carried a Granberg ’Break-N-Mend’ tool, so that I could break a chain loop to free an inboard sprocket saw powerhead.

Philbert

 

[Mad Professor]

I almost always bring two saws sized for the work at hand. 026/036 or 036/038M

 

[fields_mj]

I almost always bring two saws sized for the work at hand. 026/036 or 036/038M

Same here. I normally have at least 2 saws with me, but I agree with the OP, and also with having a wedge or two with you. If you don't have 2 saws, at least take a spare bar and chain. We used this technique on a hickory that my dad fell. It started to roll on him before it moved much, and pinched the bar on his 028. We didn't really swap bars, but we DID take the power head off the bar so we could move it to a safe location. I finished the cut with one of my saws, and the tree turned his 18" bar into an S on its way down, and put a pretty serious kink in the chain as well. We could have just as easily took the same 18" bars off one of my saws and put it on his power head, but my 026 is lighter than his 028 to begin with so he just ran that for the rest of the day while I ran my 036 which also runs an 18" bar (see a pattern yet ).

As a bit of a side note, I once managed to stick 3 different saws in one log. It was a 30" white oak that had fallen across the lane and into a ravine. It was wedged between 2 decent size hickories and being held about 18" off the ground. I wasn't planning on cutting the entire tree up that day. I just wanted to clear the lane so I could continue mowing (bush hog). The plan was to cut an 8' log out of it so I could get past, take off the bushog when I was done, then come back and cut it into logs and use the tractor to drag them all out where I could load them on my trailer on another day (had to haul the tractor and bushog home first). The tree top was causing the trunk to both bend and twist in addition to it being held off the ground. After sticking all 3 of my saws, I used dad's 028 to limb the entire tree. Once I had the limbs off, I was able to start working on the stuff in the ravine and get enough tension off the trunk to free all 3 of the saws with a wedge. My lesson there was to stop BEFORE I ran out of options.

 

[sean donato]

I almost always have at least one more saw with me, and typically a spare bar or two. Learn to keep a small wedge in your pocket. I find it nearly more valuable then all my big felling wedges.