Something scary

[FamilyTradition]

None of the saws I have are scary per se. I'm very aware and respectful of all of them ranging from a new battery powered Stihl to my Homelite 750 with a 42 inch bar. With that said you need to know what you're doing with any saw, and wear PPE. I nearly learned the hard way years ago on the first bow saw I had, a Poulan 3400. I went through it and began making some cuts when it kicked back. It was a close call-near miss situation. I set the saw down, walked away, and eventually sold it to a friend who grew up running them. He taught me the intricacies of bow saw's and I now have two more.

I recommend you know what you have, learn from it and accept knowledge and advice from those with more knowledge and experience.

If you meant "scary saw" in terms of pure performance, I enjoy a larger cc saw with a shorter bar and aggressive chain. Homelite 750 with a 24 inch bar and .404 chain, Poulan 8500 with a similar set up, McCulloch 1000 again similarly outfitted. Sky's the limit restricted only by the dollar. Enjoy and be safe, Max.

 

[Jtheo]

Just about any saw can hurt you bad if your are not aware of the proper use of the saw. I had a Husqvarna 372XP with the factory 75cc top end. It was ported, polished and shaved. Needless to say this saw would rip and I enjoyed running the saw. But, the time came that the saw was trying to kickback or push back and I could see that I was lacking the strength to keep the saw under control. I was 71 years of age at the time. I put the saw on the trading post and sold it to another member. Last year I had some big trees to come down and I bought a new 372 XP. The saw is stock and I can handle it with no problem.
Remember that a small saw can hurt you just as bad as a big one.

This forum is also a good place to get advice. I have been helped many times by fellow members.

 

[Ted Jenkins]

I'm more afraid of the smaller saws, I think people get complacent with them. I've had my 661 kick back while stumping and the bar is buried but I don't know that it's ever "scared" me. I think with the big saws every second you hold them you're reminding yourself of how dangerous they can be. Definitely had more moments with the smaller saws but maybe it's because they're in my hands more but the lighter weight seems to make their kickbacks more dangerous. Either way, all saws demand respect at all times.

Small saws are dangerous so get rid of them. Bigger saws are not nearly big enough. I have five 100 cc plus and they are so slow. I want to use my well tuned dirt bike motors on them with at least 50 HP. As Cody points out that when you get used to them they do not cut fast enough, so true. I do think a larger saw is much safer than any thing below 70 CC. I do know that many folks live where larger trees do not exist so what ever OP thinks use whatever will get the job done. After a few cuts I am always thinking this thig must have eaten some rocks because it is barely moving but really I get impatient wanting it to go faster. Thanks

 

[Woodslasher]

Currently I wouldn’t say any of my saws are scarier than the rest. I had a 24 inch bar, 8 pin rim, and a very aggressive chain on a ported 272, that was pretty dicey. Now it wears a 28 with a 7 pin rim and that tamed it. Maybe this is just me, but if a work saw seems far scarier than the rest I figure I’ve got it set up wrong.

 

[Captain Bruce]

This is true.

That being said, I've not ever been scared of a big saw. They generally have a big heavy bar, and that's why I keep a big heavy saw. At one point, I had my Husqy 3120XP fitted with a 24" bar. It was awesome, and it was my favorite for dicing up a tree after it was down. Now that I'm older, I would rather have a lighter saw.

My scariest saw is still the top-handled 200-T. When your face is in the kickback zone about 50' up in a tree, that is a much scarier proposition, especially if your positioning dictates that your hands aren't well positioned to hit the chain brake, either.

The work being done is much scarier than the saw itself, regardless of the power factor.

50"? in a tree? with a chainsaw? Thats the behaviour of a professional arborist, and none exists that climbs with anything short of total confidence. When a chainsaw "scares" you??? Sell it and watch the pro's......

 

[pdqdl]

660 with a 20" bar can be pretty spooky as can a 35cc top handle that kicks back at you but imo the scariest is cutting up felled trees under tension

Yeah, those are scary too. Got this one to do:


That hackberry is over 3' diameter, and the horizontal trunk is 12 feet up in the air. I can easily drive my tractor under it. Think that split stem has any tension on it?

All those hanging branches in the adjacent tree are under tension, too. Yes, Bruce. I'll be hanging from a rope when I cut those loose. Only about 15' up, however. And it will be scary, 'cause I'm not sure which way the spring-pole will go when it turns loose. I'm going to do it anyway because I have enough confidence and experience to think I can get away with doing stupid stuff like climbing trees with a chainsaw. I didn't start out with anything but a chainsaw & the stupidity.

 

[CJ1]

The scariest saws I have are my modded 372's. They are light, fast and when they kick that happens fast also. My 390 and 395 would push back hard with a top pinch but never really took me off guard like the 272, 372's did. Cj

 

[TRTermite]

Yeah, those are scary too. Got this one to do:
View attachment 951658

That hackberry is over 3' diameter, and the horizontal trunk is 12 feet up in the air. I can easily drive my tractor under it. Think that split stem has any tension on it?

All those hanging branches in the adjacent tree are under tension, too. Yes, Bruce. I'll be hanging from a rope when I cut those loose. Only about 15' up, however. And it will be scary, 'cause I'm not sure which way the spring-pole will go when it turns loose. I'm going to do it anyway because I have enough confidence and experience to think I can get away with doing stupid stuff like climbing trees with a chainsaw. I didn't start out with anything but a chainsaw & the stupidity.

Those Hackberry trees get my full attention. They really have the spring in them. A splintered one can Pinch a saw fast or just crap slap you if you mess up.

 

[RCamo]

Scary chainsaw
+50 years old, +100cc, hard tip bar and no AV

That's a good looking old saw!

 

[cookies]

Yeah, those are scary too. Got this one to do:
View attachment 951658

That hackberry is over 3' diameter, and the horizontal trunk is 12 feet up in the air. I can easily drive my tractor under it. Think that split stem has any tension on it?

All those hanging branches in the adjacent tree are under tension, too. Yes, Bruce. I'll be hanging from a rope when I cut those loose. Only about 15' up, however. And it will be scary, 'cause I'm not sure which way the spring-pole will go when it turns loose. I'm going to do it anyway because I have enough confidence and experience to think I can get away with doing stupid stuff like climbing trees with a chainsaw. I didn't start out with anything but a chainsaw & the stupidity.

I'd say thats pretty nasty. I like cutting everything off thats not supporting the weight of the trunk then working from the top to the base removing all the weight. A tractor with a grapple or bucket would help a lot once the branches are removed, used to support the trunk so the ripped trunk can be cut off and the larger section hauled away.
I have seen branches cut in the wrong order that were spring loaded enough to break a leg or sweep one off their footing. But the scariest scenario is the trunk shifting or rolling off the supporting branches.

 

[pdqdl]

We tried shaking it with my ag-tractor with a grapple on the loader. It didn't even wiggle. It's way too big a tree for my tiny 10k tractor.

TRTermite was right with that pinching comment! I made a couple of light saw passes on the split. It immediately started grabbing the bar/chain with just a 3/8" deep scratch. And that was on the tension side of the split.
I backed off completely.

I'm going to do like Cookies suggested. Prune from the crown back to the base. I'll ride my tractor grapple up to about 12' high and cut off that top branch. That will reduce the risk of rolling. Then we'll slowly nickle & dime it down to the ground, then haul the big parts off with the grapple.

 

[oldfortyfive]

We tried shaking it with my ag-tractor with a grapple on the loader. It didn't even wiggle. It's way too big a tree for my tiny 10k tractor.

TRTermite was right with that pinching comment! I made a couple of light saw passes on the split. It immediately started grabbing the bar/chain with just a 3/8" deep scratch. And that was on the tension side of the split.
I backed off completely.

I'm going to do like Cookies suggested. Prune from the crown back to the base. I'll ride my tractor grapple up to about 12' high and cut off that top branch. That will reduce the risk of rolling. Then we'll slowly nickle & dime it down to the ground, then haul the big parts off with the grapple.

I usually get all the weight off it I can then whittle on it with a pole saw. Take little bites and pretty soon the tension is gone. More importantly you're not close to it just in case. I've had them roll. Bent my pole saw more than once. You can't always predict what they will do.

 

[Bob Hedgecutter]

I'll ride my tractor grapple up to about 12' high and cut off that top branch.

That sounds like breaking a whole lot of rules right there- for such a stickler for the rules.

Now, what was the original question in this thread before it all went so astray?

 

[pdqdl]

The thread was about scary stuff with chainsaws. Mostly about which is the scariest chainsaw.

Kindly quote me an ANSI Z133 rule that prohibits using a front end loader as an aerial platform. Then I'll worry about following that rule.

 

[sawfan123]

When a MS 500i comes in for a erratic running problem.
That will be terrifying.

 

[Bob Hedgecutter]

The thread was about scary stuff with chainsaws. Mostly about which is the scariest chainsaw.

Kindly quote me an ANSI Z133 rule that prohibits using a front end loader as an aerial platform. Then I'll worry about following that rule.

Your standard only likely covers certified and rated lifts, buckets and man cages - you said "ride my tractor grapple" not use a certified and rated elevated wok platform.
But hey, do what you wish, take the risk you see fit- any claims wont be coming out of my taxes.

 

[Captain Bruce]

Yeah, those are scary too. Got this one to do:
View attachment 951658

That hackberry is over 3' diameter, and the horizontal trunk is 12 feet up in the air. I can easily drive my tractor under it. Think that split stem has any tension on it?

All those hanging branches in the adjacent tree are under tension, too. Yes, Bruce. I'll be hanging from a rope when I cut those loose. Only about 15' up, however. And it will be scary, 'cause I'm not sure which way the spring-pole will go when it turns loose. I'm going to do it anyway because I have enough confidence and experience to think I can get away with doing stupid stuff like climbing trees with a chainsaw. I didn't start out with anything but a chainsaw & the stupidity.

I didn't start out with anything but a chainsaw & the stupidity. and I'm still there. Thanks for the headshake.

 

[pdqdl]

Your standard only likely covers certified and rated lifts, buckets and man cages - you said "ride my tractor grapple" not use a certified and rated elevated wok platform.
But hey, do what you wish, take the risk you see fit- any claims wont be coming out of my taxes.

Actually, the Z133 rules are very specific about general guidelines, and don't list any specific machines. They only include restrictions on the general use of an aerial lift, without even attempting to define what one is. Stuff like how outriggers are to be used if present. How it may be operated around power lines, and by whom and under what conditions. Tying in to an approved point on the device. Stuff like that.

I reviewed 'em tonight, and didn't find anything at all about working from a "certified" aerial device. In fact, they even have rules about working from an uncertified device with respect to how close to power lines, etc.

Just a reminder: we still aren't talking about scary machines. I suspect that some folks won't mind, however, as they may not have ever heard of the ANSI Z133 standards. This is stuff that OSHA will cite you for violating when they start writing tickets...

 

[jazavac]

Everything you do with crainsaw is dangerous. No prety things except satisfaction you create inside you when revs go high and dust flys out. I don't use it for myself. I only help my neighbour's cut some firewood etc and have it as antistress pilllll...

 

[Huskybill]

I was weened on a 2100 cd 99 cc Husqvarna saw it was my first pro saw. I never gave it any thoughts about getting hurt. I always made sure the chain was razor sharp.
Felling.
When I was felling I always made sure I wasn’t alone. I made sure the chain was sharp, the gas and bar oil was filled. There’s no pit stops in the middle of making that back cut. I lay a smaller diameter tree in the path of the tree I’m felling. It sets up the tree in the air for bucking next.
Bucking,
When bucking big wood slam a wedge in at 12 o’clock so the groove can’t pinch the bar and chain. Look to where you see light under the trunk. To make your cut through the trunk.
Besafe plan your work.