Spike's 2015 GTG--NOT

[mels]

Lookin' out for the "Old Timers GTG" thread!

 

[Paragon Builder]

Hadn't thought about a 'splitter. I've got a Franken(stein)splitter powered with a non-functioning Wisconsin THD that may find its' way to the CT GTG if anyone knows their way around an old THD it'd be a trip to get the thing running.

Bring it over Mel. We will get her going. Those four strokes don't baffle me like these 2 strokes do[emoji12]
If you need me to come get it with my truck let me know.

 

[mels]

Thanks Dan, that might be necessary as my beater finally just gave up the ghost and the only other hitch I have is on my 740 wagon that's been waiting on an engine swap for nearly 2 years, lol.

Better yet, have Rich sell me that beautiful Dodge truck of his and I'll bring the splitter when I drop him back at your place

 

[Paragon Builder]

Better yet, have Rich sell me that beautiful Dodge truck of his and I'll bring the splitter when I drop him back at your place

It's getting prettier. At the body shop getting painted. It sure is a nice truck though.

 

[spike60]

I see what you mean Bob, I was actually getting tired of bringing my ported saws and then watching Brett run one of his, not that it's a bad thing. This year believe it or not I was planing on just bringing the saws that I ported and my splitting toys.

I had seen that you were doing some of your own porting and it would be cool to see how they came out and run them. That's part of what I'm looking for, and i think it's great when guys get to that "let me try porting a saw myself" stage. And then what you did adds to the overall conversation for the rest of us. We learn what works and what doesn't. We can share the mistakes along with the success stories, cause most of us have buggered something up along the way. LOL And this is all the more reason that we need some stock examples of the saws we are porting so we can compare them and get a feel for how much power we are getting for the effort/expense involved.

This thread had gone off course a little bit with some guys thinking I've put up a "ported saws not welcome" sign, but that's not what I said at all. The idea was to expand the participation and make everyone feel welcome whether you had a ported saw or not. I think it's good to vary the program a little to maintain interest and get some new guys to attend. Only negative is that I wouldn't have a couple weeks of all those good leftovers.

 

[leeha]

Well spike, I'm going to miss your GTG. It's one i always counted on.
But on the other hand i completely understand. Most folks don't realize
what it takes to put on a good GTG. The work involved, Money it cost.
The clean up after. The wood you have to find. The food, etc. It can be
very over welming. There will never be a stop watch at my GTG's as well.
My theme is vintage but any saw is welcome. Yes i build saws and restore
them but only to stock. Nothing like a good ole vintage 100+ cc saw in your
hands throwin chips everywhere.



Lee

 

[MustangMike]

My first GTG 1 & 1/2 years ago in the Spring, and it was watching Bret & Josh (Smittybilt) run those ported 660s that got my attention. And when they offered to let me pull the trigger on them ... well it was like as if the guy at the track said "want to take my Funnycar for a spin".

THANKS GUYS!!!

I was hooked, and I'm glad! Ported saws have saved me a lot of time, especially when bucking larger wood.

 

[Flip D]

I've been eyeing the GTG threads and am looking to make it to one. What I was wanting to do is bring my sharpening items and show what I do and have the ol' timers tell me that they wouldn't cut butter with a chain that dull. I would really like to see other peoples technique in person and discuss the nuances of what they do. My dad could care less about brands but is obsessed with a sharp chain and he believes in a light touch and muscle memory but after all these years, I can't get my chains nearly as nice cutting as his. I think it would help me tremendously to see other people do it person, not just a youtube vid.

 

[Flip D]

I would also like someone to share some ol' time wisdom and show me how to consistently work a Stihl flippy without having it on my pants leg.

 

[Ironworker]

I would also like someone to share some ol' time wisdom and show me how to consistently work a Stihl flippy without having it on my pants leg.

Use your eyes and take an extra second. Never did understand why someone would try and improve on such a simple design.

 

[Duane(Pa)]

This has to be the best thread on here in the last six months! Yay!!

 

[spike60]

Well spike, I'm going to miss your GTG. It's one i always counted on.
But on the other hand i completely understand. Most folks don't realize
what it takes to put on a good GTG. The work involved, Money it cost.
The clean up after. The wood you have to find. The food, etc. It can be
very over welming. There will never be a stop watch at my GTG's as well.
My theme is vintage but any saw is welcome. Yes i build saws and restore
them but only to stock. Nothing like a good ole vintage 100+ cc saw in your
hands throwin chips everywhere.



Lee

Thanks Lee. I think what got lost in this discussion is that the reason for us skipping a year is that we have so much stuff going on this fall that we aren't feeling that motivation to put the GTG on. It is a fair amount of work, before, during, and after. It had nothing to do with what saws were showing up. But like you're doing, I think the host should set the theme of the GTG. And your vintage theme gets me to drag out some different saws for a change. Funny thing is that after last year, I kept using that old iron through the fall.

I also like the thinking behind what Flip D said about sharing sharpening tips and things like that. Maybe next year we can add a little more of a tech flavor to it. Have a couple rough cut timber work benches out there. The "barney bench" thing we used to do. Look over some ported cylinders and talk about tools and techniques. Revive a couple of dead saws; maybe build something from the cases up if we want. Ported or stock there's probably a lot of guys who would enjoy and learn from that. And like Flip said, better to see it in person than a youtube vid.

 

[MustangMike]

Re Flippy Caps: As I just stated on another thread, if I had designed them, they would drop down every 1/3 turn, but the don't, they only drop down once per turn. So make sure it drops down, turn a bit more and flip the cap, EASY! (As long as you remember clockwise is tighten). Maybe that is why we have all the problems, with digital clocks, no one knows what clockwise is anymore!

 

[zogger]

That IS cool. It's good to see something different like that.

I had a small GTG at the house a few years back and we did something that was a blast. I wouldn't be able to do this on a large scale, but what I did was have a few dead and torn down saws all boxed up. Deal was If you could get it running, it was yours to keep. It was fun and turned into a different kind of saw race: Who get's it running first. Couple guys hadn't been that deep into a saw, but everything went together the way it was supposed to. Only close call was someone got the handle screws confused with the cylinder bolts on a Jonsered 625 and was about to wreck his crankcase, but I noticed it just in time.

It also helped make the "hang out" time better. Like Mike said, it's hard to BS with each other if saws are screamiing non stop.

chain untangling race....practical....