Wrong saw for the job

[Coloradobum]

Share your stories of using too big/too little saws for whatever reason.

When I was a kid, dad, gramps, and I went out as usual one Saturday morning to do some firewood harvesting. The target this day was a 30" oak that gypsy moths had killed. When we got there we realized my dad forgot to put his big ole Mac in the truck. They left me there while they went back to get it, about 40 minutes round trip. They left the only other saw we had at that time, my grampa's Eager Beaver, with a 18" bar I believe. Being young, energetic, and bored I decided to have a go at the tree. It must have taken a half hour but I had the tree on the ground when they got back. Definitely NOT the right saw for the job

 

[PLMCRZY]

Every weekend when i cut wood i got the wrong size saw unless the tree is about 14" tops! But thats unlikely....Cant wait to get a bigger one

 

[Junior]

I cut out the window openings on my shed with a 2100, 42" bar. And I have cut firewood with a skil saw...

 

[stipes]

I dont know what to say....

My Dad only used a 20 inch bar for the woods here with his old Mcc's,,and he felled down some pretty good size trees with all he had...We used a cross cut on one pretty good size oak when he pinched the bar and didnt have a 2 saw plan back then...After awhile him cussing me for not pullin as I should have and when we got done,,,I was thinkin how the hell people did that years ago for a living,,,cutting firewood when thats all they had....I'd take any saw over to have to do that again..

 

[GASoline71]

Smallest saw I use is an 044 with a 28" bar. Be it pecker poles, Alder, Big Leaf Maple, Hemlock or BIG Douggies. I gots it covered. Some of the BIG Douggies I get to break out the mean old McCullochs and Homelites with .404" and 1/2" chain...

Gary

 

[Rodbuster22]

I went after a 3 ft oak with an 026 and an 18" bar. I finally got it on the ground and started widdlin' on the top for a while. When I finally got tired of playin' around I took a load home and left the rest laying there.

I'm working on an 066. I'll go back and show that tree a thing or two.

 

[Brian13]

No matter what the tree size is my dad uses his wildthing. I on the other hand bring way to many saws of various sizes to any tree, so that I have underkill and overkill covered.

 

[jdwilson0906]

All i cut is oak and hickory and my 67 year old father will only use his 021 or 260 pro regardless of the size.

 

[Cliniford]

I butchered up an old cottonwood of about 24" with my little homie xl tophandle and 14" bar. Let me say that was a very, very slow but fun process

 

[RandyMac]

No matter what the tree size is my dad uses his wildthing. I on the other hand bring way to many saws of various sizes to any tree, so that I have underkill and overkill covered.

Overkill is always good to have on hand, six cubes is a good start.

 

[Farmall Guy]

I do everything with my 066, 32" bar combo. I just like the power and since most of the trees I mess with are less than 28" the 32 allows me to get through in 1 pass with the big dogs on.... not to mention I dont have to bend down while limbing

I do like to break out my 880 from time to time, 30" bar running an 8 pin rim can be alot of fun for a tank or 2. after that its time to drop back to my smaller 90cc saw

wish I had some bigger trees to mess around with so I could justify the 41 and 47" bars haning on the wall for my 880. Going to look good over my mantel with a 4 foot bar though once I get the house finished up.... I'll call it modern art :jawdrop:

 

[RandyMac]

Yeah Farmall, your best weapon should hang over the mantle, it's traditional.

 

[caotropheus]

"Once upon a time, long time ago, when I was young and completely chainsaw newbie" I had a Stihl 009 L with a 35 cm bar. I was offered a huge dead Mediterranean Cypress with 1.30 m diameter at the trunk dividing (about 2 m from the ground) into main branches about 60 cm each.

I decided to cut the branches first and this proved to be the right decision. I took all the precautions, I build myself a platform on both sides of the tree so could I cut the branches first, I tied a steel cable from the truck to 12 m above ground up in the tree and I started cutting. Wife was driving the truck. I cut and I cut and I cut and it took me about 2 hours to bring down a single branch ! :monkey: How did it happen ? Believe me, I did it all according to the book. I cut a notch, I make the back cut and at a certain poit I tell my wife to drive and pull the tree...and... nothing happen !:monkey: I left about 2 cm of wood as an hinge and even pulling with the truck, nothing happens ?!?!? What a hell?!?!? I keep on cutting with the tiny 009 and soon like in the cartoons I cut this 60 cm diameter huge chunk of wood from side to side and nothing happens !?!??! WTF It just stays over there hanging in the air and it does not fall. I tell to my wife I do not understand what is happening, I cannot see the top because is covered by dead foliage, probably there are branches stuck on each other that avoid the wood I cut from falling to the ground. "Really ?!" she asks me, "Probably" I answer. Then she starts pulling and pulling and pulling violently until that finally the brunch just came down. At the top there were intertwined branches 30 cm thick strong enough to hold the tree in the air to avoid it to be completely cut at the base and fall to the ground !

I was lucky that day that I caused no accident and my conclusion is, what ever the work, work always with the right tools !

 

[Eccentric]

Overkill is always good to have on hand, six cubes is a good start.

That's my new RandyMac siggy quote right there!:agree2:


Hmmmmm......I once pruned a little apple tree with the C5 in my avatar pic. Cut some juniper bushes with it too. That's a bit of big/heavy saw 'overkill'.

Felled, limbed, and bucked a few good size Monterey-Pines and Doug-firs using nothing but my Dad's PM320 and my buddy's Mac110. I was 15 IIRC, and my dang 031 Stihl was being cranky that day. The 320 had a 16" laminated sprocket nose with that goofy 3/8" LP powersharp safety chain, and the 110 had a 12" laminated bar with dull, clapped out 3/8" LP safety chain. That was some frustrating 'underkill' I'd say....

 

[FATGUY]

limbed a mulberry with an 08S.

 

[ckelp]

the frist post i'd ever done here..
http://www.arboristsite.com/showthread.php?t=109760


cutting a 60"+ oak with a 310 and a 3/8 chain on a .325 sprocket and a 20" bar (witch was the biggest saw i had at the time) that was a peach...

 

[Gypo Logger]

First saw I ever used was a 480 Husky, the natives instructed me to dump a 24 Fir and load it on a 24' river boat. I think a beaver could have done a better job, but the tree miracioulsley fell toward the shore, so I blocked it and rolled them on to the boat and took them to camp prouder than punch. That was back in 81 and still haven't gotten my fill 29 years later. The natives cursed me, but it was a good curse.
John

 

[slowp]

"Once upon a time, long time ago, when I was young and completely chainsaw newbie" I had a Stihl 009 L with a 35 cm bar. I was offered a huge dead Mediterranean Cypress with 1.30 m diameter at the trunk dividing (about 2 m from the ground) into main branches about 60 cm each.

I decided to cut the branches first and this proved to be the right decision. I took all the precautions, I build myself a platform on both sides of the tree so could I cut the branches first, I tied a steel cable from the truck to 12 m above ground up in the tree and I started cutting. Wife was driving the truck. I cut and I cut and I cut and it took me about 2 hours to bring down a single branch ! :monkey: How did it happen ? Believe me, I did it all according to the book. I cut a notch, I make the back cut and at a certain poit I tell my wife to drive and pull the tree...and... nothing happen !:monkey: I left about 2 cm of wood as an hinge and even pulling with the truck, nothing happens ?!?!? What a hell?!?!? I keep on cutting with the tiny 009 and soon like in the cartoons I cut this 60 cm diameter huge chunk of wood from side to side and nothing happens !?!??! WTF It just stays over there hanging in the air and it does not fall. I tell to my wife I do not understand what is happening, I cannot see the top because is covered by dead foliage, probably there are branches stuck on each other that avoid the wood I cut from falling to the ground. "Really ?!" she asks me, "Probably" I answer. Then she starts pulling and pulling and pulling violently until that finally the brunch just came down. At the top there were intertwined branches 30 cm thick strong enough to hold the tree in the air to avoid it to be completely cut at the base and fall to the ground !

I was lucky that day that I caused no accident and my conclusion is, what ever the work, work always with the right tools !

That's called limb lock and is a problem sometimes with the smaller trees around here. My back yard has some.

 

[drill.daddy]

my ex asked me to trim the hedges all nice and purty like the neighbors one time , I hop in the truck drive out to shop and at first i pick up my lil 009 , stopped and thought for a moment " this will take way to long". so in true tim taylor fashion i reach and grab the 084 from which maliciously hung a 42 inch bar and 404 chain . Thought to self , " get er dun" . lol . returned home and the ex was sitting on porch waiting on me to start this job . She asked " baby did you get the hedge trimmer " . I replied " yep i sure did . My 009 sports the lil hedge trimmer attatchment . After i anwered he question she ever so gracefully walked her ever so delicate arse back inside where the condition air resided . I think she was allergic to sweat , work , well anything extra caricular that involved more effort than stagnation . Well i drug the saw out the truck . 3 pulls and a flip of the choke lever and the unbridaled carnage began . My ex graced me with her presence again shortly after the blood curling demolition of bushes began , She was screaming unheard of vulagarities that would make a rougneck blush with shame . My excuse for not stopping till i was done was that the noise engulfment from such a large displacement hedge trimmer drowned her ever so delicate voice out . She then told me I was screaming at the top of my lungs for you to stop . I asked her what her problem was that the job was done and done with professional expertese. I thought i did good the bushes were all level and flat from one end of the house slap to the other . And done in a timely manner might i add.
p.s. the nieghbors didnt care for my technique of yard maintenance either .

 

[Brian13]

my ex asked me to trim the hedges all nice and purty like the neighbors one time , I hop in the truck drive out to shop and at first i pick up my lil 009 , stopped and thought for a moment " this will take way to long". so in true tim taylor fashion i reach and grab the 084 from which maliciously hung a 42 inch bar and 404 chain . Thought to self , " get er dun" . lol . returned home and the ex was sitting on porch waiting on me to start this job . She asked " baby did you get the hedge trimmer " . I replied " yep i sure did . My 009 sports the lil hedge trimmer attatchment . After i anwered he question she ever so gracefully walked her ever so delicate arse back inside where the condition air resided . I think she was allergic to sweat , work , well anything extra caricular that involved more effort than stagnation . Well i drug the saw out the truck . 3 pulls and a flip of the choke lever and the unbridaled carnage began . My ex graced me with her presence again shortly after the blood curling demolition of bushes began , She was screaming unheard of vulagarities that would make a rougneck blush with shame . My excuse for not stopping till i was done was that the noise engulfment from such a large displacement hedge trimmer drowned her ever so delicate voice out . She then told me I was screaming at the top of my lungs for you to stop . I asked her what her problem was that the job was done and done with professional expertese. I thought i did good the bushes were all level and flat from one end of the house slap to the other . And done in a timely manner might i add.
p.s. the nieghbors didnt care for my technique of yard maintenance either .

Now that is a good idea, I may just try it.