Have a search for "v8 chainsaw" on yewchewb for an exercise in excess, from the yanks of course! Slightly less than 2 seconds to cut through a log that's somewhere between 18 and 24 inches in diameter. Not bad for a hand-held chainsaw, even if it needs four hands attached to two huge blokes.
Yep, that's the one, the V8 chainsaw I just posted about! A bit excessive for lane clearances ;-)
On or around Wed, 12 Mar 2008 11:07:27 +0000, Pete M enlightened us thusly:
and having got that, this is what you do with the regular chainsaws:
Even a lecky one could give it a nasty knock ...
Firstly I didn't say I never did it ;-) but if you stop and think about it there are often other ways around the problem, so there won't be many occasion that warrant using a chainsaw overhead. One of the things about mentioning unsafe practices is to make someone stop and think, then perhaps proceed more cautiously.
It's a simple fact that should you choose to work with a chainsaw above chest height you will not be assessed as competent in its use!
AJH
You're right, I carry a 4.5lb Elwell, the bigger axe is much better and it keeps you further out of danger, but for a general tool kit the boy scout size is easier to store.
As I generally have axe and power saw I seldom need it but it does have a big advantage over any sawblade and that's when the tension in a limb is unexpected.
The advantage the crosscut saws have over the chainsaw is about 1/3 the kerf!
In 1978 I was working with a 78 year old who would challenge youngsters to fell 5" oaks. From a cold start he invariably beat the chainsaw.
AJH
On or around Wed, 12 Mar 2008 21:46:37 +0000, AJH enlightened us thusly:
See, that's where I have a problem. It is possible to mitigate the risk (by using suitable safety gear), and to work competently if you take the right care and precautions.
And sometimes, it's not practical to avoid a risky situation. Obviously, if you can avoid it you do, since it's easier to work at waist-level or below than overhead. But if to avoid working overhead for 5 minutes you spend a day getting an access platform in to do 5 minutes work, then that's silly. And if as a result you leave a road blocked which could have been cleared a day earlier, the consequences are out of proportion.
On or around Wed, 12 Mar 2008 17:29:58 -0000, "Rich B" enlightened us thusly:
but the risk of inadvertent autobobbitting would, I venture to suggest, be practically non-existent.
On or around Wed, 12 Mar 2008 21:46:37 +0000, AJH enlightened us thusly:
yeah, well, you have an overhead in cold-starting the saw.
I doubt he'd beat them in felling 10 such trees in succession.
Coming late to this thread, but what the heck. I have found for general/camping use the best combination is a folding pruning saw (About
9-10" blade) and a good old machete. Two weekend ago I took the top out of a sycamore with this lot cutting anything up to 6" without a problem. Clearing it up, that is a completely different problem.Giles
So far I've not needed owt more than a bowsaw and a folding saw, but then that's for occasional hacking on a lane, for cutting the firewood I bought a cheap electric chainsaw, if I used the bowsaw for firewood I'd be so hot I wouldn't need the bloody fire!
On or around Thu, 13 Mar 2008 15:28:01 +0000, Ian Rawlings enlightened us thusly:
yebbut, that's the point, innit. Logs keep you warm several times:
1) felling the tree 2) carting it home 3) sawing it up and splitting the logs 4) burning it.
You forgot "dropping stuff on your toes or snagging your hand and hopping around in a rage", I'd suggest that goes inbetween 1 and 2. And 2 and 3, plus 3 and 4.
If you are using one yourself, on your own property it's not necessary. If you are going to use one where the public have access then you really need liability insurance, which you won't get without the certificate.
Case in point - One club I belong to frequently have voluntary work parties to maintain grounds they own. The organisers stipulate that no-one may use any power tool on the site, except a certificated and insured person, as it a requirement of the club's insurance - and they adhere to this rigidly.
On the other hand, another club I belong to also have similar working parties, but they do not impose any such rules, and if a tree needs "attention" someone with a chainsaw(and there's quite a few of us) just does it! In this case we just apply common sense and awareness, in keeping with the risks involved with powered equipment.
Felling and limbing trees is easier by chainsaw, but the real bonus of the chainsaw is when bucking or chopping up the timber into usable or manageable pieces. Or it is in my experience!
Actually there's a very good chainsaw manual available to download from Stihl's website. Not only does it cover maintenance of the machine but also some good guidance to new chainsaw users. I don't have the website to hand but it's not hard to find.
Neil
(Reply via NG please)
In article , Austin Shackles writes
My grandfather had (and regularly used) a 2-man chainsaw. They are frightening.
Regards,
Simonm.
Lee
Apologies if any of this has been said much later in this, highly amusing, thread:
I looked into buying a chainsaw and found the following: you cannot buy a top hand saw (i.e. tree surgeon's saw for one handed use) without the appropriate bits of paper. This should not be a problem as they are terribly dangerous and not what you want. A Hat with good eye protection is essential, gloves, trousers and boots are a good investment. Trousers need only protect the front and sides of the leg in single user situations - apparently full leg protection is more for forestry work when the possibility of contact with someone else exists.
YOu can buy a two-handed saw without any demonstration of competance and you can hire one from a very few places without a certificate, maybe none now.
Buy a Stihl if you can afford it. McCulloch/Ryobi/Electrolux(?) are all worth what you pay for them. Be realistic about the length of bar you need - you may be able to cut up an 18" diameter tree but can you then move the logs created or do you carry enough fuel to cut it into portable fragements?
Practice using the saw with the bar offset from your leg - it feels much more comfortable using the saw with the bar lined up with your right leg and that lovely Femoral artery!
In the end I never did buy a chainsaw - much to the relief of SWMBO ;-)
Richard
And buy an Oleo Mac if you can't afford a Stihl.
I had one (a Teles) but lent it to a college and they lost it!
We occasionally use a two man planking device which is two Stihls joined by a common bar, it's still frightening though.
AJH
The web is a weird thing.
A few years ago I looked for 2-man chainsaw pics, and found a whole ONE. I looked today and there are dozens. I was trying to identify which one they had. I think it was North American (it definitely had handlebar-type handles at both ends) and it had a really long bar, probably six feet or more. It was probably lend-lease or immediately post-war (most of their kit was), but it's a long time ago that I saw it...
I still can't imagine having the nerve to be on the unpowered end!
Regards,
Simonm.
Know anything about planking and band-mills instead of saws Andrew ? I have some nice 9" sycamore trunks I'd like to convert !
Steve
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