I am excited, now I can't wait to get up to the cabin this weekend to cut some firewood.
Wood cutting newbie needs advice
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I am excited, now I can't wait to get up to the cabin this weekend to cut some firewood.
Ram 1500 with an axe...
Minister of Fire
$589 plus $10 to upgrade to the 20". He threw in a chain and gave me a 20% discount on all accessories. And I bought 3 things of gas to extend the warranty out to 4 years. Bought a helmet, chaps, sharpening kit and case.
I bought it at a local place here in SE Wisconsin.
OK, so remember.....don't let the bar touch the ground....it will dull your chain almost instantly when you cut dirt/grit/rocks/etc. So if you are cutting a log on the ground, cut done to where the bar is close to the ground (but not touching) and block up the log this way. Then roll the whole thing over and finish the cuts. DONT TOUCH THE GROUND!
If the top half of the tip of the bar touches something when spinning, you'll feel some strong "kick back". Always ALWAYS be prepared for this. Always have the left hand on the handle wrap tight enough that when this kick comes you can't easily handle the energy coming back at you. Once you feel this you will know what this is......My 562XP can really produce some torque coming back....so becareful.
Always watch the bar and chain.....it is supposed to stop pretty quickly, but it will spin for a second. Don't let it cut your leg, your foot.
Don't let anyone EVER be behind you when you are cutting. When the wife comes out to watch her man with the new man-toy, and she comes up behind you and you don't know it, pull out of a cut and turn the saw around, it can be the end of a nice time. I always make sure the kids know to never go behind me, or approach from behind, when cutting.
When felling, I'd suggest not having anyone anywhere near you....but someone knowing exactly where you are. I carry my cell phone to the woods and call before I drop a tree, and then call within 5 minutes when it is one the ground. Hopefully if I don't call because the unthinkable happened, someone is on their way. Of course the one time I forgot to call nobody came looking either. Wife must have been mad that day. LMAO
Sharpening is a whole thing to learn....many threads on it.
Remember how she cuts when the chain is brand new...it will be like a hot knife and butter. Over time you will notice a reduction in speed of cutting, and the chips thrown will start to look a little bit more like sawdust. Time to sharpen for sure. If you don't touch the ground and are cutting clean wood, you'll get a few tanks of gas threw the saw before needing to sharpen. If you touch the ground, you might not get through one tank. Depends on the chain type (chisel vs. semi-chisel), what you hit, all sorts of things.
When you get tired, stop. Stupid things usually happen when you aren't paying attention....and being tired, hot, wet as a dog from sweat, sick of the bugs is likely ripe for something stupid.
Don't get distracted when you are cutting. Let that horsefly either take is fill of blood or release the trigger, wait for the saw to stop, and then swat him. The other day I was deep in a big log and I found myself swatting a giant green horsefly on my right forearm with my left hand. Holy cow that was stupid! I think I released the trigger about the same time I swatted.....since the bar was buried in a 24" long near the bottom, I was safe.....but what an incredibly stupid thing to do. It was getting late, I was tired, soaking, and sore.....just opens the door to stupid.
I remember when I bought my first load of logs and was cutting with an inherited old Homelite. I think I was taking about 60 seconds to cut a 9" piece of ash. I had no idea that it should have take about 4 seconds......and yet I spent quite some time. Finally I decided I'd try to sharpen. LMAO.
With your new saw, a 12" log will be cut in 10 seconds or less.....Pull the trigger wide open and then begin the cut. As a newbie, expect the unexpected, and just respect the tool.
If you fell, make sure you have an idea of what you are doing. Know how far to notch, where to notch, look at the lean of the tree, look for dead branches that may fall on your head, etc. Start small...... If you don't have your wedges, I'd say wait. No, you don't need wedges, but boy do they nearly always help out.
Oh yeah, my last thought. I never go into the woods without two saws....because inevitably it seems one will get pinched or something and I'll need the second to cut the other out. If you have only the one....think really hard about any pressure in the tree, how is it going to pinch, etc. Obviously gravity will pull the log down as you cut it, so if you cut in a "midsection" spanning any distance, when you cut it, eventually it will pinch your bar and you'll be stuck. If the tree if bigger than you and you can't roll it around to relieve the pressure, she's not coming out without some serious cutting. Bring an axe or bow saw..... Don't know what you will be cutting, but I'd bet you $1 you'll get the saw pinched if you are out in the woods cutting anything other than cut logs lying flat on the ground. And even then you can get pinched! You don't want to leave your new machine in the bush!
As I tell my daughter when she is learning to drive, she has the ability to kill or be killed now by stupidity. Same think with a chainsaw, especially out in the bush far from the nearest help and aide. Be careful. Few things are as enjoyable to me as cutting in the woods on a gorgeous day and knowing you are providing for yourself....just be thoughtful, respectful, and enjoy it.
If the top half of the tip of the bar touches something when spinning, you'll feel some strong "kick back". Always ALWAYS be prepared for this. Always have the left hand on the handle wrap tight enough that when this kick comes you can't easily handle the energy coming back at you. Once you feel this you will know what this is......My 562XP can really produce some torque coming back....so becareful.
Always watch the bar and chain.....it is supposed to stop pretty quickly, but it will spin for a second. Don't let it cut your leg, your foot.
Don't let anyone EVER be behind you when you are cutting. When the wife comes out to watch her man with the new man-toy, and she comes up behind you and you don't know it, pull out of a cut and turn the saw around, it can be the end of a nice time. I always make sure the kids know to never go behind me, or approach from behind, when cutting.
When felling, I'd suggest not having anyone anywhere near you....but someone knowing exactly where you are. I carry my cell phone to the woods and call before I drop a tree, and then call within 5 minutes when it is one the ground. Hopefully if I don't call because the unthinkable happened, someone is on their way. Of course the one time I forgot to call nobody came looking either. Wife must have been mad that day. LMAO
Sharpening is a whole thing to learn....many threads on it.
Remember how she cuts when the chain is brand new...it will be like a hot knife and butter. Over time you will notice a reduction in speed of cutting, and the chips thrown will start to look a little bit more like sawdust. Time to sharpen for sure. If you don't touch the ground and are cutting clean wood, you'll get a few tanks of gas threw the saw before needing to sharpen. If you touch the ground, you might not get through one tank. Depends on the chain type (chisel vs. semi-chisel), what you hit, all sorts of things.
When you get tired, stop. Stupid things usually happen when you aren't paying attention....and being tired, hot, wet as a dog from sweat, sick of the bugs is likely ripe for something stupid.
Don't get distracted when you are cutting. Let that horsefly either take is fill of blood or release the trigger, wait for the saw to stop, and then swat him. The other day I was deep in a big log and I found myself swatting a giant green horsefly on my right forearm with my left hand. Holy cow that was stupid! I think I released the trigger about the same time I swatted.....since the bar was buried in a 24" long near the bottom, I was safe.....but what an incredibly stupid thing to do. It was getting late, I was tired, soaking, and sore.....just opens the door to stupid.
I remember when I bought my first load of logs and was cutting with an inherited old Homelite. I think I was taking about 60 seconds to cut a 9" piece of ash. I had no idea that it should have take about 4 seconds......and yet I spent quite some time. Finally I decided I'd try to sharpen. LMAO.
With your new saw, a 12" log will be cut in 10 seconds or less.....Pull the trigger wide open and then begin the cut. As a newbie, expect the unexpected, and just respect the tool.
If you fell, make sure you have an idea of what you are doing. Know how far to notch, where to notch, look at the lean of the tree, look for dead branches that may fall on your head, etc. Start small...... If you don't have your wedges, I'd say wait. No, you don't need wedges, but boy do they nearly always help out.
Oh yeah, my last thought. I never go into the woods without two saws....because inevitably it seems one will get pinched or something and I'll need the second to cut the other out. If you have only the one....think really hard about any pressure in the tree, how is it going to pinch, etc. Obviously gravity will pull the log down as you cut it, so if you cut in a "midsection" spanning any distance, when you cut it, eventually it will pinch your bar and you'll be stuck. If the tree if bigger than you and you can't roll it around to relieve the pressure, she's not coming out without some serious cutting. Bring an axe or bow saw..... Don't know what you will be cutting, but I'd bet you $1 you'll get the saw pinched if you are out in the woods cutting anything other than cut logs lying flat on the ground. And even then you can get pinched! You don't want to leave your new machine in the bush!
As I tell my daughter when she is learning to drive, she has the ability to kill or be killed now by stupidity. Same think with a chainsaw, especially out in the bush far from the nearest help and aide. Be careful. Few things are as enjoyable to me as cutting in the woods on a gorgeous day and knowing you are providing for yourself....just be thoughtful, respectful, and enjoy it.
He is wrong on the oiler part. Look at it this way, Adjustable oilers only put out X amount of oil at the max setting. It will oil X amount of bar. Going beyond max bar length it will not oil it. My guess is the guy at the dealer does not run saws much and does not work on them at all.
Congrats on the saw from what I have heard they are very nice saws.
Fred Wright
Minister of Fire
If you haven't done so already, get yourself a pair of plastic felling wedges. They can be got at Amazon or your local saw dealer. Wedges are a must when bucking logs on the ground...they'll keep your bar from getting pinched.
Also, a necessary tool is the cant hook. Makes short work of rolling logs over when bucking.
If a tree, or parts of it falls in a muddy area, avoid cutting the muddy parts. Dirt on the bark will dull your chain in a second. A small ax may be used to remove dirty bark where you wish to cut.
Speaking of dirt in logs, crotches often contain dirt. I dulled a few chains noodling through crotches before finally figuring that one out.
Also, a necessary tool is the cant hook. Makes short work of rolling logs over when bucking.
If a tree, or parts of it falls in a muddy area, avoid cutting the muddy parts. Dirt on the bark will dull your chain in a second. A small ax may be used to remove dirty bark where you wish to cut.
Speaking of dirt in logs, crotches often contain dirt. I dulled a few chains noodling through crotches before finally figuring that one out.
Highbeam
Minister of Fire
Prof
Minister of Fire
And if you have a spare bar and chain you can put it on the power head and free the pinched bar. I held on to my worn bar for this reason. A second saw works too.
Firewood Bandit
Minister of Fire
OK, just made my choice and bought it. Plus chaps, helmet, and chain maintenance tools.
To OP, you made a fine choice!
Read the manual, particularly on how to start and run it, particularly on warm starts.
On the first time you fire it up it is important to run the saw with the bar buried in a large log WOT for at least, 5-10 min. I would even suggest 3/4 of the first tank this way. The auto tune is setting the running parameters when you do this. You can hear the saw making adjustments and see/smell the mixture rate changing richer when you do.
Making a few piddly cuts and letting the saw idle during this critical time will not do you any favors in the long run.
Just ups it to me and I'll break it in. Just had 7 cord of hardwood logs delivered. I have a 576xp that I'm supposed to demo but my little ms260c is hard to beat
Wildo
Minister of Fire
Here is a great little filing helper that fits in your pocket. It is nearly impossible to screw it up with this. http://www.labonville.com/325-Combination-Roller-File-Guide--505698109_p_996.html
TreePointer
Minister of Fire
Good little filing guide. OP needs to determine whether the .325 chain that came with the saw is standard kerf or narrow kerf (H30 chain). The combination roller-file guides are different for each.
Guide for standard kerf chain (H22, H25): 505698109
Guide for narrow kerf chain (H30): 505698108
Firewood Bandit
Minister of Fire
Don't use ever compare a 576XP to an MS260 in the same sentence. That is like comparing an apple to a grape.
I know there is no comparison. That 576xp is almost to much saw for fire wood. Ran it for about an hour today and wow. Think I may see if I can get a demo of the same saw as op bought
Firewood Bandit
Minister of Fire
I am just pimping ya.
Did the 576XP have the big air filter or a normal one. The saw is mighty heavy and real bulky with the large filter on it.
I'm guessing it was standard size. It was heavy but once in a log I appreciated the weight and leverage of the bucking bar. If I had really needed that much saw I'd be all over it.
mustangwagz
Feeling the Heat
Fine choice of brands, now sit down and read and watch tons of sharpening videos and remember to keep the rakers low too othrewise you'll wanna pound your head on the ground. lol i run 3 different husq's in early spring to knock down my pile-o-logs i get, only time i get out the big boy (no longer made 272xp)is when someone else is here running my mid grade saw.
go buy some files, go cut some wood, BE SAFE, and practice sharpening...im sure you'll do fine. Use your head and keep an eye on the oiler, make sure it keeps it oily!
go buy some files, go cut some wood, BE SAFE, and practice sharpening...im sure you'll do fine. Use your head and keep an eye on the oiler, make sure it keeps it oily!
computeruser
Feeling the Heat
The biggest and greatest is not always the best way to go when it comes to chainsaws. Slogging a heavy fecking saw around when you don't need to is tiring, and when you are tired you make mistakes and get hurt. Saws ain't a game. And bars that are longer than necessary just end up getting stuck into things they don't need to - dirt, rocks, other logs - and this either dulls your chain or creates a real safety risk.
The 550xp is a superb choice. You will do well with that. Feed it good gas and oil, keep it clean between uses, and you will be a happy wood cutter for sure!
Work on your sharpening. You have a first-rate saw, but odds are you will not be putting a first-rate edge on your chains (neither will the shop if you take them to them to sharpen, either). Touch chains up regularly, before they become "dull" and require an order of magnitude more work to get back to sharp. A bit of practice, a bit of patience, and you'll soon be doing quite well with a file. And once you get good at it, it'll be a relaxing, zen-like activities that you'll come to enjoy.
If you aren't going to get formal saw training (few of us do, I get that), then at least make a good study of the better how-to videos (Husqvarna's are pretty good, as are many of the non-US based ones) to speed up the learning curve. We have this "it's just a saw" sort of confidence and bravado here in the US, but there is a lot to be said for learning the safest, most productive, most effective technique from the get go, rather than bumbling through and learning by accident.
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