Finally fired up the Stihl MS 290

If you have to ask ....

Have to admit I had to do a bit of reading on those.... never heard of such a beast!

They are also MUCH easier on saw chain than pry bars.

Glad you like it.

That's generally the way CAD starts . and , as others have suggested ,get a couple of plastic wedges, or cut a few out of a two by . Cheaper than chains .

I started with a 290, then shortly after came the 460. The wife bought me the 180 for christmas one year and by then the cad had started to really set in. Bought the 031 as a fixer upper and the 032 about a week later. Really want another saw bad now, 660 or 880. Was told by a guy that we should consider cad to be a disorder instead of a disease because every now and then they come up with a cure for a disease. We wouldn't want that now would we?

Ok Dyno, we're now officially in competition to see who goes broke first buying & fixing used saws. A C

Will give you some time to get some PPE before cutting again....

my 044 fills with fuel if i let it sit for a week and i have to pull the plug out and turn it over before i can start it... seems i should run it out of fuel instead of shutting it down i think.

Keep an eye over your shoulder guys, I still have lots of old ammo I'm actively trying to trade. Currently talking with a couple guys on trades; one for 2- 031AV (one running one not), one for a 290 Farm Boss (like new), one for a 360 pro (very good condition). Wheeling and dealing in NE OH. I've got this add up on several of the local CL.

http://akroncanton.craigslist.org/bar/3414563947.html

Downriggers and lines are set - trolling for Stihls on CL. Hooked and reeled in a nice running MS460 with it last week. I've got that CAD real bad, itching all over!

Ok Boog, you're in too! Btw nice find on the 460. A C

How will we determine who wins? Will it be the first one who is homeless but has the most saws!

I was just wondering because I will not give in, but my wife was ready to throw in the towel. The moment I said that my next saw would be big enough to cut a log the size of a round bale and blow chips big enough we could burn!

I like that criteria, let's see where it gets us. All members start shopping now!

I'd put that in my sig line if it was me. A C

Yah, minimum eyes and ears! Boots, jeans and gloves are a good start though.

I'm divorced ..... no one to stop me.....

Right on StihlHead and Nate379! - We should start a thread of the things we did cutting when we were foolish, young and invincible. I came accross a photo of me in my early 20's doing the same thing! Trying out my first Stihl, a 16" 031AV christmas morning: (Check out those 70's bell bottom jeans)





Or this one:




That's one of those 70's Homelite XLs.

Young and reckless. Lucky I made it this far to 57. I've been wearing gloves, eye, hearing, leg (chaps) and fall (full harness) protection for a long time now. Please folks, learn from my stupidity and mistakes!

That's a good idea, I will amend my signature line shortly. Thanks!

Hey Boog, nice old photos. I am all of 2 years younger... looks like the good old days before PPE was invented and no saw brakes to be had. I learned to cut with my dad's Homelite XL when I was 11 or 12. He was a, "hold my beer while I do this" kind of guy, and let us basically do anything with all of his toys.

As for the bell bottom photo, check out the way that you are cutting that wood. That is THE HARDEST way to cut wood! You could flop it over on its side and noodle cut it 10x faster. I will hold off on the climbing critique, but was that a 'Wyle E. Cayte' special cutting method there, cutting the limb you are standing on? Or did you cut it while standing on one of the other limbs that was removed? It hurts my eyes to see such... arborist methods.

I know, never had anyone to teach me the right way to do things back then, discovered "noodling" on my own one day by chance, like, wow, that was easy, and look at all these cool long strips!

Probably cut the end off one handed while standing on that piece, holding on to the branch above, that long ago I can't rememeber for sure. But I'm sure I cut off the remaining stub from the ladder below with chips flying in my unprotected face! That would have been normal back then ........ That's why I said young, stupid, reckless, invincible. That's why a forum like this is so valuable, so us "senior" members can help the rest to learn to do it right.

So my young and stubborn way of not have any PPE is not the norm here then.

Can't really say swagler, I'm new here and have never seen a PPE thread before, and can't tell how "young" you might be from that backside photo. I can only speak for myself, as I have, that I have gone through a complete transition from young and reckless to "senior" and safer. It didn't happen overnight. I would guess its that way with most folks on many issues in life.

Using all the other listed PPE above, I still never used the fall protection until the rung of an old wooden ladder I was standing on 18' up broke while cutting a branch with my running 191T above my head. I fell down THROUGH the ladder taking out two more rungs on the way down still holding the running saw, then free fell from about 15' to the ground. I did have the presence of mind to push the saw away just before I hit the ground. It was still running when I slowly picked myself up and limped over and shut it off. Other than the severe scrapes down both side of my body from the ladder (lucky the old rungs broke clean leaving no jagged edges sticking out) I limped away from that one. I went out and bought a fall harness after that.

Sometimes we have a close call, learn from it, and go on. Sometimes we don't.

That sounds like quite an experience. I stay away from ladder's as much as possible.

Now I do have a fall harness, bought it for hunting. But rarely do I climb to cut. I should get some chaps though, had a close call where I caught my pants with the saw.

I use the harness hunting too. I have sleep apnea and can fall asleep with the drop of a hat sitting in a tree stand on a nice day. Same thing happens driving for awhile ...... but my doctor gave me prescription "amphetamine like go pill" stuff for that