My new chainsaw's first job

[Mt Ski Bum]

I decided to bring my new chainsaw with me when I went home to visit my parents this week (you never know when a good wood cutting opportunity will present itself), and... it just so happens that my dad decided it was time that this spruce bordering the yard (which has been dead for probably 5+ years now) to come down! I'm pretty sure that it is some sort of spruce (possibly Engelmann?), judging by the trees around it, which seem to be Engelmanns. Not a huge tree, but should make for some nice firewood once I buck it later today

 

[bogydave]

Brave fall, looks within feet of the house.
Good work. It's all BTU's

 

[Flatbedford]

What he said. Good thing you didn't knock the house down with the maiden cut!

 

[Mt Ski Bum]

yea, it was within about 3 feet or so of that house. Luckily, that house is vacant & is supposed to be torn down this summer (due to contamination from paint containing PCB's). My dad does want to save the siding on it for use on their current house across the driveway, though- so it's a good thing the tree didn't hit the siding & damage it.

 

[Wood Duck]

I don't know what species, but the general shape of the tree looks like spruce to me.

 

[gzecc]

yea, it was within about 3 feet or so of that house. Luckily, that house is vacant & is supposed to be torn down this summer (due to contamination from paint containing PCB's). My dad does want to save the siding on it for use on their current house across the driveway, though- so it's a good thing the tree didn't hit the siding & damage it.

Whats the deal with the pcb contanimation?

 

[mayhem]

Weird, PCB's usually are in soil and waterways in my experience. Never, ever heard of PCB contaminated paint, especially in a house. Lead, yes...PBCs? No.

Good drop...too close for my comfort zone personally.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

A great way to break in a new saw. Congratulations.

 

[billb3]

PCBs are being found in more and more paint as demolition projects are testing for contaminants.
Gotta follow disposal rules or you can end up in court decades later.
Apparently used as a plasticizer in pigment .

More likely that house has a long list of contaminants and problems of which a rather high level of PCB in some painted walls are a problem.

 

[Mt Ski Bum]

yea, it was within about 3 feet or so of that house. Luckily, that house is vacant & is supposed to be torn down this summer (due to contamination from paint containing PCB's). My dad does want to save the siding on it for use on their current house across the driveway, though- so it's a good thing the tree didn't hit the siding & damage it.

Whats the deal with the pcb contanimation?

Long story... here's the brief version of what happened- back in the '60's, PCB's were used in water-proof marine paint, & the raceways (fish ponds) at the state fish hatchery up here were painted with pcb paint during that time. Then, they used some of the leftover pcb paint to paint the basement of one of the state employee houses (the one in the pic.). Over time, paint flakes got circulated through the central air funace, thus speading pcbs throughout the house. The state decided it would be too costly to clean up the house, & decided to eventually remove it.
We also used that same paint (before it became a problem) to paint my treehouse in that yard back when I was a kid... the treehouse had to be removed also.

Google something like "Lewistown, Mt fish hatchery PCBs" if you want to find out more...

As for the wood, I got it all bucked into length yesterday, & then used my new Gerber (Fiskars) splitting axe (equivelent to the X25, I believe) to split the rounds... I love buying new wood-cutting tools