Bought a new chainsaw – seeking advice on log sizes and safety

[chad101]

So far I have been paying for wood and it's hit or miss for me. Either the wood is not fully seasoned or I get ripped off and end up with maybe 3/4 of a cord.

I bought a 20" chainsaw and I'm anxious to take walk in the woods and look for some fallen trees. I'm curious about what log sizes are worth while to keep. Should I also save branches (i.e. less than 6” in diameter)?

Also, when do I split the rounds? I heard it's harder to split green wood but it takes longer for unsplit wood to season.

What about cutting the green rounds (w/ chainsaw) vertically in half to hasten the seasoning process?

FYI: Today was the first time I have ever used a chain saw, if you have any safety tips I would greatly appreciate those to. I will be doing most of the cutting out in the woods by myself.

 

[Gary_602z]

Protective Gear!! If you can have someone show you about using a saw for awhile it would be well worth it. If you must cut alone make sure you have your cell phone on you and not in your truck or tractor ,etc.

Gary

 

[Danno77]

less than 6"???? heck yeah, I'd save anything down to about, i dunno, 3-4 inches.

what saw did you get? this is your first saw, so did you get that menards $99 deal that I got for my backup saw? that Blue Max "Super Steel"

 

[Bigg_Redd]

So far I have been paying for wood and it's hit or miss for me. Don't buy wood at the last minute Either the wood is not fully seasoned or I get ripped off and end up with maybe 3/4 of a cord.

I bought a 20" chainsaw and I'm anxious to take walk in the woods and look for some fallen trees. I'm curious about what log sizes are worth while to keep. That is a question only you can answer. My dad leaves nothing behind whereas I'm far more selective. Should I also save branches (i.e. less than 6” in diameter)?

Also, when do I split the rounds? ASAP I heard it's harder to split green wood but it takes longer for unsplit wood to season. It varies from species to species but I find that fresh green or several years old doesn't matter much

What about cutting the green rounds (w/ chainsaw) vertically in half to hasten the seasoning process? WTF? This is more work than just splitting them.

FYI: Today was the first time I have ever used a chain saw, if you have any safety tips I would greatly appreciate those to. I will be doing most of the cutting out in the woods by myself. Be careful and use your head. There's no special trick to it.

 

[chad101]

Protective Gear!! If you can have someone show you about using a saw for awhile it would be well worth it. If you must cut alone make sure you have your cell phone on you and not in your truck or tractor ,etc.

Gary

Gloves, safety glasses & cell phone (hell, I even have some hard hats lol) will be packed in the same duffel bag. I don't have any friends who have used a chainsaw a before, not sure who else i can ask.

less than 6"???? heck yeah, I'd save anything down to about, i dunno, 3-4 inches.

what saw did you get? this is your first saw, so did you get that menards $99 deal that I got for my backup saw? that Blue Max "Super Steel"

Ha ha ha!! Yea, you guessed it! I almost bought 2 of them. I figured it would be wise to buy a cheap one for starters. When I know more about them I'll get my hands on stihl.

 

[atvdave]

I don't think that splitting green wood is any harder than splitting dry wood. But now now that I have my own splitter, I don't have to worry about it.

For safety I use ear muffs, safety glasses, and gloves. Most others recommend Chaps, steel toe boots, and a helmet with a face shield.

 

[chad101]

What about cutting the green rounds (w/ chainsaw) vertically in half to hasten the seasoning process? WTF? This is more work than just splitting them.

I wasn't sure if a chainsaw would "rip" right through it or not. I also heard it dulls the blades allot quicker to...Just wondering

 

[Danno77]

Ha ha ha!! Yea, you guessed it! I almost bought 2 of them. I figured it would be wise to buy a cheap one for starters. When I know more about them I'll get my hands on stihl.

LOL, yeah, i wonder about this saw. I have a feeling that in about one or two years one of us will be looking for another one of these saws for the parts. There is NO information on the maker and certainly no access to parts.

On a similar and funny note I pulled the saw out of the box to put it together and I thought I knew where everything went, but there was a spring and a little white piece. I looked in the manual, i looked online, i just couldn't figure it out. turns out they included extra parts for the safety brake. Kinda felt like buying a new car and they had an extra alternator in the back seat. it leaves ya wondering how confident they are in the quality of their product. Does a Stihl saw come with extra parts like that? maybe it's a common thing.

let me know what you think about it when you use it. i'm sure i'll post too. I'll let you know when i get a better chain for it too, i bet that'll help.

 

[chad101]

Ha ha ha!! Yea, you guessed it! I almost bought 2 of them. I figured it would be wise to buy a cheap one for starters. When I know more about them I'll get my hands on stihl.

LOL, yeah, i wonder about this saw. I have a feeling that in about one or two years one of us will be looking for another one of these saws for the parts. There is NO information on the maker and certainly no access to parts.

On a similar and funny note I pulled the saw out of the box to put it together and I thought I knew where everything went, but there was a spring and a little white piece. I looked in the manual, i looked online, i just couldn't figure it out. turns out they included extra parts for the safety brake. Kinda felt like buying a new car and they had an extra alternator in the back seat. it leaves ya wondering how confident they are in the quality of their product. Does a Stihl saw come with extra parts like that? maybe it's a common thing.

let me know what you think about it when you use it. i'm sure i'll post too. I'll let you know when i get a better chain for it too, i bet that'll help.

The gas cap was missing on mine. I had to exchange it for another one. Before I left, I opened the new box in front of the clerk to verify it had a gas cap! That's not a good confidence booster for me lol!! Maybe someone in QC was sleeping when this saw rolled down the line.

I'm not sure if other chainsaw manufactures give you spare parts. This is my first saw. I'm not too fond of all the plastic though, it almost feels like a toy to me.

I know Stihl makes a great saw, but that's all know about them. I won't buy one until I get some experience cutting with the one I have. I'd hate to screw up a $400/500 saw due to ignorance.

 

[computeruser]

Buy yourself some damned protective chaps and wear them. Accidents happen. This makes them hurt less.

I keep everything >3" when I'm cutting whole trees, but usually get my wood in 8-16' log length, 8-20" diameter (yeah, I got the hookup!). I split as soon as practical after getting the wood home. The sooner it is split, the sooner it starts drying at a respectable rate. Some species are more tolerant of not being split (ash, for example), others like Oak (takes forever!) or paper birch (will rot internally otherwise) require it. All of this sort of info is available online. Do some reading, soak up the info and opinions, and you'll soon see the answers that you need.

If you're looking for a good overview of safety and saw operation, there are many threads on here and on AS about this stuff.

Summary:

1. Keep your saw out of the dirt. Seriously
2. Mind the bar tip. Always.
3. Keep your chain sharp. When the chips get small or turn to dust, it is past time to sharpen.
4. Use good gas and great oil.
5. Keep air filters clean.
6. Keep your saw tuned right. You can listen to saw tuning demos online (Madsens, youtube). Tuning is best accomplished by ear and seat-of-the-pants in the cut; a tach is nice (I have one) but the other methods are more relevant 99% of the time.

 

[savageactor7]

chad with all the other good advice above you might find it helpful to hook up with a wood cutting friend or neighbor. While woodcutting isn't rocket science it does have its nuances that are best communicated in person.

 

[Spikem]

Among other things mentioned and not mentioned:

1. Keep the filters clean.
2. Keep the fuel mix (50 to 1) as fresh as possible. If you have a mix longer than a few months with no other additives, get rid of it.
3. Keep the chain sharp.
4. Don't keep fuel in the saw for extended periods of time. Ever. (When I'm done, if I'm not going to use it for a while, I empty it.)
5. Keep it clean.
6. Find a "power equipment" shop near you and cultivate a relationship with them. You can learn a lot from them and it's better to have a resource that knows the equipment.
7. Don't even start the saw without the PPE; it's said the average chainsaw injury is 110+ stiches.
8. Learn the capabilities of the tool.
9. Let the tool do the job it designed to do. Forcing it is dangerous and reduces the life expectancy of the tool.
10. A good rule of thumb - every time you fill the gas/oil resevoir do the same to the bar oil resevoir. If you cut until you run out of gas it's not a problem - if you run out of bar oil while cutting, you're in big trouble.
11. Use proper fluids and don't skimp. High octane gas and proper gas/oil mix and bar oil. You'll be spending a goodly amount on a saw so don't go cheap on what goes in them.
12. Always realize your surroundings - terrain, what's overhead and your footing.

 

[Kong]

It would not hurt a thing if you had started with a Stihl, there is just one thing you absolutly have to know to do to retain the value of one of them. Really, just one thing, that is mix oil with the gas in the proper perportions. You could go to E-Bay right now and buy a dozen Stihl saws that have less than 1 hours use on them with siezed pistons. Other than that the worse thing you could do is eat up some normally consumed items a bit sooner than normal; destroy a chain and goober up a guidebar maybe, but you're not going to hurt the saw. The thing will last you forever if you just take simple care of it.

I was going to tell you the safety thing, but not about wearing hats or chaps or ear plugs, nothing like that. Just watch out for that chain. Respect it. No kidding. I want you to understand the kind of cut it will make if it even bumps into you while its spinning. It will rip out a chunk of meat about a quarter inch wide that no doctor is going to be able to sew back together and make it look right. That is you don't bleed to death first. So for goodness sakes, if you do nothing else have great respect for that chain. If its spinning when you aren't cutting either tighten it up a little bit, hit the chain brake, or at least stuff it into a chunk of wood - but don't let it sit there spinning just waiting for you to trip over a limb or a briar, or maybe swat at an annoying inscect, and bang - you hand or leg hits that chain and now you whole world changes. Be careful.

Sorry to be so graphic. You should see the scar on my right kneecap.

 

[i3bpvh]

Didn't see it mentioned above, but number one thing to do is read the manual, then read it again. Start with some small stuff to get comfortable with it, then start moving up. You'll figure it out, and if you have any questions keep coming back here. I bought my first saw this year (and stove), and the people here have been wonderful.

 

[Danno77]

since we both have this same saw, let me say that I've read through the manual and it may show you the basics for getting it started, but it isn't very comprehensive. read around on this forum for good and safe cuttng techniques. even if you chose not to follow all of the advice at least you'll have a good understanding of what is suggested and the pros v cons of methods. I've learned more on this site than anywhere else, next to real world exposure to a lot of different stuff.

It's been said several times, but if you you are scared of your saw (not too scared, but scared enough to respect it) then you are in a good spot. always assume that your saw would like to (forgive the gore) cut your head off, rip the flesh from your legs, feet, and anything else it can get ahold of. it can and will kill you. there are not many other things in such a small package that can kill you this fast. I read once that a chainsaw chain travels at 45mph. Consider that a kickback, then, is sending a handfull of knives attached to a 10lb weight straight at you from arms length. it went from 0-45 in an instant, do you think you can react? I've still got a mild knot on my shin as a reminder that it's so fast you had better be relying on more than skill for protection.

ok, as far as this particular saw goes, i dunno about it. it calls for 25:1 mix, so that's what I've got sitting in a new gallon can outside (wasn't that kinda cool that it came with a bottle for mix that is exactly one tank full?) it takes a .325 .058 20" chain, so I was looking at some at bailey's website. probably be ordering a full chisel for it. I'm sure people will say it's not powered well enough for the 20" bar with a full chisel, but it's only a teensy bit smaller than my Stihl and i think it cuts great with that long of a bar with a semi chisel (many people say it's only good for 16, MAYBE 18, but i disagree).

 

[kevin j]

stihl website has a video, or you can buy on dvd for $5, about an hour of saw operation, safety, basic maintenance, etc.
also Carlton, Oregon, Husqvarna all have good info on their sites.

best to go with an experienced person first, or at least don't go alone.


sharp chain, learn how to file, safety first and you will do fine.

 

[leaddog]

When you are cutting always use two hands on the saw with your body square to the saw and your feet on solid footing. Don't reach out too far as you don't have control. Watch for pinch of the chain and if a limb is bent remember it WILL move when cut. I've been lifted up and moved over two feet when a 2in limb gave way.
Always look for limbs and trees that can brake if the tree you are cutting hit them. A 2in x4ft broken limb falling can kill you and a bigger chunk WILL. They call these widowmakers. Dead trees can and do bust in half as they fall and they really try and hit you.
leaddog

 

[twitch]

I didn't see it mentioned in this thread, but there were some good reviews about a book in the thread below
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/43054/

I haven't read it, but might be worth a look

 

[kevin j]

Good point.
I have this and like it and learned a lot. Modern style, lot of good info, and his style is like the modern industrial 'job briefing' process. Define the tasks, safety hazards, plans to minimize risk, who does what, what results are, etc. Although the title is To Fell A Tree, it has good info on the whole process of woodcutting.
Baileys has it about $15 I think. Maybe amazon, not sure.

Jepsons first book about Climibng and knots is good also. Easy read, good pics, well laid out.

Dent's book Professional Tree Falling is the classic, but for me (firewood cutter only) it is much older, more academic and wordy, and more aimed at the PNW lumber industry.

 

[Tony H]

It's not a wise idea to go cutting by yourself even if the other person knows nothing about chainsaws they can go get help if you get injured or caught under a tree .
I have never been cut by the saw however I have has logs roll over on my foot before. I was not injured but it could have been much worse. When starting go for down dead stuff you can cut on the ground it's safer .