My first scrounge with my newly acquired chain saw.
Not a huge score... But it's oak, and free!
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Not a huge score... But it's oak, and free!
First scrounge with my first chain saw
- Thread starter Cornflakes
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bryan
Member
Nope! Also the owner sounded like an old fella, so I was happy to help clear his yard out. Win-win.
As a new to chainsaw user, have you been introduced to PPE (personal protection equipment)? If you don't already have them, at a minimum I would suggest chainsaw chaps. I won't start my saw without them (and I have been doing it for awhile.)
Yes I have looked into PPE. I have eating protection, safety glasses, gloves and steel toe boots... All of which I already owned. I have zero money to purchase anything at the moment. I'm only dealing with a 16inch 38cc saw, so it's easily manageable, yet still highly respected.
You hit your knee cap or femoral artery it really doesn't matter if it is a "wild thing" or a Stihl 660. Not chastising here, just pointing out that your 38cc saw is no more safe than a big gun is when it comes to squishy human parts. Keep safe, my friend, and save those nickels.
I agree with Jags on PPE. A small investment in PPE can save you potentially $ thousands in medical bills. At the advice of those here when I got my first saw I did not start it until I had chaps, hand, ear, eye and foot protection. It is also good to scope out cuts before you make them to be sure the top 1/2 of the nose of your bar does not come in contact with anything while in the cut or pulling out of the cut for that matter. Also make sure your body mass is offset from the bar/chain as much as possible while making a cut. Congrats on the saw and the scrounge!
English BoB
Minister of Fire
Yep. My ER room deductible was $300.25. Chaps were $65.
Nice first score.
Nice first score.
Oh - and by the way - I in no way want to diminish the awesomeness of your score.
I loves me some oak.
I loves me some oak.
Montanalocal
Minister of Fire
My most important safety feature is a hard hat, especially when felling tall long-dead beetle-killed pines. The minute it start to tip, dead disconnected limbs can come straight down. One of them, sharp pointed, can come straight down on to your head and come out the bottom of your jaw.
jeffesonm
Minister of Fire
Sweet score! The first of many to come I'm sure. Oak takes a while to dry but burns great once it does.
I'd agree it's worth saving your pennies for the at least the chaps. I bought a hard hat too but never really use it.
I'd agree it's worth saving your pennies for the at least the chaps. I bought a hard hat too but never really use it.
OldLumberKid
Feeling the Heat
Congratulations, and savor the moment — that's also a great haul for a first foray.
I remember first scrounges about 3 years ago. I'm still seasoning (red oak) and burning much of that wood from that year. Some pieces I can still remember dragging into my van from the roadside.
^
Sage advice. Also try to plan out whether you are in a situation where the bar might get pinched at some point during the cut, and what your options are.
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Also with a smaller saw (like mine) its pretty easy to over-extend, reach, and otherwise get carried away, like when limbing the tops off a tree you just felled and you feel like you can fly though it like Superman - which can kick you in the a$$. In that sense, my little Husky 136 is even more dangerous than the big Stihl my buddy is running on the bottom end of the tree, while I clean up the top (BTW friends with saws are a good thingYou hit your knee cap or femoral artery it really doesn't matter if it is a "wild thing" or a Stihl 660. Not chastising here, just pointing out that your 38cc saw is no more safe than a big gun is when it comes to squishy human parts. Keep safe, my friend, and save those nickels.
). Treat every saw with respect. Kudos on the scrounge, free firewood especially oak, is a vey satisfying and rewarding thing.
OHutton
Member
Nice lil score, Corn. Get those bigger pieces split and in the sun and keep hunting. I'm a new scrounger myself and have taken my paternity leave that I'm currently on to get about 2 cords and counting so far. Not all have been pure scrounges though. My best pure scrounge involved me looking up the land owner of an empty lot who had a bunch of walnut limbs laying there from a huge tree that was cut for lumber. Got in contact with him and he said I could have the limbs and I got an easy 1/2 cord there. He was a little confused when I first called him and suspiciously asked how I got his number. I had an answer ready so I didn't sound like TOO much of a creep.
Not to pile on, but I got these chaps: http://smile.amazon.com/Husqvarna-5...qid=1425140957&sr=8-1&keywords=chainsaw+chaps
The clincher was reading the first few reviews.
Not to pile on, but I got these chaps: http://smile.amazon.com/Husqvarna-5...qid=1425140957&sr=8-1&keywords=chainsaw+chaps
The clincher was reading the first few reviews.
They all add up, small scores or not....just keep after them and you'll see they add up.
Just one thing, how are you going to explain to the wife how the back of your van got all scratched up?
Just one thing, how are you going to explain to the wife how the back of your van got all scratched up?
You hit your knee cap or femoral artery it really doesn't matter if it is a "wild thing" or a Stihl 660. Not chastising here, just pointing out that your 38cc saw is no more safe than a big gun is when it comes to squishy human parts. Keep safe, my friend, and save those nickels.
Sorry, I've not been on.... crappy work hours and lack of sleep leaves me grumpy and anti-social! lol...
I concur, I know I'm still handling a dangerous piece of hardware... which is why I said it is still highly respected. Money is tight, but I will get some chaps sooner than later.
Unfortunately my saw is out of commission at the moment. One of the fuel lines going to the primer button broke off... probably brittle from sitting in my father in-laws garage since the early 2000's. I have yet to open her up and replace. Looks like a pain in the arse..... but people say its not too difficult.
Oldman47
Minister of Fire
Cornflakes. Get that saw to a reputable repair shop. My own old saw, a Stihl 026, came in under $50 for a new fuel pickup tube, a new plug and the labor to take care of it for me and tweak it in on the tune. Mine would have been a PITA but for the guy in the shop with all the right tools it was routine work that he only charged me 1/4 hour to do. It did sit on the shelf a couple of days until the parts arrived though.
ambull01
Feeling the Heat
What's eating protection? A muzzle? lol just kidding
Where in MD are you? I have a Makita 6421 with 20" bar. Purposely made it do a kick back to see the amount of force I would have to deal with. Even though I did it intentionally and braced myself it almost caught me off guard. That bar will flick back real quick, scared me a bit. Chaps are my #1 priority right now.
I replaced the fuel line on my old Homelite. It was a piece of cake and real cheap.
yea I going to attempt to replace all the lines since it sat so long. hopefully i don't cuss much... my patience has been thin lately...
OldLumberKid
Feeling the Heat
Definitely got my attention the first time it happened to me, and I'll ditto the "scared me a bit" part, too. Sure reminds one about why one holds the saw kind of to the side when sawing
When I got my first chainsaw I underestimated how quickly chains can become dull. It can happen with the slightest touch of the chain on dirt, a small bit of metal in the wood, or even dirty wood.. Watch the chips the saw is throwing - they should be large chips, not sawdust. Cutting with a sharp chain is worlds apart form cutting with a dull chain. You'll want to learn how to sharpen it yourself, which is easy with a $10 file and guide, plus some online videos.
This is the reason that I often repeat - "hold the saw like it is gonna try and kill you".
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