My first saw!

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SeanG

Member
Feb 25, 2015
92
Charlottesville, VA
Hi all,

I just ran through the first tank of gas in my new Stihl 211C. This being my first chainsaw I don't really have anything to compare it to but I sure do like using it. I cut down a Mimosa tree for my neighbor as a test run. Small tree maybe only 5" at the base. I also had a few logs that I had scrounged over the summer from here and there and had a blast cutting them into rounds.

The Easy Start feature and no tool chain adjuster are really nice features for a newbie like me. I'm young so I wouldn't have trouble starting a saw but being able to barely pull back on the saw and have it roar to life was enjoyable.

BTW, I kept the mimosa rounds because after reading here that a few people really like how it burns. So, my first time out with the saw actually put some heat in the bank.

Cheers,

Sean
 
Yeah the easy start is nice. I'm not actually a fan of the no tool adjuster. That is because I cut a lot of pine and it tends to need cleaning and gets gummed up. I'm not sure how mimosa wood is.

Anyways, be safe, wear chaps, goggles, boots!
 
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Just remember, two handles, two hands, and two eyes. They all work together nicely. That means keep your hands on both handles, there is no such thing as a one handed chainsaw no matter what anyone says. Then keep an eye on what your doing, not cutting something and watching the girl next door.

I cut out a Mimosa earlier this year because the root system was heading towards my septic system. That wood was added to my recent wood piles that I will be burning at least 4 seasons from now. I have no idea how it will burn or if it will burn for that matter. I do hope y'all followed up felling that tree with some kind of herbicide or the tree will grow back. Cut it all the way to the ground, below if possible, drill some holes in it and cover with Round-Up or like I did, 42% glycophosphate. The same applies for the Tree of Heaven.

It was a sad moment when I decided that Mimosa had to go since the hummingbirds loved it and it was growing better than my other 3. (This year I had almost 40 hummingbirds hitting the feeders including a stranger. A black chinned hummingbird common in Texas and throughout the southwest including California)

As I said, keep your eyes on whatever your cutting along with keeping both hands on both handles of the chainsaw. And absolutely NO drugs or alcohol are to be consumed before or during the use of the chainsaw. If your impaired, you could make a mistake, and some mistakes can be fatal. That includes bucking your logs into rounds!
 
chazcarr said:
Yeah the easy start is nice. I'm not actually a fan of the no tool adjuster. That is because I cut a lot of pine and it tends to need cleaning and gets gummed up. I'm not sure how mimosa wood is.

Anyways, be safe, wear chaps, goggles, boots!
Click to expand...

Thanks. I have all the gear save for steel toed boots. Wore my heavy hiking boots but maybe I need to invest in some steel toes. Do you wear kevlar gloves? Which chaps are the most protective? I have the Husqvarna ones now. They were the only ones I could find this weekend.

BTW, I will be cutting a lot of pine next weekend. What do you recommend to clean the saw and are there any techniques that you prefer.

The mimosa wood was very wet but I didn't notice any sap/pitch.
 
Little Digger said:
Just remember, two handles, two hands, and two eyes. They all work together nicely. That means keep your hands on both handles, there is no such thing as a one handed chainsaw no matter what anyone says. Then keep an eye on what your doing, not cutting something and watching the girl next door.

I cut out a Mimosa earlier this year because the root system was heading towards my septic system. That wood was added to my recent wood piles that I will be burning at least 4 seasons from now. I have no idea how it will burn or if it will burn for that matter. I do hope y'all followed up felling that tree with some kind of herbicide or the tree will grow back. Cut it all the way to the ground, below if possible, drill some holes in it and cover with Round-Up or like I did, 42% glycophosphate. The same applies for the Tree of Heaven.

It was a sad moment when I decided that Mimosa had to go since the hummingbirds loved it and it was growing better than my other 3. (This year I had almost 40 hummingbirds hitting the feeders including a stranger. A black chinned hummingbird common in Texas and throughout the southwest including California)

As I said, keep your eyes on whatever your cutting along with keeping both hands on both handles of the chainsaw. And absolutely NO drugs or alcohol are to be consumed before or during the use of the chainsaw. If your impaired, you could make a mistake, and some mistakes can be fatal. That includes bucking your logs into rounds!
Click to expand...

Thanks for the tips. I will let my neighbor know about killing the root system on that tree.

Next up is an Ailanthus tree, aka Tree of Heaven. It's right between our houses though and it will be a tricky removal. We may have to call in the professionals.
 
All good tips from these guys. Anyone who has witnessed a chainsaw mishap will agree, the chainsaw doesn't make a nice clean wound.
 
SeanG said:
Thanks. I have all the gear save for steel toed boots
Click to expand...
Total Kevlar boots with steel toes for me. My feet are just as important as toes. Check out Labonville.
 
barmstrong2 said:
All good tips from these guys. Anyone who has witnessed a chainsaw mishap will agree, the chainsaw doesn't make a nice clean wound.
Click to expand...

Or laid on the table in the ER while the two guys stitching your left leg discuss their golf game until you yank their chain.

Feet are important. Why I cut wood in Matterhorn miner's boots with steel toes, Kevlar and steel metatarsal shield. The first place the saw is probably gonna head for is the top of your foot. But they cost a car payment.
 
Nice little saw. Are you running a 14 or a 16 inch bar on it?
 
SeanG said:
Next up is an Ailanthus tree, aka Tree of Heaven. It's right between our houses though and it will be a tricky removal. We may have to call in the professionals.
Click to expand...

If you don't have a lot of experience with tree felling/removal, calling a pro is the right thing to do. With even the slightest chance that it could hit one of the houses, it's not worth the risk of causing damage to your house or your neighbor's house.

Congrats on the new saw and it sounds like you've got the PPE save for the boots. Not only can the steel toes protect you from the saw but also from things falling/rolling onto your toes. Of course the next important thing is to always WEAR it.
 
SeanG said:
Thanks for the tips. I will let my neighbor know about killing the root system on that tree.

Next up is an Ailanthus tree, aka Tree of Heaven. It's right between our houses though and it will be a tricky removal. We may have to call in the professionals.
Click to expand...
I understand with the Tree of Heaven you don't have a very wide window to apply the herbicide. Something in the area of 10 minutes after they're felled.

When you call someone in, and you should due to your lack of experience, be sure to have some kind of herbicide to apply right away. If you won't be around at the time, have them leave some tall stumps that you can cut yourself. As low as 16 inches or as tall as 3 feet. After you cut them level or within an inch or so from the ground, low enough for a lawn mower to go over, use a drill with a 1/2 inch or better drill bit and place at least 8 holes per stump. Fill those holes with the herbicide. Go back in a few hours and refill those holes. For good measure do the same the next day.

For those tall stumps, keep a plastic felling wedge handy. It'll help keep your bar and chain from being pinched. Or a stick or two works too.

I've felled hundreds of those weed trees, and if they aren't treated, I assure you, they will grow back.
 
SeanG said:
Thanks. I have all the gear save for steel toed boots. Wore my heavy hiking boots but maybe I need to invest in some steel toes. Do you wear kevlar gloves? Which chaps are the most protective? I have the Husqvarna ones now. They were the only ones I could find this weekend.

BTW, I will be cutting a lot of pine next weekend. What do you recommend to clean the saw and are there any techniques that you prefer.

The mimosa wood was very wet but I didn't notice any sap/pitch.
Click to expand...

It's not so much the steel toes. Some protection off to the side of that area & maybe up the shins is very good to have. I think all of the little nicks on my boots are off to the side of the toe area a little bit - if I had had just steel toes and those whoopsies had more force behind them, the chain would have come in behind the steel toes.

I use the rubber boot syle of chainsaw boots. Bonus is they'll last way longer than ordinary rubber boots - in case you can use some rubber boots too. Feet stay nice & dry. I use them all the time for way more than chain sawing.
 
maple1 said:
I use the rubber boot syle of chainsaw boots. Bonus is they'll last way longer than ordinary rubber boots - in case you can use some rubber boots too. Feet stay nice & dry. I use them all the time for way more than chain sawing.
Click to expand...

Maple1,

Do these last? I bought a pair of these from Walmart, (44.99)! Lasted 3 weeks!

I have been looking for a pair that will last a bit longer....
 
I haven't seen saw boots in Walmart, but I also don't spend much time there. But given the quality of other things they sell I wouldn't be surprised - especially for $45.

I got mine from a forestry co-op here last time, that was like 10 years ago. They are about due to be replaced - so yes they last. Marks Work Wearhouse I think has the same ones I got 10 years ago. But I would also check your local saw dealer after first checking the price at Marks. Decent ones will be between $100 & $200.
 
Thanks
Yeah, I knew 45.00 would not get me far. A local Stihl dealer has rubber boots 200.00 and the Orange is a bit overpowering.
I will check Marks. $200 is a good price for boots that will last 10yrs. Mind you that was 10yrs ago.
I am sure all the boots are now made in China.....
 
I just looked at mine. They're Viking - which I don't think are anything fancy. Made in Malaysia. Who knows, maybe they're all made in the same place by the same place.

They're actually still pretty solid. The top couple of inches of the boot are a nylon cloth thing with a lace so you can tighten them around your leg at the top of the boot if you want (I never do). Mine are getting rotten & ripping where the rubber meets the cloth - mainly ripping because when I pick them up I grab the top cloth part. I will likely keep using them until the bottom part gets ripped or springs a leak.

I could never get rubber boots to last, I was always poking a stick thru the side of them anytime I was in the woods with them. So they make good hunting or cruising boots too, as long as they fit good. I added some cushy insoles. They do make your feet sweat more when it's hot out.
 
maple1 said:
I just looked at mine. They're Viking - which I don't think are anything fancy. Made in Malaysia. Who knows, maybe they're all made in the same place by the same place.

They're actually still pretty solid. The top couple of inches of the boot are a nylon cloth thing with a lace so you can tighten them around your leg at the top of the boot if you want (I never do). Mine are getting rotten & ripping where the rubber meets the cloth - mainly ripping because when I pick them up I grab the top cloth part. I will likely keep using them until the bottom part gets ripped or springs a leak.

I could never get rubber boots to last, I was always poking a stick thru the side of them anytime I was in the woods with them. So they make good hunting or cruising boots too, as long as they fit good. I added some cushy insoles. They do make your feet sweat more when it's hot out.
Click to expand...

Thanks Maple1. Viking it is then.
 
Made in the USA

(broken link removed to http://www.labonville.com/Labonville-Boots-Made-In-The-USA-_c_94.html)
 
Ditto on the Walmart boots, I got some Huskies with steel toes and the first day out I went full retard, and the chain chewed the outer layer of leather. Right above my toes. Considering how many hundreds of hours I have spent running a saw, I either got really lucky or had The Almighty there to keep me in check. On the saw topic, it's hard to beat a Stihl. My old 034 has a 20' bar and still starts on the first yank. It's older than I am. So does my "Little Green Man" (also a Walmart purchase) Poulan 2055.

Welcome to the Correctly-Spelled-Sean Club.

-Sean B
 
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