Source for tools

[LiamFitzpatrick]

New guy type of question: Do y'all find your tools at one place like Harbor Freight or do you shop around over an extended period of time and pick tools up as you find them. We're starting the process of gathering information, tools and wood and I'll need almost everything from the hatchet to the woodshed for feed our OWB. I know that I'll either have to rely on the heat pump for this season or buy CSS wood from someone because we're late to the party for this season. But I am inheriting this situation that includes a Hardy H2 and three chain saws of different sizes. We'll need to acquire everything else and I've been shopping around the local retailers as well as online. Just wondering if y'all can recommend the best source for stuff?

 

[Sawset]

I relied on a chainsaw, a splitting maul from farm and fleet, and some felling wedges - for 10 years - before looking for more equipment. Renting a splitter, $50 twice a year seemed a cheap alternative to an initial outlay. Don't get too riled up about spending money on stuff you don't need. A cant hook is nice for rolling heavy logs. Chaps and helmet are foolish to not have.

WoodlandPRO Hi-Vis Green Tree Falling Wedges

Our best selling wedges. WoodlandPro wedges are made from high impact ABS plastic and have a textured surface to keep from slipping. We buy these wedges in huge quantities direct from the injection moulding factory, so we can offer them at incredible prices. Fluorescent green color will help you...

www.baileysonline.com

$5-10, polyethylene, for splitting too, very difficult to destroy, 10yrs, still look new, won't ruin a chain if it chews into it.

Labonville Apron Wrap Chainsaw Chaps W850KP

Professional chainsaw protection chaps from Labonville. Labonville has been making chainsaw chaps in the U.S.A. since the mid 60's, and they have set the bar for quality and innovation. Labonville apron wrap chaps are designed to reduce the risk or severity of injury to your front leg and calf...

www.baileysonline.com

Get the chaps a little long. Labonville is a good name.

Peavey Mfg Cant Hook (54" Wooden Handle)

Peavey Mfg has been making logging tools in Maine since 1857, a testament to their quality and craftsmanship. Cant hooks are great for handling logs and cants or beams around the sawmill. They also work great for rolling logs when cutting firewood. Cant hooks come with a steel socket and drop...

www.baileysonline.com

Very handy, you'll end up fighting the heavy stuff without it, there's not need to.
Don't chince on the safety stuff. Get it and be done, and after a while you'll feel very vulnerable without it.

Pferd CS-X Chain Sharp Filing Guides

The Pferd CS-X Chain Sharp filing guide allows you to sharpen your chain cutter and maintain the height of your depth gauge in one operation, without removing the chain from the bar. Built-in angles and guides ensure proper filing technique for easy, professional results regardless of experience...

www.baileysonline.com

Keep the chains sharp. Cuts down on wear and tear on the saw, the saw will want to cut vs making it cut.

If I were to start from scratch all over again, the above would be ordered, and I would be in business again. It all gets loaded in the truck, and is used almost every time.

 

[blades]

First off it will take 1-3 years for css to properly dry out. A lot of variables on that covered many times in other threads. Most sellers cut to day, split tomorrow, and sell the third day. Some advertised kiln dry or treated- there is a différance . Kiln dried furniture type wood mostly takes about 30 days to be reduced to a 6-8% moisture range which will after removal from the kiln absorb moisture and likely stabilize at apx 12% (Again many variables) Splits kiln treated for 8 hr or so are mostly for bug killing- this may or may not achieve the optimum of 15-18% for heating fuel, with 20% being about the max that one would want to see in fuel wood. ( note: moisture meters to get the most accurate results need to be calibrated for specific species of wood)
With an OWB and being in Kentucky you will likely need around 5 - 6 cords css per season ( variables again) heat storage makes a big différance in the amount of fuel needed on hand
Splitters- renting up front gives you an idea of what you like or don't, Purchase - shop the dealer unless you are comfortable with doing your own repairs VS the mfg there isn't that much différance between them. 20 ton will get 99.9% of everything done. ( its a machine, so somewhere along the line it's going to need repair.)

 

[peakbagger]

While you are making up list include a pair of chainsaw chaps and a chainsaw helmet. Steel toe boots are also a good idea. I am surprised if you really need three chainsaws just to support one boiler. Many of us survive with one good chainsaw. You will definitely get some "Ford verus Chevy versus Dodge" arguments on the best chainsaw brand. I think a big decider is if there is local dealer that services what they sell as new saws are more complex than the old ones and may include an on board computer to control mixture that has to be accessed by a dealer.

The other tools you may want depend on what size trees you have access to and how you plan to get them out of the woods and into your boiler. Equipment that works on a flat farm lot will not work very well on a steep rocky slope similar to mine.

And now I will state an opinion that others will agree or disagree with me about. OWBs have their place which usually are large heating loads 24/7. Perhaps a farm with a heated maintenance shed/building . Their typical operating efficiency with variable heating demand is far lower than a similar indoor boiler or properly sized high quality wood stove. You will use a lot more wood possibly as much as double which means cutting more trees and transporting them home. This may be of value for someone who wants to clear land that is close by and the tools to move that wood but far less valuable if the wood is hard to access or just plain hard to get. Depending on the age and manufacturer of the OWB it may not be a particularly long life unit and if its an older design it will impact outdoor air quality especially in shoulder seasons. If there are any folks in the household with impaired lung function or lung disease be aware that the local air quality will be degraded for several hundred feet around the boiler.

 

[salecker]

What are the saws you have?
And how much experience do you have working on saws and the most important part of using a chainsaw...
Do you know how to sharpen the chain?A dull chain will make you and your saw work extra hard to do what is an easy job.A dull chain can kill your saw.

 

[LiamFitzpatrick]

This is lots of very valuable information and I really appreciate everyone's input. Thank you for sharing your insights.

I have access the three different Stihl saws. My personal saw is a lightweight Stihl with an 18" bar that I bought almost 10 years ago. I have cut down three smallish trees with it in that time. I also bought a second chain and the sharpening tools to go with this saw but opted out of the PPE at that time. I realize that was a mistake on more than one level and I will be acquiring that equipment shortly. My second saw is also a Stihl but I don't know the model or size just now. My brother in law also has a Stihl and he'll be helping me with my firewood production. Neither one of us is afraid to turn a wrench and regular maintenance is not going to be a problem. Of course, we'll have to learn but that'll be easy.

The most valuable piece of information that has been presented is to rent a splitter. I was suffering from sticker shock when I started shopping around for a new splitter. I like the idea of saving up for this major expense and learning about what to buy through practical experience. I'm figuring that we'll need almost 10 cords CSS for a normal year but since I don't have any real experience burning wood for heat, this is a high side estimate that we'll be able to adjust as time goes on.

Thanks again for all your advice.