[Scott G]

You don’t know you don’t know until you ask. Each day that goes by I realize I don’t know s*** and realize I know a lot less than I did 20 years ago…..:)
Take care,
Scott

[Scott G]

Jason,
My vote is Suffant, has a nice ring to it. Thinking of more integration of Brabants/Ardennes into your herd? I really like the build and preserved conformation/history of that breed. Perfect for logging……….
-Scott

[Scott G]

Geoff, all…
All modern, pro saws are designed to run on 50:1. Do not skimp on this. I would use only Stihl or Husky pro mixes as they have additional additives that will allow your saw to run much smoother and contribute to longevity. They also have stabilizers to help prevent your saw gas from becoming stale if it sits around for an extended period of time. The same goes for bar oil, it is all about tackiness. Using the ‘cheap stuff’ which is usually recycled crankcase oil results in excessive slingoff of oil off the chain. The tack allows for a longer residence time on the chain. I have tried running the biodegradable bar oil as I’m very aware of the amount of petroleum we sling around the woods on a daily basis. Unfortunately this product didn’t work well for me as there was no tack and after a day of felling you were coated. It does work better during the winter, however. Which brings to mind there are two viscositys of bar oil; summer grade (30w) and winter grade (20w) which makes a huge difference in performance during the appropriate season.
Chain, which comes in a myriad of configurations and sizes, can really confound folks until they become familiar with it at which point it makes perfect sense and allows the user to customize the type to their application. I would encourage you to Google ‘chainsaw chain’ and see what references you can come up with. I know Oregon (Blount) has an extensive amount of reference material on this. That said, I’ll give you the down and dirty version here. Pitch refers to the size of the cutters/chain. It is the distance measured between every third rivet/2. The most common sizes starting from the smallest are .325 (1/4), .375 (3/8), and .404. .325 is common on small arborist saws and .404 is normally used in larger wood. Gauge refers to the thickness of the drive link, i.e. .050, .060, & .063. Full comp, skip, & semi-skip refer to the arrangement of the cutters. Full comp has a cutter matched to every drive link. Skip, as the name implies, skips a driver so you have half as many cutters. Semi-skip is a mutant that has a matched pair(L & R) of cutters on each side of the tie strap and then a skip set and back to full comp. The primary reason for skip is to allow time for the kerf to clear of chips in large diameter wood. Full comp tends to bog itself down. Semi-skip was put forth to try to get the best of both worlds but at best is a compromise. Some fallers out here (particularly wildland firefighters) like to use skip all the time due to less sharpening required. The truth is that it cuts noticeably slower in smaller wood. Myself I run full comp almost exclusively unless I’m in really big wood and then I might throw on a loop of skip. Cutters come in a myriad of profiles, but for production use chisel either round ground or square ground. Square cuts faster but if you are working in dusty/dirty conditions it dulls much faster and also takes a great deal of time to master hand filing. Round ground chisel works great for me here in the Rockies. I strictly hand sharpen, most often in the woods, with a small stumpvise that hangs out in my wedge pouch. It is worth the time to learn to sharpen as your performance will be much greater than a ground chain. After you run a saw long enough you can tell the little things right away that are affecting your cutting performance and will have zero tolerance for anything less than razor sharp. Pushing the saw not only leads to fatigue, which as mentioned in previous posts is a HUGE safety issue, it is also extremely hard on your saw. The three worst enemies of a saw are heat, vibration, and dirt. Running a dull chain covers two of those. I recently talked to a contractor who espoused his cutting expertise to me while he was holding a saw with a blue bar and chaps that looked like they were made out of wool they had so many cuts in them. Personal observation is worth a million words…….. That said, that is about what I’ve written but it is a pretty deep topic. Hope this helped and would love to hear to input from other veterans.
Take care,
Scott

[Scott G]

Husky 372s’ are my mid-range saws. My opinion, they are the best all-around saw ever made. Run hard all day, every day. Stihls for smaller saws and Husky for mid to large saws. Unlike other posts here, I switched to a longer bar (30″) about 10 years ago specifically for limbing/bucking and slashing, not due to timber size. It is an ergonomic thing. I am a fairly tall guy and the bar allows me to stand rather than hunch over all day. It has made a BIG difference in how this trashed back feels at the end of the day. I’ll trade the extra 1.5# weight for that anyday. As far as the safety, I’m of the mind that it is a lot easier to shoot yourself with a pistol rather than a shotgun:D
Other equipment, PPE (personal protective equipment) is mandatory. Being someone who cut their leg before the advent of chaps, I never go into the woods without kevlar. Also, it doesn’t take more than a couple of sticks from aloft to bounce off of your hardhat to realize that a brain bucket is a wonderful thing. At least if you get post driven by a good sized widow maker you’ll be easier to identify and the open casket is still an option.
Other personal faller gear; full wedge pouch, blood stopper bandage/first aid on the belt also (know of a guy who bled out before he could get back to the truck 100yds away), 50′ spencer tape, and hand axe for pounding wedges and bumping knots.
Run Oregon 3/8″, 0.50g, round ground chisel full comp. Will run skip to semi-skip if consistently in big wood and bump it up to .404 pitch.
Take care,
Scott

[Scott G]

Nice pic, Jason. Is the stick to keep the horse from leanin’ or to beat the farrier up side the head when he quicks the foot?! 🙂
Take care,
Scott G

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