The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Smallholding => Equipment => Topic started by: DominicJ on September 09, 2011, 01:30:22 pm
-
I'm half heartedly considering a powered saw for stuff thats too big for the hedge trimmer, I've been using a hand saw, but thats hardly an ideal solution.
Anyway
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Black-Decker-GK1000-Alligator-Powered/dp/B000EOOJQI (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Black-Decker-GK1000-Alligator-Powered/dp/B000EOOJQI)
Has anyone used anything like that before?
On a slightly larger note, given how dangerous chainsaws are, do they make anything like that on a grander scale?
Well, I know they big vehicle mounted forestry models, but something in between?
-
no such thing as a dangerous chainsaw,just a dangerous chainsaw user. take a course!
-
Hi Dominic,
The lopper looks fine, but it depends what you want to do with it - I can't see it being much use for cutting firewood for instance. You've also got the issue that it's electric, so it can only go where your cable will stretch to, unless you have a generator.
I had similar concerns to yourself last year, and bought myself a Bosch electric chainsaw (http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/7151268.htm). I found this to be really good, even for some really quite big logs. It's far lighter and quieter than a petrol saw, and stops immediately if you release the throttle, and also (obviously) if you apply the chain brake.
That said, a neigbouring farmer has now given me permission to take fallen trees / branches from his land, so I have now bought a petrol saw. I will be selling the electric one as soon as I get round to it, since there's no reason to keep both. However, for general tidying up and light firewood cutting, I do think it is a really good tool.
HTH!
-
I have two petrol chainsaws. A longer one for felling and a shorter one for logging however I'm now looking for an electric chainsaw so that I can cut logs in the barn on wet days... no fumes to give me a headache - or worse
-
I've got one of those alligator jobbies and they are pretty good. Took some conifers down in short time even a trunk that was 'too wide' but I wouldn't advocate that..........I haven't taken a course but would have failed if they saw what I was doing :o
You do have to be close to an electricity supply as previously mentioned.
On another note, Wickes sold me a curved tree saw (hand powered) for £6 wich is brilliant even on wet wood. What a tool!
Ian
-
no such thing as a dangerous chainsaw,just a dangerous chainsaw user. take a course!
Couldn't agree more.
Need to have a sharp chain and the right PPE as a minimum.
There are lots of good courses out there. I went on a really good one in Corwen in Wales.
-
I was talking to the men who were felling trees at our place yesterday about how my OHs chain saw blunts a lot and is a bit of a pain (petrol one). They said to use a chain file (he has this but it takes time) but also a file guide which makes it easier and quicker. They said they only have to sharpen the chain once a day. Also if cutting logs, cut only half way in, then turn then half way in, then turn etc. That was it doesn't collect dirt and wet and blunt up quickly. You get electric sharpening tools for the chain but they cost £40 and they didn't think it would be worth it. They think Stijl is a good make.
-
They think Stijl is a good make.
It would be difficult to buy a Stihl these days without a certificate or proof that you were an experienced woodcutter.
Stihl is a good make - but can be rather expensive and may not be worthwhile if it's only for occasional use rather than the min. 8 hours a day that woodcutters may be using them for.
-
there are two types of chain saw 2 handled which i still believe can be purchased by anybody
then there is the one handed chain saw to buy this one you have to have a certificate in tree surgery :farmer:
-
I agree with Violet - Stihl are quite "muscley" chainsaws and can be quite buckey and bitey. This is offputting for a novice.
I was lucky enough to be able to do my chain saw course in two halves - the fist two days which was the mechanics and maintenance. I was advised not to buy anything until I had done the fist half. This gave me an opportunity to look at different saws, discuss their merits and also learn about PPE etc. My ideas about what I needed to buy completely changed and the instructor, after understanding my needs etc recommended a different chain saw and PPE than than what I had been planning to buy. Somebody else on the same course had bought all his kit in advance and then realized that he had some unsafe things and a saw that was too strong for him. :-[ :-[
I then went off and got the recommended equipment and came back a month later for the cutting part of the course and was able to use my own equipment under supervision which gave me a real confidence boost.
I don't remember having to present any paperwork (e.g. course certificates) in order to buy the saw but the guy in the shop did chat to me about what I was doing and the course etc so maybe I convinced him!
Sharpening my saw is a pleasure. I enjoy doing it as working with a sharp chain is such a joy and is a significant safety feature. It only takes five minutes and is very satisfying. I have a file (you HAVE to get the right one for your chain) and a small file guide which I just drop onto each link and that helps.
Sorry - clearly this is a soap box of mine that I didn't know I had!!!!!
-
I knew it wasn't Politics, Philosophy and Economics...
I was pretty sure it wasn't Precision Polymer Engineering...
Nor Particle Physics Experiment, Partnership of Public Employers, Paper Print Environment (seems like a good resource for finding recycled paper, inks, etc, by the way)
Yes I googled and yes it became clear quickly SuzieQ means Personal Protective Equipment, but for a laugh I followed up some of the other links. Hairdressers, I thought that would be different - but no, turns out some hairdressing products are so bad for your skin and lungs there's Personal Protective Equipment for hairdressers...
I began to feel like Wonko the Sane, who decided that the whole world must be insane if we had to publish instructions in a packet of toothpicks...
Oh My Good Gosh ... there's a link for the London Sexual Health Programme... :o Surely we haven't come to this ... but thankfully no, I do not have to turn my house inside out and declare the rest of the world a sanitorium just yet, they mean Patient and Public Engagement. Phew. I can still call them condoms, then. (Though when I was in my teens they were coyly referred to as 'protectives', which I suppose is no better than PPE...)
(And yes, I do know that some brave medical staff have to work with the risk of HIV infection from blood etc and must wear protective gear.)
-
;D ;D ;D ;D :love:
-
I was lucky enough to be able to do my chain saw course in two halves - the fist two days which was the mechanics and maintenance. I was advised not to buy anything until I had done the fist half. This gave me an opportunity to look at different saws, discuss their merits and also learn about PPE etc. My ideas about what I needed to buy completely changed and the instructor, after understanding my needs etc recommended a different chain saw and PPE than than what I had been planning to buy. Somebody else on the same course had bought all his kit in advance and then realized that he had some unsafe things and a saw that was too strong for him. :-[ :-[
I then went off and got the recommended equipment and came back a month later for the cutting part of the course and was able to use my own equipment under supervision which gave me a real confidence boost.
I went on a course in two parts as well. If you fear something you are more likely to have an accident, so even if you use a safer version you may still be rather nervous and still have an accident. My OH insisted that I went on a course rather than learn from him at first and he was right.
My OH is a 3rd generation woodcutter ( that still just about means something up here) and was bought up in the wood when they still used horses & axes ( not as long ago as you would think). As they moved on to chainsaws his grandfather stuck with the axe and could still out cut them!
I digress, but to watch him cut trees is to see an artform - the saw simply becomes an extension of himself.
The safety & maintenance aspects are really important, as you learn the detail you understand better and that builds your respect for the machinery and confidence in yourself for using it. Not only that but the maintenance skills I learnt means I can find my way round generators & rotovators and other pull start machinery that we use. So it's really worth every penny. :)
-
It would be difficult to buy a Stihl these days without a certificate or proof that you were an experienced woodcutter.
Robert's right. You can still buy a standard 2-handed saw without any qualifications. You do have to buy face to face though, due to Stihl policy. 'Tis also true that Stihl and Husqvarna saws are mainly aimed at the professional end of things, but as with everything else, you get what you pay for!!
-
theres two types of stihl, one made in germany,one made in america, identified by the plate on the front, the german ones are the dogs kahoonas, and cost accordingly. if you just need an easy saw then efco is a better italian brand than the american stihl. id only buy a german stihl if i was really workin a chainsaw. for logging and small tree work i would buy the efco. and i did. and its great.
-
This info here is so useful. My OH wants a chainsaw for cutting wood for the fire. I have finally come round to the idea that he needs a petrol one and knew he should go on a course. But I have learnt a lot from this thread, especially about the course being in two parts and don't buy anything until after the first part.
So thank you DominicJ for starting this off and everyone else for their great answers. :)
-
Cinderhills
I have noticed in shops that you can get a saw mounting bracket (see here: http://www.mowermagic.co.uk/acatalog/Loggers_Safety_Horse.html (http://www.mowermagic.co.uk/acatalog/Loggers_Safety_Horse.html) to which you can yoke up your chainsaw and then - with the log on the saw horse, you can hinge the chain saw up and down to cut the log. There are loads of good gadgets for cutting logs.
-
Thanks Suziequeue. Looks like a useful piece of equipment.
-
I only have a couple of trees, and they need pruning rather than cutting, although when ones an oak taller than your house, pruning is quite a job, but electric is fine for my needs
Suzie
Thats the sort of thing I was thinking of, although arn armature that held the chainsaw before you chopped the tree down would be handier.
-
I notice that Oregon do a chain sharpening attachment for bars unto 16". I prefer longer so haven't triedvit out.
A while back, ok 30 years back, anti kickback chains appeared with a riser before the depth gauge but it slows the chain down so I imagine heavy users use conventional chain. To be safe the chain needs to be wickedly sharp so you get chippings not dust. I always have several chains and sharpen the lot when I've finished: a newly sharpened chain is very satisfying to use.
I used to have an 045 stihl but gave it away when I hadnt used it for a few years. Regretted it, a fine gutsy saw that you could really lean into.
-
I agree Waterhouse - ther's nothing more satisfying than a really sharp chain.
:) :)
-
I bought a stihl last November without any qualifications - just had to be there in person.
For safety: a small lightweight saw, no bigger than you need, a sharp chain, and THINK! ;D
mab
-
The scar from my chain saw accident remains after 32 years as a reminder. It was a very minor accident which happened when the chain was running down because I was tired and careless but it was messy because it cut a groove in my leg.
Fortunately I wasnt on my own so I was driven to casualty. Unfortunately they failed to understand the nature of the wound so ten days later when I removed the dressing blood pissed out everywhere and I then had to drive myself to get it fixed. Hence the scar after all this time.
Kickback isn't the risk it was because of modern chains but in addition to the dangers of the saw there are the hazards from hung-up trees and the like. Please go on a course.
-
The scar from my chain saw accident remains after 32 years as a reminder. It was a very minor accident....
Please go on a course...
I agree. Please go on a course and wear the appropriate safety clothes. My partner is an ex-forestry worker, used to using professional chainsaws such as the Powersaw Husqvarna XP range. We've seen 2 very minor accidents that caused significant bone and tissue damage. 1 was an gardener who sliced his finger to the bone while sharpening his chain. The other a pro who cut through the flesh in his leg and into the bone while his saw was just slowing to a stop. He wasn't wearing any safety trousers. I've seen so many near misses... little nips into safety trousers, forestry boots with the leather shaved off the steel toecaps, chunks of wood wedged into helmet visors.. Never use the tip of the saw to cut unless you have a firm handle grip and are prepared for big kickback. Make sure what you are cutting isn't going to get thrown up by the spinning chain.
All this applies regardless, if you are using a small electric chainsaw or a pro powersaw.
If anyone wants a professional lumberjack to do some felling or crosscutting within 30 miles of Newtown Powys Mid wales send me a PM