calling nyak kid

[carpetman]

Tell me more about your chainsaw work. How big of trees and what kind and what is done with them? Im sure what I'm cutting would be brush compared to what you are doing. What size saw and how long does a saw last you?

[Topper]

Carpetman,
If your working in the tree, get a chainsaw with a decompression switch for easy startup while your in the tree. I do not recommend using ladders at all, but if you must, tie it off above anything your going to cut and never cut above waist level.
If your only working from the ground, the Stihl is a real work horse.
You want one with a bar that is longer than the breadth of anything you intend to cut to prevent bucking, which can be dangerous.
If you take care of the saw, it can last many years.
The chains will eventually wear out and need replacement.
For sharpening, they sell jigs that you can attach to the bar so that the depth and height of the teeth & tooth depth guide remain equal.
I have and old Homlite EZ XL with a 24" bar that I purchased in 1974, it still runs.
I've replaced rubber seals, rebuilt the carb, performed tune-up, and have probably replaced a dozen chains over the years.
I'm not promoting this brand because I think there are others just as good, you just need to take care of them.
I always empty the gas before storage and run it until all gas has been depleated.
The fuel tank is aluminum, so no worry about rust.
If I require a bar for a larger tree, I can always rent one.
Sorry if this seems long winded, taken down my share of trees working for two different companies in my younger years.

[The Nyack Kid]

Right now I am at 4800' elavation bout ten miles west of waksupi on Stoltze timber land . There are two of us working on this job ,myself and my boss .Im sawing and he is running the Clipper, i also have to clean up both of our messes with the Skidder . we have two log sorts , one sort is the stub sort ( think 2x4) nothing can be bigger than 15 inches and 41 feet long . second sort is the Saw log sort . the small end of the log must be 9 inches. ( if the wood were going to Plum creek timber then the saw log sort would be the plywood peeler sort)
It is kind of hard to decribe the timber . the timber type changes with the aspect ( north south east or west ) we are on top of a ridge running east to west .on the south side of the ridge (where im sawing) the timber is mostly second growth Douglus Fir ( it was logger the first time about 1945 or 46 with cross-cut saws) with some old growth fir growing in small clumps there is also some Ponderasa pine Lodge-pole pine and Western Larch present . the smallest trees that we have been cuting have 16 foot long 4.5 inch small top logs. how ever the forester makes us go into the doghair, nasty ,overgrown ,full of mistletoe , mommyidontwanttobeherewishihadalawnmower patches of d-fir and take some ten-footers out to open things up so that they will grow. I'e cut a lot of the older fir down some have been 28 inches on the stump most have been smaller .

I have two stihl chainsaws that i use for timber falling . one is a 046 that i bought in 2000 . the other is a 066 that i bought in 1998 that i use for big wood ( like that job i did at Jungle Creek , i had the 32 inch bar on that saw and there were lots of trees that bar was too short for) I have 28 inch bars on both saws and i run full-skip chisal chain . those Stihl saws have treated me great over the years , the only trouble ive had was i had to replace the carbarater cause i left gas in it over springbreakup (now i drain the tank and run 'er dry) the 046 replaced anouther 046 that i lent to my brother(with out my knowing it) and it got run over by a front-end loader. I have never worn a saw out I know guys who "run 'em till they drop" but that takes them 3 to five years of abuse ) i also know guys who take good care of their saws and they run them till they are obsalete. my 046 also has had the handle replaced once and the gas tank replaced twice do to uuuh "operator error" , it has been a good saw , but im going to retire it this spring . my dad needs a chainsaw for firewooding and im going to need a new saw when i head west this spring ( im sick of the small wood low pay and the snow here in montana) I cant make up my mind if im going to get a stihl 460 or the stihl 650 .both are good saws . the 460 is bout the same as the 046 and the 650 splits the differance between the 460 and the 660 (or 066) .

i've been logging nearly fulltime now for the last eight years half of that has been sawing timber (the other half ive been setting chokers ,running skidder ,running Cats and running Yarder) sawing is what i enjoy doing the most . to me it is fun (if im not in a patch of little #@$^$# covered with snow ) I enjoy looking back at were i have cut and seeing what i have acomlished i like being able to see the forest for thought the trees. i like cutting big trees (over 24 inches on the stump) White woods are the easiest to saw though and i love the smell of pine sawdust . those big larch are the biggest pain to saw in . fun stuff other wise.

[carpetman]

I have a wood burner on my front porch and bought a Stihl to supply wood for it. Now I have decided to convert it to natural gas. Not only did I order a conversion kit (It's a Hartgrove gas log deal),I ordered a Weber Flame outdoor fireplace for my patio in back. I did the plumbing for both yesterday and the units should be here in a week or so. I have cut down a bunch of unwanted trees and had intended to make it into firewood,which I don't need now. To get rid of it,I'm still going to make it into firewood and my neighbors that have woodburners will be the lucky recipients. On a cost basis,it will cost a little more to run the gas vs firewood(if I were buying the wood,gas would probably be cheaper)but it will be a lot less work and cleaner.

[Pystis]

I have´t tried Stihl chainsaws, mostly Husqvarnas and Partners. I´m not a pro, though.
I´ve been cutting brushes with clearing saw as a sommerjob for better visibility from forest machines.
I have Stihl FS 450K clearing saw that I bought in 2000. I´ve been using it mostly on summers and been quite statisfied with it. Light but powerful enough for to cut 4" trees. Only things that I dislike in this saw is paper intake filter that must be renewed ocasionally. Other saws I´ve used had a foam filter that could washed and oiled. Other thing I miss in this saw is adjustable hi- and lo- speed needles. Only idle speed is adjustable.

Jukka

[Scrounger]

OK, CarpetDude (or anyone else), on your next trip in from the sheep pen, tell me all I need to know about converting a wood burning fireplace to one which uses propane. Preferably the gas log type because it looks more realistic (?). Cost, work involved, and so forth. Forty degrees and the wind is whistling, snow is predicted and I'm out of wood, I might buy a fake log or two for this weekend. A week ago it was well into the 80s here. The Weatherman is stranger than the CarpetMan...

[carpetman]

Scrounger---If you already have a wood burning fireplace,and your house is on propane,you'd need to plumb in a propane line. I don't know if you would need an insert for the logs to fit into?? For example if you didn't have a fireplace and you were using one of those surrounds that looks like a fireplace,you would need the insert. I also don't know if getting the insert would increase efficiency even though it wouldn't be needed for safety. You would ofcourse close off the chimney if you get an unvented model. If you get a vented model you might leave it open. Pros and cons of vented and unvented is that the unvented is more efficient something like 98% of heat is used. On vented a high percentage of the heat goes into the air. My stove in the sun room is unvented and I like it. If you have a Lowes take a look they have a pretty good selection here.

[Scrounger]

The best news we've had since I moved here is the recent announcement that Lowe's is going to build here. It's probably at least a year away. Second biggest news is that there are two more restaurants that will come in right next to them. I'm hoping for an Arby's and a Carl Jr. With my luck, it'll probably be Weinerschnitzel and Pup 'n Taco.... Yes, I already have a fireplace so I wouldn't need the insert. No gas at this time, I'd have to buy a propane tank and run the line in. There is a damper (?) in my fireplace to cut off air flow up the chimney so I assume I'm good there to go either way. So what do I need, what is the cost, and how difficult is it to put in?

[carpetman]

Scrounger--Probably the main difficulty would be the running of the propane line and that difficulty would vary with your house configuration. I think propane can use copper line whereby natural gas requires pipe. Running the copper would be easier. Even though no Lowes in Parump,you can still look online and perhaps make a trip to Vegas--I bet there is Lowes there. Yes you could shut the chimney off with the damper and I don't know if adding some insulation would be worth the effort. The gas logs have a wide price range and part is to do with the material they are made of. The size is another consideration---this ofcourse is limited by the size of your fireplace. Is your house currently all electric? If so,I guess adding the propane would be just for the fireplace? Do they have a propane delivery service there? If so you could use a big stationary tank and they come fill it. It is my undersatanding that electricity is fairly cheap in Vegas? Depending on the cost of electricity in your area,it could be cheaper to get a propane water heater as well if you get the tank and are having it delivered anyways?????? On the logs,I would get the unvented and you can even get a remote for them. Don't see where that would be needed. Now what would be nice is to have my rocker on a platform and a remote where I could slide it closer or away from the heat as needed.

[Scrounger]

Good information as always. Lowe's or Home Depot in Vegas is a possibility. I don't know about electricity in Vegas but it's not cheap here. It has gone up seriously in the last year. Up to 3 months ago the highest bill I had received was $180, yearly average maybe $90 a month (all electric), but they raised prices twice in the last six months and my last bill was $279. People are very upset about it. We have a co-op I guess you call it where everybody belongs and votes on managers etc. According to human nature, 90% of us don't attend meetings and the employees (who are association members) elected their own manager and the feeling around here is that their salaries and benefits are considerably above area average. Of course we deserve getting ripped, but we are going to have to take over control of the utility and correct matters. It's in the works... I'm thinking I can pop a gas line (propane) in from outside and use a 20 pound tank like I do on my barbecue. I imagind the best way to do that would be to install a fitting in the external wall to connect the tank to when I use it, which wouldn't be too often. Of course, I could put in a bigger tank and run another line to my barbecue and not have to use the 20 pounder.

[waksupi]

I have´t tried Stihl chainsaws, mostly Husqvarnas and Partners. I´m not a pro, though.
I´ve been cutting brushes with clearing saw as a sommerjob for better visibility from forest machines.
I have Stihl FS 450K clearing saw that I bought in 2000. I´ve been using it mostly on summers and been quite statisfied with it. Light but powerful enough for to cut 4" trees. Only things that I dislike in this saw is paper intake filter that must be renewed ocasionally. Other saws I´ve used had a foam filter that could washed and oiled. Other thing I miss in this saw is adjustable hi- and lo- speed needles. Only idle speed is adjustable.

Jukka

We use weed eaters for those 4" trees around here!

[The Nyack Kid]

part of the fun with wood heat is the work and the mess and it is dependable, but something could be said about not being ran out of the house at the end of a mop .
im going to get a new "main saw" when my tax return gets in . my old saw has worn out 4 bars (each one being rebuild twice) and my dad needs a firewood saw, i'll give him that one . i cant say how long that saw would keep going .sawing firewood , probably years , with me 2500 feet down the bottom of a steep linestrip , something small would break and i would need to pack it all the way back up the hill to fix.

[MT Gianni]

Scrounger, Unvented fireplaces are illegeal in Northern States as to much carbon monoxide can occur without being vented out. Most firelog conversions are referred to by their manufacturer as illuminating appliances, for looks not heating. i am not happpy with any I have seen used for heating only and from Sept-March I see 15 a week or so explaining utility bills, codes and safety concerns to customers. The ruke of thumb is you get 1 gallon of water in flue products per 100,000 btu's. A gallon of propane is 91,800 btu so if you burn a gallon of propane in an unvented heater you just dumped a gallon of water on the floor. Odorant is also only partially burned and odors are present. Newer unvented heaters are allowed as a back up to primary heat but in some locations require a 100 square inch permanant opening cut through the wall to outside. Right now in Montana's climate there are too many problems for me to reccommend them. Gianni.

[Pystis]

We use weed eaters for those 4" trees around here!

Hahahah waksupi,

I bet you do if are using those 32" bars there [smilie=l:
15" bars are usually enough for pines and spruces here.

Jukka

[The Nyack Kid]

Hahahah waksupi,

I bet you do if are using those 32" bars there [smilie=l:
15" bars are usually enough for pines and spruces here.

Jukka

28 inch is standard for most timber fallers here 25" are also used by lots of outfits . ive only been in one patch of trees where i needed the 32" bar , i thought i had died and gone to heaven .
that job that i just got done with i was wishing i had a lawn mower instead of a chainsaw , i would have gotten more done.

[carpetman]

Nyak Kid--What type footwear you wear? Just wondering if you wear Whites Smokejumpers, and if so how long you been wearing them and what kind of service you gotten from them?

[The Nyack Kid]

ive never owed any Whites . ive got friends who are/were firefighters and the loved them . i dont know how long of a like they were getting out of them . the summer calk boots that i always bought are called Hoffman's made over in Kallog Idaho . i would ware them for the summer then have them rebuilt in the fall . IMO they are a desent boot but being on steep side hills all day long would cause the heals to strech and they could not be rebuilt a second time part of the problem is the way i walk i suppose . also use Hoffmans winter calks .those lasted longer than the summer calks i would get two rebuild out of them . i got hoffmans cause that is what the local saw shop carries and they are $150 cheaper than the Whites .

[jh45gun]

When I was out in Forks WA cutting shake bolts every one used Stihl saws. Of course they had a dealer right in town too. Right about being a work horse they are good saws at least they were back then when I used one in 76. I used the big one with a 36" bar. The local pulpwood loggers in WI used a lot of Stihls too along with Homlites and Jonsrudes.

[carpetman]

The unit to convert my wood burning chiminea(sp?)came in yesterday. Instructions said an 1 1/4" hole needed in the side. The thing is I guess cast iron. A drill would barely touch it. Took it to where my neighbor works and they used a plasma cutter and had it done no time. There is only a 3/4" od pipe going through the hole but the 1 1/4" was needed so you could twist the unit when hooking up the hose. If they had used swivel fitting, 3/4" would do fine. Got her all hooked up and the darn control valve was not shutting off completely. They gave me new valve and I got that corrected today. Not as much heat as the wood fire,but lots less mess and work.