OB Approved Chain Saws

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IronPercheron

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If you plan of braving the forests you can bet you'll run into dead fall. In many places controlled burns are used to keep underbrush down, this also means not all trees will survive... falling and blocking your path.

Regardless of the brand you own or favor you can bet your going to use it at some point, so i am going to attempt to put some pretty self explanatory but often overlooked safety tips out here.

Minimum personal protective equipment:
1) Heavy duty leather work gloves.
2) Eye protection
3) Ear muffs/plugs your preference
4) Tough toe/Steel toe leather work boots
5) Double knee pants and or saw chaps
6) Hard Hat

If you will be climbing you should probably use a fall protection harness. Just make sure you tie off the the part of the tree that is not going to fall and your tied to it... its not pretty.
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Please find attached for your viewing pleasure a PPE grid i flat out stole from OSHA :-) gotta love the windows snipping tool.

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Saw Maintenance:

Minimum contents of my saw case have been a file to sharpen the chain, the saw specific multi-tool, bar oil (real bar oil not burnt motor oil), Mix fuel oil, an air filter, spare chain, and a spark plug. my saw didn't come with a stihl case so i just carry a small plastic tool box with the stuff in it and the 2.5 gallon gas can.

Mixing Gas: I used the pre-measured bottles of 2 cycle oil and poor it in the 2.5 gallon can before filling the can and only put 2 gallons in... makes it easy to poor too. i use a reputable name in oil or brand specific when it is available and i always run the highest octane gas i can find with little or no ethanol. This fuel is available in many lawn/garden sections at a premium... i recently had this discussion with another member here on the forum who really knew his stuff and he was right, it may be pricey but it is fantastic stuff and my saws loved it last weekend. But if i use fuel containing ethanol i then add a dash of marine grade stabil I have attached the link for it here bellow.... been running ethanol fuel for 4 years with this in it and never had the carb off of my echo or my stihl.

http://www.goldeagle.com/STA-BIL360-Performance-Marine-Campaign?gclid=CJGknbPp78oCFVQ2gQodBPcHGQ&gclsrc=aw.ds


Chains: There are a plethora of chains available, i use a standard Oregon chain and i am happy there because it has a good cut rate and lasts pretty good... high performance (faster cutting) chains dull faster and need pretty serious HP to be effective... even then they can be hard on the centrifugal clutch system. Brand loyalty can lead you to choose your echo/stihl/husq/solo whatever saw brand you think is best. Smaller saws (16" and down) tend to dull faster. AVOID DIRT. dirt combined with oil makes a crude substance much like lapping compound, (a liquid abrasive)... combine that with a good backing of wood to work against and the rate at which the teeth are passing through... and you've got yourself a dull but well polished chain my friend.

Bars: Not all Bars are created equal, but you should maintain them as equals. never over tighten the chain, this will damage the roller bearing in the sprocket at the tip of the bar. Cutting mother earth does no favors for the bar either, those abrasive properties oil and grit will create accelerated wear... you'll want to avoid pulling the bar left or right should you get it stuck in the cut. The bar is much stronger from top to bottom if you must do this to try and free the saw. If another saw is available to cut yours out do so from a direction as to avoid getting them both stuck... i usually drive wedges in to open the cut or my winch/highlift... Checking bar oiling system: bring the tip of the saw within 1 inch of a solid surface and bring the saw to maximum operating speed for approx 2 seconds... the oil streak should exceed 3 inches in length. ( said the chainsaw mechanic in town )

Please find attached for your viewing pleasure some saw basics from a reputable company. Not my favorite... but reputable. (sorry that guy is so boring btw... try to stay awake lol)


Understanding what direction to cut and avoiding a pinched bar or further frustration comes with practice. Some more time spent on youtube probably wouldn't hurt.

This is by no means a comprehensive post... i want you to comment, post, share and add to it... whatever you can do to contribute for the safety and productivity of your fellow man/woman to your left and right. This was just off the top of my head and i am very much sure i have missed a thing or two, so share your tips/tricks and the like.
 
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BEAR

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I got my bar pinched clearing a downed tree on the Lost Coast. In the video you can see me grabbing the saw as the tree snaps. I messed up and left the carbide chain on and brought a wood chain with me. For some reason the fire dept I worked for at the time had a random sized chain that didn't fit my 20" bar and the wood chain didn't fit so was stuck with the carbide chain which sucks for just wood. <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Oh53seQJSIo?list=PL2XXCkJaPEAJrspIR4THlGq0Q65zfO8Bv" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
 
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Winterpeg

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I picked up a Stihl MS170 a year or so ago... it's the smallest saw I've ever used.... I used to use bigger saws. I figured since I only am going to use it camping and wheeling I don't need a big saw.
It tends to bog down when I work it hard. Shutting it off when it's hot is a sure-fire way of having to yank on it a bunch to get it going again.

I also thought it would be saving space to get a smaller saw.... well the cases are generally 1 size fits all so that didn't make a difference either.

If I were to do it again I would get a slighter bigger saw...
 

Corbet

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Not having enough saw is more dangerous than too much most of the time.
 

Mad Garden Gnome

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I picked up a Stihl MS170 a year or so ago... it's the smallest saw I've ever used.... I used to use bigger saws. I figured since I only am going to use it camping and wheeling I don't need a big saw.
It tends to bog down when I work it hard. Shutting it off when it's hot is a sure-fire way of having to yank on it a bunch to get it going again.

I also thought it would be saving space to get a smaller saw.... well the cases are generally 1 size fits all so that didn't make a difference either.

If I were to do it again I would get a slighter bigger saw...
Are you running safety chain or a more aggressive pro chain on it?

Sorry to hear your 170 isn't working for you. I got my wife a 170 about four years ago for Christmas and that saw has been outstanding. We only run the safety chain on it, not for safety, but because it seams to allow the engine to run at higher speed, which seams to get it past the slower cut rate of a safety chain. She leads in the brush crew (kids), limbing and brushing with the big saws in trail. Once done she tackles the big stuff with that little saw. It's impressive.
 

Winterpeg

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Are you running safety chain or a more aggressive pro chain on it?

Sorry to hear your 170 isn't working for you. I got my wife a 170 about four years ago for Christmas and that saw has been outstanding. We only run the safety chain on it, not for safety, but because it seams to allow the engine to run at higher speed, which seams to get it past the slower cut rate of a safety chain. She leads in the brush crew (kids), limbing and brushing with the big saws in trail. Once done she tackles the big stuff with that little saw. It's impressive.
From what I know it's just a regular chain... I'm not even sure what a "safety chain" is.... lol.
In college I took a chainsaw/brushsaw course from the lumberjacks from Weyerhaeuser.

I dug around a bit and inspected the air filter... it was pretty dirty.
I replaced it and got a spare.
That might be my issue in retrospect.
I'll find out next week when I head out into the bush.
 

Mad Garden Gnome

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A safety chain is......

wait for it

.........a chain that only has a cutting tooth every other tooth instead of every tooth. Stihl denotes them with a green paint code on the chain and box they come in. That way when you slip and hit yourself with the chain at speed it only mutilates you half as bad. Our 170 and 260 Stihls both came with safety chains. If you bought yours new it probably did too. I run ......... normal ......... chain on the 260. It has the HP for the extra load a non safety will require.
 

Winterpeg

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A safety chain is......

wait for it

.........a chain that only has a cutting tooth every other tooth instead of every tooth. Stihl denotes them with a green paint code on the chain and box they come in. That way when you slip and hit yourself with the chain at speed it only mutilates you half as bad. Our 170 and 260 Stihls both came with safety chains. If you bought yours new it probably did too. I run ......... normal ......... chain on the 260. It has the HP for the extra load a non safety will require.
I just went out and checked... every link has a tooth... like normal - or at least what "normal" is to me. The spare chain I got with it came in a plain-jane box too.

I just did a bit of research on safety chains too.... and mine don't look anything like that. No extra "bumper guards" or green parts whatsoever.
 

Winterpeg

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Yeah, the one good thing about this little saw is that it doesn't tire me out as quickly... because as with most things if you get tired you get careless / complacent.
 
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Dunco

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We just got a couple of new training saw's there 36volt battery operated, really impressed with them battery lasts about an hour at full noise thinking of adding one to my rig gear, for the amount of times i really use one on the trail it would be great
msa160cbq.png
 
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IronPercheron

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i have a 110v electric that runs well for around the house. i can tell you that electric chainsaws know no limits. at least mine doesnt. it does not bog down or slack off... slow and sure it chews. But it does not slow down.

idk if it will run off of my inverted power but i very highly doubt it... you could however run a trickle charger on that battery saw and do very well.
 
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maktruk

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Dewalt 20v sawzall count?

Three batteries on board!

Disclaimer: I also have a large-toothed hand saw (think bow saw) and a smaller handsaw for brush as well.

Between all that, and as OP suggested, a winch and a lift, I think I could move a dead tree. Take me awhile, but if it's in my trail I got nothin' but time, baby!