Which chainsaw?

I was cutting a lot of wood over Christmas a year ago. We had my Stihl (15yo 010AV 14"), a really old Partner 18" or 20" (old), a poulan 16", and a Johnsered 18". May have had a Husky as well for some of it. The little stihl was great for small branches, but really needed a power increase. There was a noticable difference between the Poulan and the Stihl for vibration. The fingers tingled (a bad sign) after 15 mins wth the Poulan, and I have cut for hours with the stihl. That alone is worth paying more for. ' The other thing is there is no replacement for horsepower. The bigger saws just motored through the logs - the difference was huge. A bit big for fiddly pruning or trimming, but the story for cutting ligs into lumps. You may want to look for a second hand large saw, as well as a small one. I don't use the bigger saws much, but when there is a lot of wood to cut... Geoff

I own a 24 in Husky and just bought a new 32 in. new Husky for biger trees. Glenn Hodges Nashville, GA

Hey Glenn, 32 in.! Don't clear cut South Georgia, that exposed red clay will look like Copperhill with no place for the speed cops from Adel to hide. Watch out for the Druids and Tree Huggers who love lumber and consume paper, but don't know where it comes from. :) BTW, I saw where you bought something at Lowes. Been a whiie since I sneaked thru Nashville, but hard to believe it has grown that much. I reckon you're a city slicker now. :)

Turn to Safety, Arch Fortiter

Greetings! FWIW, I do contract work as a wildland firefighter/sawyer. I personally prefer Stihl, although Husky makes a good saw, too. Mostly, I use an O46 (Now MS460) with a 20" to 36" bar, depending on where I'm going.

I'll echo the following sentiments...A bit more HP is nice, especially if you want a longer bar. The O46 is a little "light" for a

We used Poulans for about a half season, and found that they didn't hold up as well (for us). Another huge issue we have is "field serviceability" (Is that a term? Anyway...) And the Stihl's are very easy to work on in the field, and require fewer tools than the Husky (or did, last time I worked on them. And that's less stuff to lug through the woods! ;)

IMHO, YMMV, you must be *this* tall to ride, etc, etc! :)

Hal

Just a quick question Arch. How CAN a tree hugger carry a cardboard sign mounted on a wooden stick and say "Do Not Cut the Trees"? By the way, at a conservative count I have planted over 20,000 trees on family land. You should see the pine that Dad and I planted when I was around 17. One of these days I have to thin those suckers.

I know a few of the "big name" conservationists. They do not see any problem. LOL. Point taken.

I also know mining engineers, prospectors and foresters -- who wrestle with their consciences while "doing their job". Most of them do everything they can to do their job ethically and preserve the environment.

Yah just can't tell sometimes...

Wish I had had that opportunity. Good for you.

One of our children worked as a tree planter for a few summers. So I have only had a vicarious thrill. :-)

Same way people can demand toleration - NOW!

Darrell, In the slight chance that the cardboard and stick signs should ever bother them, they will dry their tears with kleenex and climb back on their soapbox.

Turn to Safety, Arch Fortiter

In Tasmania (Australia) logging companies log old growth forests and then chip the lumber to sell to paper mills. There must be some really valuable timber there, but they aren't set up to make boards or blanks or to season, thy want instant return. There would be enough in one of the bigger trees (6 feet + diameter,, I've seen one that had 40 foot circumference on TV) to furnish an entire house. The tree huggers have a problem with that operation. Sometimes they have a valid point. Mick

Mick They sure have a point at times. I think it is the shooting a mosquito with a shotgun approach that gets to me. Pinpont the problem and go for it. We had a group mad at us for growing Christmas trees at one time. When I demonstrated that a healthy tree operation encouraged more growth and had an increased diversity of palnt and animal life, they left but were still grumbling. Some times you can not win, especially with a fanatic. Trust me, I am a minister, I know fanatics well.

Will My son was valedictorian of his high school and his first summer job at college was a computer programmer. Our family has cut pulp and lumber and grown Christmas trees for what seems forever, so he thought he might try tree planting for a summer job and wondered if he could. He is about 6' tall and weighs around 195. He planted for three summers and has put in a lot more trees than his old man.

Something for the tree huggers. When I was in New Brunswick a local very large mill and woods operation was thinning land for growth and production. Their business was softwood lumber so all hardwoods were weeds and cut. No own was allowed in to take the wood. Where is a tree hugger when you need them?

Ever hugged a mature Ponderosa - the ones with the orange furrows in the bark? Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. Smells like vanilla.

Ever wondered what it's like to be a mature Ponderosa and have some fool sniffing your bark? :o)

Everything could use a hug every now and then. Plus, I imagine it's a lot nicer than some fool carving his and his main squeeze's initials in there.

Ya got that right!

They CAN........but it would be much like Pam Anderson Lee munching on a drumstick while carrying a sign that says KFC tortures chickens.

Barry