you guys have inspired me

We just had a bad windstorm here west of the cascades last week.

My buddy Aaron and I took the 044 and went wood hunting while the power was out just after the storm (75 mph winds). We had 2 trucks and filled 3 loads a piece (hardwoods) and the neighbors had about 5 cords of wood (fir) come down that we have spoken for. We have to go rip 2 cord of rounds that are anywhere from 30-50" wide.

I just sharpened 3 chains, gave the saw a minor tuneup and I plan to keep 2 trucks and 3 helpers busy tomorrow.

Then we are going to rent a splitter and put up a goood bit of wood for next year.

Ahhhh,,,,free wood,,,,,its a blessing!!!!

I currently have Madrona, Oak, Hickory, Maple, Tamarack, Hemlock and a bunch of Fur waiting to be split and stacked.

wood was a pricey commodity last winter,,,,not anymore around here,,,,,,wood everywhere

just buy a saw,,,and keep it sharp/lubricated,,,,they all cut wood!!!

 

We got that same storm here in Oregon, but not to the extent you did. Problem here with fir is that you can't even give it away for firewood.

 

i hear ya

thing i like about fir,,,,it seasons fast,,,and it keeps me from burning the hardwoods when i go camping [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

splits pretty easy too

 

If you have access to big fir limbs, about 6" and bigger, they make good fire holders in an airtight stove if you don't split them. Fir burns fast but it leaves little in the way of creosote if the stove is not overfilled and severely damped down.

 

TRV Rider you have a PM.

 

I beleive a new MS250 is almost as much as an MS290 Farm Boss. If I were you I would look for a used MS250 type saw at a pawn shop or ebay. If you head up toward Wenatchee or North to Omak Collville area you will find other saw shops than Sthil.

For what you will be cutting avoid a skip tooth chain. If you use one for your applications you are asking for it to kick back into an arm or leg. Use a full comp chain and keep it sharp. Get a chain sharpener that clamps onto the bar and sets the rake and depth and angle so each tooth is exactly the same. (or as can be expected W/O a machine sharpener).

I have a small holmlite saw I paid $189 at Home Depot for about 5 years ago. It has a 18inch bar and has done a bunch of cutting. I have found a few bigger trees I could not cut through in one pass. Had to take an axe and split out the chunk I had cut and make another cut. I have only had to do this 2 times. Everything else it cuts with ease, assuming the chain is sharp.

The key easy cutting is chain speed, and chain sharpness. If you loose speed you loose cutting ability, the same with a dull chain. If your chain is sharpened improperly it may seem to lug and bog down. Usually not enough of a kerf is being cut and chain/bar are being pinched.

I use this holmlite to cut fire wood at my remote cabin. I think is has cut about 30+ cords of wood and limbed and bucked countless trees. For what you need it sounds like it would work fine for you as well. I know there has to be a Home Depot or Lowes around Spokane someplace.

Hope this helps

SJ

 

Madrone is my favorite, but Paul Bunyan couldn't split that with an ax. I burn a mix of madrone and black oak.

 

I grew up on a ranch here in Utah and we spent numerous weekends cutting wood to burn in the wood burning stove. I still help my dad cut wood on occasions. My dad is out cutting this weekend, But since I've had my knee surgery I'm unable to help. We went through a couple different saws before finally getting our first Stihl, my dad still uses it. He has since bought a second Stihl, I think they are both 26's.... Either way, after pulling my guts out with the other saws growing up I wanted nothing other than a Stihl. I have a 29 and it has always started and runs like a devil dog..... I think I will be shortening the bar to 18" so I can use the chains that my father sharpens, plus I will get more rpm's out of the chain...... Just my 2 cents

 

I burn White and Red Oak... the White burns the best, but sucks to cut.

 

For those looking for an alternative to a skip tooth chain there is a special grind we use to mill logs that works very well to keep chain speed up.

You can use a regular chain and the teeth are divided into 2 sets (already 2 sets so now your have 4). One set of teeth (each alternating pair) is sharpend as normal. The other set (or alternating pairs) have the rake ground off leaving only the kerf that cuts the opening for the bar.

This is how it works. The pair of teeth with the rake ground off cut two grooves with a high spot in the middle. The pair of regular teeth then only have to cut the high spot in the middle with the rake. Less to each tooth to cut means a higher speed chain. Larger wood is cut with a higher chain speed. Notice I did not say faster.

The speed at which you make the cut slows some but larger wood can be cut easier with a smaller saw (like my Stihl 029). Which I have user for several years to mill logs for cabins with no difficulties. It is similar to a skip tooth chain and works great for milling logs as it gives a much more smooth cut than a normal chain. We have taken to calling a milling chain. However, my buddy likes to use it all the time on his Stihl 026 and a 24 inch bar.

Not sure how it would work on Oak but it mills birch up here pretty easily for cabinets.

SJ