I bought a chainsaw...

[Moliere]

...on Saturday. There was a storm Saturday night and my family woke up to this:



This was an excellent excuse to buy a chainsaw. There was still a 20 foot piece of the trunk that I had to fell, so I cut it just right and it fell onto the grass away from the house. After successfully felling the remaining tree, I held the chainsaw over my head and cranked the throttle a couple of times all while grunting. My kids watch the scene from the window and were laughing with glee.

The odd thing is that this tree lasted through Ike, but then two years later a simple storm knocked it over.

[HuskyFreeNorthwest]

How did the play structure do once you got the tree off?

Stihl saw?

[Moliere]

How did the play structure do once you got the tree off?

Stihl saw?

Husqvarna 435. I bought a decent one since I live in hurricane country.

The swingset took a beating. It has two sides with two swings on each side. The slide is in the center. Basically one side was completely demolished.

The picture is a bit misleading in that you can't see the top of the tree. The swingset is definately not holding up the tree. The tree snapped about 20 feet up and fell directly towards my neighbors house. The main trunk of the tree grazed their roof and then hit the brick and a large branch hit a fence post. At that point, the tree stopped, suspended just above the ground. Thankfully their house is all brick and the branches of the tree must have slowed down the fall a bit when they hit the roof so there was no damage.

The crazy thing is that neither us nor our neighbors heard the tree fall. They must have been gone when it happened since it most certainly made a noise when it hit their house.

[Pheidippides]

Husqvarna 435. I bought a decent one since I live in hurricane country.

The swingset took a beating. It has two sides with two swings on each side. The slide is in the center. Basically one side was completely demolished.

The picture is a bit misleading in that you can't see the top of the tree. The swingset is definately not holding up the tree. The tree snapped about 20 feet up and fell directly towards my neighbors house. The main trunk of the tree grazed their roof and then hit the brick and a large branch hit a fence post. At that point, the tree stopped, suspended just above the ground. Thankfully their house is all brick and the branches of the tree must have slowed down the fall a bit when they hit the roof so there was no damage.

The crazy thing is that neither us nor our neighbors heard the tree fall. They must have been gone when it happened since it most certainly made a noise when it hit their house.

Chainsaws were very hard to come by when Ike it, so I'm getting a new one (I only had a crappy one that broke during Ike) this June. I have a nice Stihl picked out.

Sidenote: It is shocking - shocking! - how many people don't know how to properly use a chainsaw but still try to for whatever reason. When we did post-Ike clean-up, there were tons of people from my stake out there. Four of us are well versed in chainsaw use, safety, etiquette, etc. A few others picked it up quickly. Everybody else was insane and we're lucky nobody got seriously injured.

[Donuthole]

When I was at Dixie College, a chainsaw-juggling comedian was doing a college tour and hit up little ol' St. George. I remember being pretty disappointed that he had taken the chains off in order to juggle them.

[Jarid in Cedar]

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[il Padrino Ute]

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[RobinFinderson]

I bought a small electric chain saw to trim my tree (not THAT tree, sickos!). I climbed up into the tree and started to cut away some limbs. One limb hit my leg and knocked me out of the tree. I fell flat on my back, and would have probably been injured if:

1. I hadn't already cut enough branches to form a soft landing.

2. I hadn't tied off the chainsaw. It ended up dangling above me.

Anyhow, this was one of the first things I did when we moved to South Central. Little Robin was only five, at the time, and was watching the whole thing. When he saw me fall out of the tree he hollered in to Faith, "Is daddy dead?" I got up as quickly as I could to assure him that I was not dead.

Chainsaw safety is very important.

[Moliere]

Chainsaws were very hard to come by when Ike it, so I'm getting a new one (I only had a crappy one that broke during Ike) this June. I have a nice Stihl picked out.

Sidenote: It is shocking - shocking! - how many people don't know how to properly use a chainsaw but still try to for whatever reason. When we did post-Ike clean-up, there were tons of people from my stake out there. Four of us are well versed in chainsaw use, safety, etiquette, etc. A few others picked it up quickly. Everybody else was insane and we're lucky nobody got seriously injured.

I learned the hard way that it takes experience to use a chainsaw properly. Well, not that I got hurt, but I saw an accident that was pretty scary.

I actually have never used a saw before this weekend. I helped with clean up in Ike, but I mainly hauled logs and branches as the more experienced people cut them up. I did read through the owners manual (a first for me) which had great tips on using a saw. After that it was a breeze. I even felled the remaning 20 feet of trunk, whcih was scary as it could have falled the other way and taken out my living room.

[Pheidippides]

I learned the hard way that it takes experience to use a chainsaw properly. Well, not that I got hurt, but I saw an accident that was pretty scary.

I actually have never used a saw before this weekend. I helped with clean up in Ike, but I mainly hauled logs and branches as the more experienced people cut them up. I did read through the owners manual (a first for me) which had great tips on using a saw. After that it was a breeze. I even felled the remaning 20 feet of trunk, whcih was scary as it could have falled the other way and taken out my living room.

The sad part about clean-up is that everybody wants to use the chain saws, but you really need at least two or three guys to haul stuff away for every guy with a chainsaw. I grew up using the things and I'm still wary, watching my tip to make sure I don't get kickback, etc. They are safer than they used to be, but you can still mess yourself up with one.

[Moliere]

The sad part about clean-up is that everybody wants to use the chain saws, but you really need at least two or three guys to haul stuff away for every guy with a chainsaw. I grew up using the things and I'm still wary, watching my tip to make sure I don't get kickback, etc. They are safer than they used to be, but you can still mess yourself up with one.

I had no desire to use one, especially after seeing an accident. Even this weekend I was worried. I put on levis but the only really safety equipment I have is safety glasses. I think if a storm hits I'm going to buy some of those safety pants that are made of some fabric that clog up the blade if it hits the pants.

BTW, this is our third tree to go in the past 2 years. We have one more left and I'm considering just getting rid of it before storm season just in case it decides to snap in half.

[Clark Addison]

I am probably going to buy a chain saw this week, and am looking for advice.

Brands to look for or avoid? I know Husqvarnas are good (I think). I know Husqvarna also markets saws under the Poulan and Poulan Pro brand. Would Poulan be something to avoid? How about Poulan Pro? Looks like local shops also offer stuff by Echo, Power Care, Oregon, Homelite, and Black and Decker (blech), and Stihl.

How about size? I want something heavy-duty enough to handle decent jobs, and to not embarrass me when I take it to service projects. 18 inch? 20? Maybe one of those 36 inch models that the professional lumberjacks used to use on ESPN?

There were several comments about safety and etiquette. I have used a chain saw a few times, but have never owned one. Feel free to share any tips or resources for information.

[FN Phat]

I would suggest an 18". It will be plenty for what you are going to need around the house but will not be too big that it will difficult for you to be able to control. My dad has a Craftsman but I would not recommend it. They utilize a tool free method to tighten and remove/install the chain. It was sweet for a few times but then it started to slip and the chain will now continually losen and fall off. It is a pain. If you could swing it, I would recommend a Stihl

[Pheidippides]

I am probably going to buy a chain saw this week, and am looking for advice.

Brands to look for or avoid? I know Husqvarnas are good (I think). I know Husqvarna also markets saws under the Poulan and Poulan Pro brand. Would Poulan be something to avoid? How about Poulan Pro? Looks like local shops also offer stuff by Echo, Power Care, Oregon, Homelite, and Black and Decker (blech), and Stihl.

How about size? I want something heavy-duty enough to handle decent jobs, and to not embarrass me when I take it to service projects. 18 inch? 20? Maybe one of those 36 inch models that the professional lumberjacks used to use on ESPN?

There were several comments about safety and etiquette. I have used a chain saw a few times, but have never owned one. Feel free to share any tips or resources for information.

I have had nothing but problems with Poulan/Poulan Pro chainsaws. Chain tensioner are made out of pot metal usual and prone to breakage, and you can't get one for love nor money. Not even on the internet.

Nothing beats a Stihl. Nothing. But they are more expensive than other brands. Husqvarna would be my second choice, but if you want something heavy duty (but not professional) get this. I have this with a 20" bar.

[Jarid in Cedar]

This thread is not complete without this:

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