Age Restrictions for Firearms and Explosives: What is Appropriate for Children?

[arildno]

Get a chainsaw, Evo. I'm many miles away from you, so I can't make it into the disaster I made out of my Dad's old apple tree.

 

[Evo]

I was thinking more of a full shark attack suit ..Just make sure to practise at ground level first.
Mine is a small gas powered one, I didnt want to mess with cords{more to get tangled in}. Its light weight, and easy to use AND it has a nifty pole mount.

What brand is your pole mount?

 

[berkeman]

It's a plum tree. Trunk is about 6" in diameter, limbs 1-2' in diameter. Need to prune some dead limbs on another flowering plum, finish off the broken willow, take the lower branches off of a Pin Oak, and prune a clump of River Birch. I could do all of it with a hand saw, but there is just so much, i could do it in no time with a small chainsaw.

No need for a chainsaw for these chores, Evo. And definitely do not use a chainsaw (even an electric one IMO) above your shoulders or so. Just use a good quality hand saw on the 6" trunk (and fell the tree as described early in the thread and be careful about the direction...), and use a good saw on a pole (purchased as a unit, not put together with duct tape) to do the higher branches.

Chainsaws are for big jobs, like multiple 6"-12" firewood pile cutting jobs.

 

[Danger]

Am I the only one left who still cuts down trees with Primacord?

 

[turbo]

Evo, for a small fruit tree like that, you can use a small cross-cut saw. They are lightweight and cheap and cannot kick back and hurt you. I have a nice Husqvarna chain saw, but I use my crosscut for small jobs. Good exercise, and it's quiet, so I can listen to the birds.

Got lots of chickadees and goldfinches and redpolls around, and recently robins, phoebes, and chipping sparrows have arrived. The tufted titmouse hasn't shown up for a few days - possibly the cutest bird in existence, but the pileated woodpecker was here earlier tearing into a dead tree across the road. Of course, the downy and hairy woodpeckers overwinter here along with white-breasted and red-breasted nuthatches so they are constant visitors to the feeder. I like working outside in the spring - it sounds like a jungle out there.

 

[Evo]

Yeah, I can use a saw to take down the tree, but that darn flowering plum has tons of thick branches and sawing them by hand is a nightmare.

 

[hypatia]

Its a Poulan brand, and weighs about 11 lbs. I bought it at a True Value hardware store last spring, less then 200 dollars as I recall.

For electric, Remington makes a good all-around one, that's easy to use..or at least my neighbor makes it look easy.

 

[turbo]

Yeah, I can use a saw to take down the tree, but that darn flowering plum has tons of thick branches and sawing them by hand is a nightmare.

Then see if you can rent an electric reciprocating saw, like a Sawzall with a coarse-toothed wood blade. No point in buying a chain saw for a little job like that. Of course, I prefer the aluminum-framed cross-cut saw and just take my time. You may wish to try this first before dumping lots of money into power equipment. That tree is not going to go anywhere, and you can saw branches for a while, take a break and come back at it again later. One thing - plum wood burns beautifully. Most of these fruit trees make excellent firewood, and you may have a neighbor who will cut it, split it, and haul it off just for the firewood. If someone offered to give me an apple tree or a plum tree for free, just for cutting it up and hauling it away, I would jump at it. With the price of heating oil, we opted for wood this year, and heated our little log house with a little over 3 cords of wood for the whole winter ($150/cord, cut split and delivered). We have a couple of cords of wood left over from out 5-cord order, and I just laid up 3/4 of a cord of ash (a tree with insect damage and bark-loss that was at least 100 ft high and too near the house to risk leaving it). I just bought nice 4-wheeler to haul firewood up from the 9 acre wood-lot out back. I have a chain saw, but I need one. I don't think that you do, especially if you have neighbors with wood stoves or fireplaces. Plum is great wood!

 

[wolram]

Evo, if you MUST buy a chainsaw try this one.

http://flickr.com/photos/mogello/55869339/in/set-1262791/

and do not complain if your back hurts after using it.

 

[arildno]

Evo, if you MUST buy a chainsaw try this one.

http://flickr.com/photos/mogello/55869339/in/set-1262791/

and do not complain if your back hurts after using it.

:rofl: Poor plumtree..

 

[Evo]

Evo, if you MUST buy a chainsaw try this one.

http://flickr.com/photos/mogello/55869339/in/set-1262791/

and do not complain if your back hurts after using it.

I can't wait to get home and see what this is. :uhh:

 

[Gokul43201]

Evo, buy yourself a Sawzall (Milwaukee's latest one is a beaut). You'll find more than one use for it. And it'll cut through a 2" branch just by staring at it !

 

[wolram]

I can't wait to get home and see what this is. :uhh:

There is a bit of a (knack) to start it, that pull cord can be a bit tricky.

 

[Evo]

Evo, buy yourself a Sawzall (Milwaukee's latest one is a beaut). You'll find more than one use for it. And it'll cut through a 2" branch just by staring at it !

Oh, that might be nice!

 

[hypatia]

Evo, if you MUST buy a chainsaw try this one.

http://flickr.com/photos/mogello/55869339/in/set-1262791/

and do not complain if your back hurts after using it.

ohhhh ahhhhhh just look at the size of that

 

[Moonbear]

Evo, buy yourself a Sawzall (Milwaukee's latest one is a beaut). You'll find more than one use for it. And it'll cut through a 2" branch just by staring at it !

I agree on the reciprocating saw idea. I have one that I used to cut all the old fence posts down at my old house when I was getting it ready for sale. It was cheaper to buy one than to rent one because you don't need something as heavy duty as the ones the rental places will offer. It was easy to get the knack of it. For safest use, get the shortest blade you can for the job you have so it doesn't "whip" on you.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

For the sawzall approach, you might check out the Navigator at Walmart. It's basically a cheapy sawzall. Tsu has one and loves it.

 

[Astronuc]

How about this one?

http://www.diggerhistory.info/pages-air-support/vietnam/tree-cutter.htm

:rofl: It'll take the tree flush to the ground! Of course, the neighbors might object.

 

[Astronuc]

For the sawzall approach, you might check out the Navigator at Walmart. It's basically a cheapy sawzall. Tsu has one and loves it.

Here's the Milwaukee Sawzall reciprocating saw -
http://www.milwaukeeconnect.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/category1_27_40027_-1_189346_362

It seems it more of a lumber tool than for tree cutting. It should work OK on branches, but forget the trunk. If the trunk is something like 8-10", then you need at least a 14" chain saw, or a nice heavy axe (double blade ).

Edit: I looked back at post 25 and Evo mentioned 6" trunk. A 10" chainsaw could do it. For that matter, I done a 6" tree with a hatchet.

But probably if one is buying chainsaw for that and other jobs, get at least a 14" saw.

I will be busy this weekend with my 20" inch chain saw on an 18" oak tree that is pretty much dead and heavily damaged from the storms this past winter. I also have to cut up several other trees that have been knocked over by the windstorms from a few weeks ago.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Oooops, you're right; you wouldn't want to cut a six inch trunk with a Navigator or a sawzall. They're okay for the smaller stuff...

 

[ZapperZ]

Evo dear,

I think you should just get a husband and let HIM do all the sawing and heavy yard work. Not only that, I hear that one of them is also useful to take out the garbage in the evening. So that's an added bonus.

:)

Zz.

 

[Evo]

Evo dear,

I think you should just get a husband and let HIM do all the sawing and heavy yard work. Not only that, I hear that one of them is also useful to take out the garbage in the evening. So that's an added bonus.

:)

Zz.

The last time I was married, I had to do all of the household repairs, balance the check book, make appointments, do the yardwork, car maintenance, etc... He did however, as he reminded me when I asked him to move out, that he rolled the trash cart to the curb once a week.

 

[ZapperZ]

The last time I was married, I had to do all of the household repairs, balance the check book, make appointments, do the yardwork, car maintenance, etc... He did however, as he reminded me when I asked him to move out, that he rolled the trash cart to the curb once a week.

Evo dear, I didn't suggest that you get married.

I was suggesting that maybe you get one of those Rent-A-Husband service that gets a man to come to your house and do all the chores. It's so much more convenient that way, without all the commitments and pre-nuptuals!

:)

Zz.

 

[Moonbear]

Oooops, you're right; you wouldn't want to cut a six inch trunk with a Navigator or a sawzall. They're okay for the smaller stuff...

What's the diameter of a split rail fence post? I think those were 4 to 6 inches in diameter that I was cutting with a reciprocating saw. Then again, I think the termites and carpenter ants helped a lot. :uhh: It was pretty creepy when the ants would just pour out of the wood when it started vibrating. :yuck:

 

[Ivan Seeking]

The last time I was married, I had to do all of the household repairs, balance the check book, make appointments, do the yardwork, car maintenance, etc... He did however, as he reminded me when I asked him to move out, that he rolled the trash cart to the curb once a week.

Oh, just get a toy boy and be done with it.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

What's the diameter of a split rail fence post? I think those were 4 to 6 inches in diameter that I was cutting with a reciprocating saw. Then again, I think the termites and carpenter ants helped a lot. :uhh: It was pretty creepy when the ants would just pour out of the wood when it started vibrating. :yuck:

I know what you mean. We have carpenter ants around here and they will take over anything made of wood and touching the ground.

Around here, fence posts are usually 4" diameter [inline], but 6" is common as well [corners]. If you use a Navigator for something too large, you are likely to overheat the motor or break the cheap little plastic parts inside. However, a real Sawzall is made to cut steel, so you wouldn't hurt it, but a good one is more expensive than other options for cutting wood.

 

[ZapperZ]

Oh, just get a toy boy and be done with it.

Ivan, it's BOY TOY, not toy boy! :)

On second thought, maybe you DID mean toy boy!

:)

Zz.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

I meant toy boy!

 

[Gokul43201]

You get 4", 8" and 12" (all purpose) blades for the Sawzalls - good for wood, plastic, drywall and metal.

 

[Moonbear]

You get 4", 8" and 12" (all purpose) blades for the Sawzalls - good for wood, plastic, drywall and metal.

You probably wouldn't want to make your first job using it for something that requires the 12" blade though. That length tends to whip, so it's best to learn to handle the saw with the shorter blades first. The 8" blade should do the job Evo needs done.

 

[Moonbear]

Around here, fence posts are usually 4" diameter [inline], but 6" is common as well [corners]. If you use a Navigator for something too large, you are likely to overheat the motor or break the cheap little plastic parts inside. However, a real Sawzall is made to cut steel, so you wouldn't hurt it, but a good one is more expensive than other options for cutting wood.

I don't recall what brand I got. I was going to rent, and when I realized there was one cheaper than renting, I figured if it only lasted one job, I still saved money. It was perfect for fence posts, because they also had some old nails and staples in them from the chicken wire that had been attached to the fence, so I didn't have to pull all those out first, just cut right through them.

 

[Astronuc]

You probably wouldn't want to make your first job using it for something that requires the 12" blade though. That length tends to whip, so it's best to learn to handle the saw with the shorter blades first. The 8" blade should do the job Evo needs done.

An 8" blade with a 3/4" or 1-1/4" stroke should to the job on a 6" trunk. The Sawzall is not too heavy, only 7 lbs.

One can notch the trunk, with the notch on the drop side lower. One has to pay attention to the center of mass of the tree. This will affect how it drops, and as one cuts, be careful not to let the tree catch the saw blade, and same goes for the chainsaw as well. If the blade gets caught, stop immediately. Then try to push the tree over - in the direction one wants it to go. Do the lower notch first, then the upper notch on the other side.

This might help - http://www.gov.mb.ca/labour/safety/treefelling.html

From KSU - http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/library/forst2/mf2103.pdf

Actually, one could call KSU extension service to see if they could recommend a tree service company, or call the local utility.

For larger trees - http://msucares.com/pubs/publications/p2250.pdf

Husqvarna's website with instructions on tree felling
http://international.husqvarna.com/?url=%2Fnode1470%2Easp%3Fframes%3Dfalse

Sears Craftsman has a some reasonably priced chainsaws.

 

[Moonbear]

Actually, one could call KSU extension service to see if they could recommend a tree service company, or call the local utility.

Do they have a forestry department? Maybe one of their students would be willing to do the job for a little pizza money.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

It was perfect for fence posts, because they also had some old nails and staples in them from the chicken wire that had been attached to the fence, so I didn't have to pull all those out first, just cut right through them.

I recently learned a great Sawzall trick from a plumber. It even makes removing studs from an existing wall a snap, which came in really handy on the remodel. You can just saw into the interface between boards and cut the nails without ever pulling them. Fantastic!

Edit: Uh oh, I almost forgot that I did that using a POS Navigator from Wal Mart. In fact I had given Tsu a bunch of grief for buying such a cheap piece of blah blah blah, but it worked really well. I had to eat my words...though the first one that she bought only worked about ten times and something broke.

 

[Tsu]

Do NOT - I repeat - DO NOT do ANY overhead chain sawing. If you do, I'm telling MOM! :grumpy: