Chainsaw Work

I started reducing a big tree that pulled out and over a few weeks ago.

No, the dogs are not with me when I fire up the chainsaw. Chainsaws are dangerous enough without having to cloud your focus thinking about where the dogs are. 

In the fourth picture, the bright orange chainsaw is on the very end of the main trunk. It’s a pretty big tree. 80 feet, I think.

I use a magnetic measuring bar to quickly score logs every 18” (in this case) for firewood.  The magnet is strong, and afixes to the bar, with the chainsaw blade spinning around it.  You start the  chainsaw first, then carefully place the magnet on the bar, 2/3 of the way back, and you use the front half of the bar to score the logs.  The big disk on the rod can slide, so it will measure 14” for a wood stove as well. The big disk is placed within an inch or so of the last cut, and then the saw cuts the next score, and you move down the log.  

I score first, as it’s fast and easy. Then, with the magnetic stick off the saw, it’s quick work to section a tree and stack well-measured rounds to dry. 

This tree is pine and green, so it needs a year or two to dry, and even then it’s not great fire wood compared go the oak we have in abundance.

An unexpected happiness; the stump was not rolling over back into the hole, and though it slightly shifted under my weight and muscle, it did not go over. I packed up for the day, had lunch, and when I came back down the hill, it had flipped back into the hole. I assume a little melting of the frozen ground was a factor. I will cut the stump lower when I section the tree.