• Hi all and welcome to TheWoodHaven2 brought into the 21st Century, kicking and screaming! We all have Alasdair to thank for the vast bulk of the heavy lifting to get us here, no more so than me because he's taken away a huge burden of responsibility from my shoulders and brought us to this new shiny home, with all your previous content (hopefully) still intact! Please peruse and feed back. There is still plenty to do, like changing the colour scheme, adding the banner graphic, tweaking the odd setting here and there so I have added a new thread in the 'Technical Issues, Bugs and Feature Requests' forum for you to add any issues you find, any missing settings or just anything you'd like to see added/removed from the feature set that Xenforo offers. We will get to everything over the coming weeks so please be patient, but add anything at all to the thread I mention above and we promise to get to them over the next few days/weeks/months. In the meantime, please enjoy!

Darwin

Woodbloke

Woodbloke

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Phill, my next door neighbour had a local oik yesterday making hay with a buzz saw hacking down part of a big hedge. During the day, I spotted said spotty oik without any protective gear of any sort and by around 4.45pm he'd finished...or so I thought. He'd obviously gone off for a fag and a brew so that by 5pm, when it was virtually pitch black, he was back again with the buzz saw until 5.30. This time, he was perched up high in the back of his truck, in the dark, sawing up the bits.

I was tempted to go out and ask him if he wanted me to 'fone an ambulance or give him his Darwin Award - Rob
 
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Another issue with oiks is you find your bits of hedge/ wall / whatever fly tipped in the nearest layby shortly afterwards.
 
Rob, DO NOT go to the aid of this Neanderthal, should he show up again and hurt himself badly.
Given his utter lack of will to protect himself, we may safely extend same to his disease precautions....and safely assume thereby, his blood contains transmisible nasties.
I know some paramedics that will grab a full-face clear visor as well as their gloves, when confronted with "a spurter" before they will lay hands on the victim. Learn from them.
 
SamQ aka Ah! Q! said:
Rob, DO NOT go to the aid of this Neanderthal, should he show up again and hurt himself badly.
Given his utter lack of will to protect himself, we may safely extend same to his disease precautions....and safely assume thereby, his blood contains transmisible nasties.
I know some paramedics that will grab a full-face clear visor as well as their gloves, when confronted with "a spurter" before they will lay hands on the victim. Learn from them.
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Fear not Sam, common sense prevailed. I observed his antics at a distance but didn't interrupt and if he does show up again in the local area I'll stay well clear - Rob
 
Dangerous things in the wrong hands, I certainly wouldn’t go near one without doing a course first. Many years ago in a nearby town a homeowner was up one of his trees doing daft things and he ended up dangling on a rope minus his head, they had to close the road - more for shock prevention than anything else I suspect.
 
Cabinetman said:
Dangerous things in the wrong hands, I certainly wouldn’t go near one without doing a course first. Many years ago in a nearby town a homeowner was up one of his trees doing daft things and he ended up dangling on a rope minus his head, they had to close the road - more for shock prevention than anything else I suspect.
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Probably THE most dangerous power tool in the wrong hands (or even the right ones). SWIMBO has put her foot down and said there's not a chance in Hell of me having one - Rob
 
Woodbloke said:
Probably THE most dangerous power tool in the wrong hands (or even the right ones). SWIMBO has put her foot down and said there's not a chance in Hell of me having one - Rob
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Sensible, there is a variety for smaller cuts, I’ve used it up to 8”dia, it’s called an Alligator, a bit like a pair of scissors but you use two hands, just about foolproof. Even my wife thinks it’s safe!
 
I actually find woodworking power tools less forgiving to moments of carelessness.
Kickback management systems and low profile chain/bar systems on modern chainsaws are very effective which just leaves the reputation.
If you are fearful of a cutting tool then you will not be fully applied in its use and accidents will happen
They are of course still not completely muppet proof and ignorance will yield the same result.
 
Cabinetman said:
Sensible, there is a variety for smaller cuts, I’ve used it up to 8”dia, it’s called an Alligator, a bit like a pair of scissors but you use two hands, just about foolproof. Even my wife thinks it’s safe!
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Just had a look at that (B&D) saw on UToob; looks very handy for smaller jobs. The deWalt saw of the same name is just another small buzz saw as far as I can see. The B&D saw looks to be ideal for general garden maintenance - Rob
 
I once had a neighbour, a padré and vicar. Nice chap, but utterly useless.
He once leant a ladder against the branch of a tree, got up there with a chainsaw and started to cut the branch... between the ladder and the trunk.
On another occasion his wife filled their diesel car with petrol. His solution was to syphon out the fuel into a wheelie bin and load it onto his trailer to take it to the tip.
I believe someone talked him out of it. God must have been pulling his long beard out.
S
 
I own a bit of forest and a small Christmas tree nursery and do the maintenance myself. I think I can safely say I know what I am doing when working with a chainsaw. In more than twenty years the worst incident I had was a chain that broke when it encountered a horse shoe that was embedded deep in a beech tree's trunk. I was lucky, because part of the chain flew towards me and the helmet saved me from something worse than a scare and a headache. But still, it demonstrates clearly that an accident is always close by. Even for experienced users of these tools.

A couple of years ago my neighbour asked me if I could help him with a tree that came down after a storm. Sure, no problem. I packed my gear and went over to his place. Once there, I first took a good look at the tree and its surroundings to figure out what the best approach would be. Then I went back to my car to get dressed with all the safety gear necessary for the job. There was just one BIG mistake I had made: I had left my chainsaw at the tree. So, while I was walking back I hear the sound of a chainsaw. I start running back to the tree. There, my neighbour's son was busy sawing. I start yelling like crazy to him and his father that he had to drop that saw and do it right now. They look back at me and ask me what the fuss is about. I tell them I do not wear all that safety gear for nothing. A chainsaw is a tool that demands respect. The answer: it took so long for me to come back that they wanted to get started already. I replied: not with my gear or with me around. If you want me to help you, then do as I say. In the end they did, but I am 100% sure they still do not understand why I got angry. To be sure: these are good neighbours. They are friendly and sensible, not in any way difficult or dumb. Still, they do not understand the dangers involved with chainsaws.
 
Mall-2-man-chainsaw.png

This is a Mall model 6, from some time in the 1940s.

I'm pretty certain it's the type my grandpa had in the 1960s (or a very similar earlier model). I was told the Canadian military left it behind (in the UK) after the war, unused, and he bought it as surplus.

I never saw it running, but it was kept clean dry, greased and oiled, and utterly terrifying, at the back of one of the sheds at the mill, where I encountered it. I do remember an even longer bar (although I was little at the time and it looked huge!), and his machine had a solid round steel bar on the 'suicide' end as a handle - I think what's in the picture is a socket for that.

PS: the image was a snap from Reddit - bit of a fiddle getting a clean-ish copy.
 
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A timely time for a chainsaw thread.
Thought I'd post an excellent channel or two, to look for...
Buckin' Billy's channel is a hoot, probably the most popular and entertaining on the tube...
www.youtube.com

Buckin' Billy Ray Smith

Visit my website here: http://www.buckinbillyray.com
www.youtube.com www.youtube.com

Here's another fella I've found yesterday, which goes into an in-depth study of things,
for folks wanting to know more info, for long term performance and usage.
www.youtube.com

Saw Chain Theories

All about chainsaw chains. Sharpening, filing, in-depth information and just cutting wood
www.youtube.com www.youtube.com

Having sharpened up an old blade, I've been studying raker depth, which led me to find SawChain theories,
and reckon I'll be needing to do some more work on my chain, as it seems the rakers are too low!
Found a good video on what to expect by using it as is!
 
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