Chain saw aids

[turnkey4099]

Though I would post this after reading thechain oil thread. Thanks guys, I never thought of the squeeze bottle trick. Here are a few I things I use.

5 gal bucket as tool caddy. Holds my 1gal gas can, 1 gal chain oil, grease gus clipped by handle to side (see below), cut-off stick (16" stick for gauging block length). Cut off gauge if I am not currently using it (see below).

Grease gun. I purchased a mini grease gun with needle nose that exits the gun at a right angle. Just right for one hand use and one fill lasts a -long- time.

Cut-off gauge. After 30 years (on this stint) cutting my firewood, I still cannot accurately guage block length by eyeball. The smaller around the wood, the longer my 16" guess gets, the bigger it is the shorter. I used to carry a stick and use ax to mark cuts down the log and then begin cutting. Doesn't work when limbing and marks get lost when the log turns. I bult 16" guages of 1/8"x3/4" flat bar, right angle bend at bar end with two holes. They are held on with the bar nuts. No more guessing, marking etc. Just lay the end of the guage on prior cut and go. Works while limbing too altho it can be awkward on some cuts. If you want to try this, heat the area to be bent. Cold bending doesn't work as it will crack in short order from saw vibration. They still break but last a lot longer bent hot. I always build two to have a spare if the first breaks.

My tool kit.

Two saws Jonsered 625 and Stihl 041.
Bucket with above tools.
Tool box (ammo box) with spare chain(s), screnches, filters, etc.
Ax, 3 wedges, sledge.
Cell phone!!!
30ft cable/two log chains/snatch block (rarely used but when they are needed...).

Of course I am not PC as the truck is only a 2x f150 not the 3/4ton 4x that is mandated.

 

[beenthere]

I carry mixed gas/chain oil in a combination can, I use the length of my bar to be the guage for firewood length. Just lay the saw down on the log and the tip is then right there ready to make the next cut. I carry the chain saw wrench and file in my chainsaw chaps, and I store a women's sanitary napkin under the webbing in my hard hat (that is for safety - stopping blood if I get a bad cut). Also, a thin women's panty pad works well for a sweat band when placed on the leather head band over the eyes. That perfume smell is a little much though. I keep a plastic wedge in my hip pocket.

 

[EdDekker]

I took a Job Box and added 10 inch casters.

I can now load the job box up with my chain saw, spare chain, spare bar, gas, bar oil, hand saw, bypass clippers, chains, cell phone, a radio, tool box ....

I carry the box out to work with my clamp on loader forks, and once I am out in the field I roll it around on its wheels while I work.

In the garage the top of the job box provides extra work bench space.

 

[beenthere]

Possible to post a picture of the job box? Interested in how you do that.

 

[Kodiak]

I bring my wood home still in logs 10 to 12 ft long on the same 18 ft trailer that I hall my tractor on. I use a 7ft choke chain to the center hook on the bucket. Once you get good at eyeballing the balance point of the log. One person choking and one operating can load a couple a minute. Once I get back to the house I go over as much of the stack as I can reach with the gauge stick and some bright spray paint. I then start at the top of the stack and choke each log to an anchor, usually another truck and slowly drive the trailer forward, cutting the rounds as the the log moves off the trailer. Once the load has been cut into rounds, I return to the place I aquired them for either another load or to pick up the tractor. Once the tractor is back home I push and lift all of the rounds into a stack and let them cure. After that its log splitter time. From splitter to loader bucket to wood shed. Usually a two man operation thats fast and convenienent.

I also use a tool caddy for hauling all of my accessories, instead of the 5 gal bucket I use one of the square milk crates, it doesn't tip over, is very sturdy and has two handles. And you can very easily attach it to something with bungee cords.

 

[northcreek2624]

Russ,just realized that there are two Kodiac members,the other using a small k .
Thought one person couldn't be posting that much.....Mike

 

[Boondox]

Harry -- I had the same problem with making the length consistant. I have a 20" bar on my Husky 372XP, and found that the "H" in the Husqvarna painted on the bar is exactly 16" from the tip. So now if I need to check my length I simply flip the saw to the side with the H on the end of the log and where the tip falls is where I cut. Doesn't work any better than a cut off stick, but is a whole lot harder to lose!

Pete

 

[turnkey4099]

Yeah, been there, done that. Doesn't work when limbing very well and that is where I usually wind up cutting much longer than I want. The cut-off gauge is rather clumsy when limbing but absolutely beats hands-down anything else I have seen timewise on bucking logs. Beats it so badly that I will take time to mount it if it isn't already on the saw.

Harry K

 

[EdDekker]

This is a photo of the job box.

 

[EdDekker]

The Job box on the tractor forks.