The chainsaw thread...

[XXX-er]

well 251 ain't an industrial grade saw but you already got it so maybe you can keep it keep going if you are nice to it

duno how handy you are but replacing the clutch is pretty easy and so is the carb actulaly

[krp8128]

well 251 ain't an industrial grade saw but you already got it so maybe you can keep it keep going if you are nice to it

duno how handy you are but replacing the clutch is pretty easy and so is the carb actulaly

Nope, bought it in a rush about 6 years ago (tree fell across drive and had appliances being delivered). Upgraded to a 362 this summer as the trees aren't getting any smaller.

Plenty handy, though suck at adjusting carbs. Where can I get parts, other then the dealer? It

[bodywhomper]

https://youtu.be/2j9JyA49cv8

[XXX-er]

parts online and there are you tubes on the carb adjustement,

I never touched my carb and it runs fine but I clean the air filter every day

so I never needed to wank with the carb

[krp8128]

parts online and there are you tubes on the carb adjustement,

I never touched my carb and it runs fine but I clean the air filter every day

so I never needed to wank with the carb

I had to adjust it a while back. Tried a YouTube and overall it made it worse I think. Runs like crap tipped on its side. Might be a fuel issue.

[bodywhomper]

We have a big ponderosa pine tree laying down on our property. I think I posted photos upthread of when a friend and I felled it. At the butt, it was a little over 50”, including bark. It was dead when we felled it (bark beetle). I am thinking about processing it. I’m open for suggestions, but current thought is bucking it into rounds that could be burned in our stove.

Here’s the chainsaw question…. I felled it using my ms361 with a modded muffler (all else is stock). It’s specced at 59cc and to run a 24” bar. I felled it with that length bar and a skiptooth chain. How would that saw perform with a longer bar and a skiptooth chain for processing this dead soft wood tree? It’ll be a lot easier to process with a longer bar (and a bigger saw), but I don’t want to rent, borrow, or steal a bigger saw.

On a related note, how’s the whole no small engine rule going to work in California for people that regularly deal with big trees? I’ve only heard radio discussion/articles that focus on the urban/suburban landscaping industry and the use of gas blowers, but the rule is supposed to affect chainsaws and other small engines that run chippers and splitters.

[~mikey b]

you’re going to need a proper crosscut saw

[Meadow Skipper]

Yeah, I don’t know about a bar >24 inches on a 361, but I’m not up on your mods. Textbook answer is get a bigger powerhead and bar.

But if it were me, I’d go after that 50 inch bole with the 24 inch bar and try to break the last couple inches like with a pry bar or a wedge and sledge and/or a peavey. That’s not to say that’d work, but…

[claymond]

I'd guess a 361 would pull a 28 full skip through that but it'd be slow. Then again it's gonna be pretty slow with a 24. Anyway, I'd try shaving bark with the saw or an ax where you're gonna put the bucking cuts and see if that gets you through before spending money on a longer bar and chain

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[bodywhomper]

Thanks, all.

It took me quite a while to complete the backcut when we felled the tree with the saw.

My likely plan, as y’all have described, is to remove bark and possibly some wood to complete a bucking cut. I also have a rock bar for prying. Other than that single tree, I have no other need for a longer bar/chain.

Don’t think I wanna get a big crosscut saw in there, but it sounds like fun!!

[skisurfmirth]

Sounds like a fun tree to fall. My work crew has run some 361c with 28” it works but is under powered. You might like the longer bar anyway for some better ergonomics when limping/bucking.


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[oldnew_guy]

We were running 28" bars on 361's when the first variant came out back in the early 2000's. Is it going to cut well fully buried? Probably not, but it's pretty convenient to run that slightly longer bar to cut down on leaning over when bucking and limbing. Not really the best bar size for the saw, but we had a stack of them lying around that were used on the 440 fleet. (EDIT: Heh, skisurfmirth beat me to it.)

You don't need a pry bar, just cut a window in the log large enough that you can get your powerhead inside the diameter of the log. IE - cut out a pie shaped wedge that is wider than your saws powerhead that lets you stick the bar in that extra 2 inches.

Double edit: You are also on the right track with the bark removal. It's also a good habit to remove the bark where your hinges are going to be and where you are going to place wedges when felling. At the hinge so you can see it clearly and where you will wedge because bark compresses easier than wood.

Here is an example, except the window the tree is still vertical. Same idea:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2n6ccZWvdRE&embeds_referring_euri=https%3A %2F%2Fwww.arboristsite.com%2F&source_ve_path=Mjg2N jY&feature=emb_logo

[oldnew_guy]

Also, I don't know if it's possible to get your hands on this book anymore, but it sort of used to be the Bible in the area I worked in:

https://www.amazon.com/Professional-.../dp/B00455VB4A

Professional Timber Falling - Douglas Dent

[XXX-er]

splitting 50" rounds might be interesting

[I Skied Bandini Mountain]

splitting 50" rounds might be interesting

We would bust up 3-4 foot DF rounds with sledge hammers and wedges. Not fun but it got the job done.

[zion zig zag]

We would bust up 3-4 foot DF rounds with sledge hammers and wedges. Not fun but it got the job done.

I rented a log splitter that could be used vertically and placed the rounds under the press. Two of us would spin the round and split it several times each.

[bodywhomper]

Thanks for the additional feedback.

“Window,” I like that term. That was also a plan/thought. Less effort than a prybar, but more cutting for each buck until reaching a narrow part of the log.

I will look for a 28” bar and chain. The 24” bar on the MS361 is not the best in terms of balance (tip heavy). I agree on the ergonomics, bucking smaller logs with the 24” isn’t ideal for me because the bar is a little too short for my skinny medium size frame. Future use of the longer bar and chain helps to support the expense.

I have the Beranek book but not the Dent book. I think they have similar reputations.

Splitting…. Haven’t gotten there yet. However, my experience with dry ponderosa pine is that they split very easy by hand, but they suck when green or are starting to get punky. My 60# skinny kids (now 75 and 90#) have been able to do it pretty easy with 24” dry rounds using the smallest fiskar splitting axe.

The tree felling. It was fun. My (now retired) tree feller/climber friend put in the felling notch, I did the backcut with him as my second. Even though it’d been dead for over a year, the whole thing was textbook picture perfect. It landed right where planned, along the inside edge of our property. It’s laying flat on the ground, amongst some scattered smaller trees, and parallel to a very mild slope. Bucking it should not be hazardous in the sense of getting a lot of movement from the log by changing tension and compression.

I counted 107 rings, the biggest pine tree on our property. Easily could have landed on most of our house if it fell uncontrolled or if the top broke off.

[Art Shirk]

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[Cruiser]

She's a 'beaut, Clark

[Art Shirk]

Next up is dealing with this nasty widow maker.


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[dunfree]

splitting 50" rounds might be interesting

Once you halve a round it ain’t bad. Old woodworking was lots of splitting because it’s easier


art, that looks like a place to hang an elk carcass

[m2711c]

throw a rope over 'er and give 'er a good tug, Art....

[bodywhomper]

Next up is dealing with this nasty widow maker.


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What’s your plan?

[Art Shirk]

I have a throw bag that I’m going to try and use and then hitch the rope to my tractor.

If that doesn’t work, I’m going to drop the tree next to it, into it.

If that doesn’t work, I’m going to grapple with my mortality and consider cutting the tree down before I wise up and realize that’s a death wish, tell my kids not to play on that part of the property and then hope for a wicked wind storm.


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[Timberridge]

Can you video it?

What's a ported, very well cared for 372XP (pre X-Torq) going for these days? Roughly.
I just don't cut the big stuff anymore and am thinking of selling it.