Confessions of a (want to be) lumberjack
When I was younger, I loved to watch my dad and others fell trees. More recently, clients and their neighbors seem to be fascinated and watch as I cut trees. I have noticed two key emotions that likely lead to this fascination. First is amazement that a human is dominating something much more massive than himself. The second is remorse for destroying an object of natural beauty that has taken so many years to grow and had potential to grow for countless years to come. However, felling trees helps to perpetuate the human race by providing it shelters, fuel, paper, or by protecting a single home from the threat of downed limbs in a storm. A portion of my job over the past few years has been removing trees that threaten to fall on homes or otherwise damage property, and so I have become familiar with the modern tool of the trade: the chainsaw. Here are some of my observations:
Take a course of course
My dad has always had a philosophy of “learn by doing”, so I was practically left on my own to learn how to use a chainsaw. I regret this not because anything went horribly wrong, but because it could have, and it is much safer and less frustrating to take a course.
Chainsaws don’t dig dirt.
After a tree is felled, one must then cut it into reasonable length pieces to burn, which is called bucking. The problem is that as you cut farther through the log, you get closer to the ground. One might think that dirt is soft compared to wood, however dirt is made of hard components such as sand (think sandpaper) and rapidly dulls the chain. To remedy this: put the log you are cutting on top of another piece of wood, or cut half way through then roll the log over and cut the rest from the top.
Trust your cutting buddy
I wouldn’t trust Bobby to do my math homework, but I know he is always there to warn me of dangerous situation and willing to help get me out of it. Over the past two years, we built a sort of respect of each other’s abilities and a means of communication to make sure no one gets hurt. One analog is a football team, each player must be able to anticipate and rely on the others’ actions.
Bobby tying rope to guide tree as it falls
Just for starters
When I was still green, I tried to start it up the “cool way”, that is I held the string in one hand and forced the saw down with the other. The saw hit my thigh. Ironically, it didn’t start, and it only tore my jeans. The only safe way to start a chain saw is to pin the saw on the ground with your boot, and then pull the string upwards.
It’s not always as fun as it looks.
For every hour I spend sawing and feeling like Paul himself, I usually spend an hour hauling brush and logs.
Chainsaws are picky eaters
Chainsaws have what is called a two stroke engine. This means that the lubrication is incorporated in the gasoline, referred to as “Mix”. My family’s business is somewhat disorganized and on one occasion a mix can was switched for regular gas can. Although there is a color difference, one of my coworkers used the regular gas in a saw. In less than a minute the engine seized up, never to run again.
Does make matter?
I usually love to buy bargain brand goods because they are not much worse than the expensive version. However when it comes to chainsaws, I find discount saws to be endlessly frustrating. The Home Depot special just doesn’t cut it (hah) if you want something reliable. My personal favorite is the Stihl brand because their saws have a high power to weight ratio, are easy to start, and don’t quit until they are out of gas.