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Safety, Selection, Milling, and More!

Stopping By Woods.
Chain Saw
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Shopping for, buying, maintaining, and using the woodcutter's friend all require basic ...

Chain Saw Sense

If you read THE MOTHER EARTH NEWS, chances are that you either use wood as a fuel already, or are trying to get into a situation where you can. In either case, you should be thinking about cutting wood and woodcutting tools right about now, with fall already in the air and winter just around the bend. And that means chain saws.

Of course, you could cut your wood by hand, as I did for several years while I was living in a tepee. But the only really practical approach to stockpiling a winter's supply of firewood is to use a chain saw.

The chain saw is fast and efficient. I can leave my house in the morning and be back home in time for lunch ...with a cord of pinon in the back of the truck (we westerners don't have the ready access to the good hardwoods that folks in the East enjoy). That load of wood costs me only a gallon of two-cycle oil/gas mix and a quart of chainand-bar oil for the saw. And that morning's cutting will provide me with cooking and heating wood for a month, or around $100 in cash if I sell it ...which I usually do, since woodcutting is how I make most of my living.

The remainder of my income comes from the small chain saw repair shop out behind my house, where I work on saws when the snow's too deep or the weather's too ugly to head out into the woods. Most of the tools I repair are similar in size to the ones I own and use as a professional firewood cutter-the mid-sizers of 50 to 60 cubic centimeters or so (3.0 to 3.5 cubic inches, with 1 cubic inch equaling approximately 1 horsepower).

No matter what size saw you may already own or may be considering buying soon, you should expect the same service from it that I do from mine: It should cut wood all day long without giving a speck of trouble. I have learned to hate being stranded out in the woods, miles from home, with only half a load of wood cut and a saw that won't run. In fact, I won't stand for it. Which brings me to you.

If you're shopping for a new chain saw and you have plenty of money, this article probably isn't for you; just go out and buy whatever you want. But if, as with most of us, your financial situation is delicate and you need to get the best deal you possibly can, then there are several options to consider, and I think I can help you. Likewise, if you already own a good saw and know how to maintain it and keep it running, then you need read no further. On the other hand, if you own a funky old saw that tends to be cantankerous, stick around awhile.

TIPS FOR THE CHAIN-DRIVEN-WOOD-CHOPPER SHOPPER

Buying A Used Chain Saw: Here are a few things to check for when looking at used chain saws.

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