Hand Tools and Machinery for Country Living

[ides1056]

Anything will burn if you stack it high enough. Just sayin'

Don't I know. One revelation about New England to this born-and-raised Californian is burn season. I had the fire chief pay me a visit a few years back when I was clearing a field.

I bought a second-hand leaf blower, perfect for clearing trails and starting fires.

We had a tornado touch down in Worthington a few years ago: I heard the wind come up and looked up the hill to the East to see any sign in the trees a wisp of cloud formed a funnel and began to drop down between our house and the neighbors to the south. By the time I reached the phone they were already in the basement. A venerable Maple came down a few hundred feet away, its branches twisted like dreadlocks- you couldn't put a chainsaw through them. Up above I found the path through the woods: a group of felled trees along the cliff that is our respective boundary. I've walked along the game trails that traverse the cliff on a windy day and felt the ground flex as the trees bent and their roots struggled to hold them upright.

[Too Tall]

That speaks volumes to me Jay. Holy cow.

Sooooo, I just spent a couple quality hrs. using a older Stihl Farm Boss to cut that down poplar into manageable pieces. Bottomline it is not even close to the equal of my Dolmar. That said it is plenty of saw for me and I really love how well designed the entire saw is thought out.

Lucky me, the roller tip got jammed up with something or other. Spent a while getting the saw clean and free when along came a gent who offered to teach me a few things. I learned that if the tip is not getting oiled to remove the bar, pour gas down into the oiling channels until it runs out the bottom....reassemble and the saw will now oil the bar properly. Cheers to people who know and teach.

[monadnocky]

Just purchased the Milwaukee battery-powered saw. I was looking at the Husqvarna saw, but I'm wedded to (for better or for worse, in sickness and in health...) the M18 battery system. I picture I'll be using this for about 90% of the things I do around the house; for the big jobs, I have a Husqvarna 353 which has been amazing.
I'm positively giddy about the thought of "pull the trigger, saw go." Should be a LOT easier for my wife to use as well.


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[nahtnoj]

I got 5 gallons of ethanol free 91 octane at the country store the other week.

Wow do things run different.

Lawn mower loves it, my MS291 feels like it has another 1/2hp and starts much easier.

My MS250 is acting up though. Like its got an intermittent spark issue. This started before the fuel switch. Threw a tune up kit on it to no avail. Need to dig deeper...

I lost a big poplar in a very similar fashion to Jorn last weekend - trunk snapped off about 10 feet up. I've got a system at this point - greater than 12" in diameter gets bucked into rounds right away (carried to wood pile in front end loader bucket), 4" and up into 6-8' poles that go on the carryall on the back of the tractor, 1-4" diameter goes into the chipper, and less than 1" gets burned. Easy-peasy.

[Mabouya]

Just purchased the Milwaukee battery-powered saw. I was looking at the Husqvarna saw, but I'm wedded to (for better or for worse, in sickness and in health...) the M18 battery system. I picture I'll be using this for about 90% of the things I do around the house; for the big jobs, I have a Husqvarna 353 which has been amazing.
I'm positively giddy about the thought of "pull the trigger, saw go." Should be a LOT easier for my wife to use as well.

I'm even lazier than you: for smaller to moderate jobs I got a Milwaukee sawzall that saves me the trouble of having to sharpen the chain. I use the longest large tooth blades I can find at Harbor Freight (cheap, and super-easy to replace) and when fully charged, the two M18 batteries I have are enough to wear me out. 8" diameter limbs / trunk is the practical limit, unless you want to go through the trouble of working your way all around on the larger ones, which is doable, but a bit of a hassle.

[Will Neide]

Bar oil.......what do you like? Some of these bar/chain oils seem excessively thick. Does anyone thin it out? I also think the thicker oils clog the oil ports and channels quicker.

[monadnocky]

Bar oil.......what do you like? Some of these bar/chain oils seem excessively thick. Does anyone thin it out? I also think the thicker oils clog the oil ports and channels quicker.

I know people like the Oregon premium stuff, but it's eye-wateringly expensive. I use (and always have) 30 weight motor oil - it slings off the chain more quickly, and perhaps splatters more (I don't think it does, but I've heard that it does (???)) but seems to work fine. I have yet to see any evidence (that makes sense) indicating using motor oil for bar and chain lubricant shouldn't be done...

[monadnocky]

I'm even lazier than you: for smaller to moderate jobs I got a Milwaukee sawzall that saves me the trouble of having to sharpen the chain. I use the longest large tooth blades I can find at Harbor Freight (cheap, and super-easy to replace) and when fully charged, the two M18 batteries I have are enough to wear me out. 8" diameter limbs / trunk is the practical limit, unless you want to go through the trouble of working your way all around on the larger ones, which is doable, but a bit of a hassle.

Yep. I have the Fuel M18 Sawzall as well - nice tool. I use it (often) for the small stuff just like you, but anything over a couple of inches, the chainsaw is an order of magnitude faster.

[caleb]

Bar oil.......what do you like? Some of these bar/chain oils seem excessively thick. Does anyone thin it out? I also think the thicker oils clog the oil ports and channels quicker.

Stihl makes “winter” oil that’s thinner than the regular stuff: https://m.stihlusa.com/products/oils...interchainoil/

I imagine the danger of running it in the summer is that you might run out of oil before gas.

[nahtnoj]

I think bar oil is 30 weight with some additives to make it stick to the chain better than straight 30 weight?

I've not yet tried the "winter" oil - but I've also never noticed much difference between the volume left in the oil tank summer versus winter when the fuel runs dry.

[j44ke]

My current favorite tool. DeWit Cape Cod weeder. Right handed.

[htwoopup]

Speaking weeding, my wife swears by this....

https://nisakujapan.com/collections/...4-5-inch-blade

Be forewarned...this website is a rabbit hole of things to buy.

[Too Tall]

Speaking weeding, my wife swears by this....

https://nisakujapan.com/collections/...4-5-inch-blade

Be forewarned...this website is a rabbit hole of things to buy.

We have a very old Smith and Hawken (?) version of that. Truly a match made in heaven for weeding rows by hand.

[caleb]

I'm in need of a new wheelbarrow. I finally cracked the poly tub on mine, and I think it's time for something more robust. Any suggestions?

I had Jackson in mind as a reputable commercial grade brand, but the ones I'm seeing don't look all that different from consumer models.

Poking around the internets, I came across one made by Miller that Ace sells under the Wellmade label. Looks solidly constructed: https://www.acehardware.com/departme...E&gclsrc=aw.ds



Any reviews or suggestions? As helpful as carts are, I do need the maneuverability of a single wheel for what I'm doing.

[j44ke]

I'm in need of a new wheelbarrow. I finally cracked the poly tub on mine, and I think it's time for something more robust. Any suggestions?

I had Jackson in mind as a reputable commercial grade brand, but the ones I'm seeing don't look all that different from consumer models.

Poking around the internets, I came across one made by Miller that Ace sells under the Wellmade label. Looks solidly constructed: https://www.acehardware.com/departme...E&gclsrc=aw.ds



Any reviews or suggestions? As helpful as carts are, I do need the maneuverability of a single wheel for what I'm doing.

That looks nice. I'd want to see one to make sure the steel handles are indeed heavy duty. I like the wooden handles actually, because they don't bend and they are easily replaced. They also don't get freezing cold. And the diameter of grips seems to work well for controlling the wheelbarrow too.

Jackson makes a folded tray wheelbarrow out of heavier duty steel. The folds are in areas that get banged or eventually wear out, so they are supposed to be more durable in rough situations (like mixing mortar or concrete or moving stones) just because they are thicker in the folded areas.

I didn't get the folded tray, but I did get one of the mid-range models with a heavier tray. $160 or something like that. Has a no-flat tire that still has a valve - kind of a foam rubber composite tire with some ability to hold air. Seems fine. Mostly I just wanted a wheelbarrow that didn't twist with lots of weight in it. This one doesn't twist.

[Too Tall]

If you can find it buy the Jackson folded job. My well loved wheelbarrow was on it's second tire and third set of handles when I went looking and came up goose eggs. I gave in and bought another set of handles.

[caleb]

@j44ke and @Too Tall , thanks, that's helpful feedback. I think I've found a contractor supply place in town that stocks both the Jacksons and the Millers, so I'll likely go and touch and feel.

[caleb]

For those still living with me in the dark ages of gas saws, here's a letter of recommendation for Husqvarna's haute gas and oil can.



Both gas and oil have spill-proof spouts: press down on the tank to fill, and they automatically stop dispensing when full.

There's a pouch for an extra chain that'll also fit a small wedge.



The other side has retainers for round and flat files, as well as a scrench.

I would have never thought that one gas can could be enough better than another to warrant a second thought, but this one is a very simple tool that's been elevated to make life easier.

[Mabouya]

The images above remind me of something I've been meaning to ask:

One reason my chain saw doesn't get as much use as it might normally is that I really don't know much about sharpening it.

Would anyone care to post a link to what they think is a "good enough" basic how-too on doing that without having to purchase a really expensive tool to do it? I'm not looking for the equivalent of a knife you can shave with, just something to get the job done without spending ages and ages with the file. (This is the sort of thing where if you start going down the chain saw rabbit-hole you can easily be overwhelmed by all the "how to sharpen a chain" options, and give up out of sheer frustration.)

Edit: Extra points awarded if the bar doesn't have to be clamped in a bench vise, which means that I'd have to go back inside to do it, which is of course a pita, or maybe even impossible if the job's being done far from home.

TIA

[claritycycler]

^^^^ Youtube's your friend.

https://www.youtube.com/results?sear...ade+sharpening