Cute little Chain Saw and a Behemoth Oak Trunk.

Leave it to a wood hoarder to notice these. Looked at a job today. Walk around back to put the ladder up. Kids toys scattered about on the patio. Thought this little saw was cute. Is Holtzfforma now making toy spinoffs of Stihls??? The trunk was by the road of same house. The rungs on my ladder are 12" apart for scale. It measured approx. 60" DBH!
Not too many seen this big around here!

 

I did have the 261 with me. That would be one cool looking totem pole. My carving skills are limited to bucking and noodling.
You ever try your hand at carving Eric...with a chain saw that is!

 

You're taking that down, or just admiring?

I wonder how much metal is buried in that thing.

 

Admiring. Although the homeowner is a co worker of a friend of mine and if i asked i probably could fell it. It is dead. Storms and old age have taken their toll on it as its just a spar now. My 460 with the 36" bar may not make it through if i had to fell it. I wonder how old it is?
I though of the metal factor too. Some nice slabs could come from that.

 

Maybe the other buzz-saw could help you out? If I remember right he’s got some pretty big saws.

I think I’d have to get a 36” b&c for my 660 if that big n where available to me!

 

Yikes , that's a monster.
A little bigger than I want to play with ; and then there is the metal issue. I am willing to bet there is some in there somewhere , if you want to find out where just put a chain up to it and start cutting ; yup that's where it will be.

 

Maybe Brad's 36" bar will fit your 661. It's been at least a month since you two bonded. Time for a reunion, more pictures and make that 37Ton grunt a little. Have fun boys!

 

I think it looks cool. Put a birdhouse on top.

 

He has a 36" bar but set the saw up for milling. Even with the two of us its undoable. Felling it maybe but neither of us has the equipment to move it. I see the value now more in slabs (calling Jason The Wood Wolverine). 6' long milled. Mill on site probable but i cringe at how much metal is in there.
BTW Holland Dell we are planning another buzzsaw GTG. Just a matter of weather and schedules. Thread will be posted.

 

For sure I’d be worried about the metal factor but a good detector would ease the mind.
36” could easily get it on the ground to assess the condition of the heart wood at the base. If there’s rot, firewood it wood be! If not, those almost burl parts might yield some really fancy grain!


If too wide for the 36 mill set up, just freehand cut it to width.

 

never have used a hand held metal detector. How deep into the tree does it go? Has one saved you a lot of heartache?

 

I've not bought one yet but swore to myself I would get one before I take on a "customers" tree again, due to hitting metal so much. I did watch a bunch of youtube vids of them and what I saw they would serve well for milling. Surely not bucking and detecting metal deep into the log though. I typically don't mill more than 2-2 1/4" thick.

 

When a limb is cut off and the tree has aged since, the rot starts to travel down the log from there. Not being able to see the whole way around, I can't tell if there's an older cut-off. These help disqualify a log from getting sliced up. The one in your pic looks relatively fresh. I'll find a pic from one of my apple millin' threads and share it here to try and show you what I mean. BRB

 

Here's a pic of what I'm trying to convey. The far left slab you can see brownish color from that limb cut-off. You can se that same coloration on the other slabs. It's [turning into] not good wood.

 

I had a buddy bring his over to check a monster white oak we are gonna drop. Found two nails on the surface. Posted sign? Found one more and his detector said 6 inches deep. I took a wood chisel to it the next day and couldn't find any thing 6 inches in.

 

The last time I discussed buzz-saw's milling operation with him, I think he mentioned a ripping chain. I didn't realize he got a 36" bar. Woohoo! Go big or go home. Since I know nothing about ripping chains, I have to ask if they can be used for general cutting? I haven't done any research as I have been waiting for buzz-saw's report on his new mill. Anxious, Anxious, Anxious. Have you ever done any ripping with your 460/36" combo? I just picked up a ms462c/28" combo and am contemplating a longer bar. Good luck with the GTG guys.

 

. Reduce the cutter angle from 30-35 degrees to 10, voila a ripping chain. I have never tried cross cutting with one to know how well it cuts though. I suggest having 3-5 backup chains ready to go and with you and go to town. You might end up with some short rounds, but the pro tree guys I know have several saws and it chains with them. They visually inspect for what they can, but just start cutting. My personal favorite is rail road spikes!!!

 

A ripping chain has a lesser top angle on the cutting tooth...10* i think he said. His saw is set up for milling only. Dont know if ripping chain can be used to crosscut as is. His 361 is for ripping as well. I imagine if sharpened to 30* maybe. Dont know if the entire tooth is different from standard chain. I did see the chain briefly at his house. He has been very busy and hasnt milled yet. I dropped some smaller 8-10" Eastern red cedar logs off for him to practice.

Ive never done any milling. My 36" bar/chain i seldom use but is handy when i encounter big wood. Normally it wears a 28", also have 20" for it. Ive owned the 460 just over two years now and love it. Ive come down with CAD pretty bad and am getting a Stihl 194T arborists saw very soon. (new model this year) Another saw i wouldnt use a lot but when i do its very handy. I do some chain saw work for pay on occasion.
Dunno how soon our next GTG is. We were maybe this week, but rain on Friday.