The tree felling continues. 10 trees down, including the digging out of the stump and roots, which is a bigger job than getting the tree down. The new axe is splendid,
err, there is however a problem, with Mr Uhdd’s chainsaw, it’s broken, a tree fell on it. So the time has come to replace the old one (electric) with a whizzy new model (petrol). For a long, long time, since BC (before children*) Mr Uhdd has had a hankering for a Sthil chainsaw, he’s scoured the Internet, as Mr Uhdd doesn’t like going to the shops, but he found he can only purchase a Sthil saw from a dealership, not on line. It is for his and the chainsaws safety, apparently.
We once had a splendid demonstration of the powers of such a tool at the Sthil trade stand at Bakewell show, interestingly we both noted how the salesman had a digit missing from his left hand (do you know I can count on one hand the number of people I know with a digit missing, what’s that all about eh?) So Mr Uhdd is off to the chainsaw shop tomorrow, I’ve added some Kevlar trousers to his shopping list ( I note the Sthil trousers also have a UV protection factor of 40+ which is handy.)
* The arrival of whom, put paid to the purchase of ‘luxury’ goods such as chainsaws
Uphilldowndale 
Yep he will be wanting a Stihl chainsaw for sure but they will be pricey.
I know we cannot hire them anymore without having the correct paperwork to say we can use them.
They are dangerous and in the wrong hands can be fatal.
But they do save hours of axe time.
Are there any on ebay for sale I wonder
Good action shot ,
Oh and a tip from someone who spent a lot of his youth chopping up logs.
Never ever use an axe without steel toecap boots on. The day the axe slips out of a fatigued lumberjacks hands just as the axe is on the downward route is not a good day.
Mr Uhdd learnt his axe skills in the Scouts (I don’t think they had steel toe cap boots then, but it was a while ago and things have changed when it comes to matters of health and safety.) But he does have a pair now, as do I, mine are red Dr Martins, I had them for my 40th Birthday; sadly they leak like a sieve.
Mr UHDD is right that Stihl is a good way to go and laid back runner is also right that ebay is worth a look. George, my next door neighbour, bought a new Stihl chainsaw on ebay. A good saw at a good price, though not so good when the police collected it as evidence in their ihnvestigations regarding the burglary of an agricultural shop!
I’ve got a Husqvarna chainsaw which performs well; it has only been back to the dealer onceafter I squashed it when a tree fell the wrong way, narrowly missing a visiting UHDD carrying me a cup of tea, and crushng the saw.
Yeh right, just what I’ve always thought about ebay! I sure Inspector Gadget could confirm.
Do you think there is a genetic predisposition for dropping trees on chainsaws running through the male line of this family? (Richard, being my brother in law, formerly known here as BiL) and for drinking tea ( and now I’m fretting about the dangers of letting Mr Uhdd loose with a mini digger after your little ‘incident’)
Please tell me my hubby isn’t the only one who can’t start up a chainsaw without an evil laugh? When we last needed one, we hired it, but it sounds as if elf’n’safety has got in the way of that. Probably a good thing – he forgot to check that the cat wasn’t sitting in the tree he was going to cut down, and nearly dropped the chainsaw when moggy landed on his back, claws extended!
LOL,that could have been very messy!
Ah now mini diggers are easy
I have my excavator licence still ( CITB card which allows me to operate them up to 70tonnes).
But they are simple to master after a few hours.
Left joystick operates the slewing of the machine and the main boom up and down
Right joystick operates the bucket tilt and dipper arm in and out.
They all usually have a safety lever so that when you sit in one you have to pull it up to make the joysticks active. Have fun Mr Uhdd
Oh and make sure you know where your underground service cables and pipes are.
That sounds like trying to pat your head and rub your tummy at the same time! I think you’d best come on over when the big build starts
I borrowed a digger to dig our pond. The only problem (other than one of the tracks being a bit sluggish) was that I got a bit carried away and the pond finished up much bigger than we’d planned!
Look at that splitting action! wow! I think we have a Stihl chainsaw…but maybe that was the previous one. It’s a lot of hard work using that axe.
The technique I use is to cut through the roots using the axe and a handsaw, pull the tree down by hand using a rope, then saw up the trunk into manageable lengths with the chainsaw. Using the chainsaw on the roots is a no-no as soil blunts the chain in no time.
This way the stump comes out using the weight of the tree – much easier than trying to dig it out after cutting the tree down.
i had a little stihl for years – they are great. i sold it when i was skint, for which my neighbours are probably eternally grateful. i now have a reciprocating saw for cutting up firewood.
i couldn’t agree more about the safety thing. i have a certificate in domestic chainsaw management up on my office wall in pride of place. i find it impresses people more than the one that says i am a solicitor…
That sounds very symbolic AND pragmatic!
My dad is a devotee of Husqvarna. Petrol for chopping down, logging up and rough work. Electric (smaller/lighter) for finer carving. He still has his grandfather’s handtools for joinery.
Of course that might be because Husqvarna’s what the man in the local chainsaw shop sells…
No steel toe caps in the Scouts. The idea is to learn how not to chop your own leg (or anyone elses). Axe, knife and saw techniques are still core scouting skills.
Gordon has a digit missing on his left hand – the top of his index finger fell prey to a circular saw whilst feeding the wood through. Fortunately this was before we were together as I’m not sure I could have coped with the trauma of a severed finger! Boys and their power tools: a potentially dangerous combination.
I know I can cope with blood, I’m not sure how I’d cope with anything severed!
“Electric” renders your chainsaw a non-chainsaw.
“Stihl” renders you a slave to brand names.
Try Echo, Shindawa, Tanaka for something with quality and power. Not shadow-of-its-former-self Stihl.
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