Dry wood

On dads old Poulan saw you have to use thier brand of oil or it doesn't work right,but it works fine with the right oil.

I recently slabbed a 32" d. oak that stood dead for 3 yrs and then the log waited for another 2yrs before we got to it. No problem at all but we're still talking relatively green wood at 40+% moisture content. This was done with a Stihl 088.

The 30 yr old oak limbs that are scattered around the forest from the last logging here are much harder, but not much challenge for my smaller saw. Certainly no burning. Do have to sharpen more often.

All I can say is, when I bring a log into the house it asks for a glass of water before I throw the log onto the fire.

I get lucky every now and again a get a few pieces of green stuff. I have a potting soil company about 15miles from the house that uses bark in there potting soil mix so they have to buy pine log ends to get the bark. I get the log ends and they get the bark.

I sharpen a chain about 2 to 3 times a cord. It's just like cutting driftwood.

T_Bone

You got that right. I still can hardly believe they drag all those pines in. Not like they grow just down the road. Seems like they'd grab the bark closer to where they grow and not transport the whole thing. The mountain saw mills I remember always burned the slabs. Nobody wanted 'em. Guess y'all are getting yuppiefied.

Of course if they didn't, that'd leave you in the cold. Do you even own a sweater?

Sweater? No! Heavy coat yes :)

After your here a couple years your blood thickens and it gets cold,... 30� lol

T_Bone

Get a real saw, like a Stihl or Jonsered, and get something called "loggers chain". OREGON makes it. It's full-chisel instead of that namby-pamby semi-chisel "safety" chain the government forces the saw makers to give away with their saws.

Now, when you cut dry wood (or wet, don't matter) let the saw do the work. DO NOT APPLY PRESSURE TO THE BAR. Just let the bar rest on the wood while you let it do the cutting.

I've felled many hundreds of trees and bucked them and made firewood out of them. Wet or dry, just don't matter. Never even come close to burning a saw chain. I sharpen them with my trusty Dremel until the chain gets so stretched it gets replaced.

If your chain is stretching, not enought oil flow, turn your oiler up ace.

I agree with you about dry wood. The same goes for chipping up limbs. My chipper/shredder will handle up to 3" limbs IF THEY'RE WET! If you try to chip dry wood, it will beat you (shoulders/elbows) to pieces. I don't cut a lot of firewood nowadays (mostly just trim-ups and deadfalls), but used to use wood as a primary source. The only problem with cutting wet wood only is that you have to stay a year ahead in firewood to allow enough time for it to dry sufficiently. I do cut a LOT of small (3"-8") p!ss elm around here, as it's continually dying and falling into the yard! I can tell that it dulls a chain quickly, but I don't have much choice. I keep at least one (usually two) spair sharp chains on hand when cutting. I have a Husqvarna now, and it seems to really do better than any saw I've owned previously (Homelite, McCulloch, Remington, David Bradley). Hope this helps.

Ron