Cool! I’d be up for some cutting on Sunday. I’m available from early until about 3:30. Let me know when and where. Also if you are just after cookies, let me know and I’ll swap out chains. Otherwise, it’s set up for slabs. But as I said, it will only slab around 30", if these are 36" in diameter it won’t even get close.
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I can be out there at about 9 a.m. or so at the earliest. And we can still get a few good slabs out of it if it’s widest point is 36 (unless my understanding of how the mill works is WAY off base). After all, it’s only that wide in the middle. Hell, I’ll even spring for pizza
Yeah, but 36 inch saws cost a lot more. I thought your goal was to save money and do it yourself. And the fun, what is more fun for someone that thinks running chainsaws is fun than doing advanced multicuts with a chainsaw? Plus, you will have advanced chain saw skills.
Also, the link I shared is not to a big company, but instead a guy much like us that bought a wood mill and is trying to make it work as a second gig. So he might be a good source to make friends with if this kind of stuff interests you.
I haven’t been around in a few years but Ryan is right here. Free handling a saw with a 36” bar and up is not for the casual woodworker with limited chainsaw experience. I use a Stihl 660 with a 36” and 48” bar for processing large trees and it definitely took time to understand how to use a saw this big. It was also a significant investment and I wouldn’t loan it to anyone as a result. If you do something dumb and break a chain or get a kickback you have to be prepared and understand and handle the forces that come with a large saw.
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i’ve used the 660 before a couple years ago, and honestly, 36" is about the limit that I would feel comfortable working with. And I would absolutely make sure that I had all of the safety gear (chaps, gloves, face shield, etc.) as well as someone there to help (also call an ambulance if something went horribly wrong)
also, if you want to come out and help us get some slabs from a big tree, I’m getting a group together to get some from that big oak this weekend
Zach, love the enthusiasm, however as I understood it, this oak was to be hauled away by demolition company today headed for the landfill.
I carry/use all that, as well as carrying a trauma kit with wound dressing, quick-clot, compression bandage, etc. For those who might care, I put together an Amazon LIST at the time: here is my Amazon Trauma Pack List. No guarantees all the products are still available on Amazon.
FWIW, I think the gloves with Kevlar in the backs of them to clog up the blade in the event of a slip are a great idea and cheap insurance. Chaps are a good idea, especially in uneven terrain.
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At Basic Training they demo’d Det Cord on a bigger tree and probably 6 or 7 winds around. Made a lot of tooth picks.
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Those trees are gone Zach. They hauled them away this morning
This is just a bad idea, shrapnel is crazy when using det cord like this. Speaking from experience on this one. Got lucky, one of my friends still had the video where a 1.5 ft hunk of tree missed his head by inches. I was there in person and didn’t realize the amount of shrapnel that could be produced. This was my first time using det cord and I’m glad we were lucky.
Edit,
Ken was there too. Got to be thankful for the lessons that could of been learned through pain or death, but luckily were just learned through the fear of pain and death from looking back at the videos.
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Especially on an old dried out tree. The shrapnel is ultra sharp and jagged with tons of small pieces you would never see coming. Between that and the big chunks, they were lucky.
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The Alaskan rig? Or the complaining neighbor??
Sorry I couldn’t resist…
A 36" diameter tree can be cut with a 24" chainsaw. It doesn’t have to go all the way through in one go. If you can’t cut it with a 24" inch chainsaw then you probably also can’t lift it or move it without other equipment. The fact that almost nobody rents a 36" chainsaw is telling in itself - almost nobody actually needs one.
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It’s not a ‘can’t cut’ issue, it’s an ‘easier to cut neatly’ issue, especially on crosscuts. Neat, single cuts means less wasted wood on cleaning up the surface of the cut boards. And it’s MUCH easier to get those kinds of cuts with longer blades.
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I agree with you Luke,
But, this thread is not really about how to get the job done properly with the equipment easily available. Nor, is it even about how to get the job done for the cheapest price. It is about a guy wanting to use a big 36" chainsaw. The problem of the tree being large isn’t a real problem. I totally get it reading the thread again.
Personally, I loved the time I got to use big chainsaws under the guidance of a more experienced user. I also hope @zacharymarkson gets that chance as well, because it seems like he would enjoy it too.
Meh, we have had lots of other tools simply because someone really wanted one. If woodshop bought one I’d go, okay, neat tool, use chaps cause legs. The argument that the bigger one is a necessity doesn’t sway me. I would say fuck it and buy one except for the only real use case is off campus. 
I was kind also hoping to teach a few classes on how to use and process raw lumber; live edge tables, make your own boards, etc. I saw that there was a request for a class on how to prep logs for the lathe already
So start with that argument next time?
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