Making it thrugh another year, '24-'25

[SwampDonkey]

When dad retired, mother thought she would ask him if he would like to volunteer his time for something to do. He said, he volunteered all his life and that ended the day he retired. 

[Old Greenhorn]

SD, those were my words exactly. I volunteered in Scouting pretty much all my life, until I joined the fire department. Both of those 'jobs' consumed between 20 and 50 hours a week of my time for decades. When I retired it was 'me time'. Now I only volunteer for short term events that have a high enjoyment factor or a good return on the 'investment'.

 Ted, you're right. When I was 35 I never had time to do it right, but always made time to do it twice...because I was in a hurry to get to the next thing.  Now I just poke along and try to get it right the first time and find that is a lot more enjoyable.

 Speaking of which, @Spike60 gave me a trash bucket Jonsered 2050 a week or more ago and I have been plucking along on it as mentioned previously. Today I got down to pulling the carb and cleaning under that area. Really this saw is just packed solid with oily sawdust and grass or something like it. Lots of tedious cleaning. Then I ran to town and got some fuel line, I had a filter on hand, as well as some bar nuts that fit right. SO this is one of the tougher saws I've had to get the carb out... and back in and I replaced the fuel line and filter with some difficulty. I started putting it all together. I don't have any replacement parts just yet, haven't ordered them, but I wanted to see where I stood and if I wanted to spend money on more parts. Got it all back together and shot some fuel mix in the card and it fired right up. So I put everything back together, air filters, covers, and found a Carlton bar that fit (I have no idea how I came by that, but it was pretty used and I had to redress it). I fueled and oiled it up and it started and ran. I made a couple of test cuts in the wood pile, but it needs tuning and I don't have a tach yet. Also, because of the damaged handle mount, I can't get a tool in there to make the adjustments anyway.
 SO round two will be collecting parts and re-doing it the right way to make it 'as new' in so far as is possible. The parts cost is pushing the limit on how much I want to spend on a 'resurrection' saw, but it is a Jonsered, so...   I'd also like to put a 16" bar on this one because I have 18, 20, 24, and 32" bars on other saws and I think this one will balance better with a 16" and give me another option for the woodpile work and I don't have a short bar.

 Not a bad days work for a solid rainy day. Puts a smile on my face anyway and right now, that's good enough for me. Tomorrow is another day and I'll find another project.

[Old Greenhorn]

Well I try to 'accomplish' something every day. It's tougher, but more important to me on rainy days or else I just sit around and waste my day. After 4 days in a row of rain I run low on satisfying jobs and have to work at it.
  So this morning I went out in the shop and wandered around looking for a mission. The Jonsered saw is running, but waiting for parts until I do the final sweep over it. The clown saw has a new clutch sitting there, but I could not get the old one off with improvised tools so I am waiting for the clutch removal tool I ordered to arrive. Yet again today, it did not show up. So I decided to give it one more shot and this time I got it! As  bonus, I didn't break anything else! So I put the new clutch in (used, but OEM) after cleaning the area and the new bearing I bought, then got it all put back together and NOW the saw finally works correctly, then chain stops when it should, chain brake works fine. all good to go. I hung it up on the rack of running saws. Seems like a small thing, but it made me smile and the only saw I have left to work on the the Jonsered. I have a new clutch drum and ring sprocket on the way. I'll let that sit until parts show up...I think. Still looking for other parts.
 Guess I'll head out for round #2 and find something else.

OH, and Trimguy and Doc were right, I need another hook, so I improvised. I think 7 saws is enough. That is unless I come across a 30 or 40CC saw that is worth rebuilding.

[trimguy]

I went most of my life with just one chainsaw, good , bad or different. In the last few years something has changed, I don't know, maybe got a little more sense, but now I own 7. All in working order  except 1 that needs the carburetor adjusted. 🤷�♂️

[SwampDonkey]

I have 3 working clearing saws, you need at least two or you're not going to make much money some weeks. Lost cutting time is lost money, there's no compensation. 

[Old Greenhorn]

Funny how the collection kind of sneaks up on you.   But yeah, you need to have a reliable backup. I'm not sure you need 5 backups.  Still I have convinced myself that each saw fills a different niche. Obviously I am not using a 372 with a 32" bar for taking down mushroom log trees that run 8-10" diameters, but when you need a bigger saw for a large tree, using a 350 with an 18" bar is kind of folly also. So I try to have a nice range of variety in my saws, bar sizes, and chain combinations. At least that's what I tell myself and so far it's working.

[SawyerTed]

We find our justification wherever we can!  I'm guilty too!

My FIL heated his house with wood for decades.  He owned 2 chainsaws ever.  I still have his last Homelite chainsaw.  It still gets cranked and run a little while every so often. 

For years I had one saw, then 2 and currently own 3.  All are Husqvarna- 445. 455 and 372.   The 372 was purchased as a CSM saw.  My everyday saw is the 455, it's just the right size for most of what I do.   The 372 is a "big wood saw" and the 445 is for light work.  

I don't need 3 saws.  I could get along just fine with the 455.  But I really want a good battery powered saw. 

[Wlmedley]

I've heated with wood ever since I got married and I always just had one chainsaw and considered myself lucky to have one. A few times I had to remove the power head from the bar because it was stuck in a tree and finish the cut with a axe. Even then I never considered owning two saws. I feel pretty prosperous now. I own four that run and my axe doesn't get used much.

[Old Greenhorn]

Same here, heated with wood in some part since around 1982 or so. One saw did me fine, but I was only bucking up logs. When I started harvesting mushroom logs (and trees) an hour from home I only owned (working) 2 saws, my trusty 450 and that 372 clown saw that I still trusted at the time. Not wanting to get in a bind and hour from home and parts, I took the 372 with me every cutting day, never needed it, but it was in the truck and I could get it in a few minutes. I had a few pinches I used my ax on for relief, but never needed the 372....until one day. The day they sent a videographer up with me to do an interview of me and get video of the process. That one day I had a pinch on my bar and it was bad enough to close up the sides on the bar and also around the tip sprocket. Try as I might, I could not fix it in the field and I have this camera guy wanting to get footage. So I went and got the 372. The few times I watched the resulting produced video, there are clips with me cutting down 8" trees with a Chinese saw with a 28" bar on it and it makes me cringe every time. I felt like an idiot, but that's what I had and I kept working. A few weeks later I was given a Ryobi battery saw and that went in the Mule everyday as a backup. 3 or 4 times, it saved my butt.
 Now I use a refurbished 350 as my mushroom saw, with the 450 as a backup. That whole experience, and finding new ways to have saws fail me in every circumstance mostly due to my own fault, have taught me to have backups ready at hand and keep working.
 Beyond the '2 saw theory' I just like having a little harem of saws all working and ready to go, hanging in that rack to see which one I want that day. It gives me a warm fuzzy feeling.

[aigheadish]

I'm on my second 455 (turns out they really do need oil mixed with the gas) but would like to get something bigger for a CSM, though by my history it seems like a waste of a thousand bucks. I find it tough to get the motivation to CSM anything. I've got interesting logs just rotting away and it seems as though I find other more fun things to do, even though a nice slab of fresh wood is pretty dang satisfying. 

[SawyerTed]

I've said it before, funny how certain tools don't fit my hands like they used to!  

This is 1 of 17 post holes, 16 got dug with a 3 point PHD.   

I think I'd rather run a CSM!  Nope, I'd rather go fishing!

[doc henderson]

I was in school for years.  I always wanted to cut wood and have a woodstove/fireplace growing up.  I had a fireplace in an apartment in KC, so got a big box Poulon and used it till it would not start.  I did not know much about saws so a few years later, got a Mccollough and used it.  In Albany, I had a wood fireplace also and lived at twin oak apartments.  they were putting in a twin oaks office complex, and taking down trees.  they were 2-to-3-foot diameter oaks.  I got a homelight with a 24 inch bar.  I could only haul two logs in the back of my Bronco 2.  I got about 20 of these home and spent hours on days off splitting them.  After I arrived in Hays Ks, I got my first Stihl.  the home light still ran well, and I sold it to my office managers husband, and it was the biggest, nicest saw he had ever had.  The 046 mag was the only saw I had in hays and when I got to Hutchinson, I started filling in some gaps.  blower, pole saw, weedwhacker ect.  then I got a Stihl for my son with EZ start and a 250.  I had a 2 foot and 3 foot bar for the 046.  I later got a 271 farm boos as my son got older.  He has never got the bug as he was never deprived of the joy of cutting and burning wood.  I have now started adding the battery stuff.   the batt blower and weedwhacker start every time.  I got a hedge trimer as the tools are cheap after you already have the batteries and charger.  I have 3 batteries that fit all the tools.  I even got the cut off saw and can use metal and cement cutting blades 9 inch.  I think I am at about 20 tools from Stihl including the chain sharpener, and rivet spinner.  I was poor for a long time and now enjoy buying quality stuff.  I enjoy owning an 880 with a 3 and 5 foot bar, but it has to be a special day to use it.  I have nearly every saw I could need but am tempted to add a 500i.  been thinking about it for a few years.  first saw bought in 1985.

[SwampDonkey]

I'm a one chainsaw man. Oh, I have had probably 3 of my own, but not all functioning.  A new saw for firewood every once in awhile is a good investment anyway. Thousands of $$ saved in my pocket, so I don't deny myself a new chainsaw now and again. This one now I've had for 8 years. I don't have that great of an attachment to a saw, it's just a tool. 

[SawyerTed]

A chainsaw is a tool.  The reason I have Husqvarna equipment is the local hardware store is a dealer,  service and repair shop. 

I would likely own whatever the hardware store sells and services.  I do like the Husqvarna saws well enough.  

[Old Greenhorn]

Agreed, it's a tool, just like a rifle. But also like a rifle, they can be fun to work on and tweak. I derive a fair amount of satisfaction in looking at that rack of saws and knowing I can grab any one of them and they are ready to go. (PHD's are tools too, but not so much fun to work with or work on.)

 I have all Husky's and now a Jonsered because I had a great local dealer. Yes we also had a Stihl local dealer, but their service was a lot more spotty and not very important to them. I had one Stihl in my hands years ago for use and I found it extremely hard to start with VERY high compression. That turned me off to them. Now I am just so used to working on Huskies that it comes pretty easy, except for tuning which never came easy. I am always afraid of blowing up the saw.

 I have a bunch of parts on order that should arrive Saturday, when I am out of town. This time I ordered a tach, so maybe I can tune things better. By the time I am done with this 2050 I'll have just under 100 bucks in it for the rim sprocket assembly, new (OEM) bar and X-cut chain and some other odds and ends. For me, I think it's worth it. Hopefully on Sunday I'll be messing with the tuning. The B&C show up next week.

[NE Woodburner]

A few times I had to remove the power head from the bar because it was stuck in a tree and finish the cut with a axe.

When I had only one chainsaw (an old '80's Husky 266) I always carried an old bar and chain with my tools in the woods. If I got the saw pinched I would remove the power head and put on the old bar and chain to cut the good bar free. Only had to do it a few times, but was always glad I had them with me...

I now have 3 saws and one battery saw (the battery saw is not good and I would like to upgrade).