I’ve been dealing with lung damage for a long time now. Dirty two stroke engines can send me into serious coughing fits. The coughing can be so bad I pass out. That’s not something you want to have happen with a running chainsaw in your hands.
In spite of that, over the years, I’ve gathered a lot of my own firewood. Fortunately a lot of wood can be gathered within walking distance of the house. I drag whole trees to the house where they are cut up with a corded electric chainsaw. Usually my 120 volt chain saws are ordered special so I can get more powerful ones than they normally sell in stores.
For a few years I had a F250 pickup truck with a 7.3 diesel that ran on waste veggie oil. I wired up a huge inverted to run my 120 volt saw. The Forest Service sells permits for dead and down wood. There’s National Forest land nearby with a lot of dirt roads. With 100 foot cord it wasn’t too hard to quickly fill up the truck with wood. If the trees were further than my cord was long it wasn’t worth dragging them out anyway.
I’ve never been one to trust the availability of petroleum products. Maybe it was due to coming of age during the Arab Oil Boycotts. Sometimes it’s good to have an old school backup. Mine is a 3.5 foot German crosscut saw. If you have to go with manual power, don’t scrimp on cheap saw. Make sure you know how to sharpen and maintain it too.
In addition to the hand saw there’s a new Toro 60 volt battery chainsaw. That saw does a pretty good job. If the grid goes down it can also be charged on my household solar electric.
One nice thing about gasoline alternatives. They are much quieter. That can be important during interesting times.
-Sixbears
Having options is good. Having both gas and electric tools when possible gives you choice. Choice is never bad.
ReplyDeleteUnless the gas choice could kill you, as in my case.
DeleteAn electric saw can be handy. I have one of my own. Haven't used it for a spell, but that's just because I'm endowed with a super amount of time. The less noise factor is a big sell point for me. I'm a tad hypervigilant under curtain circumstances.
ReplyDeleteHaving a quiet saw can be really handy when you might have wandered past property lines. :)
DeleteHaving , pre stocked at least a two year advanced wood pile , might make more sense.
DeleteAfter two years , all your neighbors will have starved , frozen , or been shot for that stick of wood.
After SHTF , there are no more property lines enforced by the court house.
Rather , property will be enforced by those whom prepared and hunkered down in their well provisioned bunkers ,..
Those electric saws (coreded and battery powered) sure are convenient to use, most especially when they are charged and ready to use at a moment's notice. My extendable pole saw especially has helped me - a lot of thorny undergrowth and bush grow here. Cut far enough away to where the cut items falls while I am not in its path.
ReplyDelete