What are your must have Chainsaw accessories?

[Ron Selzer]

Along with wedges never venture far from the shop without an extra chain sar or at least a extra bar and chain when working out in the woods. Pinch the chain and simply remove the saw head, mount the extra bar/chain, and cut the stuck one loose. (if you get the second one stuck get remedial chain saw instruction)

But the #1 accessory I seldom saw without - the excavator with a thumb. Makes nearly all chainsawing much easier and much safer. Pull logs from a jumbled pile and hold each at waist height for safe cutting while standing on solid ground instead of balancing on a jumbled pile. Never let the chain touch the ground again. When cut, pick up and stack logs in neat stacks, pile all limbs and branches in s separate pile. Never struggle to lift a heavy chink of wood or cut logs in small enough pieces to lift by hand. I even use it to take down trees by digging around the roots and pushing the tree over - much safer than felling the tree with the chainsaw (and as a bonus the stump is out of the ground!) When all cut load everything into the hydraulic dump trailer and haul it away.

If you don’t already have one sitting around an excavator (and a dump trailer) could add a bit to the cost of the chain saw kit but well worth it DEPENDING on what how much and what kind of chainsawing you do. For my use these are “must have” accessories.

JKJ

John since you got that mini ex with thumb it is your go to tool for EVERYTHING!!
Yes I am jealous stuck in town without all the neat equip
Keep on living the good life
Ron

[Ken Platt]

John made me laugh out loud with the remedial chain saw instruction line. I don't think I've stuck a second bar....yet.

My favorite accessories are a cant hook - I got mine from Lee Valley I think - and the Woodchuck Timberjack. Not having a thumb on my tractor, this is my go-to for lifting the log for sawing. Can't saw it all the way down like a thumb will allow, but repositioning is pretty quick and easy. I can't imagine any sort of log work without these two tools. I have a homemade box for my tractor to carry them.

Ken

[Myk Rian]

Bar oil and gloves

[Alan Lightstone]

...On the years I am felling my own trees I start about Feb 1 with felling, and look to have about 8 cords split and stacked by mid March

Scott:

Why fell the trees in winter (asks a Florida resident who watches all those Alaska shows, but wouldn't last 10 minutes living up there)?

Alan

[John K Jordan]

Can’t answer for Scott but here are a few reasons I prefer to do tree work in the winter:

- No insect annoyances to deal with, yellow jackets, hornets, mosquitoes, gnats. Fewer ticks.
- In warm weather I’ve watched dozens of powder post beetles land on and immediately start chewing into maple.
- Leaves on trees and underbrush are gone making limbing and cleanup easier, safer when footing is not obscured.
- Can dress comfortably instead of sweating in the heat of summer. Easier to dress to keep warm than to stay cool.
- If cutting for sawing the chance of fungal stain on light-colored wood like holly and maple is decreased.
- Cutting and splitting for firewood allows more time for “seasoning” for next winter than cutting later in the year.
- Trees are dormant and not pumping sap.
- Cutting woodturning blanks when the tree is dormant keeps the bark from separating on “natural edge” pieces.
- In the winter I’m less busy with other things around the farm.

JKJ

Scott:

Why fell the trees in winter (asks a Florida resident who watches all those Alaska shows, but wouldn't last 10 minutes living up there)?

Alan

[Jim Koepke]

Besides all the reasons John listed, wood heat warms you multiple times, when you cut it, when you crack it, when you stack it and when you burn it. May as well get the benefit of all that warming in the winter instead of in the summer.

jtk

[Scott Winners]

Scott:

Why fell the trees in winter?

Alan

Mosquitos, the Alaska state bird. Plus the seasoning time. If I have everything stacked (I burn spruce exclusively) by Saint Patrick's Day, I am ready to burn in late August.

[Gary Ragatz]

Plastic wedges. HF electric chain sharpener, chaps, helmet with ear and face protection.

THIS! I don't own or use a chainsaw, but have good friend who damned near bled to death in his back yard when he decided the chaps were too much trouble for an easy post-storm clean-up.

[Bill Dufour]

Scott:

Why fell the trees in winter (asks a Florida resident who watches all those Alaska shows, but wouldn't last 10 minutes living up there)?

The snow and ice makes for easier skidding of the logs to the mill with your wood burning tractor.
Bill D

Lombard log hauler was a big brand name.