For friends and family

I'm writing this blog for several reasons:

- For friends & family to follow our adventure.

- To keep track of what we did, what we were thinking, and where we spent money, for our future reference.

- As a resource for other people thinking about doing similar work. I deeply hope that our project inspires others.

However, there are some details of my house-building adventure that I don't want to share with the whole of the internet. For example <censored>. With that in mind, I've created a second blog for those details, at http://jbazuzihouse2.blogspot.com. If you want to see it, email me (JAY@BAZUZI.COM).

Chainsaw

While talking to a guy about clearing our land, he suggested that I operate a chainsaw while he ran his excavator. This would be cheaper than having him get out of the excavator every time he needed to cut a log, or hiring someone else to run the chainsaw.

I have about 10 minutes experience with a chainsaw, so I started by reading. I found this book helpful:

I didn't know how big a saw I should get. After reading online, I decided to get a Stihl. They're good saws, you can get parts for them, and the dealership is committed to supporting the saw in a way that, say, Home Depot is not.

The local Stihl dealer also does equipment rental, and they had just added a saw (Stihl 250) to their rental inventory. I figured renting would be a good way to compare saws and decide if I really wanted to do this kind of work.

I rented their 250 for 2 hours, and drove out to the land. I picked a downed Douglas Fir tree about 10" in diameter. It took several minutes to cut through, and there was a lot of smoke. Everyone I talked to said it was dull. I took it back to the rental place and they insisted it was sharp. As a total novice, I had no way to evaluate the problem.

The local hardware store also rents equipment, and they had a Stihl 260 available. I rented it for a 4 hours (same price) and went to cut the same log. It was perhaps slightly faster, but not much. I took it back.

I didn't know what to do. Why couldn't I cut a log? Were these places renting dull saws? Everything I read says there's no use trying to cut with a dull chain, so why would they do that? Maybe I was doing something wrong. Maybe I dulled the chain somehow?

I finally decided that I wanted to own a chainsaw anyway, and would work out the problems as I gained experience.

The Stihl dealership was steering me towards the 250 model, but I decided to spring for the 260 PRO model - more power, more reliable. I have a lot of cutting to do.

Strangely, some people seem to be happy to chainsaw with almost no safety equipment, while others cover themselves head to toe. As a novice, I figure I'm more likely to have an accident, so I decided to get the safety gear.

I walked out of the Stihl dealership with:

$530 Stihl MS260 PRO chainsaw

It looks like the 260 was just replaced with the 261. Having a little envy right now. What did I miss out on? I see the the bar nuts are captive. I've already lost one in the woods & replaced it.

$25 Filing kit

I also keep a small brush and screwdriver in here, so that's convenient. I don't use the file guide now, as I've learned to file freehand and prefer it.

$90 Chainsaw chaps

Since almost 1/2 of chainsaw injuries are to the legs, I thought this was a good idea.

$7 Quart of bar-and-chain oil

I had no idea how fast I would go through this stuff. 1 quart of bar oil lasts through about 1 gallon of gas. I later went back and bought a whole gallon.

Now I see they sell one based on vegetable oils that's partly biodegradable. Maybe next time.

$17 6-pack of 2-stroke engine oil (makes 1 gallon)

I already had a 1 gallon gas can to mix in.

$20 Lockable carrying case

So I could make sure the kids wouldn't get in to it. It's not an ideal case - it would be nice if it had compartments for all the stuff I want to bring along, like the chain file, bar oil, etc.

I bought this chain saw helmet from Amazon for $45. Having a face shield, ear protection, and hard hat all in one unit seemed very convenient.

I already have steel-toed work boots.

One thing I didn't buy yet is special chainsaw gloves. Long with leg injuries, many chainsaw accidents harm the left hand. Statistics say I should get these, but I hesitate.

Total bill so far: approx $800 including tax.