The Lumberjack Bill Show: Chainsaw Loading

Hi, I'm Lumberjack Bill.

In today's segment, I'm gonna show you how I put the bar and chain on a chainsaw. Remember, everybody, don't handle a chainsaw unless you've been trained by an expert.

The chainsaw engine must be shut off when doing any adjustments.

The disassembled parts of a Stihl MS 260 chainsaw.

The first thing I do is place the chain into the track slot
of the bar with the chain teeth in the proper orientation.
The chain teeth travel from motor over the top of the bar,
and return to the motor on the underside of the bar.

This is the tricky part: While holding the chain tight to the bar
horizontally with one hand, the other hand sets the chain around
the motor's sprocket wheel. This wheel pulls the chain around the bar.

As I set the chain around the motor sprockets, the bar must
also be set into the chain tensioning post which is located
just to the left of the screwdriver on the MS 260.

While I still hold the loose chain and bar in position, I slowly
tighten the bar adjustment bolt with the flathead screwdriver.
This adjustment bolt is set between the two larger mounting
bolts on the MS 260, but the location may vary on different models.

With the chain tightened, but with still some play in it, I place
the chain cover into position and finger tighten the nuts to hold the
cover well in place.

Now I do a final adjustment on the bar tension bolt with the
screw driver.

I like to have about 1/4" of gap on the chain when pulled away from the
bar. I'll click off the chain break and slide the chain along the
bar track to make sure it slides back and forth easily.

Once the chain tension is set, I use my chainsaw socket tool to
firmly tighten the bolts on the chain cover.

Now the mystery chainsaw is ready to operate. I'll check the
tension on the chain (with engine off) after running it for five minutes.
The motion and heat of the chainsaw may require me to adjust
the chain tension on the bar from time to time. I pay close attention
to this. Caution and respect and for the chainsaw helps prevent injury.

That's all for now.

Just remember: a chainsaw is a potentially dangerous tool. Handle only with expert training and supervision.

This is Lumberjack Bill saying, "Good Luck and Be Ready!"

The Lumberjack Bill Show: Axin' Hemlock

Hi, I'm Lumberjack Bill.

On today's segment, I'll show you what to do about a tree that falls across your path.

Amblin' along a Deerwood trail yesterday, I happened to lean against a tree trunk and it moved. "That tree's gonna fall soon", I said to myself, "better get it down now".

So, after pushing the trunk this way and that, I realized the only way the maze of hemlock branches from surrounding trees would let the dead hemlock fall is right across the trail. Well, that's the way it's gonna go then, I figured.

With a big push and a "TIMBER!" the dead tree dropped to the ground.

The next challenge was to get it off the trail. I'd just stowed the ATV away and didn't feel like lugging the chainsaw all the way to that spot in the forest, so I decided to break out the ol' axe and do this job the old-fashioned way.

I went to the far side of the trail and started to chop angled cuts on one side of the log while standing on the opposite side for safety.

With one side chopped, I switched to the other side. and chopped that. I didn't take more than five minutes to chop through the soft, decaying wood.

You can see in this close up how the log end was half cut and half smashed through with the axe owing to the partially decayed state of the wood.

The last thing to do was lift the cut tree section to one side of the trail and job done.

REMEMBER gang, an axe is a dangerous tool. Never touch, carry, or use an axe unless you have received expert instruction in its use and understand all of the life threatening accidents an axe can cause.

Until next time, this is Lumberjack Bill saying, "Good luck and be ready".

The Lumberjack Bill Show: Balancing Act

LEGAL DISCLAIMER: The following program shows dangerous stunts performed by a professional, Lumberjack Bill. Parental guidance and caution is strongly advised with respect to all content presented herein. Lumberjack Bill (Bill Pocock) discourages anyone to use a chainsaw axe, hatchet, hand saw, any power tool, ATV, chisel, knife, and the like) unless licensed to operate, and encourages spectators to stand at a safe distance from all lumberjack activity].

It's The Lumberjack Bill Show!!!

Hi, I'm Lumberjack Bill.

On today's segment, I'm gonna show you what to do with a hung up tree. That is until things go horribly, horribly right.

Here's the pictures...

Here you can see how the cut tree got stuck like.
So, first thing I do is get the cut end on the ground by
undercutting the contact points. And with a kick or two
the cut end is on the ground. Hmm....


I start to 'walk' the hung up tree toward the hang.
I start with cutting into the trunk about waist
height from the top until the cut starts to pinch the bar.


Then I match the cut line from underneath.
After the two cut ends pinch together,
I often have to kick them apart. Maybe it would
be safer for me to throw a log at it from a safe distance....


Now normally, I will progressively cut four foot sections
off the bottom of the tree until the butt end walks vertical,
then I direct it down with a push. Unpredictable stuff.
The remaining tree can fall almost anywhere.
Dead limbs often fall on anyone underneath at this stage.


And sometimes the tree goes perfectly horizontal
and just stays there. I call it 'Balancing Act' and like
how the branches drape over the trail.