Chainsaws-grrrrrr

I've just acquired a shiny new chainsaw, a Husqvarna 346xp. It's a neat bit of kit. I've hopefully struck a nice balance between a quality saw yet not some oversized beast way too large for my needs.

When I bought the woodland I had this quaint notion that I would be managing it just with hand tools. Me, an axe, a saw and the trees. All very frontier like and only missing a raccoon hat. My first winter soon taught me a valuable lesson - it's hard work! It's not the felling. I've only tackled small stuff which is doable with just a bow saw. It's the logging up that is the real drag. It became apparent that if I was going to fit this around work and life that I'd better employ some petrol powered help.
 
Having no desire to end up like an episode of Casualty I realised some training might not be a bad idea too and signed up for a days instruction via Woodnet. I'll cover that in a separate post.



I've also put on a very short bar at 13". That's how long the sharp spiny bit sticks out for those not familiar with the lingo. In theory a short bar should be safer than wielding some enormous thing more suitable for Canadian logging. You can swap bars around so when I feel a bit more comfortable with it then I'll purchase an 18" bar and chain for any slightly bigger stuff. Anything bigger than that I'll call in someone that is more trained for the job.

I've also suited up with all the necessary protection. This includes boots, gloves, helmet, trousers and jacket. It's been quite an outlay but you can't put a price on your arteries. Once I've given it a workout I'll report back. It's an interesting feeling of power when you when you pull the starter and fire it up. Must remember its not a toy and rather leathal bit of kit.