bow bar

[pigpen60]

bow bar, what is it and what does it do? pigpen

 

[Zodiac45]

It's a bow bar! What is it used for? Brush cutting mostly. I don't own one but I've used them a couple times when cleaning out brambles, beach rose, blackberry canes, etc... They're a little dangerous if you ask me.

 

[slowp]

They're great for precommercial thinning. Stick the dog against the side of the tree, push tree with left hand if necessary and tree goes down. No bending over to get a short stump. I never had any problems with them and went through 3 saws during one thinning season. Blew up one, the other just wouldn't start and I kicked it off a bluff and then finally found a keeper. That was my only owie, a sore foot from kicking the saw. Some of what we called precommercial would be commercial nowadays. I know they have a bad reputation but I never had any other problems with them.

 

[Tzed250]

There are two types of bow bars. The western clearing guide, and the eastern pulpwood bow. Each is specific to its application. Slowp has described the fuction of the clearing guide. The pulpwood bow is used when bucking paper logs to 4 or 8' lengths, or for firewood. Very functional tools when in the right hands.

A pic of a pulpwood bow:

 

[Zodiac45]

That's the one I've seen. What the difference? Any pix of the clearing guide type?

 

[slowp]

That's the one I've seen. What the difference? Any pix of the clearing guide type?

No pictures but the ones we used were a little bit narrower and long enough so if you are short, you wouldn't have to bend over to cut the little trees. Just stick bar against trunk close to ground and pull trigger. Pretty efficient.

 

[2dogs]

Remember that bow bars only fit Husqvarna saws. They were originally mounted on the bow of viking ships that plied the waters off Central America. These ships had to nose into the mangrove swamps and cut their way to dry land. This allowed trade between the two regions. The Indians traded corn nuts and cocoa mix and dried pirahna for lefse, lutefisk and reindeer robes. To this day there is anomosity between the two cultures that stemmed from the belief that the vikings were trying to poison these people. Evidence for this can be found in Brazil where Stihl has set up a huge factory and Husqvarna has been banned from trade.

Sadly most vikings perished by drowning. This was caused by these brave men slipping in the oil that constantly leaked from their bow mounted saws and slipping overboard. The Vikings created corks (from ancient word for "pointy fishbone") to remedy the situation but the new boot wore holes in the ships and in turn caused more loss of life. Thus the first head of OSHA, Sven Ole Steinbeck, rufused to certify the bow bar and no new bars have been made for years.

I hope this helps.

 

[johnzski]

Thanks for clearing that up 2dogs

 

[slowp]

Nonsense!! Since ours were mounted on Macs I will tell the true story. The Scots people, although normally a hardy bunch, were tired of scratching up their legs. Their kilts only came down to the knee. They had to skip through patches of gorse, heather, and scotch broom on their way to war with the Brits. It was a bummer to show up with bloody kneesocks and scabby knees. So, one night, after drinking wee toddies of whiskey, one came up with the idea of a bow bar. The bar was mounted on a Mac. After years of running Macs with the excessive vibration, the Scots developed a distinctive brogh. Just like the pirate Arrrrrrrr. And that's the real story.

 

[Gologit]

Nonsense!! Since ours were mounted on Macs I will tell the true story. The Scots people, although normally a hardy bunch, were tired of scratching up their legs. Their kilts only came down to the knee. They had to skip through patches of gorse, heather, and scotch broom on their way to war with the Brits. It was a bummer to show up with bloody kneesocks and scabby knees. So, one night, after drinking wee toddies of whiskey, one came up with the idea of a bow bar. The bar was mounted on a Mac. After years of running Macs with the excessive vibration, the Scots developed a distinctive brogh. Just like the pirate Arrrrrrrr. And that's the real story.

Hmmmm...Then how do you explain the fascination for plaid mini-skirts and the fact that they consider throwing telephone poles a sport?
Must be some Poulan (the French word for useless) influence in there somewhere.

 

[Gologit]

Remember that bow bars only fit Husqvarna saws. They were originally mounted on the bow of viking ships that plied the waters off Central America. These ships had to nose into the mangrove swamps and cut their way to dry land. This allowed trade between the two regions. The Indians traded corn nuts and cocoa mix and dried pirahna for lefse, lutefisk and reindeer robes. To this day there is anomosity between the two cultures that stemmed from the belief that the vikings were trying to poison these people.

.

I was born and raised in Humboldt County. My first true love (in fifth grade) was a Finnish girl. I used to go to their house after school. They'd feed me lutefisk. Now I know that they secretley hated me and figured my Irish digestive system would eventually rebel against platter after platter of something that smelled like Lazio's at low tide. They were right.
Lutefisk should come with a Hazardous Material label.

 

[slowp]

I was born and raised in Humboldt County. My first true love (in fifth grade) was a Finnish girl. I used to go to their house after school. They'd feed me lutefisk. Now I know that they secretley hated me and figured my Irish digestive system would eventually rebel against platter after platter of something that smelled like Lazio's at low tide. They were right.
Lutefisk should come with a Hazardous Material label.

I never succumbed to it while living amongst the Scandihoovians up Nort in Wisconsin. But dey swore dat if you put enuf budder on the lutefisk it made it much more paladable, you know eh? Dey had lutefisk suppers in December.
It was hard to avoid, eh. Very nice people doh. Wisht dey were closer so I could visit easier. There is a hair stylist there, who is the only one who has ever understood my unruly braveheart hair!

 

[olyman]

I was born and raised in Humboldt County. My first true love (in fifth grade) was a Finnish girl. I used to go to their house after school. They'd feed me lutefisk. Now I know that they secretley hated me and figured my Irish digestive system would eventually rebel against platter after platter of something that smelled like Lazio's at low tide. They were right.
Lutefisk should come with a Hazardous Material label.

there aint enoug of anything to cover the taste of that rotgut trash--my mom having some of that descent?? in her, loves the stuff----------

 

[olyman]

There is a hair stylist there, who is the only one who has ever understood my unruly braveheart hair![/QUOTE] You must be careful with statements like this. Leaves a lot of open room!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Gologit]

I never succumbed to it while living amongst the Scandihoovians up Nort in Wisconsin. But dey swore dat if you put enuf budder on the lutefisk it made it much more paladable, you know eh? Dey had lutefisk suppers in December.
It was hard to avoid, eh. Very nice people doh. Wisht dey were closer so I could visit easier. There is a hair stylist there, who is the only one who has ever understood my unruly braveheart hair!

You didn't miss anything, believe me. Lutefisk was the only food whose odor you could see in the air. Kind of like the mist that hangs over a swamp.

And isn't unruly hair fashionable now? Judging by what I see whenever I get brave enough to venture into town unruly hair is the norm.

 

[Backwood]

I have never used one , but asked that question to an old farmer recently and he said he used to use them for firewood, and because one side of the chain stayed out of the log you didnt have the problem with the chain binding. And they were bad about kickback.

 

[Zackman1801]

yeah thats alot of the reason not too many people use or make them anymore, the kickback potential is enormous with such a large kickback zone on the bar.