i had a go at the big oak today (with the 455)

[husky455rancher]

well after i left the hospital after my moms chemo i headed off to the big oak. i got some pics and took some measurements. the stump was 4' 9" across and the very base of the tree was 14+' around, it was 15 ft long. there was a smaller piece i didnt measure that one but easily over 3ft prolly 4-5 ft long maybe more.

armed with the much hated 455 rancher and a 18" bar i started blocking it. i cut 2 blocks out of the big part. then concentrated on the smaller piece. i just kept blocking and blocking. i had to cut most of the blocks in half so i could lift them. i ran through prolly almost 4 tanks of gas and got a big pickup load. i had help too from a friendly neighbor. he chopped maybe 6 or so blocks maybe more. he started with his 350 with a super dull ass chain. when i saw dust comming from it i said well i got a little saw you can use but its got a sharp chain. so i gave him my 142 and he went to town. it did good for a 1/2 tanks of gas then it suddenly died and now it will only run for a sec then die. so after i got home i dropped it off at the dealer. its still warrantied.

all and all the 455 kicked some huge oak ass i was really suprised how good it did. i mean it took a beating. i ran it full steam and had the bar buried the whole time. ran great still used 1/2 tank of oil to full tank of gas like clockwork. i gianed alot of respect for the saw today it did good. im gonna go back sometime to get more. hopefully a cooler day



anyway without further adu the pics

 

[husky455rancher]

more pics

more pics

 

[husky455rancher]

i cant tell you how much i wanted to get the rest of that small piece but for somereason if i do alot of work like that my hands involentary close themselves and i have to pry them open. it can be pretty painful. it was pretty bad in the end as much as i hated to i had to stop. if i didnt keep my hands totally open they would close up on me. so i couldnt even start nevermind run the saw.
ive always been that way even as a kid if i played hockey a long time say with my hands closed on the stick when i stop and try to say unlace my skates it happens. prolly should look into it lol. but i got a big load and prolly better for the truck that i didnt add more to the pile (wasnt much more room anyway)


anyway thats the biggest friggin tree i ever cut up good times 4555 roarrrrr lol

 

[cjcocn]

That's some work you got done there with that 455!

LOL .... probably a lot bigger wood than many give it credit for being able to cut, but you showed what could be done!

PS ... thanks for the pics - that second one looks huge!

 

[jjett84724]

Man, I have been following your posts about this tree. What a hog. You are going to get some firewood out of that for sure. Congrats.

 

[stihl sawing]

Good job, Your saw will do just fine. Just may take longer.

 

[Jkebxjunke]

well after i left the hospital after my moms chemo i headed off to the big oak. i got some pics and took some measurements. the stump was 4' 9" across and the very base of the tree was 14+' around, it was 15 ft long. there was a smaller piece i didnt measure that one but easily over 3ft prolly 4-5 ft long maybe more.

armed with the much hated 455 rancher and a 18" bar i started blocking it. i cut 2 blocks out of the big part. then concentrated on the smaller piece. i just kept blocking and blocking. i had to cut most of the blocks in half so i could lift them. i ran through prolly almost 4 tanks of gas and got a big pickup load. i had help too from a friendly neighbor. he chopped maybe 6 or so blocks maybe more. he started with his 350 with a super dull ass chain. when i saw dust comming from it i said well i got a little saw you can use but its got a sharp chain. so i gave him my 142 and he went to town. it did good for a 1/2 tanks of gas then it suddenly died and now it will only run for a sec then die. so after i got home i dropped it off at the dealer. its still warrantied.

all and all the 455 kicked some huge oak ass i was really suprised how good it did. i mean it took a beating. i ran it full steam and had the bar buried the whole time. ran great still used 1/2 tank of oil to full tank of gas like clockwork. i gianed alot of respect for the saw today it did good. im gonna go back sometime to get more. hopefully a cooler day



anyway without further adu the pics

wow

 

[RDT]

Well done !

 

[beerman6]

 

[ericjeeper]

about the hand cramps

Eat a couple of bananas a day build your potassium levels up a bit.. And drink plenty of water.

 

[gink595]

So, have you counted the rings?

 

[beerman6]

My hands always seem to get stuck in the 12oz. position?

 

[gink595]

My hands always seem to get stuck in the 12oz. position?

12oz what?:greenchainsaw:

 

[cjcocn]

i cant tell you how much i wanted to get the rest of that small piece but for somereason if i do alot of work like that my hands involentary close themselves and i have to pry them open. it can be pretty painful. it was pretty bad in the end as much as i hated to i had to stop. if i didnt keep my hands totally open they would close up on me. so i couldnt even start nevermind run the saw.
ive always been that way even as a kid if i played hockey a long time say with my hands closed on the stick when i stop and try to say unlace my skates it happens. prolly should look into it lol. but i got a big load and prolly better for the truck that i didnt add more to the pile (wasnt much more room anyway)


anyway thats the biggest friggin tree i ever cut up good times 4555 roarrrrr lol

Give your hands a hot & cold bath - that will help them feel better.

First, fill a pail with hot water (as hot as your hands can stand it) and fill another pail with ice water.

Soak your hands (up to the wrists) for 1 to 3 minutes in the hot water, then immediately put them in the cold water for 1 to 3 minutes.

While you are soaking your hands in the cold water, have someone refill the hot water pail with hot water.

Do this cycle (hot then cold) 2 to 3 times (hot, cold, hot, cold, hot, cold, etc).

Always start with hot and always end with cold.

After your last cold bath brush the skin on your hands with a light paint brush to stimulate them.

Your hands will feel "full" or thick, but in a short while will start to feel normal again.

If your hands get so sore that they ache the next morning, then this treatment will help to alleviate that.

I used to frequent a grip training forum (the GripBoard) where this technique is quite often offered up as a good way to help ones hands recover from a good workout (whether it be with grip tools or, in this case, a chainsaw).

I rarely cut more than 4 hours at a time so my hands do not get sore enough to require a bath, but when I trained grip I used this technique often and it works well.

HTH

PS .... almost forgot, DO NOT move your hands around too much when you first submerge them in the water (hot or cold) as this causes one to feel the temperature even more. Wait until your hands get used to the temp (or when the water feels not hot or cold enough) before moving them around.

 

[cjcocn]

Pps .....

one more thing ....

Baoding balls are also good to help loosen up the hands. I have a set that I use once in a while. I just roll them around in one hand to help my hands relax.

 

[strongback]

Outstanding! Slayed the giant with nought but a slingshot and smooth pebble.

 

[husky455rancher]

well i was gonna monitor the thread but i fel asleep lol. anyway thanks for the kind words. when i first saw the tree i thought it was impossible with my saw. but the more i thought about it and i got incouraged from you here go gofor it. also i wanted to show once and for all the 455 isnt the total pos its made out to be its a very capable saw. i dont do this for a living but neither do a large portion of us here. so it would be a great choice for alot of the guys here and i wouldnt feel bad about reccomending the saw to any "firewood cutter"yes the case is plastic but that dosent change how it cuts. when i was about to leave a old guy stopped in front of me and says holy sh*t you really did a number on that thing. how big is your saw i said 18" he was impressed. made me feel good anyway

do i still want a 346 and a 372...yes thats just cuse cad got a good bite into me. idont think ill ever "need" them. i doubt ill ever find a tree of this size again and thats also part of the reason why im doing it just to say i did it.


good advise on the hand thing ill have to try the water thing. wehn it gets bad i cant close them at all onmy own. or them stay closed and i have to pry it open and hold it open for a bit. ive soaked them in ice water many times, my right hand also has a big chunk of calcified bone between my pointer if thats what you call it and my middle finger. it sits way back on my hand, what actually happens is when i move my fingers the tendons hopover the bone sometimes they get sore. the specialist said they have to grind the bone away and make it flat again. or what will eventually happen is the tendons will sever and end up somewhere in my forearm and theyll have to go fishing for em so they can reattach. he says you dont want me to have to do that lol. bottom line is 6 weeks bare minimum non use of the hand for the grinding procedure. so ill have to do it at somepoint wehn i can afford 6 weeks with 1/2 pay. sawing do0nt bothere it much that way i used to do alot of audio/video work making racks for tv news vans and such and all the working with wires was killing my hands cuse all i did was move my fiongers constantly. if youve read this start your post with a capital x.i dont do that anymore so its improved so much alot of the time its dosent even hurt.

woah i just saw how much i typed i just woke up and lost track lol, sorry for the novel back to bed for me..........giant oak killa out

 

[jeeptj19992001]

the saw is a good saw, i got one and a 55 rancher...stop listening to the saw snobs......just because it is not a "professional" saw.....it still cuts wood.....use what you can afford.....and take care of your equipment and it will take care of you......

 

[Swamp Yankee]

husky455rancher

Nice job. Once again you've proven the old adage that a semi-pro saw with a sharp chain will hold it's own and out cut any pro saw with a dull chain.
You're to be commended for undertaking the task, I'll bet you'll enjoy the sense of accomplishment every bit as much or more than the wood from this tree.
As to your hands I have a similar problem in that I suffer from White Finger Disease, (Raynaud's Disease) from running chain saws primarily, but also from the vibration of many years of operating other power equipment. I use cycling gloves when I cut for any prolonged period. They are heavily padded, (I prefer the gel filled) and help to greatly reduce felt vibration. The benefit is the fingers are cut off at the knuckles providing excellent dexterity.

Keep on cutting and Take Care

 

[urhstry]

Now that you tackled your project, was it worth it?