What's in your saw box?

[stihl sawing]

OK, you can come sawing with me.

Philbert

It would be fun, But we are a looooong way to travel. I had to clean the inside of the boxes up for the pics, usually full of chips. Still ain't figured out how they get there.lol

 

[Philbert]

I found that the paint brushes, even cut short ones fray / wear out too fast, so I found that parts washing brushes from the local auto supply store are more durable and better to use.

Yeah, most anything works better than a stick or a glove.

Old toothbrushes and paint brushes are free and disposable; I save and use them for all kinds of cleaning tasks. If you do buy them for this purpose (as opposed to bushing your teeth or painting) the cheaper ones are often better as they have the stiffer bristles.

Philbert.

 

[palogger]

i usually have all the above mentioned stuff in the truck somewhere , but i also carry a large pill bottle with spare nuts, bolts, clips, bearings, clutch springs, an extra gas and oil cap or two, and usually have atleast 1 new bar for each saw, and atleast a couple new chains

 

[Steve NW WI]

Vey nice job. How did you secure the dividers in the bottom?

I just cut a piece of metal to fit the inside bottom of the box, and welded the dividers to it, the whole works just drops in.

If you do this: make the dividers the right height so they support the top tray, the little tabs are flimsy and the tray tends to fall down into the box otherwise. Also when cutting the pieces, measure the width of the box at the bottom, as it tapers outward toward the top. If anyone wants dimensions, I can pull mine out and measure them if anyone would like me to. I cut the uprights with an angle so they would be a tight fit all the way up.

First aid kit is behind the seat of the truck. I really should get another one to mount on the tractor. One of those 2 is always close by when cutting wood, and I could see where it might come in handy at other times as well on the tractor.

 

[wkpoor]

To the original poster. Nice box. Only comment I have is are those the dull ones I see or the sharp ones? I think its best to keep the sharp ones separated in their boxes rather than loose. They can get dull riding around in a box loose banging against each other. Some guys go as far as to have a chainbox made up that keeps the chain in a way that none of the cutters can contact each other.

 

[Philbert]

. . .I think its best to keep the sharp ones separated in their boxes rather than loose. They can get dull riding around in a box loose banging against each other.

I think that there was a whole thread on this.
My favorite idea in it was to use freezer weight zip-lock bags for as long as they last.
Take up less room than the boxes and easy to replace.

Philbert

 

[Dok]

Everybody's making me look like a slob! I have everything tossed into a gatemouth tool bag. Sharpened chains are in zip lock freezer bags. I use the side pockets for small stuff. Nothing fancy but works for me. A new saw box would make a good winter project and you all have given me lots of ideas!
Dok

 

[flashpuppy]

I think that there was a whole thread on this.
My favorite idea in it was to use freezer weight zip-lock bags for as long as they last.
Take up less room than the boxes and easy to replace.

Philbert

What was it under? No luck searching for it.....

 

[biggenius29]

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_...ge+&+Tool+Storage&sName=Handboxes+&+Portables

Not a very nice pic, but this is what I use. It is a little big, but holds everything I need. Chaps, helmet, Mingo, head phones, saftey glasses, gloves, hat, first aid kit, extra bars (up to a 20") all my tools, files, spare parts, chains ect...

It is pretty much my tool box. I like the idea of the ammo can for the small stuff. My box stays with the truck, it is a little big to take in the woods. When I cut I go with a Gator, and the box takes up quite a bit of room. But a ammo box is small and I can keep all the tools I need to keep my saw running in the field.

 

[biggenius29]

What was it under? No luck searching for it.....

http://www.arboristsite.com/showthread.php?t=56721&highlight=ziplock

 

[Philbert]

What was it under? No luck searching for it.....

There are a BUNCH of 'how do you store it' type threads here on A.S. And I also have difficulties with the 'Search' feature. However, I did find it, along with the 'peanut bar jar' and the 'plywood board' methods, on this fourm:

http://www.arboristsite.com/showthread.php?t=56721&highlight=chains+bag

Not sure if this is the first place I saw it (but the idea of A.S. is to share good ideas, not to claim patent rights, right?).

Philbert

 

[Raymond]

I have the same box in the smaller size. I love my orange box, being a STIHL guy and all.
It's just perfect for my chainsaw tools and a few extra tools for chainlink fences, dropping cable and phone wires, etc.
Don't carry any other tools then whats in the box and so far it's all I ever needed for my truck and whatever else that comes up. :computer:

 

[Steve NW WI]

Those are all sharp. I would like to have them all separated, and might in the future, but it will require more space. I haven't noticed any damage from them riding together so far, but I see where it could be a problem.

Almost all of the chains in there are for the 170 and the 290, I've had a big stockpile of chains so if one got dull, I'd just swap it out and drop it off during the week to be sharpened. Since I started sharpening my own, I see no need for 5-6 chains for each saw. Besides the factory boxes, does anyone have a neat idea for storing chains?

EDIT - should have read all the replies before asking about storage of chain ideas!

Steve

 

[valekbrothers]

They all fit!

My wood hauler with the saw box on the front.....

And all the saws......

 

[Philbert]

My wood hauler with the saw box on the front.....And all the saws......

Nice.

Looks like the saws can keep warm, all huddled together like that.

Philbert

 

[Orange Hill]

I have been cutting 1/4 mile from home so I cut down on the stuff I have been carrying. I was just bringing too much stuff that I never use. I have been leaving, bar oil, fuel, wedges, Mingo marker and paint, ax, dead blow plastic mallet, and log jack on site since it is on our ranch and I have been cutting a few days a week lately. I do carry tow straps, rope and a 1 ton comealong in one one tub and my PPE, T-27 torx, spare scrench, spare chains and tip luber in another tub. The best investment I have made is getting a Labonville wedge pouch. In my pouch I carry a 8" wedge for bucking, files, a small bottle of picaridin Off mosquito spray and a scrench. I bring several saws so a stoppage just means switching saws. I am a pack rat so I have to restrain myself. Good subject.

 

[Rusty99]

This is a great thread, being a newbie its given me lots of ideas for my own case.

I was thinking some spare bar nuts and maybe some torix screws would be a good idea to keep handy. Any other spare parts you might throw in your saw box?

What about an spare air filter?

 

[songofthewood]

I just have a few items stuffed into a 5 gal bucket , bar oil , 2 stroke oil , spare chain , and some brushes

:agree2:

 

[ak4195]

I whipped up this toolbox for my saws a couple years ago after dealing with the regular tool boxes that had handles through holes in the top that let water in them. It is a "Sportsman's Dry Box", basically a fancy plastic GI ammo can. Bright orange so it's easier to spot, and harder to accidentally run over.

In the bottom, I made a divider so I could keep sharp chains on one side, dull on the other, and some extra 2-stroke oil and bigger stuff in the middle. Wedges also go here, but they are in the tractor toolbox right now.



The small tray on top holds most of the tools needed for maintenance/ minor repairs of my saws. Contents: Reg and Phillips screwdrivers - normal sized and little fellows, pliers, scrench, small vise grip, Gerber Multi-plier, files, 3/8 metric sockets, extra ear plugs, and a metric wrench set. Except the Multi-plier, pretty much all cheap stuff I wouldn't shed a tear over if I dropped it in a snowbank and couldn't find it.


It's a tight squeeze to get everything in, and honestly the wrenches and sockets could be left out, except for the 17mm wrench for the bar nuts on the 271 that the scrench doesn't fit. Note that the scrench has to be tucked under the handle cutout to fit.



Anyone else got a cool way of keeping your saw stuff together? I'd like to make something to organize chains by saw, but that takes a lot of space, and I like having something handy sized like this.

Steve

Dang! cool..like you said,drop most of the sockets n combo's,maybe downsize to a couple of torq's n allen wrenches or socket driver equivelents.Unless your running a toyota as your "head to the woods" rig.I do the gator bag thing. Like somebody else chimed in on
If it aint full of "drive an end dump all night snow removal stuff",or ecxavation-laboror-land clearing-stuff/,than its firewood stuff.Like right now,only thing diff is its got more spare gloves(serious winter& a serious winter hat)and H2O & a Cliff Bar or 2.
You can call it "anal",but order works.A certain amount makes life FAR easier.

ak4195

 

[Steve NW WI]

Update

It's nearly time for firewood season for me, so I went through and canned all the stuff I never use, and added a few more things.

Adds: Husky filing guides for 3/8 and .325 (man I love them things)
Stump vise
Spare plug (need a couple more, got em on the list)
Grease gun (getting more Oregon greasable bars)
Spare bar nuts for Dolmars (should get some for Stihl/Oly/Echo as well)
Chains now stored in marked Ziplocs. Thanks to CAD, too many different chains to sort through looking for the right one.)

Top shelf is now less cluttered, easier to find what I need. The chain sections are overflowing with sharp chains right now, gonna go dull some in the morning!

I even sort of mentioned it in the original post, the wrenches (except 10 & 17 MM for Echo and Olympik bar nuts, big screwdrivers, pliers, and socket set went bye bye. Also have quite a collection of carb screwdrivers, including some I got from a friend who got a bunch from work, with Phillips on the other end. I'll distribute these into the truck and tractors' toolboxes for WHEN I lose the one in the box. Also a couple spare screnches don't need to be carried when I've got at least one spare in every piece of equipment that goes near the woods.

Everything I do is a work in progress, I just hope it gets better rather than worse!!! Hope everyone enjoys the update, and some new members get some ideas.