What came in the mail today?


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2 hours ago, Mick S said:

At some point I will. I'm thinking of starting a shop overhaul project. 

My shop is adjacent to a one car garage which isn't used as a garage. Wood storage, misc scraps, dust collector, etc., so, part of my shop. I also have a storage room that, if cleaned up and organized better, would handle all of what I have in the garage except the DC. My plan is to take a couple of months between semesters (NM is on lock down starting Monday - 12/1) to clean out the garage and move my bench, hand tools, assembly benches, etc into the garage. I also need to install better lighting and run some more circuits. 

That would free up roughly ⅓ of my present shop to spread out the machinery and be much better sized for the slider. 

 

 

That sounds like a nice amount of added space I look forward to seeing the transformation.

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Good lookin critter Ken.   Now I have to make a complaint.  When I was a young'un, fighting hardasauers, whenever two dogs not of the same breed mated, they produced "mutts".  Nowadays the same thing happens and they become "doodle", "Poos", "Doms" , "Ski's" and a host of other names, It's crazy the prices they ask for a "Mutt".  Rant over.  And you can Google "Hardasauer"

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1 hour ago, Coop said:

My wife has been wanting a puppy for several years now and I promised her one for her bd which was in June. I came up short on a timely delivery but she’s ok with that. Picked up “Sage” today. Now we both have rabbit holes! 

A6BAF757-9EB8-4C86-B45E-ADBCFC16C92F.thumb.jpeg.111adcb324658f447179f1fea4f3cb71.jpeg

By the way  "Sage" is either a green herb, or an old wizened man.

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9 hours ago, wtnhighlander said:

Nice looking pup, Ken! Gonna be a good handfull in a few months. Those poodle cross-breeds are not supposed to shed, correct?

They don't shed and don't have the dander that causes most pet allergies supposedly. I'm assuming it's true as i have family members that are allergic to shedding dogs but have poodle mix breeds and don't have allergy issues. I'm not allowed to get a cat for the 1 time every other year a specific family member might visit...

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2 hours ago, Chestnut said:

Are you getting a new 661 or shopping used for a 660 or 066?

That’s up in the air at this point. Bmac gave some good advice about buying used, but I may go new if I come across something to mill before I find a good used one. 
I hate the idea of buying a used saw on ebay and trusting that the listing is accurate, but I do like the idea of being able to throw in another smaller saw for the same total cost. I’ve been looking locally for a while and there hasn’t been anything reasonable. 

I did also order a benchtop sharpener. I’ll use files when needed in the field, but otherwise will use the grinder.  

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11 minutes ago, JohnG said:

That’s up in the air at this point. Bmac gave some good advice about buying used, but I may go new if I come across something to mill before I find a good used one. 
I hate the idea of buying a used saw on ebay and trusting that the listing is accurate, but I do like the idea of being able to throw in another smaller saw for the same total cost. I’ve been looking locally for a while and there hasn’t been anything reasonable. 

I did also order a benchtop sharpener. I’ll use files when needed in the field, but otherwise will use the grinder.  

I've used files and in my opinion I don't see the point of the bench top sharpeners. Files are quick, it's maybe 2 min to sharpen the chain on a 25" bar. I could see the sharpener for getting an exact angle and being precise though. My hand filing as of now doesn't leave the smoothest cut. This file jig thing is worth every penny btw https://www.stihlusa.com/products/chain-saws/filing-tools/2in1file/ and it doesn't really cost that many pennies either.

Sharpening is an often thing. I'm hitting the teeth every other tank of gas which ends up being nearly every other pass as 1 8 foot pass at 20" wide almost emptys the tank on my 661. a 20" diameter log will have me filing 3 times 2 in the middle once after the log is done.

I agree with the used thoughts. Bmac also recommended that I buy used but i just didn't want to deal with the headache of buying a saw and having to take it to get rebuilt right away. Did the previous owner use stabil? Did the store the saw with gas in the tank? I've found that using stabil causes more issues than less. I always empty gas tanks and idle small engines until they quit, see the stihl manual for this exact recommendation. I can also ensure that i used the right mix oil from day 1.

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I don’t want to get into the age-old debate of file vs grinder, but I’ve chosen to go with a quality grinder for my primary sharpening method. 

I was at the stihl dealer today and almost walked out with a new saw. 

So you had mentioned that you use your 2x10 (or 2x12?) reference on every cut. Do you secure it to the log on every cut or just on the first?

 

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1 hour ago, JohnG said:

I don’t want to get into the age-old debate of file vs grinder, but I’ve chosen to go with a quality grinder for my primary sharpening method. 

Wasn't my intention apologies. I just meant that you will need to sharpen mid milling session so having files and possibly a guide system is a must imo. Unless you want to have multiple chains and swap out which would be time consuming. I think the grinder is with out a doubt better.

1 hour ago, JohnG said:

So you had mentioned that you use your 2x10 (or 2x12?) reference on every cut. Do you secure it to the log on every cut or just on the first?

2x12 for reference on every cut, i secure it with 2_3/4" screws. I typically use 3 on the first cut to keep the board from being tippy on the log and then use 2 for the remaining cuts. You'll want some small wedges as well to prop under the board on the log and may need a screw to secure them as well. Think of it like shimming a door frame. The 2x12 will bow in the middle if it's only touching the log on each end. Or it'll bow in the middle if it's only touching the log in the middle.

The 2x12 isn't the best. It's great for strait trees but if the tree isn't remotely strait or there are protuberances this can cause issues. I have an idea to make the 2x12 better notably reinforcing each side with 1.5" angle iron to make the board more rigid and then use blocks at the start and stop. I just haven't gotten around to improving the system yet. If i figure out some neat tricks I'll share them.

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1 hour ago, Chestnut said:

Wasn't my intention apologies.

I didn’t take it that way, I just didn’t want it to end up going down that rabbit hole. I know some people have strong opinions about sharpening. My stating that was more to explain why I didn’t otherwise respond to your filing comments. And I specified quality grinder because the cheap ones are not worth their weight in dirt, IMO.
 

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I have a chain grinder that hasn't been used in at least 15 years.  I forget what brand it is, but it's underpowered.  It would never get a chain as sharp as I can get one with a file, either.

Nice looking puppy!   Were expecting four litters by the middle of January.  The whole Covid thing has really driven up the demand for puppies.  Pam had a waiting list of 60 people, before she stopped adding to it.  We'll probably have about 20 puppies.  She contacted the first 20 people on the list, and 18 still want one.  First litter is due in three weeks.  Our waiting lists are usually about a year long, but that was in normal times.

Our dogs don't shed, and don't have dander either.  It was a good test for allergic kids to come spend some time in our house, with 12 Havanese, but we aren't allowing anyone in our house now that my 104 year old Mother is living with us.

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21 hours ago, JohnG said:

I don’t want to get into the age-old debate of file vs grinder, but I’ve chosen to go with a quality grinder for my primary sharpening method. 

I was at the stihl dealer today and almost walked out with a new saw. 

So you had mentioned that you use your 2x10 (or 2x12?) reference on every cut. Do you secure it to the log on every cut or just on the first?

 

I use a 2x8, angle irons are screwed to the underside of the guide board. These angle irons help keep your board straight, helps reinforce your board so it doesn't sag, and lifts the board off the log (allowing for working around protuberances and branches). Like @Chestnut I use 2 or 3 screws to secure the board to the log. Shimming the board is often necessary also. My guide board is 8 ft long, I usually mill logs between 7 and 5 ft long, easier to manage. Here are some pics of the board in action on some smallish logs;

IMG_1634.jpg.7f11139ac00999ed183c73cfa97f9c74.jpg

IMG_1633.jpg.5f1da821ae1904bfd80f3134064db5cf.jpg

 

Some guys use ladders or other setups for their first cut, a ton of ways to do it. This board works for me, it's simple, compact and works well.

 

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