How's this for a close call?

Yukon Mike

Yukon Mike

Well-known member
I've been cutting firewood to sell to pay for some of my hunting gas this year and I always wear a hard hat with face screen and ear muffs, and those steel toed cork boots with spikes. My buddy Pat was cutting wood the other day with just leather work boots on an nearly cut his toes off. He said he had his foot up on a log to hold it and when he put the saw to it, the bar slid sideways across his boot before he could react. Even put a hole in his wool sock, but not a scratch on his foot. Lucky!

You guys have a good weekend eh.

Mike

_2.jpg
 
YM,
That was close - it was your friend's lucky day for sure. I'm with you, steel toed boots, chaps, hard hat, gloves, etc.

Craig S

P.S. Hope you make enough off your wood to pay for your gas; a hunter has got to hunt!
 
Ya he was lucky. Craig, you know fuel costs are just getting silly these days. Its a $1.20 a liter here that equates to about 50 cents a minute to run my truck at highway speed. Burning out to my moose meadow is an 80 min round trip ($40) BUT if I can get enough time to cut a load of wood at $200 a cord I'm making money. So far I'm up about $170 I guess, as long as I don't factor in the running boards I ripped off getting out of the mud one night or the day I had to repair my diff. cover because I backed into a stump, or the new chain I bought for the saw, or ...

I pay Mac $20 per load for helping me, but $10 goes into a jar for a new bow he wants to buy.

Its all in good fun isn't it?

Mike
 
Gas is $1.20 per liter?!!! HIGHWAY ROBBERY! That would be $4.33/gallon in the U.S. (converting Canadian $ to US $). I feel for you Mike. You live in beautiful country up there, but don't know how you can afford to live. Our gas prices in the Philadelphia area range from $2.45/gal ($0.68/L) to $3.00/gal ($0.83/L) depending on where you buy it and I consider that a rip-off. I've actually blown the dust off my bicycle and am considering using it to go to the grocery store; put a little trailer on back and off I go. Of course, I don't have to worry about grizzlies or 40 below weather.

As you eluded to in your post, money is fleeting and is always going to something! Fixed bills, unexpected expenses, gasoline, etc. I was actually on this site last night when my wife got a phone call from my 16-yr old son who was driving my F-250 pick-up. He turned into vehicle, wiping out the right side of the truck. Don't get me wrong, I am extremely happy that he and his two friends weren't hurt, but it is an unexpected expense that will cost me a l-o-n-g time (insurance premiums; possibility of law-suit, etc.). Oh well. I've vented enough.

I do want to say Mike, that even though it might be very costly to live where you are at, you and your family are living the good life as I see it. Still in an area that is somewhat wild and free; not living in a rat race like it is here. I respect and admire the way you have influenced your kids to get out-of-doors and enjoy what this good earth has to offer. Keep posting your pictures. It gives all of us in those 48 little states to the south of you something to dream about!! All good stuff!

Craig
 
I'd be looking into alternative fuel. Every bear in the yukon would be chasing after my french fry fish grease fried chicken smelling machine, heck i might could pick up a fat companion with that kinda cologne. jokes aside your freind come awful close to a bad day. heck if he wears a sz 12 us I got a brand new pair of Redwing E/H hazard goretex insulated steel toe Lineman/Loggers if'n he'll pay the shipping. I wore them for about three hrs one time and they been in my closet since. The manufacture date was 05/07.
 
Mike, Can I use that picture for my chain saw safety class?? I've been around a couple incidents like that but never got a picture.One lucky guy for sure.
 
pentax 17 056 (Medium).jpgMike ,We have Moose in Wis. Only 25 miles away. I would get in Trouble if I shot this one. I thought of you when I took this picture. I was on my way back from buying a new chain saw blade. I got 90 percent of the fire wood cut for the winter. It cost $80 a cord 4'x4'x8' delivered here. I don't know what they charge for a fire wood cord.

Boy you can't be to careful with those chain saws. I have seen some terrible damage done to people with them.
 
Give'er Tom, if it saves somebody's toes it is an easy thing to do.

Pete, nice bull. I'd be using that for bowhunting practise. How's this for a nasty chainsaw accident story. When I was in Watson Lake a guy was cutting a tree in his yard and leaned it up on a 6' chainlink fence. As he was cutting up near his face the chain caught the fence and bucked back. You got it, right across one eye and into his cheek bone and forehead. Nasty. He ain't pretty no more, but he's alive.

Mike
 
this gentlemen , is yet another reason I stay away from chainsaws.
I know my physical limits.....chainsaws are currently at the top of the list , ladders are second. I have enough trouble on level ground,sober, and un-armed.
Looks like your friend will be buying a new pair of steel toe boots soon...along with new underwear!
 
That's what I'd call cutting it CLOSE! Every winter when I cut firewood I wear my steel toed corks and I keep 3 nuwly sharpened chains on hand becuase it's the DULL chain that will get you in trouble the quickest. Ya tend to use more pressure with a dull chain and pressure leads to the dreaded "Kick-Backs" that can cost you your blood.

Hey, what bow is Mac looking at buying, a compound I suppose?

3 more days and it's off to Montana!!!!

Dave
 
Sharp chains are where its at for sure, eh Dave. I have a question for you: How come I can NEVER make a chain stay sharp as long as a brand new one? I can make it sharp, but not like brand new. What's their secret?

I bet you are all packed and ready to go!

Mike
 
I was told a while back that a ground chain would cut better than a filed chain. I used to get the local saw dealer here to grind sharpen my chains until one of the mechanics decided he could file them as sharp. We do them here now when we hit a nail or bolt.

Eric
 
the angle of the dangle. When I file 'em by hand they last a bit longer, but I just take them into the sawshop and have them done on the machine and that way they are almost as good as a new one. If I get down to 3 chains that are sharp, I take another 3 into be sharpened as more back-up. I'll have to take a picture of my log spliter machine for you. It was custom built and it loads it's own wood to be split.....I never have to lift the wood onto the spliter.

The other secret to better cutting with a chainsaw is to be sure you don't put the chain on backwards! :^) Yup, I've done it!

Now, what type and size # weight pull bow is Mac saving his money for?

Dave
 
I'll bet he had to sit down after that-dang is he lucky! A couple years ago when I was doing some sawyer work a guy I worked with quite a bit shut his saw down, dropped it, dropped his helmet and gloves and walked away. I watched him and figured he had to take a dump but ended up sitting on a stump and just stared at the ground. I decided I better go check it out. I walked over and he was putting the worlds larget wad of Copenhagen in and shaking like a leaf. His saw had kicked into his leg and made it all the way to his jeans. We always wore the kevlar chaps with the ballistic cloth and the kevlar hair inside is supposed to tangle the chain up and bog the saw down...which it did. But by the time it shut down he it was on his jeans. I've never been to war but I don't think I've ever seen fear like that guy had on his face. I highly recommend the chaps. It probably would've made it to his femur if he hadn't have been wearing chaps.

As far as sharpening goes...I sharpen a lot which helps. My buddy Dan is an expert when it comes to sharpening. He starts with really good chain...apparently there is a difference. His secret is he files the rakers down. I won't do it personally but I have to tell you when I run his saw that thing cuts faster than greased owl shit. He also runs a shorter bar than OEM. Using the right file is important obviously and I think a lot of times guys use the wrong size file. I also found that using the a guide can help get the angle perfect. My buddy Dan makes fun of it but I think it goes faster to because you can use both hands easier to sharpen instead of just pushing with one.

Take er easy Mike!
 
Dave, I don't know much about bows so we're open to advice on that one. He wants a compound bow that he can grow with a bit and still have enough power to kill a deer or a caribou when he hits 14.

Eric, right now I use a guide and a file, but maybe I should try a dremmel setup? Sharpening chains is a pain in the ass, so I'd rather do a better job less often. BTW those scoters look pretty cool!

Jay, good story. I gotta get some chaps too.

Mike
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top