On 12/28/2013 12:21 PM, Snag wrote:

Gotta gloat a little here , got a free chainsaw last night . It's a 14"
Homelite , the giver said it hasn't been run in 13 yerars ... when I got it
home last night I poured a couple of drops of gas in the spark plug hole and
it fired on the first pull ... and died . So today I cleaned up the carb and
this sucker runs like a champ . It's so old it doesn't even have a hand
guard much less a chain brake .
So instead of framing up the bathroom this morning I've been cuttin' and
splittin' wood . One of the logs I chopped up has been on top of a pile of
stuff for 10 years and it's still mostly sound . Since it's dry I only split
it into halves except the part that was like 15" in diameter . Also cut and
split a couple of 8 foot logs that I cut down to make room for the house .
This afternoon I'll be looking for standing dead wood that's not too far
gone .
Ed , I really appreciate the advice . You've helped me understand the
dynamics of wood stoves and how to get the heat we need .

A new chainsaw is on the event horizon for me, a Husky 455 or 460 with a
24" bar. Got a 435 now with a 16" bar, but we just landed a deal with a
guy who has 20 acres of juniper (HOT burning) that was burned slightly
in a wildfire, just enough to burn the hair off the bark. The 435 will
do good for most of it, but some of it is really hefty, and I will need
a longer bar. Besides, I need one for some of the larger trees we get
into. The owner had it all bulldozed, and it has been sitting for a
year now. Soon as the mud dries up, we will be on it. We have been
dolling our trailers up, adding toolboxes, and tie downs and all, and
we're good to go. I have not heard a lot of good on newer Homelites,
but have heard good on older ones. Run it a little oily on the gas.
Get a couple of extra plugs. Better to be a little smoky, and not lean
it out and smoke the engine.

Steve