Bow chainsaw

JimAnderson · Post by **JimAnderson** » Thu Apr 03, 2014 7:06 pm

Hello all,
From some posts on the forum I assume a lot of you heat with wood.
My question is, do any of you run bows on your firewood saws or is it
just a southern thing.I cut a lot of my wood out in the woods rather than
drag the logs out and would be lost without my bows.Just thought I'd
ask if anyone else here uses these things.
Luck,JimAnderson

johnwesley · Post by **johnwesley** » Fri Apr 04, 2014 8:20 am

Bows are nice on logs laying down, but are very dangerous otherwise. Have seen some people with pretty gruesome scars from letting a bow get away from them. On another note I thought that the gov. had outlawed the manufacture of new bows. Does anyone know if this is fact?

Paul Buhler · Post by **Paul Buhler** » Fri Apr 04, 2014 9:26 am

Jim: Up here I've only seen bars used, although I saw a bow saw used in a demonstration once.
I like to outfit my saws with 20" sprocket nosed bars and chipper/chisel tooth chain. The longer bar means less bending and the ability to cut bigger wood, but mostly less bending. I just like the chipper tooth - the point lets me see sharp or dull easier, and when sharp with the rakers set at the right depth, the chips really fly. Paul

hydrogeo · Post by **hydrogeo** » Fri Apr 04, 2014 10:51 am

In college I worked summers for an estate that had one on a big old Homelite. It was at least 24" long. As stated, it was good for bucking up small stuff on the ground or logs in a pile, but I did not like it and seldom used it. It was really awkward for felling and limbing.

JimAnderson · Post by **JimAnderson** » Fri Apr 04, 2014 11:05 am

JWO,
The classic chainsaw bow didn't meet the ansi kickback standards.
I don't know if they have been banned from manufacture but insurance
requirements and OSHA killed the bow.No doubt the bow has a fearsome reputation but when properly guarded has less chain exposed than
even a 10" bar.I use the bow only to cut logs that are laying flat on the
ground and I can buck wood at twice the speed as a bar No bending
down and no chains in the dirt.
Paul ,like you I run mostly 20" bars with full comp chain.The anti
kickback chains don't cut well in my opinion so I don't run them.Since
most everyone here runs machines that in no way conform to modern
safety stands I was just wondering if that daring covered other areas.
Luck JimAnderson

hydrogeo · Post by **hydrogeo** » Fri Apr 04, 2014 11:42 am

One reason I really disliked the bow was despite the idea that it keeps the chain out of the dirt it would still catch rocks frequently, so it bucked faster but constantly needed sharpening. Maybe I was using it wrong, but I always found it much quicker to use a straight bar with a full chisel chain, cut 3/4 of the way and roll the log with a short peavy.

Paul Buhler · Post by **Paul Buhler** » Fri Apr 04, 2014 4:36 pm

use a straight bar with a full chisel chain, cut 3/4 of the way and roll the log with a short peavy.

That's the way I cut anything that's close to the dirt. I've learned how to use all parts of the bar safely - a relative term. A pinched saw is a hazard and kick back a real possibility, so paying attention and keeping good footing means no injuries - at least so far.
Back in the 70s, we watched videos showing "bore cutting" which uses the nose of the saw to deal with big boles and help with directional felling, and Scandinavian speed limbing techniques. We all tried it all; some work well but sometimes it was exciting, and these exciting practices were reserved for "special" situations (there are no old, bold loggers). The Western loggers on the board can speak to this better. Getting a tree to fall in a different direction than gravity wants requires practice, skill development and sometimes unusual risks. I sometimes wonder how I got away unscathed with as much as I did.
Paul

JimAnderson · Post by **JimAnderson** » Fri Apr 04, 2014 5:48 pm

Paul,
You are right about the relative safety issue.Tree cutting is at best
dangerous.Down south on flat ground,feller bunchers handle the pulpwood now.Full length logs go to the mill instead of cordwood.
Whole trees chipped go by box trailers to the pulp mills.
I used the same bucking techniques you and others describe
but at some point the bole has to be short enough to roll with a
peavy.In my experiance that usually means a through cut at ground
level.We don't have rocks in the ground in this area but i forgot just
how many rocks are in the ground in New England.
Like you I wonder how I lived this many years and still have all
my fingers and toes.I appreciate the reponses to my question as
I always learn a lot from you guys on this board.
Luck,JimAnderson

johnwesley · Post by **johnwesley** » Mon Apr 07, 2014 7:45 am

Jim Anderson.
I know what you are saying about the safeties on a bow. I've got one bow that has the big piece that holds against the tree(I don't what you call that) and the top guard, but I've got another one that has nothing on it. Neither of these have been used in years. I even took the 20" bar off mine and went to a 16", too many back surgeries. My saw is an old, big and heavy Poulan.

Paul Buhler · Post by **Paul Buhler** » Mon Apr 07, 2014 9:21 am

Found on the internet.

Stan Disbrow · Post by **Stan Disbrow** » Mon Apr 07, 2014 12:31 pm

Hi,

I don't use the bow style, nor did I when growing up in the mountains of NY State. I never saw any in use, either. I did see plenty of 2-man bar style chain saws used, with bars over 4 foot long where a second logger had to hang onto a handle on the nose of the bar.

That was not for me, though. I do have a 7 CID Wright which originally had a 48" bar. Long ago that was swapped for a 24" one-man bar. It was only ever used to cut up trunks once down. It is too heavy for anything else. That one has an interesting feature: a lever to greatly increase the spark timing and jump up the HP once into a tough cut.

In practice, I have rarely used the 7 CID Wright, opting to use the two 5 CID ones with 20" bars instead. Those are much lighter!

Stan

gus · Post by **gus** » Mon Apr 07, 2014 1:54 pm

A logger friend used bows for brush cleanup. Did not jump the chain off like a regular bar does in small brush..

JimAnderson · Post by **JimAnderson** » Mon Apr 07, 2014 3:21 pm

JWO,
I haven't had surgery but I've had back strains for years.The one thing
I finally learned is when the back starts to hurt I definitely stop what I'm
doing.I have found that the bow really helps with back strain.
Paul,
Thanks for posting the photos and diagram.The stance is correct for both guys.Standing vertical, but they both need bottom guards and
longer top guards.I run 14" poulan bows on stihl 026 and 036 saws.
They are a lot lighter and safer(chain brake) than the old Homelite sxl
and poulan 361's I have with bows.I won't cut using a bow unless the saw has a chainbrake
The last two man saw I ever saw was one my dad brought home when
I was a boy.He wanted me hold the free end but one look at the chain
flying through the end handle sent me running.
Thanks all,luck,JimAnderson

JimAnderson · Post by **JimAnderson** » Mon Apr 07, 2014 7:45 pm

This is a test to see if I can down load some images of my bows

Paul Buhler · Post by **Paul Buhler** » Tue Apr 08, 2014 9:26 am

Jim: Interesting saws, particularly the black one.

More info - fun to read.

http://www.arboristsite.com/community/t ... ws.109002/

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