When the folks from my favorite chainsaw bar and chain company asked whether I would be interested in testing their 40V Max cordless chainsaw this winter, I jumped at the chance. While I was somewhat skeptical of the utility of a machine such as the Oregon 40V Max cordless chainsaw, I am always interested in discovering just how far battery-powered technology has come. I will say from the get-go that the Oregon 40V Max cordless chainsaw is impressive. My saw is a Model CS250-E6, which essentially means that it is the 40V cordless, 14-inch bar saw with the 2.4 amp-hour lithium battery and charger. In fact, my kit came with a pair of batteries, which makes the tool even more useful -- the extra battery is not included with the retail kit, however.  I would not hesitate to add a cordless saw like the 40V Max to my collection of gas powered saws (Husqvarna and Echo) and with an MSRP of  $499 with the higher capacity battery, the price is completely in line with the Oregon quality and serviceability that we expect from the brand.

On my first outing with the saw, I went to work on a pile of black walnut, Osage orange and maple trees that were downed about three years ago. The wood was pretty dry, but not cured in the way that shorter billets might have been. Over eager to begin cutting, I took the 40V cordless saw out with a single battery and left the other on the charger. I figured I'd get a couple of armloads of wood cut to stove length (18-inches) before the thing ran out of juice. I filled the bar oil reservoir with oil, tensioned the chain with the included screwdriver (a large wing nut tightens the bar making the traditional chainsaw tool largely obsolete with this machine) and lit the the 40V up. Well, I didn't really light it up -- I simply depressed the trigger lock and squeezed the trigger and the saw came to life. The 40V Max is quiet -- no ringing ears, even without hearing protection -- and it made short work of several walnut and maple limbs in the 4 to 11-inch diameter range. I next moved on to some 6 - 9-inch diameter Osage orange limbs -- one of the most dense woods in North America (it makes my gas chainsaw chains spark on occasion) -- and noticed that the saw was laboring and making smaller chips. Time to take a break to sharpen the chain, or to install a fresh one, right? Nope! The 40V Max comes standard with Oregon's very effective, built-in PowerSharp sharping system. Again the skeptic that I am didn't expect that simply running the saw without load and pulling back on the sharpening lever would make much of a difference, but I gave it a shot. Suffice it to say that the saw motored through a couple more Osage Orange cuts before the battery was out of juice.

In the final tally, the saw made about 25 cuts total on the single battery that first time out. That amounted to about 3/4 of a 6-foot-wide tractor loader bucket full of wood that when split yielded a bit more than 1/6 of a cord of firewood. Obviously 24-inch lengths would have yielded even more firewood with the same number of cuts, but my stove likes 18-inch billets well enough. In the hour that it took me to cut, haul, split and stack that wood, the second battery was fully charged and I repeated the entire process. It turns out that the battery I first charged was not fully discharged because it took about 2.5 hours to recharge the battery that I drained by using the saw. In subsequent uses, I've noticed that it takes between 2 and 2.5 hours to recharge the battery.

The 40V Max cordless chainsaw isn't the saw you want to bring to the woods for a day of heavy cutting -- even if you have a truckload of charged batteries. It is a perfect saw for those lighter cutting and trimming duties and as I've come to learn, it is an almost ideal saw for relatively short firewood cutting sessions. I can totally imagine spending an hour or two a day or every other day using the 40V Max with an extra battery to create all of the firewood we need by adopting the slow and steady approach to the process. With two batteries I can cut and split a bit more than a third of a cord in around an hour and 45 minutes. that leaves plenty of time to do the other chores and work on other projects as daily life demands. The fact that the saw starts instantly in any weather, is relatively quiet and produces zero in the way of gasoline or exhaust fumes, and that it is so easy to keep sharp makes it tough to beat for short and sweet sawing sessions.

I plan to put the Oregon 40V Max Cordless Saw through additional testing through spring. I will let you know how I like it after a few months of living with it. In the meantime, if you are in the market for a good chainsaw for those spontaneous trimming or smaller cutting jobs, waiting for batteries to charge is a small tradeoff for a machine that performs and is ready to go the instant you need it. Stay tuned.

I obviously don't exercise enough.

After stacking wood with my family this weekend...
My back and shoulders ache.
I'm feeling old.
It's time for the heating pad.

However, on the bright side, we have a terrific amount of firewood ready at a moment's notice should it be needed! 

The barn is filled with the sweet scent of freshly-cut wood as the aromas of cherry, hedge, and ash mingle to greet us each time we step inside. And while it's a delight to take in, on the more practical side, it has a very important role to play in our preparedness.

Should we have a power outage, this wood will not only keep us warm, but will help to feed us as well. Living in a farmhouse that's 148 years old has blessed us with 3 fireplaces...one each in the kitchen, dining room, and what was most likely once a parlor. 

Those fireplaces most certainly kept the original homeowners warm from many a winter storm. However, somewhere along the years, a previous owner decided it was a good idea to remove the chimney of the fireplace in the dining room, and toss it down the flue passageway. Sadly we couldn't rebuild the structure to make it safely usable, however, we did have the firebox reworked and then refinished an old mantel to keep the home's original look.

Now, how to store that firewood to make sure it's ready when we need it...

1~
Choose where you store the wood carefully. Find a spot that's dry and allows for air to circulate around the woodpile. A barn or an open-ended wood shed are both ideal. Wet wood will rot, crumble, and give off very little heat. It's essential to keep the wood dry.

2~
Remember to stack the wood off the ground. Wood pallets work well, or you can easily put together a log rack you'll find available at your home improvement store. (I say "easily" because I didn't put it together...hats off to my hubby on this one!) Look closely at the wording on each log rack box...it will tell you how much wood the rack support. Most come ready to hold 1/2, 3/4 or 1 cord of wood. It's important not to overload the rack.

3~
If you choose to place the log rack outdoors on the ground, instead of on a cement pad, stake the rack to keep it steady. If that pile begins to lean, eventually the entire log rack will come with it.

4~
If the woodpile it outside and no barn/shed is available, be sure to cover it with a tarp to keep it dry, and secure the tarp from the winter winds. If you happen to get a sunny winter day, you may want to even uncover the wood to let out any moisture that's trapped inside.

5~
While wood is generally sold by the cord (4'x4'x8') how do you know how much wood you'll need? Well, that depends on many factors. How many hours a day do you need a fire? Are you cooking in a large fireplace or on a small wood stove? Is it your only source of heat/cooking, or are you also using coal, wood pellets, canned heat, or kerosene?

I've read that Montana pioneers needed 12 cords of wood to make it through a winter. However; that was a 24-hour a day fire for warmth and cooking, with winter lasting often from October through April. And while most of us wouldn't need anywhere near that amount, it would be wise to do the math and find out how much wood would sustain your family through a hard winter.

6~
How long will your wood last? Well, the experts say indefinitely if you keep it dry and the air can freely circulate around the woodpile. I have to agree. Last year we finished burning several logs tucked into a corner of our barn that were at least 10 years old!

Yes, a crackling fire on a Sunday afternoon is a favorite around this old house. Good for curling up beside with a good book, some knitting, or even a little nap. But knowing that we're prepared for the winds to blow and the snow to fly, also gives peace of mind. 

I often tell people, to be a farmer, one needs to be a jack of all trades. Most animal ailments are easily identified and treated and many common machinery issues can be alleviated with ingenuity and patience. Farmer, veterinarian, geneticist, biologist, horticulturist, the list goes on ...

This week I added a new name to my ever-lengthening list of titles: arborist. In our planning for the coming year, we decided to remove a few trees that were taxing one of our gardens. We found last year that a full third of our garden was essentially unusable because of two maples that were taking most of the soil nutrients. They needed to go.

Don't get me wrong, I love trees as much as the next hugger, but like all things, they have their place, and in our garden was not it.

There are a few things you must remember when falling trees but none, I repeat, NONE are more important than safety. This post is in no way intended to be a tutorial in chainsaw use. If you are considering doing tree removal yourself, it is vitally important that you attend a chainsaw safety course. They are short – usually only a half-day – and in addition to the learning the safety guidelines, you are instructed on different techniques that will greatly increase your efficiency.

When preparing for sawing, always where the proper safety gear. Big Dave, shown here in Husqvarna's dashing '09 line, is ready to go. He has a hardhat that is equipped with ear protection, a plastic mesh visor and neck covering. He also is wearing leg protection. These chaps are sufficient to protect from minor mishaps, but if you want complete protection, you can upgrade to a pair that are reinforced with kevlar.

Before you begin you want to make sure that your saw is in good condition. You want it to be fully fueled, well-oiled and the chain both tight and sharpened. Always place the saw on the ground when starting.

Before you begin, take a look at your tree and decide which direction you would like it to fall. Be sure to pay attention to the makeup of the tree that might influence the direction. You may need to account for things like an off-balance tree, a tree with wide or multiple trunks and even the lay of the land.

Before you begin, make sure the area is clean. If there is a waterspout or brush that could get in the way, clear it out. The second thing to do is map a clear, unobstructed path of escape. If you are working with a buddy (highly recommended), make sure they have one as well.

The first cut that you make will be a 70-degree cut in the side of the tree to which the tree will fall. Make this cut about 12 to 18 inches, ending about 18 inches from the ground. Then make a horizontal cut, connecting to the previous cut and resulting in a wedge taken out of the trunk of the tree.

It is vitally important that this cut be completely level, this cut is called the hinge and controls the direction the tree falls.

The next cut is easy to do but complicated to explain. Measure about an inch back from the horizontal cut you just made and, using the tip of the chainsaw and again being meticulously straight and level slowly insert the saw all the way through the tree until it comes out the other end.

It is useful to have a second person here to help make sure you are level. Once you are through, guide the blade to the opposite side of the tree (opposite your hinge cut) until you are about 2 inches from the outside of the tree. Do not turn your saw off at this point or it will get stuck, simply pull the blade out, towards you.

You will cut this last piece when you are ready to fall the tree. If you are concerned that they tree may not fall exactly where you want it you can drive in a wedge which is like a metal shim.

This will help coax the tree in the direction you want.

When you are ready, assess your escape route a second time and cut the connection. Immediately go to your escape route. Remember:

The tree is falling and there is nothing you can do about it. If it is going somewhere that you don't want, it is too late. The only thing you must concern yourself with at this point is your own safety.

Congrats! You did it! Now just trim it down and do what you want with it.