O.C.G.D. Thread, part two

[Dave Shepard]

The deed is done. 8-32x1/2" with nylocks. I think it might benefit from some sort of epoxy bedding. I'll probably do that on the replacement cover... I haven't tried it yet, but I actually think it's going to be ok.

 

[lxskllr]

Got my stuff from arbsession...



The HitchNut feels awfully light. It'll be interesting to see how well it holds up. I'm not worried about it. A big reason I got it and the wedges was because they made them in-house. They've treated me well, so I'm more inclined to gamble on stuff when they're getting all the profit.

Regarding the wedges... Those are $5 each when bought as a pair. The idea is you keep them hooked together on a piece of throwline, and you can use them individually as you would a normal pocket wedge, or you can stack them to make them double thickness. I'm usure how useful that'll be in practice, but it was cheaper per unit buying a pair, so why not? Again, 3D printed so durability is questionable, but these aren't banging wedges. Palm strike only.

The throw "cube" looks like it'll be pretty cool. More straightforward than normal cubes.

Finally, the felling lever. I anticipated taking the hook off cause my intention was to use it aerially, but I think I'll leave it. It's already a heavy item, and the hook doesn't add that much weight. Might be occasionally useful on the ground, and I don't usually take my big cant hook cause it's big and seldom needed. Seldom needed, but not never needed. The felling lever might fill that role without a bunch of extra crap to tote.

 

[CurSedVoyce]

I liked that cube. Had two. Just make sure YOU fold them up. Others will tweek it out of shape.

 

[Patrick A]

I liked that cube. Had two. Just make sure YOU fold them up. Others will tweek it out of shape.

Same comment about the cube. Stored it unfolded for half a day and it has not held up open ever since. I now use it to store wedges.

 

[lxskllr]

Here's the deal with the wedges...

 

[CurSedVoyce]

I give them a long enough leash attatched to a biner so I can cllip them to my D ring on the saddle as Idrive them. Same with the hatchet. Then they dont fall from me after the log or top falls away.

 

[CurSedVoyce]

The heat shrink stiffens the cord so it tangles less

 

[lxskllr]

My air axe is untethered, but I don't use it much, and so far I've been by myself. I just clip it off on a paracord loop I have constrictored on the handle. A little more concerning is I've oversharpened it, and it'll cut you quick. I should have some kind of sheath on the blade. I cut my hand this week on my work woods hatchet. I had it in a bucket, and just brushed my hand against it, and it put a nice cut in my forefinger.

 

[lxskllr]

Saw came today! I won't bother with pics, cause it looks like Dave's except mine has the girly dogs :^D They really aren't bad, and I doubt I'll replace them, but we'll see what the saw gets used for.

Initial thoughts...

This saw's heavy, and it only gets heavier with the battery. I wonder if they make a harness to go with the 12ah battery? :^D This isn't a light trim saw, and isn't competing with the 2511. It's competition's gonna be the ~35cc tophandles. It also seems a little girthy, but I have the 2511 in my hand a lot more than the 355, so that's my frame of reference. It isn't obnoxiously wide for a high powered(presumably) tophandle.

The aluminum chaincatcher is mounted with a light screw. I'd like to see something more robust, and maybe a roller instead of a piece of aluminum. The lanyard ring feels solid, and I trust it more than the one on the 2511, though that one's never let me down. Everything went together well, and it seems especially easy to mount the b&c. I'll have to take a closer look to see why that is. Assembly looks good, and everything feels robust. It looks like it's ready for production work.

Question...

I'm gonna order a couple chains from bailey's cause I also want to get a nylon helmet screen I'm gonna see if I can mount to the petzl frame. If not, I'll order a Husky helmet, and use the nylon instead of the provided steel screen. It's cheap enough. Are all .325nk chains compatible with a saw like this, or do they do something weird like the ⅜"lp somehow being a different pitch than ⅜" standard? I ask, cause Husqvarna makes a .325nk Xcut chain. I'd like to try that both for the cheaper price, and I want to see how their chain performs. I haven't run an Xcut yet. They say it's made for small battery saws, but that doesn't mean it's made for *this* battery saw. Milwaukee branded packaging(same Oregon chain) is ridiculous. They want $30/chain :^S

 

[Dave Shepard]

I'm pretty sure my replacement chainnwas around $20 on Amazon. I didn't realize the stock Milwaukee setup is already Speedcut Nano. Not sure that is compatible with other. 325 chains.

To realize this saws potential, you'll want to dog it in push it.

 

[lxskllr]

I'm gonna order the Xcut, and I'll report back. They use a bunch of proprietary words, but I think it all boils down to reduced sized cutters on a 0.043 chassis. I can't find anywhere online where a user said "I put the Husky SP21G chain on my Milwaukee, and it was... ? ". All these products are very new, so there isn't likely to be much community knowledge around them.

My interest in doing this is three fold. I don't like Oregon chain much. I think the steel's too soft. Secondly, I just want to try the Xcut, and compare it to Stihl, which imo, is the undisputed champion of chain; at least compared to the older brands everybody knows. Third, being tied to a single manufacturer for supplies makes me uneasy. I like to have options available in case things go south for whatever reason.

Baileys prices for the 59dl chain are $16.99 for the Xcut & $20.99 for Oregon.