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

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Battery tech is changing. The new pouch and tabless tolerate harder charging and discharging.

Chain speed was the first thing I noticed, and for the same reasons mentioned.

For commercial use, I would have a bunch of 6.0 Forge batteries. Light, fast charging, same output as the old 12.0 without the weight.

Milwaukee has new motor tech in their latest circular saws. I think a gen2 topper with that tech and higher chain speed would move this saw much closer to the top of the battery chainsaw game.
 
@lxskllr what saw are you using? I looked back a few posts but didn't readily see it shown.

I've not had a 6Ah Forge overheat with the Milwaukee 2826. I have had an 8Ah Forge overheat twice, both times they were down to one bar. I haven't had a 12Ah Forge overheat, but I use them the least. Power wise I didn't notice an appreciable difference in power output using a 6Ah Forge or 12Ah Forge in the 2826.

My personal take is I don't worry about battery charge cycle optimization towards battery life. They all get recharged on a dual bay super charger and hell with it. In my biggest day of running the 2826 I went through 38 or 44Ah of battery getting $7500 of trees on the ground in ~4 hours. For sake of math that's 7 cycles on a 6Ah battery (it was a mix of 6, 8, and 12Ah Forge batteries). The batteries have a 3 year warranty, but let's say they have a practical life of 500 cycles (who knows) and warranty replacement isn't a thing. A 6Ah Forge is around $150. $150/500 cycles is $.30 per cycle or $2.10 of battery life to do $7500 in tree work. Another way of looking at it, the $150 battery could do half a million dollars of tree work using that job's numbers.

It might be worth keeping track of which batteries we use to spread the wear out, maybe not. A clear answer and method hasn't came to mind yet.

After just typing I only use the dual bay Super Charger, I just told my guy I want a 6 pack Rapid Charger 😂. We currently keep 9 batteries in the truck (3x 6, 8, and 12Ah Forge batteries); I'll be adding a battery and inverter to keep the batteries charged on the truck... probably with the 6 pack charger.

It seems the dual battery Milwaukee will weigh the same as a 500i with a 20" bar. I plan on getting one to make it easier on my groundy doing infrequent cutting without having to start the ported 500. It seems silly you can't get it tool only from Milwaukee, but not the end of the world. I'm interested to feel its weight compared to the 500, it might be preferred for blocking down in the lift.
 
It's the 2826. Same saw Dave got. It has the standard 8ah red lithium battery, not the forge. It came free with the saw. I'll get the forge if I buy any new batteries/tools. I need to see where electric tools fit in my life. This one is pretty much my first.
 
I got the Milwaukee 3013 Telescoping pole at the end of August; it's fantastic performance wise. I do wish it was ~1' shorter so it could be stored sideways on a truck/trailer. It fits inside a 6" pipe, but a 9' pipe across a vehicle isn't going to work normally. I don't normally use a pole saw, but I find this one far more handy than my Stihl Kombi setup. I'd be completely fine with a 6-9' version of it... the shorter length would store in the basket of the lift more easily. As it stands I have an idea for a change to the rear handle of it, that should get it short enough to fit sideways on the truck so it's handy for each job. I haven't taken the pole apart to see how hard it would be to shorten it, but my expectation is it's not worth the effort at this point.


Crappy screen grab from a video Thursday... I don't like it in the basket so I hung it in the tree in case I wanted it again.
1728248306155.png
 
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@davidwyby hooked me up with stuff off my Wesspur wishlist of things for helping his friends with those dead doug-firs.

I like the compact MA set up!

Going to try the EK-12 (a WA rope maker, Maybe Everson) lightweight rigging rope as a 1/2" alternative to 3-strand or retired climbing lines for NC rigging and speed lining. Like 2.5-3 pounds less per 100'.

Checking out the Tree Climbers' Guide as a training book and the Samson rigging force calculator.

Couple carabiners for rock climbing (one designed around GriGris), a rope bag, throw bag, handled mesh brush tarp, secateur holster, etc..


They have a free poster offer and Sapzapper offer.


Happy Camper, here!

Thanks, David! 20241004_123825.jpg 20241004_123832.jpg
 
I'm interested in hearing your thoughts on the ek12. I've been looking at that for a couple years. I'd like to hear how it performs.
 
lumberjack said:
@lxskllr what saw are you using? I looked back a few posts but didn't readily see it shown.

I've not had a 6Ah Forge overheat with the Milwaukee 2826. I have had an 8Ah Forge overheat twice, both times they were down to one bar. I haven't had a 12Ah Forge overheat, but I use them the least. Power wise I didn't notice an appreciable difference in power output using a 6Ah Forge or 12Ah Forge in the 2826.

My personal take is I don't worry about battery charge cycle optimization towards battery life. They all get recharged on a dual bay super charger and hell with it. In my biggest day of running the 2826 I went through 38 or 44Ah of battery getting $7500 of trees on the ground in ~4 hours. For sake of math that's 7 cycles on a 6Ah battery (it was a mix of 6, 8, and 12Ah Forge batteries). The batteries have a 3 year warranty, but let's say they have a practical life of 500 cycles (who knows) and warranty replacement isn't a thing. A 6Ah Forge is around $150. $150/500 cycles is $.30 per cycle or $2.10 of battery life to do $7500 in tree work. Another way of looking at it, the $150 battery could do half a million dollars of tree work using that job's numbers.

It might be worth keeping track of which batteries we use to spread the wear out, maybe not. A clear answer and method hasn't came to mind yet.

After just typing I only use the dual bay Super Charger, I just told my guy I want a 6 pack Rapid Charger 😂. We currently keep 9 batteries in the truck (3x 6, 8, and 12Ah Forge batteries); I'll be adding a battery and inverter to keep the batteries charged on the truck... probably with the 6 pack charger.

It seems the dual battery Milwaukee will weigh the same as a 500i with a 20" bar. I plan on getting one to make it easier on my groundy doing infrequent cutting without having to start the ported 500. It seems silly you can't get it tool only from Milwaukee, but not the end of the world. I'm interested to feel its weight compared to the 500, it might be preferred for blocking down in the lift.
Click to expand...
Interesting about the 6ah Forge. I have used the 8xc, and the 8 Forge, but not enough to see a difference. In mm experience, I'm not overheating anything, just over drawing the battery, as it doesn't flash the lights on the battery, and starts right up again. Running a fleet of 6ah Forge would seem to be ideal.

I would already have the dual battery if it was available, but at this point it won't happen until the next big timber framing project.

The pole saw is impressive, especially cutting that far away. I think if the topper had that chain speed, it would be a big improvement.
 
Dave Shepard said:
Interesting about the 6ah Forge. I have used the 8xc, and the 8 Forge, but not enough to see a difference. In mm experience, I'm not overheating anything, just over drawing the battery, as it doesn't flash the lights on the battery, and starts right up again. Running a fleet of 6ah Forge would seem to be ideal.

I would already have the dual battery if it was available, but at this point it won't happen until the next big timber framing project.

The pole saw is impressive, especially cutting that far away. I think if the topper had that chain speed, it would be a big improvement.
Click to expand...
Stalling the chain is a motor side issue, not a battery side issue, I think. It still does it with a 12Ah Forge same as the 6Ah forge (power level 5 vs 4).

I overheated standard 8 and 12Ah batteries in quick succession back in June with higher ambient temps.

I have no problem with the chain speed on the 2826. It is slower than a 201, but it's functionally faster making smaller cuts than the 201. Blocking down wood almost assuredly favors the 201. I have had no issues making smaller cuts that I've seen some people mention. I don't normally use a chainsaw to cut unsupported limbs the size of my fingers.
 
There was a Saka in there, too!

I'll try that tomorrow.


David, you should consider the Tree Climbers Guide.


Ask around for a good, used sale for sale in your size.
 
Small update on the Milwaukee. I cut another Swedish candle yesterday, and after the first cut, I decided to sharpen the (Husky)chain. Made a huge difference. I finished the candle, and it had only dropped 1 bar.

That Husky chain was pretty ugly, even out of the box. It looked even worse with the burrs removed. I've read people that sharpen chains out of the box. They say they can make them better than factory. I believe them, but I don't think *I* can make a Stihl chain meaningfully better than it's shipped condition. I can do better than the Husky chain though. I almost sharpened it when I first saw it, then thought "Nah. I'm sure it's good enough". It wasn't. BTW, it calls for a 5/32" file. I think that's a little too small. I'm betting an 11/64" would be a better match if they made such a thing. I wouldn't buy that file, cause I only have one saw that would use it, but if I had a bunch of saws, it might be worth buying a box.
 
That Husky chain I'm using(Xprecision) is supposed to be Xcut equivalent if I'm reading Husqvarna right. I posted a bit about it a page back I think. It's displayed with their Xcut chain, but it's US made, not Swedish. That says "Oregon" to me, but the Oregon chain that came with the saw looked like it was finished better. Geometry looks virtually identical. It's a low profile, nk .325 chain. Not many options for that size.

Which brings me to Dukes... If they made a chain that size, I'd give it a try due to the slim offering by other companies, but I'm *very* leery of Chinese chain. I've had 0% success with the Chinese chains I've tried. I pretty much stick with Stihl for my "normal" saws. I've gotten some good deals on reels, and have a couple hundred feet squirreled away. Probably a lifetime supply, or pretty close anyway.
 
I bought a case of 20" loops of X Cut and some 28" and 36" loops. It's "ok". It cuts, it stretches, it doesn't hold an edge like Stihl chain, but for half the price and easy to hand sharpen I'm not complaining all that much. Me being an uppity prima donna, my groundy keeps track of the saw status/chain tension/swapping chains/bars if I don't feel like sharpening... pretty much the only thing I do maintenance wise is hand sharpen the chain (occasionally, maybe a couple times a month). Without him, I'd probably not put up with the soft chain.
 
Rope ends!

IMG-20241030-154859005.jpg


That 1" stablebraid is a hell of line. I think you could move a planet with it if you had a good enough anchor.
 
lxskllr said:
That Husky chain I'm using(Xprecision) is supposed to be Xcut equivalent if I'm reading Husqvarna right. I posted a bit about it a page back I think. It's displayed with their Xcut chain, but it's US made, not Swedish. That says "Oregon" to me, but the Oregon chain that came with the saw looked like it was finished better. Geometry looks virtually identical. It's a low profile, nk .325 chain. Not many options for that size.
Click to expand...
Are you using the husqvarna SP21G?
If yes and you or someone has a method and file size that works for hand filing, I can send at least a dozen "used once" chains for a 14" bar. I love ths chain new but have not found a repeatable method to sharpen it. I tried a file, a grinder, staring at it intensely and it just rides on the wood with no bite.
 
Patrick A said:
Are you using the husqvarna SP21G?
If yes and you or someone has a method and file size that works for hand filing, I can send at least a dozen "used once" chains for a 14" bar. I love ths chain new but have not found a repeatable method to sharpen it. I tried a file, a grinder, staring at it intensely and it just rides on the wood with no bite.
Click to expand...
Have you tried a larger file? I just bought some 11/64" files for this saw, and I think they'll work better than the recommended 5/32". I've done one sharpening with the 5/32" with good success, and did a couple trial teeth with the 11/64" to test for fit. I haven't had the saw long, and it isn't a primary saw for me, so I'm not intimately familiar with the chain yet. The 5/32" works, but it's almost completely freehand. The file won't naturally find it's place, so you have to float it into position, and change positions to get every part of the tooth. A bigger file might be worth a try before you get rid of all those chains. I could send you some.
 
A bigger diameter file might work indeed. With the 5/32, I get too much of a round hook and it leaves the top of the tooth very thin.
 
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