collierak | The Chainsaw Zone

August 9, 2020January 1, 2023

Husqvarna 365 Special Review

Earlier this week I had the chance to run this Husqvarna 365 Special chainsaw. I used it to remove several small trees and trim some branches from another tree.

The 365 special reminded me of my 257, it has the same toggle on/ off switch and the same blue decompression valve button. The gas and bar oil ports are in the same position. It has a 65cc (cubic centimeter) engine volume.

It ran well with a 20 inch bar and had good power at an advertised 4.6 horsepower. It did feel a bit more powerful than my 3.6 hp Husqvarna 257.

The choke is the pull-out type of the opposite side as the on/ off switch. I like this less than where my 257 choke is located. For this reason I put this saw slightly below my Husqvarna 257. But it is almost a tie.

The word Special in its name means it has side (lateral) chain tensioning but the original 365 does not. Those who’ve used both claim the Special is more powerful.

Carving Wooden Ducks

Carving of wooden ducks from wood used to be the primary means that duck hunters made decoys for hunting. When ducks fly overhead and see (or think they see) other ducks they are more likely to fly down and socialize. Then the hiding hunter can shoot one.

Best Wood for Carving Ducks

These hunting ducks were commonly made from cedar wood or pine, which holds up well to water and is very buyont in water. Today ducks are carved from any wood as they are typically not used for hunting and are not placed in water.

Today the demand for decoy ducks is filled by plastics or rubber manufacturers. Injection molding of plastics or rubber is much cheaper and repeatable and can even create more realistic looking decoy duck. Similar to the plastic duck anchored in our pond that fools the real ducks flying by almost every April.

But carving decoy ducks from wood is still a great hobby. It is also a great way to make a unique household decoration, that can even be valuable. It is possible to purchase duck carving kits that help the beginning carver get started.

Our sun room, when we purchased our home was full of wooden ducks and other wooden birds. One of them, pictured in this post looks like a hand carving. I was also impressed with the cost and creativity of some of the wooden ducks being sold online. The average value of a carved wooden duck is about $100.

Painting Wooden Ducks

If you are really planning on putting your carved duck into water (which is rare nowadays) then a wood primer to first seal the wood is advisable. Use of cedar wood with a quality primer can help your duck last for years. After priming use finish paint a Satin finish looks more like an actual duck than does a gloss finish.

August 8, 2020August 8, 2020

Carving Cedar Wood

Cedar wood has a long history of use in decking and housing and many other things. Cedar is a durable wood that is naturally resistant to rot, decay and insect attacks, and resists moisture absorption, so it tends to last longer. It needs less maintenance, and doesn’t warp or split as easily. For these reasons cedar wood is a great choice for carving that permanent outdoor bear, duck, eagle, chair, or other piece.

Types of cedar trees.

There are four types of true cedar trees; trees that belong to the Cedrus genus. All of these trees are evergreen and coniferous and are found growing in mountainous regions around the world. They belong to the Pine family, and produce a strong, reliable wood that is usually a shade of red.

Cedar trees typically reach great heights. They have needle-like foliage that can vary in color depending on the species and often emit an aromatic scent. Cedar trees require well-draining soil as they are native found in areas with high rainfall but do not cope well with wet roots. However, as long as the soil is well-draining, then cedars will thrive in a variety of soil types, including clay or poor soil.

Cedar also has a beautiful grain and a strong pleasant odor.

Cedar wood is also considered a natural pesticide. The alcohols and the terpenes in cedar wood oil have a strong pleasant odor and naturally repel insects.

Cedar wood is also considered one of the essential oils and has been widely sold recently for use around the home.

Cedarwood Uses

Information from the EPA. Cedar wood oil is a natural component of wood from the tree, Juniperus virginiana L. It is an active ingredient in five pesticide products that are used as repellents and feeding depressants to control moths and fleas and retard the growth of mildew. Three of these products are solid cedar wood blocks used to repel moths from clothing and retard mildew growth on fabrics. The other two products, which contain extracted cedar wood oil, are a pet tag or collar and a liquid sprayed on animal bedding. Both are intended to repel fleas from household pets. Cedar also is a major component of many non-pesticidal consumer products currently marketed in the United States.

Cedarwood oil is a mixture of organic compounds. It is considered
Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) as a food additive by the Food and
Drug Administration. As a pesticide, it repels insects by a non-toxic mode
of action.

A laboratory study using mice and a study of workers in saw mills
suggest that cedarwood oil may cause liver and pulmonary toxicity.
However, these effects were associated with long term exposures to
relatively high levels of cedarwood oil. EPA does not expect such effects to
occur among users of currently registered cedarwood oil products because
their exposure is intermittent and at a low level.

Cedar is a great choice for carving, for the reasons listed above, its grains are a beautiful red, the carving will last and you are unlikely to run into pest damage in the wood with your chainsaw or knives. Or even down the road after your carving is placed outdoors.

August 6, 2020August 6, 2020

How to Carve with Knives

Carving with knives is a rewarding hobby that takes some time to develop. It also takes the right set of tools, but with just a little investment you can get going.

Another word used for carving with knives is whittling. Whittling can be used and has been used for centuries to make anything from spears for hunting, to figurines for Christmas, to signs in a local tree declaring love for a special someone.

To get started carving with knives or whittling thre are four cuts that need to be mastered.

The Stop Cut – is a cut with a carving knife that penetrated into teh edge of the wood then stops. The stop cut is perpendicular to the plane of the wood, so it goes straight in. Then a second cut comes in and meets the stop cut to terminate it. This cut causes considerable shadow and is usefule in a wide variety of figurines and other carvings.

The Pyramid Cut – is a cut into the face of a piece of wood that is three cuts which meet at a point in the wood. When the 3 cuts are complete a small pyramid of wood pops out, creating the divot or void in the wood. They create nice shadow and are helpful in creating details.

The Vee Cut – is just what is sounds like a very simple cut into the edge of a piece of wood that creates a V shape in the wood. The Vee cut createss low shadow in the piece.

The Sweepng Cut – is a sweep of the wrist along the edge of a piece of wood that curls and creates a curved feature in the woods edge. The sweeping cut can meet a stop cut or a V cut to create the curved effect and it has a little more shadow than the Vee cut.

I will post pictures of all of these cuts to help with the beginner. Make sure to practice these cust often befure you attempt to carve something with real wood that you care about. Its good to practice using pine wood. Also here is a link to a good wood carving kit.

Enjoy and get practicing.

August 5, 2020March 3, 2023

The Husqvarna 257 Chainsaw – A Comprehensive Review

This post is long overdue. About 23 years ago I bought my first chainsaw and I am still using it weekly. It is an air injected Husqvarna 257. It is mixed-gas (50:1) powered high compression motor with a volume of 57cc’s. I am not a professional tree contractor or lumber jack but I do love this saw as a homeowner and recommend it if you have a chance to buy one. I use it with a 20″ bar. It has a 3.7 horsepower motor which has always been enough for me, as long as my chain is sharp. It weighs over 16lbs with the bar and chain which can cause fatique when used for longer than an hour.

I have used it so much the safety chain brake has broken off. I plan to replace this as I’ve found replacement components online. I’ve rarely had to change components. This saw was pricey at the time but it turned out to be a good investment. Although I am not a professional chainsaw user I have used it for a good deal of firewood and tree removal at my properties through the years.

The 257’s were made between 1994 and 2001, before the more restrictive laws about emissions in 2011 and 2012. As with all gas powered equipment, as emissions restrictions are imposed, power and efficiency per volume of fuel used is usually sacrificed.

Husqvarna 257 Features

Some features include a red kill switch, a choke right above the kill switch. It has lower and upper vibration isolation mounts. The bar oil and mixed gas are loaded on the chainsaws side. Falling spike and quiet-tone muffler. It has a chain break (mine is broken off). It has two nuts for loosening the bar. There is a chain tensioner with flat head screw. There is a blue decompression valve that you push in every time you start the saw.

One complaint I have about this saw is that it is heavy, causing fatigue after about and hour of cutting. But perhaps I am just getting weak. I’ve only replaced the spark plug once, the bar I’ve replaced several times but that was due to problems with my cutting technique.

When I purchased this saw around 1997, Husqvarna was not as widespread in the US, as it is now. It is a Swedish manufacturer of outdoor equipment. There were a few Husqvarna dealers around but these saws were not in the big stores like Lowe’s, like they are now. There are now many Husqvarna saws for the weekend warrior on the market.

Each chainsaw product needs its own review. This Husqvarna 257 chainsaw from the mid-90’s is worth its weight in gold to me. The only limits I would put on this saw would involve the limitations of the user.

Now check out my review of the similar saw Jonsered 625.

If you want an equivalent Husqvarna to this 25 year old 257 based on the spec, I’d recommend the Husqvarna 550 XP, click the link below to order your own.

I just found this site that I like and if you need help with other power tool questions I think it can help you check it out by CLICKING HERE. POWERTOOLMENTOR.com

August 5, 2020August 5, 2020

Carving Basswood

Basswood is another common knife carving wood. It s commonly the wood you get when you buy a carving kit for knife carving in hobby stores.

Basswood is similar to pine wood in that it is a soft wood. However its grains are tighter, it is classified hardwood.

Basswood commonly grows in the Northeast of the US.

Some Details on Basswood from the Wood Database

Common Name(s): Basswood, American Basswood, Lime, Linden Scientific Name: Tilia americana Distribution: Eastern North America Tree Size: 65-120 ft (20-37 m) tall, 3-4 ft (1-1.2 m) trunk diameter Average Dried Weight: 26 lbs/ft³ (415 kg/m³) Specific Gravity (Basic, 12% MC): .32, .42 Janka Hardness: 410 lb_f (1,820 N) Modulus of Rupture: 8,700 lb_f/in² (60.0 MPa) Elastic Modulus: 1,460,000 lb_f/in² (10.07 GPa) Crushing Strength: 4,730 lb_f/in² (32.6 MPa) Shrinkage: Radial: 6.6%, Tangential: 9.3%, Volumetric: 15.8%, T/R Ratio: 1.4

Color/Appearance: Pale white to light brown color, with sapwood and heartwood sections not clearly defined. Growth rings tend to be subtle, and color is mostly uniform throughout the face grain of the wood. Knots and other defects are uncommon.

Grain/Texture: Grain is straight, with a fine, even texture and moderate natural luster.

Endgrain: Diffuse-porous; medium pores predominantly in radial multiples or clusters of 2-4; growth rings indistinct or distinct due to marginal parenchyma; medium to large rays, normal spacing, noded; parenchyma banded (marginal), apotracheal parenchyma diffuse-in-aggregates.

Rot Resistance: Basswood is rated as being non-durable in regard to heartwood decay.

Workability: Easy to work, being very soft and light. Perhaps one of the most suitable wood species for hand carving. Basswood also glues and finishes well, but has poor steam bending and nail holding characteristics.

Odor: No characteristic odor.

Allergies/Toxicity: Besides the standard health risks associated with any type of wood dust, no further health reactions have been associated with Basswood. See the articles Wood Allergies and Toxicity and Wood Dust Safety for more information.

Pricing/Availability: Widely available as lumber or carving blanks. Prices are in the lower range for a domestic hardwood, though larger carving blocks are more expensive.

Sustainability: This wood species is not listed in the CITES Appendices or on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

Common Uses: Carvings, lumber, musical instruments (electric guitar bodies), veneer, plywood, and wood pulp and fiber products.

Comments: Species in the Tilia genus are usually referred to as either Lime or Linden in Europe, while in North America it’s most commonly called Basswood.
Basswood is an ideal wood for many woodcarvers. Its soft, fine, even texture make it easy to work with, while its pale, inconspicuous color doesn’t detract from the carved patterns of the finished product (which also makes it easier to paint and color).
Though Basswood has high initial shrinkage, the wood is stable in service after it has been dried. And though the wood is both lightweight and soft, it has an outstanding MOE-to-weight ratio. However, its MOR is on par with its low weight; simply put, when put under stress, the wood will remain stiff, but will still break (rupture) at a relatively average weight.

Related Species:

European Lime (Tilia x europaea)

August 3, 2020August 5, 2020

Carving Pine Wood

If you are new to carving and are looking for carving information you are in the right place. Chances are you may have found this site because you have a pine tree that you will soon or currently have available for use and you are considering taking up carving, or hiring a carver. If this is the case you are in good shape.

Best Carving Wood for Beginners

Pine wood is a great wood for the beginning carver, whether you are carving with chainsaw or with knives. Pine wood is a great wood for carving. It is soft wood that is easy to hone skills at carving with. White pine is the best one to use.

Pine however, at certain times of the year can have a lot of sap in it, which can quickly gum up carving tools.

To get around this problem it is advisable to not cut the pine down in the spring or early summer. Instead, if possible try to use pine for carving that was cut when the tree is more dormant like in the fall or winter.

August 3, 2020January 9, 2023

Can Willow Wood Be Used For Carving?

To my disappointment willow wood is not useful as a carving wood. It is very soft and may be a good wood to practice carving with. But it rots fast, it is often full of parasites and bugs. And does not hold up as it shrinks and cracks upon rapid drying.

I have two 6’+diameter willow trunks, about 15 long and much more of every size in my back yard this summer (2020). I was hoping to carve these into something large and beautiful, but I realize now it is probably not a good idea.

Willow wood is not useful for much more than fire wood for a bonfire. It is not good for home heating either because it burns with creosote. Which poses a fire hazard in a chimney. And it does not have a lot of energy per unit volume compared to other woods.

So if you’re like me and have a ton of willow wood, only use it for practice carving, hone your carving skills, perhaps in front of a bonfire. Then just burn it when done. Don’t waste your time creating something you want to keep and showcase. Instead use a wood like cedar or black walnut or cherry for that.

July 31, 2020September 9, 2022

Best Wood to Carve

What is the best wood for carving? If you are like me you have asked this or are currently asking this question as you get started in carving. And if you are also like I was, you are a beginner in wood carving because you are asking it. Seasoned carvers don’t seem to ask this and seem to scoff a little at the question.

If you are like me you may have some wood and are looking for something useful to do with it. Or you may have a tree you want down and are just wondering if you can turn it into a wooden bear or an eagle or an outdoor bench. For me it was two 6′ diameter 200 foot tall mega-willow trees. And two unwanted pine trees that were dumping sap on our vehicles.

The quick answer to that question is that most woods can be used for carving but some woods are far better suited for carving than are others. As was in my situation, willow can be carved, it is very soft, but it dries out fast, it cracks easily and it typically full of parasites. All of which happened, but I was able to do some initial caves and I developed some carving skills. Both with my chainsaw and with a carving knife that I bought at a rummage sale for $0.25.

I asked what is the best wood to carve to dozens of professional and hobbyist wood carvers. And most of them said not to make anything valuable with willow but carve it anyhow for practice and to just enjoy the process. They also pushed back on the question a bit before answering. They helped me to split the question up into several questions in order to answer most appropriately.

What is the best wood for a beginner to get started carving with?
What is the best wood to carve with a chainsaw?
What is the best wood for whittling? (carving with a knife)
What is the best wood to make valuable carves that are kept for decoration and/or sale, like wooden ducks?

So the best wood depends on what tools that you are carving for and carving with.

What is the best type of wood for a beginner carver to start with?

Answer: White pine that is freshly cut in the fall, not cut in the spring or early summer. This is because there can be high amounts of pine sap in the wood if it is cut in the spring. This sort of wood is the best for beginners to gain carving skills with, especially when carving with a knife. Freshly cut wood is softer and easier to work with. White pine is also good for chainsaw carving but chainsaw carving can be a bit more forgiving.

What is the best wood to carve with a chainsaw?

Answer(s): White pine, cedar, or cherry. But wood type is not all that critical, just start carving with the wood that is available. Develop carving skills, develop your cuts and grooves to accomplish the shapes and details you are looking for. Also smaller chainsaws are easier to get started with , 14″ to 16″ bars are easier than larger 20″ bars for detail work.

Best wood for Whittling?

Answer: White pine cut that has been freshly cut in the fall or winter. As the beginner increases in skill they should expand out to other woods. It is not a huge deal what wood you use to carve. Some other great options include: birch, cherry, black walnut, cedar, and Sumack. Beginner carves are spoons and perhaps a duck. Not too much detail and rewarding at the end of the carve. Some woods are too hard and are hard on your tools but if that is not a problem grab a piece of oak or maple and start carving.

What is the best wood to make valuable carves for decoration and/or sale?

Custom Wood Carving

Best Answer: black walnut, cedar, birch and cherry.

As I researched this and started carving myself I quickly realized this is a common question for beginner carvers. But for the experienced carvers it is not as big a deal. There are many woods that are good options for carving with either chainsaw or knives.

The important thing is to just get carving, improving skills and if you mess up, have a bonfire, cook some smores, or use it to heat your home.

Check out my related post:

Best wood carving tools for beginners.

What woods have you carved with? Please share your insights in the comment section below.