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Hi all! This is an unusual topic perhaps. I am celebrating the fact that I got my firewood chores completed this season about 2 weeks ahead of schedule! I have a fireplace in the living room that we used to use on occasion mostly for looks but I have not used it for the past 10 years or so. I also have a Fisher "Poppa Bear" woodstove in my basement that we have used a LOT in the 28+ years I have lived where I am. I estimate that we get about 1/2 our heat from that stove, burning 3+/- cords a year, and for the most part that wood all comes from my "back 40" (actually, 13 acres). And that means about 6 days of backbreaking work every fall getting it cut, split (by hand), loaded, hauled, unloaded and stacked in my basement. Working (primarily) by myself I can't do much more than about 1/2 cord in a 5-6 hour day (plus the unloading time). I usually don't get done with this until around Thanksgiving, where I often take extra time off to finish-up the season. But due to very accommodating weather this year and other factors I was able to finish last Sun. by doing 2 full loads each of the past 2 weekends! Perhaps I'll keep on cutting and get a head start on next season...and the inevitable electric rate increase in 2010!

One of my best investments ever, and a major contributor to this story, is my Echo CS-452VL chain saw that I bought in 1983 with about $300 in bonus money. It replaced a POS Craftsman (Homelight?) saw that was just not up to the task and gave me nothing but trouble for 3 years until I literally junked it! The Echo, OTOH, has seen rugged service for 25 seasons since then (I missed one year with an ACL injury, but otherwise every fall without fail) and it never spent a day in the shop. I have maintained it myself, what little it needed. I can still get many parts and have had to fab a couple. The most drastic thing I have ever had to do is tear apart/clean the Weber carb (several times). I have gone through 3 bars and probably a dozen chains. I replaced the S59 type with D60 some years back (larger tooth) and that improved the cutting performance substantially. I usually pay a professional to sharpen my chains (after 1-3 days cutting ea. depending on how often I "ground" it) as that is something I never really learned to do well myself. The saw is cantankerous, but I know its every idiosyncrasy and thus never really have problems starting or running it. (When I do, I know it's time for another carb cleaning!) I often need starting fluid to get it going, but that saves countless extra tugs on the starter cord. And it will run 3-4 tankfuls through in a cutting day mostly trouble-free from there. One trick I learned early on is to never leave the house until that saw is serviced and running well. Much too hard to work on it once I'm up in the woods, even tho' I have learned what tools to always carry!

Anyway - I guess I was once again marveling at how well this saw and I have "bonded" over 26 seasons! Someday something will break that can't be replaced and I'll have to "put 'er down" for the final time, and that will truly be a sad day. But until then, we have a wonderful experience together (personifying there a bit!).

Here's a photo that pretty much tells it all. It's dated, but for the most part nothing has changed! (That load is about 5/8 cord, a bit more than usual, I replaced that S-10 with a Silverado last fall, but everything else is the same.) And I do this 6+/- times a year, hopefully for many more years to come!

Do any of you have a similar experience to relate ??

Tks for "listening" and BRgds...!