The Chain Saw: "The Greatest Invention Since Shirt Pockets"
by Art Wilson
While at first it was exciting to saw wood with my grandpa (DaDa), that task quickly became boring and I started avoiding the wood chopping at the farm until I was about 12 or 13 when my grandpa told me about the chain saw that he had seen advertised. He said that the piece of oak wood that took 10 minutes to saw in two, he could do in 30 seconds or faster, or 20 times as fast! That was incredible and I could not wait to see one of these.
Sure enough, it wasn't long and DaDa said. "Art, don't tell your grandma yet, but come out to the shed and see what I purchased!" I knew by the tone of his voice that this was going to be good. I'd heard him telling my grandmother (MeMe)about these new chain saws and how great they were, and each time she would bring up a new objection. One by one over time he answered each of those objections, and the first time he said he thought he was going to buy one and she had no reply, he quickly purchased it. He said that technique sometimes took a while, but usually worked and that it was normally easier to ask forgiveness than request permission when it came to purchasing expensive toys.
He took me over to the shed, opened it up, and pulled out a giant, yellow McCullough chain saw. It weighed over 30 pounds and I could barely lift it. But my grandpa could, and he started it up, had me put some logs on the saw horses and cut them so fast it made my heart beat fast. Now, I really couldn't wait to get big and strong, so I could experience the power of wielding a chain saw. He used it every fall to cut wood for his friend and in fact wore the first one out in several years (or so he told grandma), replacing it with a later, easier to start and somewhat lighter version.
It was with chain saws that I really learned the value of buying high quality manufactured goods. When I was in my 20's I bought a replacement for the McCullough which was less expensive, much lighter and easier to start. However, I quickly learned that with cheap comes problems. The chain would not stay tight, bolts fell out, and generally the chain saw fell apart. Then, when I was in my mid-thirties and living in Oklahoma, I met some neighbors that used some old Stihl chainsaws that were 10 to 20 years old and still dependable. I visited the stores and found out that the price of these chain saws was 50 to 100% higher than the others and could not justify the cost for my level of usage. Thank goodness, my wife Kathy had mercy on me and bought me that beautiful Stihl professional model for my 40th birthday. I'll bet I went through 300 tanks of gas and wore out 10 chains with no problems, except that someone wanted the chain saw and stole it out of my shed after 7 or 8 years. I now new the meaning of the phrase that "it doesn't cost much more to go first class, and most of the time it costs less in the long term"
One thing I consistently heard from the women in my life every time I took the chain saw out, was........ guess.... "Be careful, those things are dangerous". Well, of course they're dangerous. Tips from DaDa "You've got to be careful and never push the saw, let it cut itself", Always prepare for the worst happening, like the tree falling on you, or slipping, or the chain saw kicking back in your face" The danger and the necessary concentration and focus was one of the benefits and pleasures as I grew older. There is no way you can think or worry about anything else while you are chainsawing cedar.
Chainsawing is like intense, noisy meditation.....
