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Even prior to getting our property we still lived in the same county where it is common for storms to cause downed trees and chainsaw ownership is common even for people living in the one apartment complex just so they could drive to the next town to get to work.
So even though we didn’t use wood aside from the occasional outdoor fire pit, it was very important to have a quick, easy to use “chainsaw kit” that could be quickly grabbed and tossed in my truck if a storm came through or if family or friends said they needed help.
This is not a all the stuff we have to process trees... or even to drop them of we need to... this is purely the saw kit... to give me what we need to get a tree out of the way when we have to.
I watched every YouTube video and read every blog post I could find on the subject.. and there really wasn’t a lot that was what I wanted.
There was one youtube video from Wranglerstar that was close, he custom made a box from wood, the difference with me is I wanted it light and easy. So I did my research and put together the kit in the picture above.
The biggest thing was I needed a chainsaw and a container to fit it, the rest I knew I could make to fit.
The Chainsaw- due to our location in Appalachia 18-20 inch bars are very common, people that work a lot of wood have a larger and at some point I’ll add one but my 18inch bar does 85% of what I need, and I phone a friend for the rest. I know at some point I’ll be forced to change to electric but for now I settled on a Stihl 025 (now called the 250) it has an 18inch bar and the motor is plenty strong enough for regular use by a homeowner. I looked around and actually ended up trading for one, but the pawn shops in the towns around me regularly have used saws if new isn’t in your budget. With the saw, even if you buy used, buy a good brand…. I have no experience with battery (though at work we have started to carry stihl battery saws on some of the trucks so ill develop an opinion in time) but for gas names like Stihl, Echo, and Husqvarna are certainly some of the ones worth looking at.
The Chainsaw blade is protected woth a section of 3.5 inch firehose that we retired at work.
The Case https://amzn.to/3VP1iQg. - The case needed to be light, strong, and able to hold everything I need to take for storm clean up so I could get to work in the morning. I went with the Pelican 108qt trunk. The saw fits perfectly, with plenty of room for all the extra stuff. The box is strong enough that I can stand on it..or more frequently sit on it. It even had one corner ran over by the tractor and even though it broke off one of the 4 latches I was able to pop the dent out and I’m still using it just fine. I do keep a piece of thick cardboard cut to fit in the bottom of the box to collect the fluids that continually seep out of the saw. The cardboard gets changed whenever I get a new bit of cardboard that’s big enough and makes a great way to start the burn barrel fire.
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) – having been a paramedic I’m doing to best I can to avoid having to be a patient.
This Equipment sits in the very top of the box so I have to put it on to get to the actual saw.
Chainsaw PPE kit-
Husqvarna ppe kit- if I was going to do it again this is what I would get… it gets you a full set of ppe from a trusted brand while saving a few bucks. https://amzn.to/3zqicgK
Helmet – that has head, ear, and eye protection all in one. The one I have is no longer made. But even in the realm of trusted name brands there is a ton of room in price points
Oregon affordable price point -https://amzn.to/3XPuxoL
Forestry Saftey, an entry arborist style helmet https://amzn.to/3XKcj84
Husqvarna https://amzn.to/3zqicgK
Chaps- many people don’t wear them.. but they aren’t a bad idea, they work by being made of material that gets caught up in and stops the blade.
Oregon brand, an affordable option from a trusted name https://amzn.to/3zjstuY
Husqvarna - see how the ppe kit above starts to save some money? https://amzn.to/4cInO4h
Gloves- work the same way as the Chaps to stop the saw and hopefully save your hand
Oregon- https://amzn.to/4cKCH5Y
Husqvarna- https://amzn.to/3W8CcNW
OIL AND GAS
For bar oil I buy it buy the gallon and keep a small quart bottle in the kit filled up. For gas I have a plastic 1 gallon jug https://amzn.to/3W52MHD and some of the oils to make more mix https://amzn.to/3W644Cf . I usually keep one can of store bought premixed gas as an emergency and I reuse the empties because they fit very well into a water bottle pouch on my belt if I’m having to do a lot of work. My gas mix and oil cans are slowly being replaced with these bottles that hold 750ml and are the most cost effective option I’ve found. https://amzn.to/3XOkz74 They fit in Nalgene pouches that go on. Belt for if I’m going to be walking a while to do tree work. I wear three bottles in the belt pouches, one with bar oil and two with gas.
The ones being used for bar oil get sprayed with black paint near the top so I know which ones are different.
As I’m starting to do more saw work I am considering adding a combination can to my kit… it won’t fit in the go box, but would be a great add on for longer days of working. https://amzn.to/45QfMnS
Sharpening and tools.
Accessory kit- I wanted a basic accessory kit to start with so I picked up an accessory kit that is no longer available. So I’ll build one for you with the stuff I wish I had gotten the first time.
Files- I purposefully buy my chains to all use the same size file and the same angle. I buy extra of the correct size and keep one extra in this kit, and one in the pouch on my belt. I leave the other two sizes of file incase I’m cutting with someone else that may need one. https://amzn.to/3W4s74f
Squench- the special wrench for working on your saw in the field. You will notice both of these links are to three packs… One wrench lives in my saw box with the sharpening kit, a secound stays in a belt pouch in the box, the third lives in my trucks tool kit as an emergency spare and gets used a fair amount.
https://amzn.to/45LXhRg
Or
https://amzn.to/3VF3gTa
I have the forester brand and while the wrench itself works perfectly. The color makes it hard to find if you drop it and it goes to the forest floor, that’s why both of the ones I linked are bright and shiny.
Stump vise to hold the saw still while you’re sharpening it. It’s intended to drive into a tree stump, but I usually sit it on top of the pelican box.
https://amzn.to/3WfLVlD
A 1 inch putty knife that I use as a scraper for cleaning the saw https://amzn.to/3VOuiHP
Other accessories- I’ve added some small screw drivers to adjust the carburetor and a 1inch paint brush to help with cleaning
Wedges used to keep the tree from binding up your saw , plastic protects the chain and you, yes you can make them from wood on site, but they just make life easier https://amzn.to/3VEKBHi
Spare parts. That live in a small metal toolbox with the sharpening supplies. You want to keep them in something rigid to protect them. I got my box from harbor fright but they stoped making it… this is the closest thing at a similar price. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BJV86FWY/ref=cm_sw_r_as_gl_apa_gl_i_A68FNMDVKFAVH3Y67HKJ?linkCode=ml2&tag=lazywoodshome-20
Chains I normally keep two chains, one brand new and one either new or used but sharpened.
Plugs and filters I keep at least a Spark plug and air filter in the box sometimes an entire tune up kit. Amazon carries an assortment of these to fit different saws.
Small axe. For pounding in Wedges and general delimbing. I picked up
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