railway sleepers!

[trowelhead]

the great lady,mrs trowel head, wants to use sleepers for a raised flower bed in the garden,oh! great question:whats the best way to cut bl**dy hard,seasoned hardwood?from what i've heard the best bet is a chainsaw!,any other opinions? how many cuts will a chainsaw make before going blunt?would i be better off buying a cheap,sh*te, chainsaw as opposed to hiring one?(the costs for hiring or buying cheap are almost identical!)

 

[mildmanneredjanitor]

Didn't think you could hire a chainsaw unless you had a certificate?


I'm a lumberjack and I'm ok, I sleep all night and I work all day...

 

[trowelhead]

been to 2 local hire shops,the independant would not hire without cert' .hss would hire if you told them you wouldnt use it up a ladder or up a tree!

 

[breezer]

i watch ground force (some one has to) when ever sleppers are cut Ms Dimmock does it, as they say "she is trained to use a chain saw"

Tell your wife you do not want sleepers

1) you need to have qualified chainsaw operator to cut them
2) genuine sleepers leach tar / oil etc
3) they go sticky in the summer (due to oil tar etc)
4) they keep you awake at night (they snore)

A friend pointed out in a "as you do discussion" how dangerous a chain saw is, think about it, a chain saw only stops when you let the "switch" go, if your arm is no longer atatched to your body how can it let go?
it is also not uncommon for a chain saw to "stall" this is when most accidents happen, in short, and considering the first 3 items i mentioned Dont have sleepers

(i seem to think some one posted on here about how do you get creosote out as they had got sleepers and some one leant / touched on one)

 

[masona]

Didn't think you could hire a chainsaw unless you had a certificate?

That what I thought.
Just bought a brand new petrol chainsaw from ebay and also got a electric chainsaw. I cannot see anything about having a certificate. If I remember rightly, you might have to have a certificate if you want to hire one from tools shop, so if you have a accident then you cannot sue the hire shop but I maybe wrong.

 

[2scoops0406]

A chainsaw is the way to cut sleepers...... but you have to be extremely careful, not only because as has been pointed out already that chainsaws are more than happy to dismember you, you must be very very careful that all metal objects are removed from the sleeper. Railway sleepers by nature are full of metal debris much of which can be hidden. I cut my sleeprs with a saw, but it took absolutely ages, and ruined the saw.

 

[BR]

Having little experience of chainsaw use, i was just wondering what happens if you hit a nail or piece of metal for example with the chain. Will it damage the chain?, stop? send a piece of metal flying?

 

[breezer]

worse, it can result in involuntairy self surgery

 

[mildmanneredjanitor]

Having little experience of chainsaw use, i was just wondering what happens if you hit a nail or piece of metal for example with the chain. Will it damage the chain?, stop? send a piece of metal flying?

Any or all of the above???

Wouldn't like to be the one that found out...

The chain snapping, then whipping around under inertia would be quite nasty Enough to ruin your day at least

 

[nstreet]

If you are going to even think about using a chainsaw consider hiring or buying some protective clothing. At the very least you will need a visor, gloves, foot and shin protection or even leggings. see here http://www.abbeypro.co.uk/subprod/Jonsered_Clothing_0000815.aspx

It might hurt your wallet, but it will be a lot less painfull than losing or mutilating a limb.

 

[breezer]

the link only says saw protection, not chain saw protection

 

[Studders]

If you must use a chainsaw and you are inexperienced with them then I would recommend an electric one only, and certainly not up a tree (use a bowsaw).
Usually all that happens with those (from my own experience) is the chain comes off the drive wheel, Sounds alarming but isn't really as it just sort of drops off and doesn't flail or anything. Beware though they can still kickback if used incorrectly and they are as sharp as the petrol ones, just nowhere near as fast or powerful.

 

[2scoops0406]

can only endorse what has been said, if the chain snaps whilst cutting with a petrol chainsaw, then you really need to be well protected. Not used an electric chainsaw, so don't know about these. If you're not confident, then I'd advise using a bow saw, it will take you a long time, but then again, the worst you can do with a bow saw is give yourself a nasty gash. If you use a chainsaw.

1) get the right protection
2) ENSURE the sleeper is metal free.
3) lubricate the chain frequently, the tar in the sleepers is a s0d for jamming the chain.

I think you've probably got the message now that chainsaws are damned dangerous, unfortunately an accquaintence of mine manged to cut half his face off using one but that was due to his stupidity

 

[mildmanneredjanitor]

Bow saws are nasty too...

One stooooopid janitor up in a hedge...

One severed thumb

Having your tendon stitched together is unpleasant!

 

[BR]

Bow saws are nasty too...

One stooooopid janitor up in a hedge...

One severed thumb

Having your tendon stitched together is unpleasant!

Yes, I know, had three repaired about 6 weeks ago, currently in a splint from a ah ah chisel injury As for electric chainsaws i cants stand them. And I’m not really a bow saw kind or man. Seriously though thanks for the advise