New Year's resolution: electric chainsaws

This battery pruning saw is incredible

Until a couple of years ago, I had only personally owned one chainsaw -- the Husqvarna 61. It was recommended to me by a saw dealer in Thunder Bay and I have used it to cut something like 400 cords of wood over the past 40 years. It has been very durable although I have needed to have the carburetor rebuilt probably four times. My saw mechanic informed me the last time that the saw has been obsolete for about two decades and he has been using "part saws" to do the job. Unfortunately, he has now run out of those as well.

Then, last year, I experienced Christmas in July. I was about to dump our recycling items at Red Lake's transfer station when to my astonishment, there was a Husqvarna 61 in the bin. I snapped it up. So I might be able to cannibalize it for parts for a few more years.

Meanwhile, I had bought a tiny one-hand battery-electric pruning saw made by Stihl, pictured to the right. Although it is intended for cutting branches only a few inches or less in diameter, I am astounded at what else I have done with it. Since it only weighs a few pounds I routinely carry it when out for walks on my trail network here in Nolalu and have cut many windfall trees that have blocked the paths. Sometimes it takes cutting from both sides of the fallen trunk since the bar is only six inches.

It is wonderful for cutting alders, willows and small trees that pop up on the survey lines around our property. It has a lithium battery that slides into the handle and this probably lasts for an hour of solid cutting. That means I can clear about a quarter mile of bushed-in trail before needing to recharge. 

Now that I am 71 I appreciate not lugging around a heavy saw. My Husqvarna 61 weighs something like 13 pounds. That gets to be a drag when I'm a half-mile from the house. This has got me looking at battery-electric chainsaws. There are some professional arborist saws now that cut as fast as gasoline-powered saws but they are pricey and they actually weigh about the same as my Husky.

My little six-inch saw has shown me I probably don't need a 16-inch or 20-inch bar saw any more. There are some 12-inch battery saws now that weigh about eight pounds, including the battery. From what I have seen, Husqvarna and Stihl might be the fastest rpm battery saws but they are on the high end of price. Tool brands like Ryobi, Dewalt, Milwaukee and yard machine companies like Greenworks and others also have chainsaws. These sell for about $350 which is nearer my price range. All of these are quiet which is another plus.

I am not quite in the market for a saw yet, but when the time comes I am certain to get an electric model.

We already have a battery-electric lawnmower at the cabin. It is a self-propelled model and has oodles of power for climbing hills while mowing.

What's missing in this Christmas photo?

 

Our house in Nolalu, near Thunder Bay, Ont., Dec. 24, 2023

This will be a first for us. No snow on Christmas. 

It is pretty much the same story across Canada. 

There is a drought taking place from Thunder Bay west to Kenora that could become problematic next summer. Check out the following screenshot from Windy.com that shows drought intensity. The darker the colour, the drier the soil is. 

The situation is less acute up at Red Lake but way up north, near Hudson Bay, it is terrible. 

Here in Nolalu and other Thunder Bay area rural townships most shallow wells have gone dry. We have already gotten one tanker truck delivery of water.

Temperatures are far warmer than normal and that is not all bad. Judging from our wood pile I would say we have used half the energy this winter to heat the house. 

There is still a lot of time left to get some snow. What has happened in recent years is we get about half our snowfall in the month of April. That is usually extremely wet stuff that takes down power lines and closes roads.

Positive things to say about climate change

Shot from today, just a trace of snow here in Nolalu

 "If you don't have something good to say, keep your mouth shut."

That was always my mom's admonition about talking. It seems especially relevant this year when it comes to talking about climate change. I have recently heard somewhat conflicting advice on the subject.

I believe it was on CBC radio's climate program What On Earth that host Laura Lynch wondered if all the talk about climate change was making things worse. The experts she interviewed said it actually was because it was virtually all about doom and gloom -- things are getting worse rapidly and we aren't moving fast enough to correct them. People can only take so many negative waves, said the psychologists. Making them feel helpless and depressed accomplishes nothing.

Then, last week, Bill Nye (the Science Guy), seemed at first glance to give opposite instructions in an interview on CNN. "What can we do personally about climate change?" he was asked. "1. Talk about it and 2. Vote," he said.

In reality, all the experts were on the same page. Keep talking about climate change, just focus on the solutions and positive steps that have already been made and which are added to each day.

So that is what I'm going to do from now on in this blog, starting with this link to a BBC article yesterday Nine Breakthroughs For Climate and Nature in 2023 You May Have Missed

 On a personal note, I would like to report on our first summer of using a solar system at our cabin that the power produced by just two photovoltaic (PV) panels is mind-blowing. I think you have to see it to believe it. As soon as the sun strikes these two 4x7-foot panels you have more electricity than you can possibly use at one time, plus it charges the big batteries that ran everything over night. Four hours after sunrise the batteries are charged and the system is just twiddling its thumbs until the next day.

And here's the kicker: once you have purchased the equipment, that electricity -- that clean energy -- is absolutely free. Even more positive news is the equipment costs about one-tenth what it cost a decade ago and gets cheaper every day.

Red Lake Marine had its first electric outboard for sale last summer.

"This is where everything's going," said Bob Uhrina, who has worked at the marina for about 60 years and has been its manager for at least 30. He is also a master mechanic.

That's pretty remarkable coming from a man who knows more about outboards and any other internal combustion engine than anyone I have ever met. 

I think I know what he means. It is just the evolution of energy. 

It reminds me of a statement I heard a few years ago by Sister Jean, the now-104-year-old nun who is the chaplain for the Loyola University men's NCAA basketball team. In the week before every game, Sister Jean scouts the opposing team on video and makes a report to the team about the best ways to beat them.

A reporter noted that she does all of her work on an iPad and thought it remarkable that such an old person embraced new technology.

"If you don't keep up, you're left behind," said Sister Jean.