chainsore head

[martingarwood]

Using my chainsaw for longish periods gives me a headache ! I thought for a while it was due to dehydration so now i drink lots. Then my GP said it might be a good idea to keep glucose levels high as felling/logging etc is hard graft so i make sure i have lots of carbohydrates. But the headaches still come on and stay around until the following morning. I mentioned this to a fellow wooder yesterday and he said the same thing happenend to him too and he thought it was due to the chainsaw exhaust fumes. A quick GOOGLE search confirmed that this might indeed be the problem. 2 stroke engines are pretty inefficient and bending over the engine one cannot avoid taking in fumes. I followed a lead to a possible solution in Alkylate Synthetic petrol, which does not contain so much of the harmful elements (but comes at a price)..TWO questions here 1 does anyone else get chain sore heads ? and 2, has anyone experience of using this fuel ? (What with inhaling chain oil too its a wonder any of us are still around..)

[The Sawyer]

as my forum name suggests I am a sawyer (forester, chainsaw jock and general dogs body) I do on occassion get headaches, I think any one who uses 2 stroke equipment does. one thing you could also look at as well as this new fuel is the mix of oil to petrol you use, e.g. 50:1 33:1 or 25:1 this will depend on the oil you use. I use husquavana 2 stroke oil at 50:1 ish this meens that there is less oil in the mix meaning there is less smoke out of the exaust.

hope this is of help If you want more on fuel mixes then just ask.

ttfn

[Darren]

I get headache from chain sawing only because I get too hot wearing the protective clothing. When the weather gets cooler the problems goes away.

[Binz]

I've not had headaches due to using chainsaw and am using alkylate fuel, but cannot say whether that is just a coincidence or not. I use it because I'm told it's better for the engine and there's no need to drain the fuel if you are going to leave the saw standing unused for a few months - dunno if I'm being conned though cos it is expensive.

Regarding dehydration remember that it's not just the water you've lost but also the salts that need to be replaced. Isotonic drinks are good for that and/or eat food that has lots of salt and sugar such as biscuits etc (or in really hot weather get some proper rehydration salts, but they taste yucky).

[SimonFisher]

For rehydration, or specifically, the replenishment of lost salts and other minerals, Diarolyte or similar sachets from Boots etc is worth looking at.

My GP suggested I use these when I was suffering the effects of low body salt level after long/strenuous cycle training rides during which I was drinking plenty of water, but effectively diluting the body salts.

They're typically available in blackcurrant and citrus flavours as sachets of powder which you dissolve in water and drink. They're not too unpleasant.

[tracy]

We are also going to have cooked lunches in the wood when we can during coppicing time - to make sure we get a proper meal in the wood during the long cold hard work! We hope it will help to keep us going longer- and be yummy!

[martingarwood]

Thanks all. I have decided to try the Eco friendly fuel, Aspen, which sounds like a very good product anyway but expensive (£14 for 5 litres). It promises better running of the chainsaw and less polluting fumes. As it is ready mixed it should be spot on too in terms of oil/fuel balance etc. I was advised last week by an saw repair guy to take off the spark guard on my Husqvarna exhaust as it can inhibit the exit of exhaust gas-the chance of a stray spark causing a forest fire being pretty slim. I will let you know how I get on.

[DaveTaz]

Have been to the APF show at Cannock tody and got talking to the rep for Aspen, from what he says it helps reduce the headache problem due to the fuel not having lots of the added chemicals that unleaded has. Hopefully this should help you. The Aspen has been developed closely with Husqvarna and it has been recommended to me. The other benefits are that you can buy it for four stroke engines with out oil or with oil mixed in at 50:1. They also have a super high quality chain oil which is vegetable based but I haven't tried it out yet

Did anyone else got to the show, I was there all day and didn't see all the stalls etc.

The competitions were good, especially the Polelathe world championship!

[The Sawyer]

Hi dave,

yes I was there with mum and dad as you say it was a good show with many demos and stands to spend money on. The APT (association of Polelathe turners and green woodworkers) had a large area with associated stands all round, bad news for any unsuspecting wallet that happens to be let loose.

I to spoke to the Aspen man and weas interested in the fuel however There are a number of problems for me:

1 the cost ( with little chance of a reduction due to the way its made)

2 its availability although they did say that you can buy larger drums the dealer network is limited at the moment.