«Previous    Next»
Hydraulic Unit Designed For Chainsaw Carvers
Chainsaw carver Barre Pinske built a prototype hydraulic-powered saw 18 years ago. "I was in my mid-20's and my fingers were going numb, working three to six hours a day," Pinske recalls. "My arms and clothes were permeated with exhaust and a chainsaw gas smell. I drove people crazy with noise from the saw. I wanted to eliminate that, plus I didn't want to work outside in the cold."
  After years of refining the design, and getting requests for units from other carvers, Pinske recently started building units for sale. It has a 20-gal. hydraulic tank and a 7 1/2 hp motor. An adjustable flow control gives the carver the option of running everything from the smallest carving bars up to 28-in. bars. The unit is designed to run Husqvarna bars or bars with similar hole patterns.
  "I invented a dual sprocket system so you can run 1/4-pitch chain and you can run 3/8-in pitch chain," Pinske says.
  With a straight handle and direct drive instead of a clutch, it takes a little time to get used to the feel of the saw. For example, when the saw kicks back it blows a pressure relief valve. However, Pinske notes that when he's let other carvers try it, they catch on quickly and enjoy the high torque. Another benefit is the saw's light weight, which is similar to a small gas saw. It comes with two 15-ft. hoses.
  Pinske convinced his father Tom Pinske in Plato, Minn., to manufacture the units.
  At $6,500, the electrical unit and chainsaw is a long-term investment.
  "This is an industrial tool that's meant to last," Pinske says. He has used the same unit and saw for 18 years and the same hoses for 12 years. Because a variety of bars can be used, it's like replacing four saws, he says. The 391-lb. unit requires a 220-volt plug-in. It has pneumatic casters to move easily, and has temperature and pressure gauges and a push button start-stop switch.
  For carvers in remote locations, a gas model is available for $7,300.
  "The biggest advantage for me is I can work anytime with this tool," he says.
"If I want to carve at night, no one's going to care. Also it takes care of health issues, not affecting my hearing and there's no finger numbness."
  A video of the unit can be seen on the Pinske website (www.illanajoffrey.com/index.htm) as well as videos of him carving (http://www.ustream.tv/channel/barre-pinske-studio).
  Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Pinske Power Units & Chainsaws, 119 Main St., P.O. Box 68, Plato, Minn. 55370 (ph 320 238-2562; www.pinskepower. com).


  Click here to download page story appeared in.



  Click here to read entire issue




To read the rest of this story, download this issue below or click here to register with your account number.
Order the Issue Containing This Story
2009 - Volume #33, Issue #3