The sharpest tool in the box

When I took my chainsaw training course the first thing we had to do was strip down, clean, reassemble and sharpen one of the trainer's saws. I'm pretty sure it was one they had been out using the day before and we were doing it to get it ready for the next day's work - but the principle was good. Since then I've been (pretty) fastidious about cleaning the saw each time I use it and even though it's noisy and harsh it's quite a sensitive machine and you do get to know when it's working properly. We've been clearing the back talus (field bank) over the past week, harvesting hazel and chestnut poles and coppicing the trees. The saw's been working beautifully and the bank now looks neat and cared for, this is the first time since we moved here that we've had time to do this and prior to that Dominique didn't think anything had been done for at least ten years.

It rained persistently today so I took the morning to strip down the saw and reward it with a deep clean, then I sharpened all the garden tools with the grinder - probably ten years since I did that as well.

All set for the Spring now, just need the weather.