Cutting Lake Ice

ChuckR

ChuckR

Location
Minneapolis
I have a volunteer opportunity to cut ice for a "polar bear" event. Proceeds go to a Haiti school. I'm wondering if it'd be stupid to cut lake ice with my 575XP. I picture a lot of water flying around.
 
Yes...there might be...

Do this first...use a cordless drill and a long bit to drill a test hole nearby to see how thick the ice is.

Shovel the snow back and leave a good apron around the hole...several feet at least.

Then mark this depth on the bar of your saw with paint or marker.

Use the saw to cut the sides of the hole to within a couple of inches of the thickness. make the cuts all the way around before cutting through the ice.

Wear crampons or ice grippers on your boots to keep from slipping into the hole in the lake.

Use a wooden ladder with an anchor or concrete blocks to hold it down to get out of the water.

Have as many saws as possible around in case the water grounds out the saw. Use the ones with the shorter bars first.

Wear good rain gear.

I did the same thing for many years when I helped with ice rescue training for leader training for winter camping trips in the BWCA.
 
You will also get alot of water into your muffler. If you don't dry them they will rust out. Another way to avoid this would be to cut not quite through the ice and finish the hole with an ice chisel. And I'm sure you knew this but instead of trying to pull the ice out just push it under the sheet. Also easy to put anchors in if it's cold enough. Chip a hole, put a peg/anchor in and fill with water, it will freeze solid over night. Don't forget to mark your work area as a drunk snowmobiler will come zipping by at 80mph.
 
I saw a picture of chainsaws cutting ice and the users had fabricated some shields to act as water deflectors. They used some brackets and hose clamps to attach the deflector to the saw.

Be sure to take pictures of this whole operation!
 
Looks fun and it looks like it turned out good. That's my sauna in my avatar, it sits on the rocks and one step out the door and your in 20 feet of water. My polar bear days are over though.
 
The facebook page "Stihl Chain Saws" has a pro video of some real iceholers. Enjoy the euro beat. A center post ladder is better for flippers. The title of the vid is Eistauchen Oeschinensee 2008.
 
I cut it on my pond one year and didn't like how quickly the water caused friction between the chain and bar, i could feel it gripping and losing the lubrication.

i bet it wears out bars fast.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

New threads New posts

Back
Top Bottom