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#Post#: 8479--------------------------------------------------
DC Hotsaws bikesaw
By: Chainsawrepair Date: April 2, 2012, 3:29 pm
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Dennis Calhoon's newest bikesaw creation with carbon fiber and
billet took 1st place in it's first stihl timbersports hotsaw
race with T.J. Bexton as operator. Just sharing a banner I
made from his pic.
Tj Bexton 7.080
Branden Sirguy 7.793
Mike Forrester 7.910
Jeff Skirvin 7.920
David Moses 10.283
James Hartley 14.393
Tom Martin 19.110
Derek Pouchnik D/Q
#Post#: 39508--------------------------------------------------
Re: DC Hotsaws biksaws
By: Cut4fun Date: April 30, 2014, 7:21 pm
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By Steve Wright, 12/20/2012
Evolution of the Hot Saw
Cahoon has played major role in developing juiced up cookie
cutters
Evolution of the Hot Saw Zoom
Evolution of the Hot Saw
Source: STIHL® TIMBERSPORTS®
If you believe in fate, Dennis Cahoon's 62 years on this earth
might serve as an example. He raced motorcycles as a young man,
before embarking on a 32-year career as a logger and
timber-faller in California's Sierra Mountains.
It's as if Cahoon were destined to make hot saws – the
high-powered chain saws featured in STIHL® TIMBERSPORTS® most
exhilarating and, oftentimes, exasperating event. It's
hot-rodding for lumberjacks, complete with the thrill of victory
and the agony of defeat, compressed into less than 10 seconds.
"People just started hot-rodding the chain saws," said Cahoon,
who lives in Chico, Calif. "Real good (timber) fallers had
mechanics working on theirs to make them go real fast. As far as
the engines involved, it jumped from chain saws to go-kart
motors. Then the motorcycle came around, then the snowmobile
(engine) got involved, with Russ Lemke."
"I always wanted to build a hot saw out of a motorcycle engine,"
added Cahoon. "That's how it evolved for me."
And as long as Cahoon is around, the evolution of the hot saw
will continue. In the last few years, Cahoon has had the
opportunity to experiment with replacing the heavier aluminum
parts of a hot saw with lighter carbon fiber, thanks to a
meeting with a Formula 3 race car manufacturer. The result is
T.J. Bexten's hot saw, which weighs 10 to 15 pounds less than
the typical ones employed by most STIHL TIMBERSPORTS Series
pros, which weigh about 60 to 65 pounds.
"(Bexten's) is right at 50 pounds, a hair under," Cahoon said.
Economically, carbon fiber parts are out of reach for most
competitors. Hot saws are a big investment to begin with.
Ten-time STIHL TIMBERSPORTS Series champion Jason Wynyard of New
Zealand probably has $15,000 invested in his hot saw, according
to Cahoon. But a more typical investment is $5,000 to $6,000,
still a tidy sum.
"Carbon fiber costs a lot more money," Cahoon said.
DC Hot Saws is the name Cahoon has given to his home shop, which
he describes as a hobby rather than a business. It's not like
there's a huge demand for competition-level hot saws.
"There's just a small group of people doing it," he said. "It's
around the world, but a small group."
Cahoon's primary goal isn't to make a hot saw that will
necessarily challenge the STIHL TIMBERSPORTS world record for
three cuts in 19-inch wood of 5.085 seconds set by Matt Bush in
2003. It's to build hot saw that will allow someone to stay
competitive and take a bit of the make-or-break aspect out of
the event.
Cahoon relies primarily on the 250 cc Honda CR motor to do that.
Arden Cogar Jr. doesn't run one of Cahoon's hot saws, but he's
quite familiar with his work.
"Dennis is a very skilled fabricator and has had his hands on
the development of at least 20 to 25 (hot saws) used on the 2012
Series," Cogar said. "His ideas are sound. His knowledge of the
two-cycle engine is vast. He is a motor-head personified –
building race engines that are pound-for-pound the most powerful
motors in racing sports."
Cahoon competed in the STIHL TIMBERSPORTS Series for three years
in the mid 90s, and he continues to compete in various
lumberjack competitions around the U.S. But he's had both hips
replaced after three decades in the logging business, and he
seems content with his hot saw hobby.
"I'm trying to make a user-friendly saw, something that will get
you in the seven-second range," Cahoon said. "It's a task to
make three cuts. It's something that's got to be learned."
In other words, no matter how good the machine is, the sawyer
still has to have some skill.
"There's a time to race and a time to just make your cuts," he
said. "I'm trying to get people into an affordable,
user-friendly hot saw.
"It's all about how it handles. That's what I don't like about
the Rotax (snowmobile engine) hot saws. They steer you, instead
of you steering them. If it's steering you, and you can't make
three cuts, you're not going to be any good."
Cahoon has made hot saws from motorcycle engines as big as 500
cc's, but those are primarily for the 27- to 30-inch wood that
is used in some western U.S. lumberjack events.
"The optimum is 250 to 350 (cc's) for 20-inch wood," Cahoon
said.
While the hot saw engines have changed over the years, the chain
itself has seen remained essentially the same.
"You've got a chain speed of about 200 miles-per-hour," Cahoon
said. "It's kind of funny, because the chain hasn't evolved too
far from where it was back in the 50s and 60s. It's a limiting
factor.
"A lot of people don't think about the chain. A sharpened chain
makes a really big difference. If you have an average motor and
a good, sharp chain, you'll probably win more contests than
having the best motor and an average chain."
If anyone would know that, it's "motor-head personified," Dennis
Cahoon.
#Post#: 39535--------------------------------------------------
Re: DC Hotsaws biksaws
By: adam32 Date: May 1, 2014, 8:45 am
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That's a good article about Baboon.
#Post#: 39565--------------------------------------------------
Re: DC Hotsaws biksaws
By: adam32 Date: May 1, 2014, 4:25 pm
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He does make some good stuff...but I just received a 38lb
kevlar/carbon fiber saw from a new up and coming Canadian
builder. 330cc and 40% nitro, I'm pretty sure I'll be whooping
some azz this year in California, Oregon and Washington,
especially with this Art Martin chain I just got a hold of.
#Post#: 39642--------------------------------------------------
Re: DC Hotsaws biksaws
By: 3000 FPS Date: May 2, 2014, 9:57 pm
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Adam take some pictures of some of your competition runs. I
would love to see them. 40% nitro you say. Wow.
#Post#: 84951--------------------------------------------------
Re: DC Hotsaws biksaws
By: Chainsawrepair Date: April 27, 2019, 3:39 pm
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Just saving these 2 that are for sale here. Dennis Cahoon built.
DChotsaws 250 330
#Post#: 84952--------------------------------------------------
Re: DC Hotsaws biksaws
By: Chainsawrepair Date: April 27, 2019, 3:41 pm
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Seen some other DC saws on my HD so saving these too.
#Post#: 84956--------------------------------------------------
Re: DC Hotsaws biksaws
By: HolmenTree Date: April 28, 2019, 10:15 am
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Beautiful middle cc class hotsaws.
I had my sights on building a Honda TRX250R saw. Tons of parts
available and Eddie Saunder's S11 porting can make power to the
moon.... ;)
#Post#: 84959--------------------------------------------------
Re: DC Hotsaws biksaws
By: Chainsawrepair Date: April 28, 2019, 10:59 am
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I thought maybe folks doing these might see something to help
them with their own. Just ideas seen in pic.
I was scared to ask how much for each. :P
#Post#: 84960--------------------------------------------------
Re: DC Hotsaws biksaws
By: HolmenTree Date: April 28, 2019, 11:26 am
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[quote author=Cut4fun . link=topic=7240.msg84959#msg84959
date=1556467177]
I thought maybe folks doing these might see something to help
them with their own. Just ideas seen in pic.
I was scared to ask how much for each. :P
[/quote]
You did good Kevin, I appreciate it and I'm sure others too who
are looking into buying or building a saw.
I reckon a saw of those DC caliber would be no less north of
$5K.
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