New Chainsaw Purchase

Re: New Chainsaw Purchase

Ruth in So. Cal

>Husky 350 with 18" blade is what I have and I have cut larger than 20" with ease.

Re: New Chainsaw Purchase

Barry Turner

>My current saw is a borrowed McCulloch ( a HD special, I'd guess) with a 16" bar. I spent over an hour halving a 16" log section. I'd rather be turning.

Re: New Chainsaw Purchase

Mike-in-Michigan

>You can search the message base here, lots of discussion..

My take on the Reader's Digest version is buy from a good dealer and the brand is not that big of a deal.

For my 0.02$ worth, to cut blanks with, I have a Husqvarna 345 w/a 20" & 16" bar. Works great, but I bought an old ECHO 701 off of ebay for 60$ w/o a bar, put a 28" bar on it for 40$ more and use it for my big bad boy saw. I have cut with Stihl's for years (my dad burned wood for the 30+ years) and we used an old homelite & upgraded to Stihls.. I like both, you just need to find a good dealer and avoid the big box stores. I've heard good things about Echo and I love their lawn trimmers -- but once again buy from a dealer not a big box for the best service.

If you are happy working w/o a net and don't mind DIY repairs, you can save a fair amount of cash on EBay. I have a plan to build a chainsaw mill like a Logosol .. so I bought a used 066 powerhead on ebay for 450$ .. looked well used but taken care of, it runs fine at half the price of new. Your mileage may vary :)

Re: New Chainsaw Purchase

Michael Stadulis, in Gloucester County, NJ

>Barry,

I have the Stihl MS 361. I ran a Homelite 25 years ago.......then a Sthl Farm Boss. The 361 is more powerful and lighter than the FBoss, with a special engine. The anti vibe is superb. Pulls a 20" chain easily.

-M

Smaller may be better

John K Jordan

>>How much saw do I really need to saw and halve

>log sections lengthwise up to say 20" in diameter?

The diameter you can cut depends primarily on the length of the bar. You can easily plunge cut to twice the length of the bar. I've cut over 24" diameter with about 14" active length on my 16" bar.

There is no need for a huge bar and chain unless you are going for monster timber. And with a smaller bar and chain you can use a smaller and lighter weight engine. A bonus: the shorter saw chain is quicker to sharpen. Another bonus: the smaller saw is usually cheaper and a new chain and bar is cheaper. And another: it's easier to carry around (especially on the front of the 4-wheeler)

I far prefer a lighter weight saw even if giving up some power. The lighter saw is easier to handle and less tiring which makes it safer to operate. Sure, you can plow through a big hickory log faster with a more powerful saw, but the smaller saw will still get the job done. (Real men use big saws? Not according to the pros.)

Based on the weight and size, I chose the Stihl 250 with a 16" bar. I almost picked a similar Husky and I'm sure it would have been fine. Light weight. Always starts, cuts very well. I have not once been in a situation where I wished I had more power. I've not yet had the log I couldn't cut up into blanks. I'm certainly no expert on this, but I've had several saws over the years and this one is my favorite.

BTW, I do sharpen a lot. The professional advice I've been given is NEVER wait until the chain is dull but sharpen BEFORE you feel the chain needs sharpening, i.e., cut a while, take a short break and hit each link one or two strokes with the file, then cut some more. I'm amazed at how many people I know can't sharpen their saw - since it's such an ordeal to get it sharpened, they wait until it is WAY past dull (and unsafe) then take it to the dealer for sharpening. Besides the safety thing, just think of the time and money wasted. This is especially sad since anyone can learn to sharpen like a pro with no more than a file and 10 minutes of instruction.

JKJ in East TN

Re: New Chainsaw Purchase

Pat Mulligan

>Get a Bailey's catalog and check them out.I've had great service from my husky saw. Iknow that getting parts for stihl saws is through limited dealers only and they are expensive. Good luck.

Re: New Chainsaw Purchase

JL

>I like the Husky Farm + Ranch 55. It will take an 18" or larger bar. It is light enough to handle for a couple of hours.

Re: New Chainsaw Purchase

Terry Quiram, Roanoke Illinois

>Barry

I was in the same boat 4 months ago. I settled on the Stihl 290 with a 20" bar. I am very happy with my choice.

Terry

Re: New Chainsaw Purchase

Mike Schwing from Md.

>I have pretty much the same saw Michael, the MS 360 Pro. The pro designated saws are about a pound lighter than the equivalent, a real concern for 145 pound me.

Barry, I wanted the baddest saw I could reasonably hold at waist height, and would cut with a 25" bar. There are a lot of big trees around here, and I like to make single cuts through a log at 22", then cut circles on the bandsaw for my 20" swing lathe. The reading materials for my saw said it would take a 20" bar max, but Stihl said that I would not have any trouble with the 25" and they were right.

I have a few buddies with lots of different saws. The 290 Farm boss is a great saw but not in the same class, at all, with the 360. Same with the medium range Huskys. My saw generally tends to be the one everyone wants to use when cutting in a group.

Different sized bars make for totally different handling characteristics. Yesterday I had my 14" bar on that saw and it handles like a sports car. The 25" makes it go like a Mack truck.

I see no use in buying a saw smaller than the max I can safely handle, unless financial considerations are paramount. Why take longer than needed to do a job?

Re: Smaller may be better

Mike Schwing from Md.

>John, I too am amazed at how few people know how to sharpen a saw chain. In fact, I have run into several neighbors that thought they were self sharpening! Last weekend I heard a saw running a few houses up from me for what sounded like forever. I was wondering what he was cutting so I walked over and found him cutting up a bush sized red cedar, which you can pretty much cut with a wet noodle.

For the amount of time that engine was working he could have felled and bucked a decent sized tree. I knew his chain was dull without even looking. While I was there he fired it up again and said "I really love running this thing!".

I just watched for a minute or so, and kept my mouth shut. I never give a man advice without being asked. Sounds mean but it can be a really good rule. Next time he sees me running my saw I'll be sure to stop and field sharpen it. Hopefully he'll get the idea.

Re: Sharpening the ax.

Gary Evans, Tallassee, TN

>Mike,

This reminds me of an old story about a guy who is walking through the woods and he sees a man chopping a tree. He goes about his business and comes back some time later to discover that the woodcutter is not making much progress.

Not having your attitude about offering advice, he asks the cutter, "Why don't you sharpen your ax?"

The woodcutter replies, "I can't, I'm too busy chopping this tree."

Moral is, we all need to take time to sharpen our respective axes from time to time.

You might just approach your neighbor with something like, "I don't want to step on your toes, but that dang saw is dull!" 8^]

Gary

Re: New Chainsaw Purchase

Carole in VA

>Holy cow! Did you sharpen the chain? Can't imagine it taking that long!

Re: New Chainsaw Purchase

Chris K in MD

>I bought a Husky 350. It came with an 18" bar. I got a good deal on it at Lowes with a 10% off coupon and some gift cards. Recently Lowes had to increase its husky prices due to the low dollar and the higher euro (saws are made in sweden). The saw used to be $299. Its now $349. I paid $269. It can take a 20" bar which could be nice on occassion(I went harvesting with Schwing and the tree was 20"). I had my heart set on the 455 but lowes didnt carry it, Balieys has it fro $339 with some extras and the 20" bar. I highly reccomend them.

I love the 350 its lighter and for 98% of what I have cut its been long enough and never been starved for power.

Chris

Re: New Chainsaw Purchase

Lou K

>From the voice of the cheap seats & a guy who paid for several terms of college from a tree removal service. No one could argue about the benefits of purchasing a Sthil or Huskvarna but personally, I wanted to sve my $$ for turning tools. I bought an 18" Craftsman on sale for about $150 w/case. Works like a charm and at this point I bucked about 8-10 trees ranging from 16" maples to 30" sycamores. Saw runs great, always starts on the 2nd pull. For $200 you can be in business with an extra chain & Oregon sharpening jig.

Re: Smaller may be better

Bruce McElhaney Spring Lake, MI

>My Stihl 260 with it's 18" bar will cut most anything I can throw at it. A Stihl 360 and 25" bar sounds kinda like overkill to me. But then, my PM 3520a will only handle a 20" blank. Am I missing something here?

Manual chainsaw

John K Jordan

>>"I can't, I'm too busy chopping this tree."

Reminds me of the only chainsaw joke I know, the one about the guy who took the chainsaw back to the store and said there must be something wrong, it was wearing him out and taking forever to cut. The guy in the shop started it up to try and find the problem. The customer said "what's that noise?"

I thought this was so dumb it was funny until I watched a neighbor clearing a bunch of small trees behind his house with an electric chainsaw. The thing was just so dull that while cutting (or trying to) he would push the chain saw back and forth like a bow saw! Like that would help. [sigh]

I loaned another electric saw to another neighbor (the first and last time). He had been trying to cut some limbs with a circular saw. I watched while he turned on the saw, cut through a limb on the ground, and proceeded to run the saw into the dirt, then started cutting off small stumps below ground level. Not just once, but over and over even after I yelled across the fence! Hmm, I think I need a new chain for that one...

JKJ in East TN

Re: Smaller may be better

Mike Schwing from Md.

>Bruce, not sure if you're missing anything or not. When I bought my 2nd saw, I talked to the Stihl guys and said "I want a saw that will never make me wish I'd bought a more powerful saw." We worked through the models that I could reasonably and safely handle, and came up with the 360 Pro. Money was not a factor, but the ability to handle it safely was.

Why a 25" bar? Easy. There are lots of 30+" trees around here. I have an arrangement with a local arborist company. They cut up the trunks in 20-22" lengths for me and leave them on site. I then buck them up by myself. I don't have to make the bucking cuts through the diameter, so 25" is plenty. But it is very preferable for me to have a saw that can cut through that log in one single cut, so the blanks sit on the bandsaw evenly when I go to round them out. Having a bar that will go through the log in one pass allows me to create very flat (or flat enough) blanks so they don't rock back and forth, and I can more easily make parallel cuts, too.

I really don't bother with trees smaller than 20", and I always want the best tool for a job. It could be done with a smaller bar - and I have a 14" and a 20", but why do it in 2 cuts if you can do it better in one? I get it done faster, wind up holding a heavy saw for less time. I see no reason for less than I have. Make any sense?

question for Ruth

ken chase

>Ruth:

I noted you're for so.cal. So am I. Palm Desert.

Where are you finding logs to cut? The only logs I've found have been drying in the desert a long time and so hard I can't cut them on my 18" band saw.

Thanks

Ken

Re: Smaller may be betterQuestion

ken chase

>I don't have a chain saw, but condidering getting one. What is a buck cut please?

Re: Smaller may be betterQuestion

Mike Schwing from Md.

>I'm not a logger, but the way I understand the term "bucking" refers to cutting a log/trunk up into manageable sections. In the way I was using it, I meant cutting a trunk into 22" long sections.

Re: New Chainsaw Purchase

Barry Turner

>Actually, I did. I've always felt fairly competent with my sharpening skills, but apparently sharpening a chainsaw must require a very special skill.

Re: Smaller may be better

Keith Tompkins

>JOhn, sadly, the same often occurs with turning tools.

Re: New Chainsaw Purchase

Carole in VA

>LOL I have not got the hang of it yet either. I got a lesson but I am going to get an extra chain before I try it again myself! That way I won't be dead in the water if I have to take the one I screw up to the dealer to be (re) sharpened.

Re: New Chainsaw Purchase

Bruce McElhaney Spring Lake, MI

>Barry, I don't believe chainsaw sharpening requires any special skills. A little diligence perhaps, but it's not rocket science. I have always sharpened my chains by hand with a file, but there are jigs that help make the job easier, but not faster. The important thing is to keep the chain sharp (like your turning tools) and not wait until it's overly dull. And don't over file the teeth. Just a couple easy strokes on each tooth with the file is usually all it needs.