Chainsaw recommendations...

[Chip Sutherland]

I'm going nuts for some wet wood. I don't want to pay for it. I gotta buy a chainsaw so I can forage my own. My wife will just have to forgive me spending the money. The local orange borg only has 18" saws. I was looking at a 40cc or 45cc Echo. What are you occaisonal Paul Bunyon's using?

[Carole Valentine]

Stihl 250c (or is it 290? Can't remember.:o)with 18" bar here. Love it! Especially the EazyStart and the tool-less adjustments.

[John Hart]

I hear Stihl is the best...but never used one. Mine is a PoulanPro 20". I am extremely happy with it....Better than my last saw that was bigger and more powerful.....And it was on sale at HD!!:D

[Cody Colston]

Husky 55 Rancher...I think it called a 455 Rancher now. Great little saw for my needs.

Cody

[John Miliunas]

I went with a Stihl but, the "big boys" who do this stuff for a living will tell you that pretty much any one of the three "Orange machines" will do you well. The three being, Stihl, Husqvarna and Echo.:) :cool:

[Dennis Peacock]

Chainsaw?

Sure.!!! Here's my order of preference:

1. Stihl
2. Husqvarna
3. Echo

[Gary Max]

O26 Stihl----20 inch bar
Buy it new and take good care of it will last a long time.
Or a Husqvarna
Never loan your chainsaw to anyone---ever

[Travis Stinson]

All good recommendations. I have a Husky 359 with 20" bar.

[Jim Becker]

I have a Stihl .029 "Farm Boss" with an 18" bar. Kicks butt for a small saw. Starts easy and reliably every time. And to think I bought a 'borg saw first that only lasted through one tree. What a waste of money! 'Shoulda bought the orange one first. But what did I know then... ;)

Oh, I have a Remmington electric with an 18" bar for "in the shop" use. Very handy.

[Curt Fuller]

I also have the Stihl .029 Farm Boss, 18" bar. Fantastic saw. Whatever you buy, get a dremel sharpening kit (or something similar) and learn to sharpen with it. Most frustration with any saw comes from trying to cut when it's dull and out of adjustment.

[Mark Cothren]

I have run a few thru the years... I have an Echo CS5000 w/ 20" bar right now and like it just fine. If I was going to buy a new one - and when I buy a new one - I plan to get a Stihl. That being said, if I find another deal on a new saw like I did this Echo then I'll be buying whatever that one happens to be.

[Joe Mioux]

Stihl! I have one and love it. Everyone else have stated the reasons why.

[Ian Abraham]

The small Echo saws are pretty good, probably as good as the small homeowner Stihls. Oleo-Mac are also worth a look if you have a local dealer, very impressed with a friends little (45cc) one.

Husky / Johnserred make good saws, so thats another option.

I have a Stihl 310, it's been a good saw but recently bought a new Dolmar 7900 (28" bar) to handle some bigger trees. You may also find the Dolmar saws sold as Makita brand, I think they are Makita green though.

Curt is right, keeping the chain sharp is the most important skill. With a bit of practice a simple file / guide bar will do a good job. Sharpen the chain often, as soon as you notice it cutting slower. If you let it get real blunt you will have to take much more metal off to get a sharp cutting edge back again. A bit like any other woodworking tool I guess:rolleyes: .

Use good quailty 2 stroke oil and only mix what you are going to use in the next few weeks. Crap oil or stale mix will give you problems, if the gas mix gets more than a couple of months old, tip it into your car and mix up some fresh stuff.

Splash out and get the safety gear too, expecially the protective chaps. I've not put the bar into mine yet, but have had a couple of near misses while sawing limbs in difficult positions. A forestry hard hat is good if you are going to be felling trees too, plus it keeps the visor and muffs on your head ;)

Be safe, have fun and let the sawdust fly :D

Ian

[Sparky Paessler]

I guess I'm the odd man out here, I use a 26 year old Homelight XL12 with 20" bar that I bought new. Still runs great. If it would just die I could buy a Stil or Husky.

[Dick Strauss]

If you are looking for something a little less expensive, I've got a McCulloch 16" 35cc saw I bought for about $80 3-4 years ago at one of the borgs. It runs better today than the day I bought it. It starts every time, even after sitting emptied of gas for 6 months. It doesn't take much of a pull to start if you follow the routine. I've probably cut down several acres of hardwoods since I bought it (we had hurricane damage to clean up when I lived in NC). It is still running like a champ. You can cut trees up to about 32-36" with it.

If you are looking to own a chainsaw for life, I'd recommend spending more and getting something better like the Stihl or Husky saws. My Mc has done well for me but I don't expect it will be the last chainsaw I buy.

As others have said, proper maintenance is the key. Keep your chain sharp and keep the rakers at the right height. I do all my own sharpening. Once you get the hang of it, it takes about 5-10 minutes to sharpen up the chain. As soon as you notice the saw slowing its cut, stop the saw and do a minimal sharpening with 2-3 passes of the round file. Every 3rd or 4th time sharpening the chain, check and set the raker level with a flat file. If the saw is set up properly it will cut under its own weight.

Oregon Chain has a nice chainsaw maintenance and safety site you should check out before and after any purchase. It helps you understand how all of the chainsaw features work together to make the saw safer and cut better (I have no affiliation with this company).

http://www.oregonchain.com/tech/manual_maint.htm

Dick

[Brad Schmid]

Chip,
I have 3 that I use the most 1) Stihl MS361 2) Shindaiwa 377 3) Remington electric for inside shop use. I had an MS 260 pro before the MS361. It was a great saw, but it wouldn't pull a 20" bar/chain near as well as an MS361. I'm partial to Stihl, but if I add another saw, I'll be looking hard at the Dolmar's. They're getting high marks right now on quality, power to weight, and price. I'll also second the comment on protective chaps (full wrap).
Brad

[Raymond Overman]

I've got a Husky 350 (close to the Rancher 55 mentioned). I wish I had a 359 for the extra power but really like the feel of this saw and have had no problems with it except it burns gas like there's no tomorrow when there's free wood around and won't sharpen itself.

I strongly suggest you go to a local dealer when you choose your Stihl, Husky, or Echo though. Creating that relationship with the dealer will pay off in the long run. I have no doubt about who to call if I have problems with my chainsaw and the guy still knows my name even though I only go in there once in a blue moon.

Happy hunting.

[Frank Chaffee]

Chip,
Stihl here too.

Get an integrated hardhat, ear muff, and face screen. Weather permitting, wear glasses too.

Steel toed boots are a must. Get logger style high heeled deep tread vibrams. They will also look sexy while you are in the bar playing pool after a long day in woods. The bar helps after the woods.

Chain saw chaps made of ballistic cloth are also absolutely undeniably essential gear. If you strap these chaps to a log and challenge any logging competitor in the Hurley Wisconsin doing’s to cut thru them, the best they will do is barely nick the backside. Their saws will foul with threads from the ballistic cloth and stop before getting thru. The big man who sold his patent for these chaps to the corps was a forester and leatherworker in Spring Green Wisconsin. Hundreds of people offered handfuls of earth to his dovetailed wood coffin when he was buried here.

If the ballistic cloth principle is being produced in vest or jacketware, use it!



Never loan your chainsaw to anyone---ever


…And most especially not to someone with a PhD.

Frank

[Stu Ablett in Tokyo Japan]

Husky or Sthil are about the best, but the more important thing, IMHO is that you need to find a dealer that will support the saw you buy.

No point in buying a saw that the nearest dealer is a pin head, or not very near.

Cheers!

[Greg Savage]

I have an 044 and 084 Stihl.....I'd highly recommend the 044 as a great all around saw, although it is bigger than anything being mentioned so far. And the 084 with a 36in bar(I also have a 48in bar)....well, you just about need a kickstarter on this bad boy!

Stick with Stihl and Husqvarna and you won't have to buy another chainsaw anytime soon.

[tod evans]

stihl is the best but i use the same homelite 410 i`ve had for over 30 yrs.

[Jim Becker]

I guess I'm the odd man out here, I use a 26 year old Homelight XL12 with 20" bar that I bought new. Still runs great. If it would just die I could buy a Stil or Husky.

Sparky, the key here is that yours 26 years old. The brand name may still be around, but what it's stuck on isn't even close. The saw I burned up with one tree in early 2000 was a Homelight. Smoked it...and it was out of warranty. (Bought it, but didn't put it to use until much later than the purchase)

[Robert Mickley]

How many saws do you want? I have in order of preferance, meaning used the most

500 echo VL 16 inch bar
750 echo EVL 24 inch bar
.075 Stihl 36 inch bar

I don't care how cold, or how long its sat, 3 pulls and the 500 and the 750 are both running. Once they are started in the morning you can pull the rope out the whole way let it in 3 clicks give it a tug and its running.

The 075, I don't get it out very often, mainly because if you get it out you better have had your wheaties, its a MANS SAW!! Littlel harder to start than the echos but once its running anything that gets in its way is coming down.

as for Husqvarna if you gave me one I wouldn't even try to start it, I would trade it on a new echo or Pro line Stihl. Wifes cousin has a new 455 rancher. That is the most miserable starting excuse for a saw I've ever seen. He keeps it in a heated basement. We go tot the woods and my 500 is running and cutting before he can get it to stay running.

Now My brother has all Echo's and one Husqvarna, its one of the older ones a 55 if I remeber right it runs ok.

Keep in mind Stihl and Husqvarna both make Pro saws and consumer saws. Stay away from the consumer saws. Spend the money and buy a pro saw and you will have it for the rest of your life with proper care. Echo on the other hand makes only one line of saw and its at the pro quality level. All of them!

Size your saw appropiatly, my 750 is capable of running a 32 inch bar, I run a 24 on it. The 500 is capable of runing an 18 it has a 16 and the 075 is capable of running a 48 and has a 36. The saw will be a lot happier and so will you .

Stay away from the Borgs, buy your saw at a reputable dealer who can service it and knows what they are doing.

Buy a couple extra chains. I have 4 chains all made up for each saw.
learn to sharpen your chains, you will get better service life out of them if you sharpen with a file. If I'm cutting all day I usually sharpen at lunch time. If I happen to hit iron or mess up and stuff it in the dirt I swap out chains if I damaged the teeth bad enough.
I try too sharpen as much as I can with a file, If I do in a chain then it goes on the grinder. Keep your teeth as close as possible to the same lenght when sharpening. If you get one side shorter than the other it will cut crooked.

Accesaroies
You need a good file, Even though I've been sharpening chains for years I've started using the Husky SharpForce™ File Guide. uses two files, one for the tooth and one for the raker. This way your rakers are always the right height.

I also spent the money on the oregon grinder, but I have a lot of chains to keep up with, mine, brothers and wifes cousin.
http://www.right-tool.com/orchainsawsh.html
If you shop around you can find it for around $200. If your hard on chains it won't take long to pay for it. Stay away from the harbor frieght one. I tried it and took it back, you get what you pay for

If your going to drop trees buy some felling wedges.

Safety gear is a must!!

[Mark Cothren]

Great information Robert!

[Robert Mickley]

While I was typing out that novel I was looking through the new wood magazine. They have an article on page 102 on cutting turning blanks. In the first picture they show a guy cutting a blank out, I have issues with the way he is holding the saw. By nature of design a saw should be held with the trigger in your right hand and the front grip in your left hand. The way he is sitting if he hit a nail imbedded in the log the shrapnel would hit him right in the crotch.

[Ernie Nyvall]

I have the Stihl 361 and am very happy with it.

Ernie

[Andy Hoyt]

I picked up a Stihl MS 290 last fall and love it. Not the biggest nor the best, but for what I wanted and the frequency with which I use it, I think I made the right choice. Time will tell.

[John Shuk]

I'd go for this Stihl. Plenty of power for now and forever. A little more bux but well worth it.
http://www.stihl.us/chainsaws/MS361.html