More wood than I know what to do with, and a chainsaw question.

[Matt Wolboldt]

I know it may not seem like much, but a tree company was taking down a sycamore tree near my house and they said I could have it. This about is just a taste from the tree (I have about 8 pieces), the rest is yet to come down. :D I think it's time for a chainsaw. I was eyeballing either the Stihl MS 250 or the Husqvarna 18" from Lowes. Any info would be of great help.

[Jim Koepke]

I have been told by a few sources that the chain saws sold in the big box stores have a different make up than the saws bought at authorized dealers. This is to lower the prices.

Another thing heard is around here all the lumber men tend to use the Stihl. I would check in your area to see what the pros are using.

jim

[alex carey]

I don't buy any of my blanks. I got a few different guys that cut down trees and I call them up when I need wood. They sometimes give me logs 3 feet in length and 20 inches in diameters, for this I use a Stihl 24" I don't know a lot about chainsaws but I do know my Stihl has taken quite a beating and still works very well. I would recommend it anyday. But having said that if you dont plan on doing this regularly I would recommend just buying a small electric plug in chainsaw. I have a 14" chainsaw I use to round out the blank right before I put it on the lathe and it works quite well and that might be a better solution to your problem. I am quite sure they make up to 20" electric chain saws and theu are much cheaper than the gas.

just a though


alex

[Paul Andrews]

Jim is correct. The saws sold at the box stores may carry a brand name but are made specially for the store chain and are made cheap! In a chain saw you get what you pay for.

I have owned both Stihl and Husqvarna, and in my opinion both are equally excellent saws. The difference between them is their business approach. Stihl is a closed shop, you must buy from their dealers and there is little price differences. Husqvarna is sold over the internet and you can find deals. The difference in servicing your saw goes to Stihl. Their dealers provide excellent service and are available everywhere. Husqvarna service can be spotty.

Regardless which brand you chose, make sure you buy the right saw for you. Determine your needs, both current and what you feel you will need in a year or two. What is the largest diameter timber you intend to work with? Now buy a saw that has enough power to cut for your needs. Too many people buy a quality saw and stick on a longer bar than the saw can handle, so make sure you listen to the advice given by a qualified sales person.

[Darryl Hansen]

Try Norwalk Power Supply www.npeco.com They usually have good arrangements on chainsaws.
Sometime give you two chains and so forth. The only downside to a Stihl is that you can not get repairs done unless you use a Sthil dealer. If you don't have one locally your in trouble if you need parts. That may have changed but check it out. Norwalk people are easy to work with and very knowledgable.

[Bob Hallowell]

You can't go wrong with either but I would toss an echo up there too I bought one on the bay this year a cs400 18" for less the $200. I loved it best saw I ever used but then again I never used a stihl or high end husky.

Bob

[Chris Haas]

pawn shop. then figure out if your needs are greater, but you cant go wrong with a 50 dollar chainsaw.

[Jeff Nicol]

I have 2 STIHL saws and have never been let down by them! The small one is a 17 year old 025, which is basicly the same saw you are looking at but without the improvments on oil and gas caps chain tightening and does the new one have the easy start? The other is the Farm boss or 029, which now is the MS 290. So that being said I burn wood for heat and use it in turning and sawing it into lumber with my WOODMIZER mill. So my saws see a lot of use. A friend of mine has a couple of the Poulan saws that you can get at the big chain stores pretty cheap. He saws a lot of fire wood also and they work just fine. As has been said already it is all about the service and parts.

So if you are going to use it for cutting blanks for wood turning whatever the Stihl should last a lifetime.

Jeff

[Alex Shanku]

Jim is correct. The saws sold at the box stores may carry a brand name but are made specially for the store chain and are made cheap! In a chain saw you get what you pay for.

I have owned both Stihl and Husqvarna, and in my opinion both are equally excellent saws. The difference between them is their business approach. Stihl is a closed shop, you must buy from their dealers and there is little price differences. Husqvarna is sold over the internet and you can find deals. The difference in servicing your saw goes to Stihl. Their dealers provide excellent service and are available everywhere. Husqvarna service can be spotty.

Regardless which brand you chose, make sure you buy the right saw for you. Determine your needs, both current and what you feel you will need in a year or two. What is the largest diameter timber you intend to work with? Now buy a saw that has enough power to cut for your needs. Too many people buy a quality saw and stick on a longer bar than the saw can handle, so make sure you listen to the advice given by a qualified sales person.

These rumors have been going around for years, and deal with many products, not just chainsaws. Do you have any substantial evidence of this, or is this just your own speculation/rumor?

[Jeremy Parkins]

My local dealer sells Husky 455s which is the same model that Lowes sells. They told me that there are no difference between their 455 and Lowes. However that is Lowes top of the line saw and near the bottom of the dealers line. Lowes tends to carry the cheaper saws which are made with cheaper parts.

I think the huge spectrum of products a company makes add to the confusion. I am a stihl guy and they are only sold at dealers but the stihl equivelent of what Lowes sells in Husky might range from a MS180 @ $200 to their top end of a MS290 for about $380.

Now Stihls pro saws start @ about $500 for the smallest and go up to $1300+. The expectation that the saws would be made with the same parts and quality is not realistic.

This comparison is the same for Husky who makes an awesom saw as well. I just grew up with Stihls and have a great dealer nearby.

When it comes to Husky vs Stihl... buy a dealer not a brand. Both saws rock and a good dealer will make or break any brand.

With that said I think you would be very happy with a husky 455 or a Stihl MS290 if @ $400 is in your budget. Remember splitting logs is hell on a saw and a little bigger saw will help.

Sorry for the long winded response but I happen to like chainsaws...:)
JP

[Cyril Griesbach]

I've got two Stihl Farm Boss's and have never been let down.

[Bernie Weishapl]

I have bought a saw from Lowes, Sears and one from Wal-Mart before I got smart and went to a dealer to buy a Stihl MS 310. I bought Stihl because I have a dealer right here in town. It has never failed to start and cuts 10 times better than the others I have had. Splitting logs is hard on a machine so you need one that will stand up.

[Matt Wolboldt]

I had been leaning toward a Stihl, mainly after reading a lot of other threads on the Creek. It helps the Stihl dealer is right down the road from me. Soon I hope to be felling some of my own trees, nothing too huge, but often enough that I want quality. Thanks for all the responses.

[Pete Jordan]

Hey Matt,

I have a small Husky and I love it. I have a Stihl dealer near me and I ended up buy a big used saw from them. It is old but they went through it and it works like a champ. It makes cutting big logs a breeze. Now I only use the Husky for trimming.

[robert hainstock]

I've used two Husky saws over the last thirty years or so, both were at the bottom end of the PRO level but carried model number #64-65 with roller tips, (very important). I used them mostly for cutting firewood. and theu never let me down. Th pro who dut my acreage used a Husky. Lots of them were used in this heavily forested country as are many Stihlls. They are both excellant saws in the pro ranks. In any case whatever saw you buy, get an extra chain and have it sharpened to RIP. A rip chain will save much wear and tear on the engine. You will want an 18in roller bar for more savings on chain, bar, and engine. Then get up to date safety rules of operation from the dealer or a pro. A chainsaw is one of the most dangerous tools you will ever use. That being said, good luck on your choice. :)
Bob

[Jason Mikits]

Both Stihl and Husqvarna sell pro and homeowner saws. The saws in big box stores are no different than the homeowner saws sold at a dealer. They are not made on a special line using different inferior parts. Big box stores don't sell pro saws. They only sell the cheaper homeowner models. They also don't provide the service after the sale as a dealer would. If you're mechanically able and do your own repairs this aspect doesn't matter. But to most people who hardly know how to correctly sharpen a chain, having service after the sale is huge.
As a generalization, Stihls old labeling was a saw ending with an odd # was a homeowner saw (025,029,039 changed to 250, 290, 390) and saws ending with an even # were pro saws (020, 044, 066 now changed to 200, 440, 660). Husqvarna saws ending with xp would be a pro saw and others would be a homeowner saw (generally).
As a former owner of a small tree company (and I still have a dozen or so saws) I wouldn't have a homeowner saw, because I think they are dogs and just lack the power to weight ratio of a pro saw. I've run 029's and 455's (a lot of homeowners think they are a big saw) and they are probably fine for their intended use. Not for me though. Stihl's and Husky's both have their pros and cons and I wish I could take the best features from both.

Good luck with whatever you buy.

[Greg Narozniak]

Just like when your buying a Nail Gun check for local support. You need to be able to have the saw serviced and (to the best of my knowledge) you cannot ship the saw somewhere for service.

I purchased a used Stihl 026 from my local dealer. This is a Pro line saw that came with an 18" bar and with a new Full Chisel chain it runs and cuts like a dream. I was able to get the saw for $125. The deals are out there you just have to look.

The brands to look for are Stihl, Husky and Jonsered (Same exact saw different colors), Shindaiwa, Echo, John Deere (Their CS series is made by Efco, very good european chainsaw company), Makita (Made by Dolmar another very good company across the pond) As a consumer you will never wear out any of these saws.

[scott schmidt grasshopper]

hi tree guy here, I cut loads of firewood and bowls and xmas trees. I only use stihl for the following. #1 a good basic unit, I run an 032, 051.#2 good service support,
ok here is one to think about
before you buy it run the saw and see what the noise level is . my stihl is 3 times less noise than my buddies husky I can run mine without earplugs and I cant even stand to be near his when running
as for BARS, even though my 032 came with a 20 in bar I talked with my sawguy and replaced it with a 24 in, due to when I rip or slab sections i needed longer reach to do it with one cut and I have a bad back so dont want to bend over as muchwhen cutting firewood/rounds. I have to be careful I dont use all the bar at the same time ( keep moving the saw up and down when crosscutting a 24 in log) but as long as I listen to the motor I can tell if I am cutting to much.

as for ripping chain I dont see much need for them unless you are truely cutting across the diameter of the log . I sharpen my slabbing chains at 15degrees instead of 35 for crosscut or 0 for ripping

[Bob Bergstrom]

I found an interesting article on the net while researching Husqvarna leaf blowers. The guy said that if you buy a Husqvarna in a big box store, even though it may be under warranty, it will cost $40 to have a Husqvarna dealer look at it. He said the company backed the dealer when he called them. So you are fine if nothing goes wrong under warranty, but it will cost to have a authorized dealer look at it, even though it is under warranty:mad:.

[Jason Mikits]

Scott,
Many people open up the mufflers (drill a hole and/or remove the spark arrestor) and richen up the carb to gain more power out of their saws. The trade off is more power, cooler running saw, more fuel consumed, and a louder saw. It can be done indepent of brand name of saw.

Unless you have an aftermarket super restrictive muffler, you should be wearing hearing protection while running your saw. I don't know of any saw that emits less than 85db, (which is the point at which hearing protection is recommended). Just because it is not painful on your ears does not mean you are not doing long term damage to your ear drum which in the future could cause tinitus (ringing of the ear). I'm sure your a grown man and will make your own decisions, but please don't advocate unsafe behavior. Hearing protection along with other PPE is very important when running dangerous equipment like a chainsaw. Not trying to pick a fight or be abrasive, hope it doesn't come off like that.
Take Care.