We went to the cabin this past weekend. I am going to need a chainsaw for cutting firewood, and clearing some dead wood. None of the dead wood is more than 8" in diameter. I have plenty of downed wood in the area where I live, and don't want to cut anything bigger than about 8" for firewood, because I don't want all the work of splitting it. I would cut about a cord a year.
Therefore, I am thinking 16" chainsaw. BUT, I always have a tendency to buy a little bigger for that once in a while when you need the bigger.
BUT, I goes to the stores, and see Poulan, Husqvarna, Homelite, Echo, Stihl, etc. with prices all over the map.
I also see engines with different cc displacements, from 37 to 55 on chainsaws with the same bar length. What's up with that? Bigger engines better?
I would like to ask:
Which brand do you like and why? Which brand lasts the longest? Which has the least downtime? Does any have a problem with getting spare parts?
I can't answer most of your questions. I bought a Sears chain saw back in about 1965 and when it finally quit I bought a factory reconditioned Homelite from Harbor Freight.
I would get a 16 inch bar if you are not going to cut down good sized trees. Mine has a longer bar ( 20 inch ) which is proving handy right now. A good sized fir close to the house died and I cut it down last month. I am still cleaning up and splitting the wood. The trunk was
35 to 36 inches across where I cut it so had to cut from both sides. This could be done with a 16 inch bar with only a little more work. The larger engine is nice for big cuts, but a lighter chain saw is nice most of the time.
I like the Stihl 180C "Mini Boss" for work like you describe. It replaced a Homelite that clanged the can after the 27th pull one day last autumn. It was a cheap saw to begin with, worked OK for a few years, though it never worked as well as the Stihl does.
The Stihl is a joy. It starts first pull every time. It then idles quietly and steadily without any nursing, waiting for me to pull the trigger and start making chips. It goes thru an 8" elm log (chewy stuff) in just a few seconds. I don't hesitate to shut it off when I set it down (safe practice) because I know a wristflick will start 'er up again.
It's very lightweight, has ample power for 8" logs. Mine has a 14" bar. It has ample power for anything a 14" saw will cut, which absolutely includes 8" logs. I cut a *bunch* of timber 6" to 10" dia in the past week, helping neighbors buck and swamp down trees after a storm. It was under $200. No problem with spare parts. A Husqvaarna or Jonesred might (or might not) outlast a Stihl. The Stihl will definitely outlast and outperform the "price leader" saws like Homelite, McCulloch, Craftsman, etc. I don't know anything about Poulan.
I bought the saw from a good dealer that sells and services all of the better brands. When I told him what I wanted, a lightweight saw that "works, dammit" for occasional cutting of 10" and less timber at home and at the cabin he nodded and immediately recommended the Stihl 180C with a 14" bar.
I have a 20" Jonesred that is very powerful, but I find it too heavy to enjoy using for anything but felling and bucking larger trees up north. I only use it when I need that size bar and the power to drive it. That is quite seldom.
I would not go for a larger displacement engine. It weighs more and won't work any better for your stated needs. Ya don't need arty to shoot squirrels. If you occasionally need to cut something larger, the smaller saw will do it, it'll just take a bit longer. If most of your use is 10" and smaller, you'll appreciate the lighter weight. Given some attention to "pinch", a good 14" saw can cut 20" down timber with no problem. I've found that the little Stihl has no tendency to kick or buck when cutting with the top of the chain to avoid binding in sits where the cut ends will fall. Easy peasy. It has ample power to do the job with a grin and a yawn. Did I mention that l'm liking my little Stihl?
A key to chainsaw performance is to have a good sharp chain. Good name-brand chains only cost a coupla bux more than cheapos, stay sharp a lot longer, and don't stretch as much or require frequent readjustment. One or two readjustments per chain is usually enough with a good chain. If the saw is making chips like oatmeal or larger, it's working right. If it's making sawdust, time to change blades and sharpen the old one, have it sharpened or buy a new one.
Another tip: never store a saw with gas in it. When you're done with the job or trip, dump the tank and run the saw dry. Don't store mixed fuel either. Mix it fresh every trip. It'll keep for a week or three but not more, stabilized or not. It didn't used to be thus, but I guess they've changed how gasoline is formulated or something. A dealer told me that -- three times: once when I paid him to overhaul the carb on the Jonesred, agan when I had him do it again a year later, and then again when I bought the Stihl. I finally "got it". It used to be that I could mix up a gallon of fuel and use it until it was gone. Not any more! It must be the fuel because my basis of comparison is the old Jonesred that my FIL used for years and I've used occasionally for a decade since he died.
I've heard that Echo is OK though I don't know about parts. I don't know anyone who owns one. The dealer that recommended the Stihl to fit my spec sells Echo, Husq, Jon and Poulan. You'll pay more for Husq and Jon. I see tree pros using Stihl, Husq and Jon, more Stihl in the smaller saws. A log sculptor I talked to at a county fair currently prefers Husq though he used to use Stihl. He puts a *lot* of hours on his saws, probably more in a week than we would in a year or more. There may have been a hidden agenda there, like tourney pro fishermen who must state preference for the mfrs of tackle, boats, motors and elex that currently sponsor them.
No matter what logs you cut , if the wood is on the ground a 20" bar is the way to go and is far less tiring . For most people this reduces the amount you have to bend as well 20" seems to be just short enough to stay away from your toes . Also get one with 3/8 chain . You can then later move up a size on the drivers and get about two more chains before replacing the bar . On bigger falling saws I go for 404 chain and bars . For bucking saws I like D handlebars , on falling saws I much prefer O bars . A good bar , Windsor or Oregon should last about 400 hours with proper maintenance . Service your bar and flip it over every 25 hours . Cannon bars last longer yet but are real pricey , still very nice bars . The bar should have a roller tip . I prefer the one rivet tips over the three rivet tips . Have Oregon or Windsor chain on it . I prefer ring drive sprocket over a paddle wheel style . I doubt I would buy any saw under 50 cc if I had to cut much wood . There are some very good small saws out there but power speeds up the job . I still own a lot of saws , from about 60cc up to 118 cc . Balance is very important in a saw . Pick up the saw , see how it feels as you move it around . You will know right away when you find one with the right balance for you . Much cutting , esp limbing is done at awkward angles . A poorly balance saw will tire you out and be far less safe . I used to buy 2 to 3 dozen new saws a year . I really did not care what brand as long as it was one of these four . Husky , Johnsered ( owned by Husky ) , Stihl or Sacks Dolmar . All make pretty good Pro saws . Luck Ken Cutt
I like the 20" for cutting railroad ties and telephone poles for landscaping. Works fine for most everything else, though a 18 is handier. 16 is a toy.
Gunner
"Pax Americana is a philosophy. Hardly an empire. Making sure other people play nice and dont kill each other (and us) off in job lots is hardly empire building, particularly when you give them self determination under "play nice" rules.
Think of it as having your older brother knock the shit out of you for torturing the cat." Gunner
Ok, I'll be the "Girly Man" on the block! My neighbours all have decent machines, so a few years ago, I bought an electric chain saw to fill the gap. I think it's a 16" Remminton. Truth is, it's a dandy little machine and is borrowed regularly by the neighbors. Apart from it's obvious drawbacks, it's quiet, starts everytime and is very light.
As a suggestion, consider getting one to compliment your main saw, you won't regret it ..... and your neighbours will love you on Sunday mornings when you want to clean up the small stuff.
The best saws ever built were McCullough. I finally retired my 16" MiniMac after over 40 years, for lack of repair parts, not because it is worn out. Just bought a 20" Stihl. So far [3 weeks] it cuts like a champ. Bugs
I bought a McCulloch (no longer made) with a 20" bar about 20 years ago. It was an excellent saw, lots of power, 60+ cc's IIRC, and weighed about 23 pounds. I pulled it out of mothballs a few months ago and went around trimming some small branches on overgrown trees. What was easy to heft when I was 28 is a real bear now that I'm 50. Clearly, I'm going to need a smaller saw for trimming and will only use the Big Mac for cutting logs on the ground (which I don't do much of anyway).
Make sure you weigh the weight and portability against cutting capacity.
Another thing: Homelite's tend to be OK saws but repair parts are very expensive. I would not buy another Homelite product for this reason. (Had an electric Homelite)
I really like my Husqvarna 350, which seems to be the preference of the pros around here. The only slight problem is that it is so aggressive that it grabs small branches and whips them around instead of cutting them, so I use the old Mac 3216 to cut up small stuff.
Part of the difference in cutting speeds is how much you file down the rakers. Last year a logger let me try his 350 with a competition filing job. It would cut through 8" oak in about 3 seconds while mine takes 10 or 15. However it was uncontrollable on branches smaller than 2"
I didn't bother with the Mac but when using the Husky I wear a helmet, face shield, ear muffs and chaps. A timber jack to lift logs off the ground saves the back and keeps the chain sharp much longer.
47 cc, 18" bar, quality chain, name-brand saw, Stihl preferred.
What I use is a 61 cc Stihl with a 20" bar - it is fast, but heavy. I started out with a 37 cc Stihl with a 14" bar - very light but very slow. There are plenty of people who use one of the small Poulan saws and get the job done.
The secret is in the chain and the wood positioning. I usually carry 3 chains all professionally sharpened. NEVER let the bar touch anything other than wood. I carry a small ax to clean dirt off the tree bark where I will cut. Buck the tree on the ground halfway through every
20-24". Roll the trunk over using a cant hook, clean off the dirt and cut the rest of the way in each cut.
Hi Steve. I have one word for you. Husqvarna. Have tried *all* the other brands myself, and I can tell you, you need to try them yourself, see the ease of handling, starting, see for yourself how bad it vibrates (very important), etc. Most dealers will let you try one out before committing yourself to buy, and if they won't, well "caveat emptor". The one (rancher series) I took out of the box in 1979 for the logging/timber cruising class I was in is still out in the shop and would run if not scavenged for parts after I ran over it with my truck. The larger one (I can't remember the displacement size) that I bought around 1989 I used to cut wood for a commercial logger and firewood for myself, it is also still in the shop for parts as a freind misused it in
1996, took it completely apart, and the carb gaskets got brittle. Meanwhile three years ago I found one laying under a pile of scrap iron at the local junkyard that looked good, so I took it home and all I did was put a spark plug in, put a bar/chain on it, pulled the choke and honest to God it started and has run ever since...same plug too. Parts, on the husky do not seem to wear out that often, most often it is the chain and bar that needs replacing, less often is the sprocket. These are reasonable and readily available in most areas of the country. I recommend a 16 inch bar, a longer reaching bar will save you some bending, but, it will most often put your chain in the dirt (or your ankle, trust me). I also recommend a "round tooth" chain as it is the easiest to sharpen and maintain when you inevitably (and you will) hit a rock or stab the ground. a "Chisel Tooth", or sometimes called "Square" tooth chain IMHO will be dull if the wind blows on it too hard. Size of engine, well the .066 (I think that is right) is about the smallest you want to go, and you certainly don't need the larger series unless you go into logging full time, so I would say stick with a medium size. Other brands are cheaper but you really do get what you pay for. I believe Stihl is made by Husqvarna now..or the other way around and that would be my second choice. Hope this helps, feel free to contact me with questions if you need too. granpaw
Just to be different I have an Echo 440ESP (electronic security protection = plug that stops the saw from running and you can take with you and put somewhere safe... where you can't find it...) with a 16" bar and have used it for the past fifteen years since buying my farm. The security plug could be bypassed with a crimp joiner to reconnect the wires on the back of the socket underneath the air cleaner, but it stops the kids from playing without supervision.
Had the bar reground once and share the wear between two chains. Starts readily, cold pull the rope with the choke on till it coughs and then turn down the choke and away she goes. Hot starts are a single pull. It's a comfortable saw to use with a nice chain brake.
I use it mainly for firewood from gum, ironbark and assorted other outback Australian scrub wood. I'd buy another tomorrow if it was stolen.
Shindaiwa 488 with an 18" bar. Do *not* use the crappy anti-kickbak chains. With a good chain my 488 will go through an 18" dia tree in about 3 seconds, spewing a stream of inch long cuttings.
The Shindaiwa's have about the best engines I've ever seen / used. I've given my 488 quite a bit of use / abuse and it's never complained or let me down. I also have one of their line trimmer / brush cutters (T270) that is downright scary with what it can do when loaded with the brush cutter blade.
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to find a local dealer. You will not find them at a Home Depot or Lowe's.
I bought a McC 16 lightweight with lots of plastic parts. Ran smooth and light, can use one hand, decent cutting power, good for trimming up trees on the ground.
Major problem - right after warranty expired, screws hold> > We went to the cabin this past weekend. I am going to need a chainsaw for
p.s. I have a steel frame to hold up logs while sawing so I don't have to bend over. Bought it on sale at the local hardware outlet 2 years ago and it's the best invention ever.
As you are cutting at your waist height and the log is held securely, there is no back strain and you are not holding a screaming saw at some horrible rate of revs next to your foot.
Gack! You must have gotten the only minimac in the world that went more than a couple of years. Oh wait. A 40 year old minimac. That musta been a lot different than the minimacs the sold in the 80's
Before you even worry about the saw, buy a good set of chaps and a saw helmet (or use hard-hat, hearing protection, and eye protection all separate - the saw helmet conveniently combines them). Get some plastic wedges if you'll be felling, don't bother if you are sticking to downed wood.
Brand selection should be based in part on what your local professional saw shop deals with. Local to home or local to the cabin, whichever one you can get to. Quite likely to be Stihl and/or Husquvarna, at least if you have actual logging going on. Walk in and describe what you are doing, and how much. You won't have any parts problems if you buy from this source.
The downside to "bigger is better" thinking when you are cutting all small wood is that bigger is also heavier to drag around, and really isn't needed if you are doing essentially hobby sawing. And you should be careful about taking advice to avoid safety chain - it's one thing for a logger who does a lot of cutting, knows what to expect, and sees a direct financial benefit from saws that cut a lot faster, it's another for someone who runs a saw 50 hours a year or less. Anything that cuts wood cuts flesh. A _sharp_ safety chain will cut perfectly well, and has much better manners for an occasional user.
Likewise, there's small benefit to getting a $600 professional saw for hobby work. I despise the $100 junk saws for many reasons, but there is a case for the "mid-range" (farm, ranch) saws from pro saw makers when your use is not professional in scale. Of course, if money is no object...
"Lasting longest" and "least downtime" have a great deal to do with care, and less to do with brand, if you avoid the junk saws. Keep it out of the dirt. Check the chain tension as the saw heats up, and remember to slack it when you are done and the saw will cool down. Take it in for annual service, or do the servicing yourself, not neglecting the air and fuel filters. Never loan it out (some idiot will put unmixed gas or the wrong mix in it). Fill the chain oil every time you fill the gas, and file it every time you fill the gas. Flip the bar when you swap chains. Get your chains professionally ground (or buy a grinder and do that yourself) on a regular basis - keeping everything just so with filing alone is harder than you might think, though there are no doubt professional sawyers who do it. Chain grinders can correct minor mistakes for normal people.
Features worth having - a chain brake, vibration isolators, a roller nose. Buy several spare chains when you buy the saw, and rotate through the set. When they wear out, replace the sprocket on the saw as well as the chains.
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