Lets talk Chainsaws

[ORJoe]

Up until this point, 90% of my chainsaw work has been using someone else's.

You've probably never thought about this before, but now you will: Keeping the bar out of the dirt is important.

 

[doc holiday13]

I know its more than you mentioned as far as size. But I would go with a Husky 592xp or a Stihl 500i. I have the 592xp's. But I would probably go with 500i if I were you. Once you get used to the power of a bigger saw you wont want to to go back.

You're wild.. hahaha. Based on your avatar photo I'm guessing you take down a lot of trees. If someone is not a pro tree guy, 20" bar serves everyone for about 95% of the work they do.

a 90CC is a BIG saw

most guys can get by with a 60CC(ms261 or 562xp) saw as a do-all. a heavy duty do-all would be 70cc range

If a regular someone wants to buy 2 saws... MS250 with 18" bar and MS462 (or 572xp) and 25 or 28" bar

 

[firewood]

What's everyone like?

I live in the timber of NW MT and cut a lot of firewood. Work with guys who have logged professionally. Husqvarna vs Stihl is like Chevy vs Ford. I'm always of the mind set buy the best possible item you can afford so itll last a long time. With that being said.....

Husqvarna 365 is an outstanding all around saw you can have for many years itll serve you well. Get a 24" bar.

Husky 365

 

[Customweld]

I would cruise marketplace and look for a Stihl 044, 046 0r 461. I abhor saws that won't start and all homeowner and ranch saws eventually fit that description. I have a couple 372's and they are good saws, but boy are they temperamental.

 

[Ranger 692]

Bummer you guys have had bad luck with the m tronics my experience has been the opposite. The manual carbs stay at home when I go up higher anymore for the he last 5 years. Love em especially the 400. Super light and scary power pulling a full house chain on a 28” bar.

As far as sharpening goes, I sharpen generally after a full day cutting if I haven’t nicked anything unsavory like a rock or foreign object like a nail in tree. If that happens I sharpen on the field right there or swap chains if I have a freshly sharpened one handy. Otherwise I’ll just switch saws.

500i’s are like 300 win mags to the 223 RSS crowd here

 

[KsRancher]

You're wild.. hahaha. Based on your avatar photo I'm guessing you take down a lot of trees. If someone is not a pro tree guy, 20" bar serves everyone for about 95% of the work they do.

a 90CC is a BIG saw

most guys can get by with a 60CC(ms261 or 562xp) saw as a do-all. a heavy duty do-all would be 70cc range

If a regular someone wants to buy 2 saws... MS250 with 18" bar and MS462 (or 572xp) and 25 or 28" bar

Yes. I make my living cutting trees. I bought a 572xp this spring to have something lighter. It makes me want to slit my wrist its so slow cutting something past 8in diameter.

 

[KsRancher]

How often are your guys needing to sharpen? Wondering how many total reps it ends up being before getting proficient.



What kinds of bad habits come from using a dull saw, vs what you do with a sharp one?

I have sharpened as little as twice a day and much as 10 times a day. A good file is as important as anything. I use a file for around 10 sharpenings and pitch it. And you want a good file that takes a lot of metal. I have pretty much settled on Valorbie files. When I put on a new chain each raker gets one pass and the teeth get two passes. If you think a new out of the box chain cuts good. Try doing that and you wont believe the difference.

 

[Ranger 692]

I have sharpened as little as twice a day and much as 10 times a day. A good file is as important as anything. I use a file for around 10 sharpenings and pitch it. And you want a good file that takes a lot of metal. I have pretty much settled on Valorbie files. When I put on a new chain each raker gets one pass and the teeth get two passes. If you think a new out of the box chain cuts good. Try doing that and you wont believe the difference.

You are in hardwoods most of the time?

 

[KsRancher]

100% of the time

You are in hardwoods most of the time?

 

[highcountrymuley]

After borrowing a lot of Stihl's finally got my hands on a used Husky 545. Took it to a pro for a tuneup and new chain after f'ing around in the dark by myself with no real knowledge. He said it was a good little saw but had been abused for its age... has worked great since then! I am very protective about keeping the chain out of the dirt (my buddy wanted to borrow one day to cut some gross pine chunks he had pulled out of the dirt...) and mix my own ethanol-free 91 with oil into the used premix cans. I only half-fill bar oil reservoir and run out gas if not using for a couple months. Had a blast taking it to elk camp this year in 4th Rifle.

 

[doc holiday13]

I keep seeing people type "don't use ethanol fuel" but every spring i buy 5 gallons of 89 octane with ethanol and mix with a bottle of 50:1 and I've not had any issues over the last 5 years of putting it in my weed wacker and chainsaw. My mix does have fuel stabilizer in it. Maybe that makes a difference??

 

[doc holiday13]

No idea what a bottle of 50:1 is.

When we were burning a lot of saw gas, it made sense to mix up a can. But even running non ethanol we would have issues with saws sitting. Buying the cans of premix cut out a lot of those issues.

Now that my saws sit a lot. I will happily spend the stupid tax on a couple cans of premixed gas and enjoy saws that just work when I need them to.

50:1 mix... Its the oil you add to gasoline for a 2 stroke motor....... Are you telling me that you never put oil mix in your chainsaw gas if you happen to buy it from the fuel station??

 

[cnelk]

I mix my chainsaw gas, but I use AMSOIL Interceptor Synthetic 2 Cycle

 

[Customweld]

Problem with that. Is the saws like the 044's, least around here have sorta a cult like following, not that it isnt deserved. Still $800ish on average for a 25+ year old saw is tough to swallow.

For sure. You can find one in my area on marketplace fairly often for $500. You have to move fast on them though.

 

[Hoodie]

How often are your guys needing to sharpen? Wondering how many total reps it ends up being before getting proficient.



What kinds of bad habits come from using a dull saw, vs what you do with a sharp one?

How often they sharpen depends a lot on the type of work. Generally during that first six weeks they're touching up chains once a day or once every other day. We have a test log they'll make cuts in to evaluate their sharpening. We're looking for nice big shavings of wood instead of powder/dust.

The main bad habit that comes from working with a dull saw is putting way too much pressure on the saw to push it through wood. People will get used to forcing a saw through limbs for instance, then when they get handed a sharp saw the bar is zipping though the limb and ending up a foot or so beyond it. If they're in a good position where their legs aren't in the bar path, it's no big deal.

It's also a big concern with falling. People who are used to putting in back cuts with a dull saw can easily zip right through their hinge wood if you hand them a sharp saw. A slow back-cut on a tree with heavy head lean is also a recipe for a barber chair, where the trunk splits vertically.

 

[KsRancher]

How often they sharpen depends a lot on the type of work. Generally during that first six weeks they're touching up chains once a day or once every other day. We have a test log they'll make cuts in to evaluate their sharpening. We're looking for nice big shavings of wood instead of powder/dust.

The main bad habit that comes from working with a dull saw is putting way too much pressure on the saw to push it through wood. People will get used to forcing a saw through limbs for instance, then when they get handed a sharp saw the bar is zipping though the limb and ending up a foot or so beyond it. If they're in a good position where their legs aren't in the bar path, it's no big deal.

It's also a big concern with falling. People who are used to putting in back cuts with a dull saw can easily zip right through their hinge wood if you hand them a sharp saw. A slow back-cut on a tree with heavy head lean is also a recipe for a barber chair, where the trunk splits vertically.

I am assuming your talking softwood. Which I have very little experience with. I did some softwood logging this summer, but not much. In the hardwoods on the those leaners if you stump jump them there is no possible way to barberchair

 

[RockAndSage]

How often they sharpen depends a lot on the type of work. Generally during that first six weeks they're touching up chains once a day or once every other day. We have a test log they'll make cuts in to evaluate their sharpening. We're looking for nice big shavings of wood instead of powder/dust.

The main bad habit that comes from working with a dull saw is putting way too much pressure on the saw to push it through wood. People will get used to forcing a saw through limbs for instance, then when they get handed a sharp saw the bar is zipping though the limb and ending up a foot or so beyond it. If they're in a good position where their legs aren't in the bar path, it's no big deal.

It's also a big concern with falling. People who are used to putting in back cuts with a dull saw can easily zip right through their hinge wood if you hand them a sharp saw. A slow back-cut on a tree with heavy head lean is also a recipe for a barber chair, where the trunk splits vertically.

Great info, and all makes sense. Thanks for this.

 

[HunterGatherer]

I own a bunch of Stihls, from the cheapest little 170 up to the big 880 ( for milling). If you’re cutting a lot of big diameter stuff go with a 441-C, or a used 440 if you prefer a non-electronic carb although I have been happy with the M-tronic saws. If you’re in smaller diameter timber the 361/362 pro saws are a great choice. If you are only going to use it a few times a year, the Farmboss type homeowner saws are fine. Most guys buy too much saw and realize they’re not going to use it that much and then I buy it from them on FB marketplace …
Prices on new Stihl saws have gone through the roof recently so look at the used market.

 

[Davyalabama]

5 acres --- just buy a battery operated one. 18" bar will pretty much do what you need. Now, if you have some really "huge trees" you may need something more substantial., unless you know how to go around one.

Now, a little advice from someone that has run saws proffessionally. Run non ethanol gas, don't be fooled.

Learn how to crank one, properly ------- Learn how to sharpen one, properly ------- Learn how to adjust one properly ------ Learn how to cut things on the ground without hitting dirt, debris ------ Learn how to do a backbit and fell a tree properly, know how to pick your spots for throwing it ------ Learn where to stand at all times, whether cutting something on the ground (whipping back at you) or is leaning --- worse something that is rotten -------- beware of falling branches ------

#1 ---- always, always, always, treat an oak tree like it is hollow inside ---- Be ready for that joker to split in a heartbeat.

I've run old Stihl's when they were really professional saws, hushy's when they really started to come on in the early 80's and even bow saws --- I've run short, medium, long, never the truly gargantuan size bars like those out west in Oregon, Washington ---- I've run saws, lately, other people have, worked on them, sharpened, replaced blades, adjusted -------

for folks that don't use them a lot

Get a battery operated one --- when it depletes the battery, throw another one on it and go ----

 

[wind gypsy]

Also, if you haven't been through formal training or been trained by someone who has, I read through this book before doing a lot of chainsaw work and found it valuable. Lots of ways to get hurt if you dont know what you're doing.

Amazon.com