Chain Saw Suggestions

[phrog]

Well besides Stihl and Husqvarna there is also Echo, which you can get at Home Depot. I have an Echo 370 wiht an 18" bar, and it works great with a good chain.

Big Orange I think also sells Makita, which I am told are now just a renamed Dlomar saw, and I am hearing a lot of good thinhgs about them on the web. If you want to try the Makita Home Depot rents them

A good place to get a rip chain is Baileys online. You can do a chat session, with one of their reps, give them your model and bar size, and they will tell you exactly what chain to get.

www.baileysonline.com/

John

Thanks for the suggestions, John. I will look into the Echo also. I've never heard of Dlomar - any good? But please do no use the words "Big Orange" around me - I get excited thinking you're talking about Tennessee football.

[BrazosJake]

If you wanna have some fun, post your question on The Arborist. Throw extra fuel on the fire by saying " my friend loves his (stihl or husqvarna) and says the other is junk"

[phrog]

If you wanna have some fun, post your question on The Arborist. Throw extra fuel on the fire by saying " my friend loves his (stihl or husqvarna) and says the other is junk"

Do I detect a touch of sarcasm? Think I might try it.

[acablegypsy]

I've cut trees for many years with many different saws and lately even piddling with a lumber maker and my homemade version of the Alaskan saw mill.

The Stihl / Husky debate will rage forever but in reality, you can't go wrong with either. The saw I use most now is a 50cc Jonsered (basically same as Husky) I have 16, 18, and 20 inch bars for it depending on my need. It works great with the lumber maker and works ok with the mill with the 20" bar but is sort of under powered.

I also have a tiny Husky arborists top handled tree saw and an old stihl farm boss passed to me from grandfather.

As some others said, echo, solo and dolmar(makita) are also all good saws.

Keep in mind a saw's size is not measured in inches. It is cc's. smaller ones are around 32cc mid sized about 50 and big ones are around 70 and up. You can use any length bar (to a point) but the shorter the better because you get higher chain speed.

On the ripping chain, I haven't gone and bought a new ripping chain but I have had a couple used ones reground to rip specs and from my experience, a nice sharp normal chain cuts as fast or faster. The cut isn't quite as smooth and its best to have a squeeze bottle with bar oil to give the chain a squirt every 30 secs or so if the log is wide enough to bury more than half the bar length.

Run your saw wide open. They are made to run that way and make the most power that way. Hope this helps some.

[phrog]

I've cut trees for many years with many different saws and lately even piddling with a lumber maker and my homemade version of the Alaskan saw mill.

The Stihl / Husky debate will rage forever but in reality, you can't go wrong with either. The saw I use most now is a 50cc Jonsered (basically same as Husky) I have 16, 18, and 20 inch bars for it depending on my need. It works great with the lumber maker and works ok with the mill with the 20" bar but is sort of under powered.

I also have a tiny Husky arborists top handled tree saw and an old stihl farm boss passed to me from grandfather.

As some others said, echo, solo and dolmar(makita) are also all good saws.

Keep in mind a saw's size is not measured in inches. It is cc's. smaller ones are around 32cc mid sized about 50 and big ones are around 70 and up. You can use any length bar (to a point) but the shorter the better because you get higher chain speed.

On the ripping chain, I haven't gone and bought a new ripping chain but I have had a couple used ones reground to rip specs and from my experience, a nice sharp normal chain cuts as fast or faster. The cut isn't quite as smooth and its best to have a squeeze bottle with bar oil to give the chain a squirt every 30 secs or so if the log is wide enough to bury more than half the bar length.

Run your saw wide open. They are made to run that way and make the most power that way. Hope this helps some.

Thanks, Acablegypsy. Lots of good info here.
Richard

[sailor55330]

STihl or Husky. Don't mess with anything else.

I remember cutting wood with my grandfather who had a Stihl. Everyone else would always end up asking to "borrow" the saw to finish the cut thiers wouldn't.

[dbhost]

I have used Stihl, Echo, and Husqvarna and been impressed with all of them. Steer clear of anything by Poulan, Homelite, or McCulloch. Mind you, McCulloch back in the say 1970s - 1980s actually had some decent stuff, but now their just a brand slapped on Chinese junk. Steer clear of those cheapie brands...

I personally have Echo power equipment, if you look at what is banging around in the trailers and trucks of almost all of the lawn and tree services in the Houston Metro area, you will see one common feature, almost all of them use Echo, and those that do almost all use Echo exclusively (aside from mowers that is...). Chain saws, backpack blowers, line trimmers, edgers, hedge trimmers, etc... I have had my Echo line trimmer and edger now for 3 years, they are monsters that do the job, and are super easy to maintain... When I go with a gas chain saw, it will be an Echo...

As far as chains, you will want a ripping chain...

I would steer clear of the "lumber maker" and spend a little bit more to get something like an Alaskan mill jig so that the saw is held / guided more securely...