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Chainsaw Advice

T

tomoliver4

Joined
May 8, 2005
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Location
Frisco, TX
I'm looking to buy a chainsaw to take advantage of any free wood offers that come along. Any thoughts on Brand, Bar size etc. I found a lot of good recommendations on Stihl from some non woodturning sites. Now to decide on model and bar length. What are your opinions of the ideal saw for woodturners?

Thanks

Tom Oliver
 
Several dynamics here.

What is the average size wood you want to cut and the max?

Personally I am a Stihl man, but I would look at Husky also. Stihls are hard to find discounted, but Huskys go on sale quite often. Check out www.baileys-online.com as they have a good assortment of bars and chains as well as running specials on Huskys.
 
A lot would depend on your lathe size. You can match the bar (and hp) to the size blank you can mount on your lathe.

With a 12" inch swing, I happen to enjoy two Husqvarne's, one 12" and one 24". I use the 24" to initially cut the logs, and shape the roundish with the 12".

I like the Husqvarne's mainly because they are easy to start but had a Stihl before and had good success with it until I ran over it with the truck.

I bought both my chainsaws on Ebay and a really good price.

Good Luck
 
I was given a nearly new Poulan 2150 with a 16" bar about 3 years ago. While it may not have the prestige of the high end saws it cuts just fine. After I wore out the first bar I put on an 18" bar and chain on it. The chainsaw has logged 300 hours at least. No complaints at all. It takes standard bars and chains.

I keep hoping it will die or break but it hasn't yet. Since it has lasted this long I might just get a better quality Poulan when it finally does die....if it ever does.

Note that I cut all the blanks from logs to make this stack of bowls which are now roughed out. And there are other similar stacks. Here is a link to the roughouts picture:
here
 
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Tom,

I've had my Stihl 16" 023 for 15 years. Not even a hiccup in all that time, and it still cuts beautifully. I thought long and hard when I went for a bigger saw to deal with the big stuff that seems to be cropping up, or rather falling, in my area. Short story, I bought a 28" Husky 372XP, and could not be more pleased. Suspect my "little Stihl" is pleased as well as I'm not asking it to slice and dice big wood anymore. 😀

Remember that you can use different bar lengths on the same saw provided that it has the power to run the chain. Getting a mid-range saw and then running say 16" 20" and 24" bar/chain sets on it depending on the job seems like a lot of extra expense until you figure that an extra bar and chain set costs a whole lot less that a whole separate saw.

Steve mentioned Bailey's which is very good. I also buy stuff from Madsen's in Washington State who has a great web site with gobs of information and comparisons and reviews of both Huskys and Stihls. They can't quote or sell you a Stihl, however, unless you happen to live in their marketing area. [Stihl Rules, I think] 🙁

Link is http://www.madsens1.com/sub4.htm
Ask for Allen.

Good Luck

Mark
 
I'm not sure what I will encounter in the wood world. My Lathe has 16" over the bed capacity. I can buy an extention to turn outboard up to 24". I'm a new turner so the 16" is more than enough for now. I recently aquired some Pecan that was 12" or so in diameter but am not sure if that will be on the larger end of the spectrum or not.

Tom
 
16" capacity, eh? My Nova says that, but the "400mm" they quote for the metric world seems accurate - 15 3/4 :mad: Ask the guy who shaves high spots with a block plane.

As to saws, you want capacity to keep the nose of the bar out of a log when ripping, if possible, while cutting your maximum block. I find my 20" bar fine, as the sections normally begin as 18. Crosscutting can be done around the log with safety, but burying the nose when the shaving load is also high, as in ripping, is not a good idea.

Get power, as I imagine you'll meet mesquite sooner or later. Mine's a Stihl, most common logging saw in the area, though chainsaw logging is going the way of the dinosaurs.
 
I'm a Husque man myself. I've regularly cut 30" logs with my 16" bar and have beat the living crap out of it. Still starts with 3 pulls and, despite being their smallest model, will gnaw through just about anything, with speed and style.

Figure Stihl, Husque, or Poulin and you can't go wrong. 16" is fine for a throw in the trunk saw. Just don't go for smaller.

Dietrich
 
-e- said:
already destroyed 2 chains on this dug-up walnut root ball...

power washed the roots-- then ruined another chain ... there's just so much stone imbedded into the wood ./.. ordered a new bar/chain combo but ...

what do other's do??
Click to expand...

Considered a little diesel fuel and Miracle-Grow? 😀

Hmmm, maybe not such a good idea.

There are carbide-tipped chains for your regular saw for big bucks, and you could go rent one of those hand-held diamond wet saws they use on concrete to blow through the embeded rocks. Don't know how safe they'd be going through the wood parts though. Have seen some really wild stuff turned from rootball wood. Guess I'll watch for someone who really knows what they're talking about to post 🙄

M
 
Stihl 460/660?

What great timing for this thread, I was going to buy a new chainsaw next week....

I wish someone woulda told me that I would be spending almost as much time with a chainsaw in hand as I would a bowl gouge 🙂 This prolly due to the fact I bought a 42cc Poulan thinking I would only use it a few times a month. The main thing I want now is speed - faster ripping/crosscutting, so I can get back to being a woodturner and not a lumberjack. Would there be much of a gain from a Stihl 660 from a 460? I wouldn't have more than a 20" bar on either.

- Devo
 
If you have a sharp chain it shouldn't take more than 2-5 minutes to rip thru a 20" long log. Sometime less. If you have a dull chain it won't matter what motor is driving it - a dull chain might take forever to rip thru a log. Ripping cuts are very easy on chains in my experience. The biggest problem is shavings. Rip shavings tend to be long and they can clog up the chain near the sprocket quickly.

I usually spend more time looking at a log than cutting it. Getting the best cut out of a log can take a lot of trial and error. Once I establish what the cut line will be, the log is blocked so the cut will be vertical.
 
BTW, great article on the Harbor freight Chain saw sharpener in the tools and techniques forum - I bought one of those a week ago, will have to put it to use this weekend.

I try and keep my chains bleeding sharp, but, usually drag them through the dirt by accident and trash them. I've also heard that cutting spalted wood is hard on chains due to the calcuim setup by the fungus in the dark lines....
 
Thanks for the kudos on the chainsaw sharpener. I hope you have a good experience with it like I did. Sharpening 2 or more chains will probably be more efficient. I still plan to do "field" sharpening with a file in between electric sharpenings.

I have cut up a lot of spalted hackberry...which spalts the day you cut it down 🙂 Never noticed any difference. Now if you cut up blanks on your driveway and accidently hit the concrete that would be a different story. But of course I am just conjecturing since I would NEVER do that 🙂

On a serious note - be careful. Wear a facemask at the least, and earmuffs always. I also wear leather gloves in the event the chain hits one somehow. During cutting I do not always cut at full speed. Often halfspeed is sufficient and it's less deadly if something bad happens. Plus it's quieter and the neighbors probably appreciate the reduced noise.
 
devonpalmer said:
BTW, great article on the Harbor freight Chain saw sharpener in the tools and techniques forum - I bought one of those a week ago, will have to put it to use this weekend.

I try and keep my chains bleeding sharp, but, usually drag them through the dirt by accident and trash them. I've also heard that cutting spalted wood is hard on chains due to the calcuim setup by the fungus in the dark lines....
Click to expand...

Devo,

I just trashed my HF Special. It uses 2 micro switches (under those spots) and a real circuit board (transistors, ractifiers, resisters, and/or those little deals with the multi-colored bands) to control the motor. Thing went bad so I called HF for a new board. Price $12 plus shipping BUT . . . it's backordred until at least the end of July or beginning of August. Cancel the order, Thank You. Okay, so I played the odds and tried to get away with a $60 version of what costs $250-750 elsewhere. This time the odds beat me, but not by much as I probably got 12 sharpenings out of it and 'round here that would have cost me $9 each. Just ordered a Tecomec chain grinder from Madsens. Bench mounted, 3 stones, does all size chains plus the depth guages.

Good (better) luck with yours!

Mark
 
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devonpalmer said:
I try and keep my chains bleeding sharp, but, usually drag them through the dirt by accident and trash them. I've also heard that cutting spalted wood is hard on chains due to the calcuim setup by the fungus in the dark lines....
Click to expand...

Don't know about spalting depositing calcium oxalate - "mineral stain" in the lumber business, kidney stones to you and I. Rather suspect not. Probably has more to do with the grit that collects in the bark and odd checks.

As to dirt, you want to cut to, not through it. Means rolling the log so the dirt is toward you, being dragged away without regrinding your chain. Old guy that schooled me in the saw taught me that. Try it. No sparks at all!

Sharpening? Close to thirty years on my Granville "File'nJoint." Wouldn't be without it at home or in the woods.
 
Bummer Mark. I hope my HF sharpener lasts longer than that. It sharpened 4 chains so far. Maybe I'll put a little logbook on it to record the number of sharpenings. The on/off buttons are pretty cheesy. They shouldn't need a circuit board to control the motor.
 
Jeff Jilg said:
Bummer Mark. I hope my HF sharpener lasts longer than that. It sharpened 4 chains so far. Maybe I'll put a little logbook on it to record the number of sharpenings. The on/off buttons are pretty cheesy. They shouldn't need a circuit board to control the motor.
Click to expand...

Hi Jeff,

I actually asked their tech support if I could simply by-pass the switch/board with a simple line switch on the hot line (while I wait for the backordered circuit board).
Response: "We're sorry, sir, but we can't advise you on that question because of liability issues."

Now there's a bit of poetic justice for you 😀 😀.

M
 
Nobody Mentioned Echo (Ok!) or McCullough (Yuk!) so...

If you haven't decided yet and for whatever reason you need more input... My wife bought me a 🙁 McCullough (Yuk!) about 25 years ago and it was such a maintenance nightmare I haven't gone near one since. On the other hand I got an 🙂 Echo 370 (16") about 15 years ago and recently replaced it with an Echo 510 (20"). My personal experience with the Echo matches what people tell me about the Stihl.
 
Welll theres two ways to look at this , you can buy homeowner versions of saws and pray for the best or buy a pro version and have it the rest of your life. Saw manufactuers make either both versions or make one or the other

Stihl, husky make both
Stick with their pro versions since in my opinion the home owner versions are crap. Wifes cousin heats with firewood and he has worn out both a husky rancer in one year and a stihl farm boss in 1.5 years and he takes excelllant care of his equipment

Echo builds one line, they don't distinguse between the two and its an excellant saw. This is the one saw you can buy at the box stores that will last.

Sharpening 101
First and foremost, teeth need to be the same length. If they aren't the saw will cut crooked no matter what you do. I bought a HF grinder early on and returned 3 of them before I just got my money back and bought an Oregon grinder. My complaint with the HF grinder is it will grind one side shorter than the other.
When using a grinder find the shortest tooth and grind them all to that length. When setting up that tooth you want the grinding wheel to just kiss the tooth. Don't try to grind a whole lot off at once. If you turn the tooth blue like your lathe tools it won't hold an edge


Second get a file and learn to use it!! if you touch up your chain say every 2 or 3 tanks of fuel you will be going to the grinder a lot less often.

Oregon has some great info on their website on sharpening and bar and chain maintainence.

Oregon
More Oregon links

Since I tend to be deadly with a file I bought a
Husqvarna Sharp force

It files the tooth and the raker at the same time and has a guide to help insure you get the teeth the smae lenght and get the rakers the right height

Oils
Bar and chain, DO NOT use motor oil for bar and chain lube. Bar and chain lube has additeves to make it stick to the bar. Even using motor oil for one tank can and will damage your bar

Same with 2 stroke oil. Stick with name brands you get what you pay for.
Right now I'm running amsoil synthetic at 100 to 1 in everything

While I'm no pro logger I do cut a significant amount of logs both for turning stock and for the lumber. My current saw fleet consists of

Stihl .075 with 36 and 52 inch bars. doesn't get used much since it weighs a ton. But when you want to cut something big its the saw

Echo 750 with 20 and 28 inch bars. This is the saw I usually pick up plenty of power and just light enough to use all the time.

Echo 500 16 inch bar also gets used a lot

Some oddball home owner homelite, its a wheel chock😱
 
I am not a chainsaw expert, but I have been using one for more years than I would like to admit to. I bought a Husky 61 over 20 years ago. Up until just recently I did nothing to it other than clean the air filter and put in a new spark plug once in awhile (other than chains/bar). It has run very well all that time. Just recently I had to rebuild the carb for some reason. Now it is back in shape. I heat the house with wood and cut wood for my mother (age 94) and cut as much wood as I can for turning. The Husky has been great.

Mark - Instead of paying $9 for a chain sharpening - you can get a new chain for about $11 - $14 from Bailey's - www.baileys-online.com. I just sharpen my chains with a file - no guide - when it needs it and then when it is worn out I put on a new chain. I always keep my old "worn out" chains around for cutting wood with rocks and dirt in it.

Hugh
 
I recently purchased the Oregon 12v handheld sharpener, and am very pleased with it's ease of use and results. No jig or fixture to clamp on the bar, just set the guide for the correct depth and eye up the angle on the guide.
I'm happy with the cheap little Poulans, don't do a lot of chainsawing any more, especially felling trees--just not as nimble as I used to be.
Quartlow, your post was very useful and informative, thanks 🙂
 
Stihl, Echo and Ripping

I have a 16-inch Stihl 011 that's at least 20 years old and love it. A couple of years ago I was clearing the edge of a field when the Stihl died (only needed a new spark plug, which I didn't have.) The only stores open were the big box stores. I bought an 18-inch Echo CS-4400 at HD purely on the basis of price and the theory that "you gets what you pays for". It's a good saw as well and I use them both, but for different things.
The Echo has an angled saw dust ejection chute behind the drive sprocket. It does a much better job of clearing the long shavings from ripping. So it's my saw of choice for ripping. The extra 2" of bar helps as well.
Otherwise, the Stihl is my saw of choice.

Brian
 
Chainsaw and lumbering pictures including the chainsaw pic from above:
at masterblaster.com

You're not going to catch me climbing 80 feet up to cut off a limb. My dad lives in Poulsbo, WA (near Bremerton) and has 3 acres of tall trees. Once he needed one of them topped because it was leaning. He mentioned that he was going to hire it out while he was at work at his regular white collar job. This was around 1985.

One of the guys there thought my dad was chicken and the guy volunteered to climb up and top it. He put on the appropriate gear with spikes and all. Then he climbed up about 80 feet. There was a light breeze and the tree went back and forth about 2 feet at that height. My dad said he turned white as a ghost and came down pretty quick. Now that's what I call eating crow!!! True story.
 
Hugh said:
Mark - Instead of paying $9 for a chain sharpening - you can get a new chain for about $11 - $14 from Bailey's - www.baileys-online.com. I just sharpen my chains with a file - no guide - when it needs it and then when it is worn out I put on a new chain. I always keep my old "worn out" chains around for cutting wood with rocks and dirt in it. Hugh
Click to expand...

Hugh,

I buy chain from Madsen's up/out in Washington. Consistently less that Bailey's. I'll use a file to keep the edge on in the field, but it's too easy to get pitch and angles wrong as well as cutting something a bit short so when I come back to the shop the chain goes on the bench to be kissed and balanced.

[I've also dealt with Baileys. Good outfit.]

M
 
Dremel's new lithium-ion rechargable rotary tool. Finally sprung for it (a whopping $79) and find that it's the greatest thing since sliced bread (which it will do in a pinch, also). Extremely light and moderately well powered. I drop in a chainsaw sharpening stone and do hand touchup's every time I hit a rock or nail. I have the sharpening jig that mounts on the tool if I wanted to be precise, but haven't bothered with it as my sharpenings tend to be touch ups that are easy to keep true, or to come after notable tooth damage and are more of a desperate measure.

The tool is light enough to drop in my pocket when I'm out cutting. Kept one blade clean and sharp (and surprisingly true) for a year's worth of cutting and milling before it met the rock that killed it. It also slices, dices, and makes julianne fries.

I'm planning on marrying it once I ditch my current wife.

Dietrich
 
It's absolutely amazing how many uses you can find for a tool that you didn't own and thought you got along fine without. I've done everything from cutting wallboard to widening the catch on my front door lock, to cutting the old and rusty bolts off my kitchen faucet so that I could change it. Weighs in at about nothing(feels like it's made of styrofoam) and haven't run the battery out yet, even when using it constant for over an hour.

The new Lithium-ion batteries are amazing. They weigh just about nothing compared to the older NiMH or NiCd ones. They hold a charge better than the older ones and come with a computer chip that regulates output so that you don't get that slow, run-down effect. I know that some of the major manufacturers are playing around with full power hand and table tools that run off them. I think the latest is a circular saw that only weighs 8-9lbs vs. the older, NiMH battery model that has an equivalent weight of about 12-15. Great article in Wood Magazine this past month about it. Cost is prohibitive but will come down with production.

Dietrich

P.S.(please feel free to fact check me so that I'm not completely talking out my A$$ here.)
 
Jeff Jilg said:
Chainsaw and lumbering pictures including the chainsaw pic from above:
at masterblaster.com

You're not going to catch me climbing 80 feet up to cut off a limb. My dad lives in Poulsbo, WA (near Bremerton) and has 3 acres of tall trees. Once he needed one of them topped because it was leaning. He mentioned that he was going to hire it out while he was at work at his regular white collar job. This was around 1985.

One of the guys there thought my dad was chicken and the guy volunteered to climb up and top it. He put on the appropriate gear with spikes and all. Then he climbed up about 80 feet. There was a light breeze and the tree went back and forth about 2 feet at that height. My dad said he turned white as a ghost and came down pretty quick. Now that's what I call eating crow!!! True story.
Click to expand...
Masterblaster is a guy I know from a guitar forum. I also met a guy from my area (Philladelphia) who is a forrester for Philly and is also a recreational tree climber!
http://www.treeclimbing.com/
 
I am vry pleased with m Echo saw. An added bennefit is that all my 2 cycle yard tools use the same mixture. Echo did something right. 🙂
 
Well if you haven't already purchased a saw I'll put my two cents in. I purchased a Stihl 026Pro four years ago and love it. I have a 16" and a 20" bar for it and for the most part it works great. With a 16" swing on your lathe you should look at a good sized saw. If I could do it over again I would go for more power. I routinely saw large logs for turning platters and bowls. I always wish I had more power. It's hot here in the summer, 100 degrees today, and less time sawing means more time turning. Right now I plan on rip cutting a cherry crotch that measures 32" across! This will eventually become a wall hanging. I haven't started because my saw may not handle it. My next saw will probably be another Stihl because of past experience but I have used Huskvarna saws and was very impressed. What ever you do I say buy big and powerful as big as you can afford. Who cares if its heavy, you won't be doing this every day and smaller bars will fit on it.
 
Sharpening chains

I have owned 3 Stihls's over the last 25 years. I heat with wood, and buy 2 semi's of mostly oak every 2 years from northern Michigan (I am south central mich)-also sell some for firewood ("earn" about $2/hr, but it beats the yearly fees into an athletic club!!). Only one Stilh had major problems. For sharpening, I used to use a battery operated ( now I have an electric) dremel with a "pink" stone (hardwear stores -7/32"?) but the stone wears quickly and doesn't maintain the correct circumference. (cost about $3 ea)Got the chain sharpener from HF 6 mos ago ($59?)-used it once on sev'l 16, and 18 inch chains.. Got a box of 45 diamond point bits for $14 on sale at Harbor Freight, and one bit fits the chain and have used it 10 x ( each time after after about a face cord of firewood &/or ripping my bowl wood, including spalted maple.-another bit is used to "sign" my work) I love it-no guide. If you look at a clean (no pitch) chain there is an angled line on top and you parallel that line. Takes about 2 minutes to sharpen while on the bar. I am sticking with this bit. They look like the job a prof sharpener would do. 😀 Gretch
 
Gotta try those diamond point bits, Gretch. You're right, the sharpening stones for the Dremel do wear quickly. I get about 4 touchups or 2 real sharpenings per stone. 1 if the teeth are damaged.

Dietrich
 
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