I need a chainsaw because I am going to be doing all the firewood work at my house. My dad's old solo is good, but lacks power on larger cuts and is requiring more repairs every year.
Here are my requirements:
>must cut logs up to 18" reliably, both hard and soft wood
>must be able to be hauled with a minimum of difficulty into the woods, so lighter is better within reason
Also, I was wondering about vehicle stored saws. Would a small-ish electric saw be better than a sawzall to throw in my car? I need something that I can clear fallen trees with. I work nights in a really shit climate, and I just had the worst storm in years. It was enough to make me think about putting a power saw of some kind in my car, because if I get stranded behind a tree I may not be able to find a way around it given my commute. I know this would be a totally different item from the firewood chainsaw, I'm not asking to balance the two.
It is all about your budget. If you just want to get a saw that does the job, then just get a cheaper one, use for as long as you can and hope for the best.
A sawzall is really not ideal for even branches imo. I used one in my garden this summer and it got the job done for a couple of small branches but it was painful even for that. I got a 339XP from my buddy, works more than great for cutting down trees and cutting up elm logs (not picrel), etc. But if you anyways want a 'pro' saw, you should probably at least go for the 550xp if you chose husqvarna. Stihl makes some good stuff too obviously, I know less about them. My logger friend swears by his 550xp anyway. But they are a pretty penny. Picrel some tree I cut down this summer at my parents place.
getting a saw from your buddy is cool. thanks for the advice
right. i get chip clearance, no different than an endmill really. i have cut things off that are bigger than the blade with a sawzall by repeatedly notching the cut, so by the time I go to cut off it's only about 8" diameter. I've bulled through 12", 14", maybe bigger shit that way. is it good for the blade, tool, or battery? no, but I've done it.
felling saw is a good idea, and regardless of the power tool situation I may get one. I really, really don't want to be stuck in the middle of the road at 3:30am because a tree fell. that is real and has happened to my family and coworkers, none of them had a saw and all of them had to drive through hell and back to get home. that said, they were doing this at normal hours when plows run, not in the middle of the night where half the roads are impassable. so my point is, there may not be another road to take, and i may have to clear that tree. i drive through forest most of my way to work, and there's a lot of dead wood that no one takes care of. i don't want to be fricked, that's all.
Same but holzforma (name is something like that). They make clones of the Husq. Part for part interchange. I've been looking at the 444. ~$370. Doesn't come with the bar and chain, but that's typical for those.
With a sawzall the issue is that chips won't clear the deeper the cut. A long hand saw pushes the chips out of the channel made by the cut on the push stroke. Typically you would use a saw that is twice as long as the depth of cut for efficiency, such that the first half of the saw extends all the way out, dragging the chips out. A chainsaw avoids all that as the chain acts like a conveyor dragging the chips out of the cut. That's why you see chips flying. A sawzall just does not have a long enough blade, and even if it did, the stroke is too short - the push stroke is about 1 or 1.5 inches. Fine for a 2x4 but grossly inadequate for anything but the smallest branches.
Honestly if this is just for the off chance of a fallen tree as road hazard, you could just carry a handheld felling saw. It sits flat in the trunk and you don't have to worry about water in the gas tank or oil leaking in the trunk.
Picrel
Never buy a high reving chainsaw, its better to get a lower reving one with a bigger displament
imo based on what i do - buy quality to buy once
i already got a Husqvarna trimmer/brush cutter so if i ever get a chainsaw I'll got Husqvarna as well
Stihl would be my other choice
My dad was a logger for 40+ years. They never used anything but Stihl
my granddad uses a stihl, he likes it. finicky starter though. no idea if it's saw or user error
just watched his electric chainsaw videos. sad to see the milwaukee get thrashed by echo and dewalt. i'd have to buy the gigachad 12.0 packs for it anyway, so battery brand is less of an issue. it just doesn't perform with 5.0/6.0 red lithium, apparently. i was hoping it would be a better performer than it is.
despite above, i still like the idea of the milwaukee. kind of like glock pistols, it works and batteries are ubiquitous, but you have to accept it as a mid-level performer.
noted
i think i'd probably try an electric first, and if it worked i'd just use it. if it didn't, it would be my car saw and i'd have to go back out and buy a frickin 'saurburner. i know gas is the most powerful, but i don't really want or need maximum power. from what i've seen, smaller saws can fell trees just as easily, but with more cuts instead of hogging through the tree.
i should mention i'm (obviously) not a very experience chainsaw user. i've used them, i know what i need it for and how to use one, but i am by no means a saw nerd nor a logger. this is seriously just going to be for limbing, felling <16" but capable of cutting up to 18", and bucking shit up so i can split it. i'm not going to be cutting 24" trees with it.
I do have a ryobi brushless 40v with the oem charger (the little one with the usb port) and aftermarket batteries, $50 ea now.
It works. Nothing awesome but it sure beats not having one. Nice to be able to squeeze and go.
Want the holzfforma G444 for the bigger jobs.
i don't want to frick around with a gas saw. mixing fuel or buying premixed, all the picky shit, and storing it is a major pain in the ass. i would prefer a battery saw even if it means it's slower. slow is fine so long as it cuts, which after ~2d of video searching seems to be most saws. i'm not a logger, i just need something that cuts and cuts easily with "good enough" speed. i just wish milwaukee was better, it's torque-y but not fast.
Get a ryobi brushless, then. It's less than $99 on fleabay. Batteries are $50 and the inexpensive OEM charger is $15.
You opened a thread about your question about cutting firewood, then tried to taylor it to be overly-specific about a size of tree you want to cut down. The rest of us can share info on what's available out there, expanding the conversation a bit about what people know about. There were several comments of Husq equipment, and I didn't see any mention of the Holzfforma copies, which, are significantly less expensive than the Husq.
The world doesn't revolve around you. This is DIY, not a place to stick $25 in and get responses in turn that only limit themselves to your highly specific needs. Or demand them, for free.
> I don't want to frick around with fuel and mixing 2-cycle oil.
Time to put your big boy panties on. Until real tesla tech is released and we don't have to worry about pulling petroleum out of the ground (a renewable resource), and can have wireless chainsaws that run off the ether,
You're going to have to accept, that more powerful chainsaws are run on 2-cycle engines. And if you don't buy consumer level garbage to begin with, and do minimal maintenance, they are reliable devices. People by relatively shitty 2-cycle equipment that's barely more than a toy in terms of quality, don't take care of them, then are frustrated when they shit the bed.
>pulling petroleum out of the ground (a renewable resource),
based as frick
>You're going to have to accept, that more powerful chainsaws are run on 2-cycle engines. And if you don't buy consumer level garbage to begin with, and do minimal maintenance, they are reliable devices.
i know. i just want to avoid that. they're reliable with maintenance, and maintenance is something that i struggle with because saws only see use for ~4mo every summer. short of draining everything out and packing it away oiled, i don't know what i can do to keep them working right.
>You opened a thread about your question about cutting firewood, then tried to taylor it to be overly-specific about a size of tree you want to cut down. The rest of us can share info on what's available out there, expanding the conversation a bit about what people know about. There were several comments of Husq equipment, and I didn't see any mention of the Holzfforma copies, which, are significantly less expensive than the Husq.
some guy mentioned holzfforma. and i'm kinda just trying to provide info on my use case, not trying to be a b***h lol
I am the same guy that mentioned holzfforma first and second. Unfortunately these boards do not display a unique poster ID per thread, like /misc/, so it's hard to even see who is replying to who / how many times an ID has posted, and what. Pain.
> storing saws
If you only do 1 thing right, dump the fuel and pull the starter with the choke on until it won't fire anymore. That takes a minute to to. Should evacuate the fuel so it won't sit there a season. Far easier than, say a lawnmower that might require tipping, siphoning, or running dry.
It's the ethanol that's so bad in the fuel. If there's no fuel left in the tank carb or lines, you'll refuel the next time, then start it up.
The main upsell of the electric is grab and go, and quiet. Stihl has an electric too, i'm not going to get into. You sound like if you'd get the first gen brushless ryobi 40v (not the 'whisper HP') that it would be an economical approach. I have the pole trimmer, a little 10" chainsaw that comes in various configs: it can come with a brushed motor power head, or snap into the brushless 15" carbon fiber shaft head. Or any ryobi weedwacker power head.
Project Farm on youtube might give you a good place to start. It' one of my "go to" channels for different products. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sq0dkHXsRkU
I can give a thumbs up on my Echo 490, but I'm not a pro. Like all Echo products, it pretty good for the money, even if the choke is finicky as a bastard, on cold starts. I DID notice, when I was looking at saws, that Stihl made some REALLY cheap models, which got me suspicious and I did some quick research - cheap Stihls aren't real Stihls. They're made by some other company and Stihl slaps a label on them.
McCulloch!
my dad bought a cordless Milwaukee m18 brushless chainsaw last spring, and I've liked it. not sure on size, maybe a 12" or 14" blade. it cut like butter through half a dozen hardwood 8x8's, and I helped him use it to cut down a younger tree in his backyard, with no issues.
if you live in the woods and cut wood daily, then obviously gas would be a better choice for regular use, but if you want something smaller and lighter for the back of your truck, I would recommend it.
forgot to say that I was cutting the 8x8's length wise for a "rough cut" picnic table project, each about 8' long
frick dude. thats a lot of cutting
I have that one. Works good for general small stuff in my yard in the 10-16" range.
Holzfforma
G444 $320
https://www.ebay.com/itm/285325491544
Since this is already a chainsaw thread can I slip in with a technique question? I have a tree that snapped in a storm. Big twisted trunk snap at head height, and the fallen section is laying almost completely parallel supported at the other end by the smaller branches and foliage.
How the frick do I bring this down safely? I can’t see any way that wouldn’t pinch the bar or put me underneath it when it falls
can you grab a pic of it? cutting above the waist is always dangerous. it's best to look for other ways to attack this, if i am understanding it correctly.
anyone seen the makima chainsaw? they have a bunch of models. they handle hard wood apparently
i've used one for a few months for roots when I was doing hydroexcavating. it's a battery powered saw. Comparable to a battery powered leaf blower. they're all okay if you're just looking for quick use. for serious use you really need a gasser
i have one of these makita chainsaws (the two battery one) and its enough to do most home/homestead jobs. I've used it all day doing hundreds of cuts before, and no major problems. It's best to have 4 batteries so you can swap out when needed.
I just picked one of these up for $100 at a pawn shop. I haven't used it yet, but it seems quality built. It's supposed to be comparable to a 30cc gas saw. That's about the size of gas saw I would have bought anywag just for cleaning up down trees around the property.
i ordered it on Amazon today, 4 battery kit for not quite $500. the way i see it, even if the saw is mid I'll be able to break into the makita system for grinders and a drill. i like my milwaukee, but it's heavy as shit, and I don't need 12.0 or even 6.0 batteries. i need it to deburr parts and chase threads at the shop. i also will eventually need a lightweight, manipulable angle grinder for deburring, and i don't want a red 'wockybrick for it.
I bought mine after shoulder surgery then ran a shorter bar off a smaller saw which is a major advantage with electrics. There is no need for a bar wider than the minimum required and the performance is worth it. My gasser saws have hung on the wall for years now as backup.
If cutting cords of wood for fuel go gas, but for normal yard use including felling trees they're fine.
is wise
Stihl ms661
I have an echo cs 400 and a 620p and have had no problems with them at all. Never owned a stihl, so can't say anything about them but my echos are really good.
ive got pic related with a 13" blade
probably the ms 261 c-m is about the same especially for a hobby logger like myself
its nice with the heated handles
>Would a small-ish electric saw be better than a sawzall to throw in my car?
Remember that most electric chainsaws will still have a tank of oil, so have a good case and a few plastic bags for it.
Few years ago I had a little 18 volt chainsaw that came in handy during a massive snowstorm, I was able to clear a road during a power outage.
Did destroy the chain, but that's mostly my fault.
the 18x1 model is a pruning saw labeled as a chainsaw
Lads I've got a (borrowed) chainsaw, how do I start it?
Keep it lubed, use the right fuel, get the tension to just a little give, prime it, then blow smoke and woodchips everywhere
pour a little gas on the air intake filter
Does anyone have experience with Holzforma/farmertec clone Chainsaws? do they last longer than a few uses
it's apparently 1:1 *dimensional only* match to stihl/husky, but made from chinesium. basically, chang got his qin-tu-qi fried dog hands on the stihl prints, but forgot that all the material he had on hand was a few chunks of poorly recycled white metal and pig iron. so, he machined all the parts to print, but it's made from literal fricking shit that looks kinda like metal.
apparently, the meta with these saws is to buy the saw and then refit the fragile/high wear components with OEM since it all fits together. oh, and you'll have ample opportunity to do so as you build the saw from a box of parts.
as someone else here said: worth it if you absolutely, positively need the cubes NOW on a budget and you're willing to rebuild or throw away immediately after the first month.
Been running one for a few years. If you know what you're doing they hold up pretty well.
Here's one I did. https://archived.moe/diy/thread/1465579/
Later sold it and It's been a board mill since. Buyer has never told me of any complaints.
The 361 got stolen a couple weeks later but was eventually recovered. It's got the big bore kit installed and more than powerful enough for anyting I do.