chain saws

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After the FIRST OF THE YEAR I plan on buying a new chain.And I was wondering if anyone had any sugesstions. I would like it to be around a 20 incher. I remember years ago my dad had a saw that he could change bar sizes on. Can that still be done.Right now I have 16 inch poulan that is about 15 years old that needs a little work. And an really old 22 inch?, super heavy, craftsman that needs parts ,and is hard to fi

-- Rick wyckoff (wittey@aol.com), November 30, 1999

Answers

(think i posted to you on BWH forum) Anyway, we have Jonsered and Stihl. Both are excellent saws, and would recommend either. They get a lot of use/abuse and perform well, are available in any size you want, and can be repaired.

-- Marci (ajourend@libby.org), November 30, 1999.

I've had Jonsereds and Husquevarna. Both professional grade saws that will take a variety of bar sizes but pricey new. I got my Husky Rancher w/16" bar used for $50. Same for the Jonsereds but it was a big saw that could handle up to a 30" bar. By the end of the day it felt like it had a v8 in it. If you cut alot of wood buy new and it will last for many yrs with care. If you just cut a few cords for firewood every yr. a used saw would save you $ and last a long time.

-- john leake (natlivent@pcpros.net), December 01, 1999.

Stihl or "Husky" are "the"standards to compare.They both excellent. They more cost more initially,but they last.

-- karl bechler (kbechler@frontiernet.net), December 01, 1999.

I would recommend a Jonsereds or Husky, maybe a Stihl. The important thing, in my opinion, is to buy it from a shop that also services the saws. That kind of shop usually doesn't sell cheap junk. Be wary of discount stores and real low prices- you usually get what you pay for. A used quality saw is better than a new cheapy.

Jim (25+ years with Jonsereds saws)

-- Jim (Jiminwis@yahoo.com), December 01, 1999.


I second the answer above that stressed the best shop - where I live the only real option is Stihl because of the shop - Poulan has cheapened their saws since I bought my 4200 back in 1976. Now I have a Stihl o29 farm boss that works well. I have to say that I really like my electric chain saw. I haul the whole tree into the yard and do much of the little cutting with the electric Wen and when that gets slow going I fire the big gas saw. The electric is wonderful in that it doesn't demand the go-go-go attitude that a gas saw does and with a sharp chain it is quite fast on the small stuff, besides being very cheap and light.

-- kirby johnson (kirby@selco.lib.mn.us), December 02, 1999.


I agree with what has been said, and would stress finding a dealer you like. He will have lots of advice and will get you out of a jam when your saw won't work and you need to cut firewood. I have a very large husky I originally bought to use with an Alaskan portable sawmill (definitely get the biggest saw you can find for this), and a medium sized Sears. Both have worked well, although getting the Sears serviced through them was dificult and slow unless one of their service centers is convenient. I think I would stick with dealers in the future. The Husky dealer I know will frequently tune the saw up at no charge and gave me a new chain one time because he didn't like the condition of the one I had on. They want to keep loyal customers. I also used an electric and it was terrific. Much less trouble than the gas, lighter, and great for intermittent work. With all saws, buy several chains and keep them very sharp - even a small saw will perform if the chain is sharp. I bought a little 12 volt sharpener and it was the worst $30.00 I ever spent. I can sharpen almost as fast with round files and do a better job and not worry about burning the cutters by grinding too fast. And it's a lot quieter. Buy round files by the dozen and don't waste time trying to get more than a few sharpenings out of them. At a buck a piece just use a new one when it starts to not sharpen so fast. One little bit of advice the dealer gave me that I didn't know was not to use premium gas as they sometimes put ethanol in to up the octane and it interferes with the gas/oil mixture in the saw.

Hope this helps

-- Rod Perrino (redjouster@aol.com), December 03, 1999.


I have a craftsman thet id a least 20 years old. It needed a recoil and a chain. NOBODY wanted to even look at it. Sears (craftsman) takes bids on their tools and uses them. On mine they stopped making it 3 years after SEARS stopped sellinf it, then they went out of buisness 7 years after that. It took that long for the chain to wear out. I sharpen it myself. I found a small shop that would still work on mine and they had a old one that they took on trade for a new one 15 years age that they sold me for parts, luckely. Find a name thats been around for a while and go from there.

-- STAN (sopal@net-port.com), December 06, 1999.

Guess we all have our favorites! Stihl is high on my list, but the price/value prize goes to Poulan in my estimation. I've worn out a couple, but their reliability coupled with low cost gives them my nod. I'm not a professional, but I have cut many thousands of BF of white pine, as well as a lot of oak, maple, and other hardwoods for firewood. Get a reasonably large powerhead and you can use several sizes of bars/chains with success.

-- Brad Traver (homefixer@mix-net.net), January 20, 2000.

I've been cuting all our firewood for twenty-four years now, including cutting wood for sale for two seasons. All with my trusty Echo. But it's not nearly as powerful as a smaller Homelite I recently inherited. Of course, it's fifteen or twenty years older, and has had considerably more mileage.

I live in timber country, and I have to tell you, I've never seen a timber beast around here who didn't use a Stihl. Stihls are boss chain saw of the woods, bar none.

-- jumpoff joe (jumpoff@echoweb.net), January 20, 2000.


I forgot to mention that there are about five hundred different ways you can maim or kill yourself using a chainsaw, even if you know what you are doing. It's a near miracle that more people don't kill themselves. I know I've learned a lot of ways to get injured by having near misses. I was young and invulnerable when I started sawing.

I recommend that you find a book on chainsaw safety, (one source may be your state office of safety and health--OSHA in Oregon. The Oregon booklet actually educated me at some potential dangers that I had not yet experienced!

If you don't know about a "barber chair", a "kickback", know about hidden limbs, especially oaks, and what they can do (like hit you harder than Babe Ruth can swing a bat, popping your head like a melon) and know what "watch your tip" means, don't even THINK about going out and cutting wood. Learn or die.

-- jumpoff joe (jumpoff@echoweb.net), January 20, 2000.



Hey Rick, well I am far from a professional wood cutter, but wife bought me a little 16 inch bar craftsman, and it has done ok, for clearing pines and trimming for our house lot. But I've work myself to death trying to clear hear and there for about a year. I am in the process of getting a husqvarna, I've seen them used and used one and for the buck get one that will work for ya and like the others had commented on, either learn how to sharpen a chain or be prepared to pay 2 or 3 dollars a chain to keep it sharp. Keep the chain out of the dirt and away from rocks. Thats the best advice I can help ya with. But unless you plan on you working or the saw working depends on what you want to spend on one.

-- Lonnie Thrasher (aaron30@ala.nu), January 14, 2001.

I am a newcomer to chain saws and woodcutting in that I bought my first, a new Stihl 025 with a 16" bar, about a year ago. It works fine but I became interested in lumber making and needed something with a much larger displacement. Since large saws are expensive (at least $1000), I decided on an alternate approach. I followed Ebay for a while and bought a vintage Pioneer with a 6.2 cubic inch displacement and a 24" bar for $35 (about equal to the shipping charges). It arrived dirty and not working. After a considerable time spent searching for books on two-cycle engine repair, I finally found "Barnacle Parp's Guide to Chain Saws" (1977) and the "Chain Saw Service Manual" (1976) for about $10 each at on-line used book stores (e.g. www.bibliofind.com). Both are widely available and absolutely essential for fixing and maintaining old chain saws, IMHO.

This was new to me, so it took a lot of time. I replaced the spark plug, used JB Weld (epoxy) on the fuel tank (much corrosion and many holes), replaced all fuel line, rebuilt the carb (straightforward, a Tillotson, on-line to get their phone number), cleaned the fuel cap (essential), found a Quebec source for sprockets and bought a replacement, got a new chain, and probably some other stuff as well. Now it works like a champ. Really. I am well pleased.

I have used it both with the Haddon Lumbermaker and the Granberg Small Saw Mill (available at their respective .com sites). To be honest, though, I got both at Ebay at considerable discount. The Haddon came without a manual, which is available for $5, and is one of the most valuable sources of information I have about things you can do with a chain saw. The Haddon works best for making beams, e.g. 4x4 to 8x8 or whatever and for slabbing, and the Granberg mills are best for boards.

If this approach interests you, my advice is to buy the books first, and then look for an old chain saw. The big, old saws were built tough and if one has spark and compression, it probably can be made to work.

On safety, the milling operation is safer than felling or limbing. In any case, wear a good hard hat so if a kickback does happen, the chain will first hit the hat. The alternative is unthinkable. Steel toed boots will help with falling wood, but are paper to a moving chain. The best rule I have heard is that if you are surprised by anything to do with a chain saw, particularly felling and limbing, you are living on borrowed time. Read, think, ask and learn. Then use, with great care.

-- Marty Boraas (boraas@miliserv.net), January 21, 2001.


I personally use a Stihl and reccommend them. The best advice is to have someone (adult) with you. The 4 year old boy that went with the neighbor was not much good.

-- Tom (Calfarm@msn.com), January 21, 2001.

I have had real good service from homelite and poulan and so have alot of my friends. i currently have an old homelite that i bought 25 year ago and have't had a bit of trouble with it. And where i live nearly ever hardware store and fix-it shop sales poulan and homelite parts.THEY WORK FOR ME!

-- joe poteet (jcpoteet@yahoo.com), September 06, 2001.

I own a Homelite Super XL 3.7 cubic inch, it has worked well for me. Lots of people recommend Stihl saws but i have never used one. I bought my Homelite out of the blue cause i did't know any thing about chain saws, but we has a supex xl at work and that is why i chose my Homelite.

-- Tony Gonzales (tlgonz@yahoo.com), October 12, 2001.


The Super XL was very poorly designed saw. It would boil its fuel under hard use and had the worst vibration level of nearly any saw on the market.

The old Homelite company is gone now, first bought up by John Deere and then mostly liquidated. Parts will be very difficult now unless you are lucky enough to find an old dealer.

Be aware that Stihl and Husky both have built some cheaper saws with plastic crank cases. Try to get the pro models with magnesium cases.

Also Jonsereds, Solo, sachs dolmar/Makita, and Shindiawa are excellent qulity products.

-- Tony Snyder (snydert@comwares.net), January 11, 2002.


Where do i go to order a new chain for my "Wen" 16 inch electric chain saw?

-- Rodney Schafer (rjs1@starpower.net), March 26, 2002.

Chains are commodity items - brand shouldn't matter. Anywhere that sells chainsaw parts should be able to provide - from WalMart to your local produce or hardware store. Make sure you get a special file for sharpening, and learn how to use it. Actually, hire stores are a good source of light-use chains as well. They buy cheap ones that get blunt fast, then replace them rather than sharpening them. If you've got more time than money, and know how to sharpen a chain, then you can get second-hand chains from them cheap.

-- Don Armstrong (darmst@yahoo.com.au), March 26, 2002.

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