The chainsaw thread...

**BGnight** · 06-24-2009, 11:29 PM

STIHL 460 w/ 28" bar full skip ftw. No idea what you need it for but this saw is badass. Chicks dig it.
brag: D Douglas Dent gave me my C faller cert right before I quit fire. He's da man. I learned more from him in 3 days never seeing him touch a saw than I learned in 10 years from every tom dick and harry hotshot/smokjumper out there.

Hobart for life

p.s. tbh, i've used the smaller STIHL farm boss 036's in AK and those are the shit for trees under 8" dbh (running 20" chains). So easy to throw around w/ plenty of power

husky 272's were the shit back in the day, but seems they went downhill after those.

VC · 06-24-2009, 11:32 PM

Originally Posted by BGnight

Hobart for life

I believe they are called Truckee Handcrew now.

**BGnight** · 06-24-2009, 11:34 PM

Originally Posted by VC

I believe they are called Truckee Handcrew now.

Them's fightin' words son!

Looking at the state of hotshots now it's such a joke. So many crews that are barely type 2 worthy are getting IHC status.

(I started on THC!)

**rbtree** · 06-24-2009, 11:37 PM

couloirman:

The 346XP NE (new edition) is 5 cc larger than the now discontinued 346XP ( there's only been these two models......) The NE has 0.4 more hp, as well as a broader torque band...slightly lower peak rpm.

An excellent saw, and best in its class. I own one of each. Both have been woods ported. My latest one is 54% faster than it was in stock form. It will dang near keep up with a stock 440/441/460 Stihl in small wood, or any 5 hp saw.

However, a Dolmar 5100S has similar power, is a tad heavier, but cheaper---hard to find, with poor dealer support. I own two of them. Search my rbtree You Tube videos, and see me running one with a pipe installed!

**rbtree** · 06-24-2009, 11:45 PM

Originally Posted by BGnight

husky 272's were the shit back in the day, but seems they went downhill after those.

Not a chance! The 372 XP is the best 70 cc saw made....period. More advanced port design than the 272....which stihl finally copied with the quad transfer ported 361......I've owned 6 of them...most fully woods ported.

There is one better 13 pound saw though, which is the 7900 Dolmar. 79 cc's, lighter by two pounds than a 385 Husky, and faster in stock form. I like them so much, I have three of them. No good for firefighting, no dealers or support out west.....

044/440 Stihl was also awesome, now replaced with the heavier, strato charged 441.....EPA rules means all old saws will be gone soon---including the great 460, 660....etc etc and on and on.

**BGnight** · 06-24-2009, 11:45 PM

Bore cut that shit!

**BGnight** · 06-24-2009, 11:49 PM

Originally Posted by rbtree

Not a chance! The 372 XP is the best 70 cc saw made....period. More advanced port design than the 272....which stihl finally copied with the quad transfer ported 361......I've owned 6 of them...most fully woods ported.

There is one better 13 pound saw though, which is the 7900 Dolmar. 79 cc's, lighter by two pounds than a 385 Husky, and faster in stock form. I like them so much, I have three of them. No good for firefighting, no dealers or support out west.....

044/440 Stihl was also awesome, now replaced with the heavier, strato charged 441.....EPA rules means all old saws will be gone soon---including the great 460, 660....etc etc and on and on.

Yeah, I admit I'm no saw mechanic. I just remember the next series of saws that came out (37somethings) were blowing up all over the place. I started using stihls shortly after and have been biased ever since. I just love the low end Stihl's have and my god they're so much more solidly built. Huskies are like screaming banshees.

Doug Dent asked me if I was German. I said yes. He said "you know your ancestors made that saw"....so awesome
(sorry, I just think he's the man)
This thread makes me miss the old days. What I'd give to be throwing chains 15' chapparel/manzanita right now..........ok maybe not.

**PNWbrit** · 06-25-2009, 11:21 AM

Originally Posted by Lone Star

why would you even waste your time with the rest of the typing? would you ski on a pair of 170 rossi rental skis from 1995 unless you were trying to make yourself look like a moron?

The Husqvarna is at the cabin where it gets used for real work.

This is my "rock" chainsaw for Light suburban yard work and getting out of the driveway after November windstorms.

Plus I dig the green and purple neon.

Thanks RB.

I'll give it a try.

**couloirman** · 06-25-2009, 03:31 PM

Originally Posted by rbtree

couloirman:

The 346XP NE (new edition) is 5 cc larger than the now discontinued 346XP ( there's only been these two models......) The NE has 0.4 more hp, as well as a broader torque band...slightly lower peak rpm.

An excellent saw, and best in its class. I own one of each. Both have been woods ported. My latest one is 54% faster than it was in stock form. It will dang near keep up with a stock 440/441/460 Stihl in small wood, or any 5 hp saw.

However, a Dolmar 5100S has similar power, is a tad heavier, but cheaper---hard to find, with poor dealer support. I own two of them. Search my rbtree You Tube videos, and see me running one with a pipe installed!

hmm, on their website I see no 346NE. They've got 346 XP G, 346 XP E Tech Triobrake, and the regular XP.

**rbtree** · 06-25-2009, 07:54 PM

Ah gotcha......just went to website...

The Differences" "G" model has heated handles. the plain XP is the one you want. The third model has a weird extra chain brake lever....over top of rear handle. Never seen one...can't imagine anyone buying that odd saw. All three have the 50 cc, 3.8 hp motor.

If you seriously want one, pm me. I get saws from a dealer in NY State..his prices are great....I think I paid $425...........way below normal list price. Gotta keep mum, cross state line sales are frowned upon.....by Husky. Get it with a 16 or 18 inch bar and .325 chain.

**BigDaddy** · 10-13-2009, 08:00 PM

This is obviously not the most exciting post ever, but I thought it worked great, so I'm sharing it for the collective to ridicule. I have a small wood stove in a cabin in VT and frequently rent to fancy pant New Yorkers. etc. Wood stoves are Greek to many, so I have to make it idiot proof in every way. So, I have to cut my logs so they easily fit inside... kind of "bite size" for easy filling. It sucks trying to cut a 16" or 18" log in half and takes forever. My solution was to use my wheelbarrow upside down without the wheel. It works great and is actually very safe. I've only barely nicked the bottom of the barrel and had maybe two logs get "pulled" up. Here's my answer to what was previously a dangerous very problem:

No waste, either!... The saw dust is then "recycled" for the composting toilet:

**ill-advised strategy** · 10-13-2009, 08:19 PM

Originally Posted by BGnight

Doug Dent asked me if I was German. I said yes. He said "you know your ancestors made that saw"....so awesome
(sorry, I just think he's the man)

heh....WWDDD?

[/doug dent twang] "Don't cut that tree" [twang]

LT · 07-22-2010, 11:14 AM

This thread needs some revival. We're putting a wood stove in our place and I need a saw. Have been leaning towards Stihl because we have at least two dealers close by. Seems like the MS 290 FarmBoss is a good saw been around a long time and is their "most popular" saw. Get's some good recommendations in this thread.

Would like to try to keep the purchase price in the $400 range....any other Stihl models I should consider. I have run saws before and grew up cutting wood with my brother and dad so I've been around chainsaws all my life but do not have a tone of experience running one. Looking for something strong, reliable and relatively straight forward(as far as chainsaws as concerned).

**lynchdogger** · 07-22-2010, 12:11 PM

IMO Stihl! I've been an arborist for 25 years and this all I've ever used.

**freshie247** · 07-22-2010, 11:44 PM

I just finished a couple of weeks of sawing with an older 026 Stihl with a 20" bar ,a 37 Husky & a 78 Husky. The smaller Husky was a pain to deal with & the pull handle broke from the abuse of having to start it all the time. The Big Husky with the 26" blade ran like a champ & was superior on the bigger trees,but it was heavy on long days of cutting.

The 026 Stihl was light,cut extremely well ,& was super reliable.It always started on the 2nd pull. For ease of use & reliability, I would give the edge to the Stihl if I had only one saw to own.

That being said, I had some issues with Stihl on service.

**rbtree** · 07-23-2010, 01:19 AM

LT, the MS 290 is all the saw you need. It is underpowered and heavy compared to a pro saw, but it will work well for you are many years. If you take care of it, it will never need major servicing, which is a good thing, as it's odd design is not conducive to easy repairs.

Personally, I have run many different saw brands in my nearly 40 years as an arborist. Stihl and Husqvarna are second to none, but Stihl has the best dealer network....Dolmar makes great saws, as does Solo..well one or two models anyhow, but both are poorly represented in the US. Jonsered saws are rebadged Husqvarnas. Shindaiwa has good but outdated products....Zenoah/Redmax was bought out by Electrolux, the parent company that sells the Husq/Jons saws, as their new strato-charged engine design is good. Edho saws are OK...for homeowner use.

If anyone on this board would like an old, heavy, beat up saw, I have a Husqvarna 480 CD that I don't use and will sell for $150 sans bar and chain. It is 77 cc and is built on the same chassis that the venerable 2100 later was built on. It has great compression and runs like it was new. I also have 2 2100's and want to sell one, but for $400.

We recently removed the largest tree to be cut residentially in the Puget Sound area in 13 years..... a 10.5 foot diameter giant sequoia that was damaging an ~$5 million house in The Highlands. I ran a 72 inch bar for the first time ever, which was mounted on one of the 2100's, as my ported modded Husky 3120 was sporting a 60 inch bar. It took me over an hour to make the buttt cut, with those two saws, plus a 42" equipped 660 Magnum Stihl, while the butt was held with a 90 ton crane. The butt was only 2-3 feet long and weighed 6500 lb. Above it, a 20 foot section weighed 27,000 lb! The tree was 158 feet tall, 98 years old, weighed appx 115,000 lb, and produced about 89 yards of chipped debris, and well over 10000 board feet of wood, which went to a craftsman on Whidby Is, who will make it into something unique....

**Meadow Skipper** · 07-23-2010, 07:51 AM

Originally Posted by rbtree

LT, the MS 290 is all the saw you need. It is underpowered and heavy compared to a pro saw, but it will work well for you are many years. If you take care of it, it will never need major servicing, which is a good thing, as it's odd design is not conducive to easy repairs.

Personally, I have run many different saw brands in my nearly 40 years as an arborist. Stihl and Husqvarna are second to none, but Stihl has the best dealer network....Dolmar makes great saws, as does Solo..well one or two models anyhow, but both are poorly represented in the US. Jonsered saws are rebadged Husqvarnas. Shindaiwa has good but outdated products....Zenoah/Redmax was bought out by Electrolux, the parent company that sells the Husq/Jons saws, as their new strato-charged engine design is good. Edho saws are OK...for homeowner use.

This should be stickied. Good info.

Damn, that is a nice slab!!!

LT · 07-23-2010, 08:58 AM

Thanks everyone, much appreciated. Just found a local Husky dealer as well, actually a little closer than the Stihl dealer so Husky is in the running. Husky seems a little less $$.

We live at 6500' the Stihl guy is telling me I need a MS311 or the MS390(which he has one of) or the MS391 due to power for cutting cord wood. Also advising me I need a 25" bar. Is this BS just trying to upsell a saw jong? Not real interested in the $500 price tag that comes with the saws he's recommending but definitely don't want to save a little just to find I should have spent a little more.

EDIT: Only foresee needing to cut about 3 cords per year for personal use. Saw will most likely see action helping friends cut as well. Definitely see this saw doing way more sitting around throughout the year than working.

**moose pit** · 07-23-2010, 09:24 AM

That there is some nice wood, and one helluva saw job

I'm happy to hear it went to a craftsman.

**Meadow Skipper** · 07-23-2010, 09:31 AM

Originally Posted by LT

Thanks everyone, much appreciated. Just found a local Husky dealer as well, actually a little closer than the Stihl dealer so Husky is in the running. Husky seems a little less $$.

We live at 6500' the Stihl guy is telling me I need a MS311 or the MS390(which he has one of) or the MS391 due to power for cutting cord wood. Also advising me I need a 25" bar. Is this BS just trying to upsell a saw jong? Not real interested in the $500 price tag that comes with the saws he's recommending but definitely don't want to save a little just to find I should have spent a little more.

EDIT: Only foresee needing to cut about 3 cords per year for personal use. Saw will most likely see action helping friends cut as well. Definitely see this saw doing way more sitting around throughout the year than working.

Read back in this thread. I like my Husky 455 a lot. I live at 7000 ft and cut even higher, so you should regard that dealer's advice with suspicion. You may have to adjust the carb settings, but a homeowner saw like the Husky 455 or the Stihl 290 should work fine as high as 10,000 ft. The main reason to get a big saw/bar is for cutting big wood. If you're cutting cordwood that's 18" or less diameter then there's no reason to get a big saw.

**rbtree** · 07-23-2010, 10:03 AM

The 290 or 455 will be fine.....or, if I could get the hot starting problem solved with one of my Dolmar 5100S saws, I'd sell it to you for about $250...a far better saw than either of those, lighter with equal or more power... a full pro saw! the muffler modded saw puts out about 4.5 horsepower, the other about 5.5. I like the saws but am going to replace them with two more ported 346XP Huskys..by far the best current 3 cube saw.

LT · 07-23-2010, 10:19 AM

Originally Posted by Meadow Skipper

Read back in this thread. I like my Husky 455 a lot. I live at 7000 ft and cut even higher, so you should regard that dealer's advice with suspicion. You may have to adjust the carb settings, but a homeowner saw like the Husky 455 or the Stihl 290 should work fine as high as 10,000 ft. The main reason to get a big saw/bar is for cutting big wood. If you're cutting cordwood that's 18" or less diameter then there's no reason to get a big saw.

Awesome thanks. I've read through this thread in it's entirety 3 times. Some of the opinions/advise is 3-4 years old so just trying to make sure it all still applies today. Wanted to make sure the elevation thing wasn't a huge deal with the saw I was considering as it's not always apparent where some folks doling out advise live.

Thanks RB and Meadow Skipper.