The chainsaw thread...

[Meadow Skipper]

I wish pg&e would buck them in longer lengths because the logs would be more marketable for me, but I think they do the 10-12' length thing for that exact reason.

I was wondering about that. 16' is the more normal log length.

[~mikey b]

[bodywhomper]

You can't sell it or move it without a permit from the state. Mills aren't taking it.

per the nevada county fire safe council, the timber permitting has changed for small private property owners to address the pine deaths and increased fire hazards; the exemptions have increased.... supposedly, the idea that they are starting to push (outside of the PG&E thing) is that a property owner comes up with zero $$ spent buy hiring pros to remove the pines, truck them off for milling, and having them commercially sold with that fancy pine "stain". i have only heard this verbally described by the ED of the org and not seen in writing. also, i can't imagine how it'll work out economically if the market for that sort of pine becomes flooded because lots and lots of small private property owners start doing this....

[~mikey b]

You can't give it away around here.

There is simply too much.

The small guys have too much and the big mill won't buy. I'm told folks are trucking it to Sac.

I'm going to use some for firewood, some for benches and have my buddy carve me a couple creatures.

[riser4]

I'm going to use some for firewood, some for benches and have my buddy carve me a couple creatures.

Hippie.

[BCMtnHound]

Around here, most mills won't take wood from small private lands, especially that harvested near homes or around farms. Too much metal from nails and fencing swallowed up (a Doug fir in my yard will have completed swallowed an entire clothes line pulley by next year). Take care with any personal milling done with the chainsaw!

[~mikey b]

30 year old tv antenna and wire....

[bodywhomper]

Hippie.

where's your small smoldering pile of tires and "antique vintage" burning man trailer on blocks? :P

[bodywhomper]

i've never run a husky saw.

how do I compare the husky 562 to the stihl 362? what am i getting from one and not getting from the other? my tree friend is very biased to stihl - i will pick his brain.

also, important for me, and how i often buy things, what were the older versions of these saws called?

cheers and thanks

[Viva]

what were the older versions of these saws called?

The Stihl 362 was preceded by the 361 and the 360 prior to that. Originally, it was the 036. So, the saw has a lineage that goes back at least 25 years.

[char_]

i've never run a husky saw.

how do I compare the husky 562 to the stihl 362? what am i getting from one and not getting from the other? my tree friend is very biased to stihl - i will pick his brain.

also, important for me, and how i often buy things, what were the older versions of these saws called?

cheers and thanks

Power to weight ratio and price are the typical metric. Balance of the saw with the bar length you will use most often.

Typically boils down to chevy versus ford argument and local dealer/shop support.

I'm sure arboristsite.com has a few discussions on each saw.

[riser4]

where's your small smoldering pile of tires and "antique vintage" burning man trailer on blocks? :P

Nevermind all that. He's got an orange safety cone, so it's cool.

[bodywhomper]

i will refrain from similar photos (for now) of my foothill property as mike's is much more organized than mine.... the oak behind the cone (and wood shed) looks like good, fun! is that rope for work or play? we have an old (short) bull rope that's been super fun from one of our madrones.

thanks for the info, viva. very useful.

looking on paper, the husky 562 and stihl 362 seem very similar to me.

[char_]

looking on paper, the husky 562 and stihl 362 seem very similar to me.

I've only run the 361, but it was a nice saw to run. Would drive a 28'' bar in softwood, balanced reasonably well with a full wrap handlebar. Light.

The big difference between husky and stihl is high chain speed versus low end torque and your personal preference for either.

Husky has some sort of Autotune function now on the 562, right? Does the 362? Seems like that could be really handy for the occasional user. Tuning by ear is difficult if you aren't doing it frequently.

I'm not sure what anti-vibration technology they are running in saws these days, but the 441 spring system, while a pain in the ass for a bunch of reasons did make the saw nicer to run for long periods.

[bodywhomper]

thanks for mentioning those points very useful for me! of course, i would be considering the equivalent predecessors of those current saws, if i can find them in a functional (or easily fixable) state.

[char_]

Gotcha.

One thing I've run into with my 034 is that they don't make air filters for it anymore. So I am stuck searching ebay or am currently thinking about some sort of adapter. This might be true for early versions of the Stihl 036. It was a steal at a pawn shop, but knowing what I know now I would have gotten a newer model.

Edit- Have you checked the wiring on your 270? I had a wire rubbing that was randomly shutting the saw down at idle. Fixed with a little electrical tape and it stopped happening.

[bodywhomper]

Thanks. Interesting info about the older saws and argument to use tax refund differently.....

I'll look more closely at the 270's wiring. I stopped diagnosing when I started looking through the arborist and forestry forums and found many complaints and much frustration on this exact issue.

[XXX-er]

My buddy bought the 361 or 362 with heated grips, i think that is the smallest sthil you can get with heated grips I can think of one particular day I would have killed for that option

I bought a 261 which is a small pro quality saw cuz I was always going to be hiking that saw which IME is way different/tougher than not having to hike and I'm just a small AZN man

Maybe it seems expensive to go pro but I spent almost as much on the cutting/safety gear being the caulk boots, chaps, head gear, axe,wedges, files, guides yada yada ... as I did buying the saw

While a pro saw is a little spendy there will most definatley be something worth leaving to my kid, so maybe he won't put me in a shitty home eh ?

[Viva]

...will most definatley be something worth leaving to my kid

Hope he can still find air filters for it.

[XXX-er]

I will stock up just incase

[bodywhomper]

i'm no longer considering an alaskan mill set-up at the moment, but i came across this today if anybody is looking (might be issues with discontinued air filters): http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/tls/5530351263.html

pretty big bar

[bodywhomper]

My local used tool shop has a 361 for $335. I'm not sure if it's from that saw as there are a few other tools on the floor next to it, but it looks like it might be leaking chain oil. This seems like a really good deal. The place runs the equipment before they buy it. Typically, they get used lower end saws or the big HP saws. Can I assume that any issues with that saw that I'm not aware of can be fixed?

Also, locally somebody is selling a 361 that they claimed was used once to drop a medium-sized pine and never used again. It's listed for $575. If the listing is true, it doesn't even sound like it was broken-in....

Thoughts?

[Bronco]

I've had good luck with used "pro" style saws, lasted me for several years of hard use with one. A guy working for me finally blew the piston, I suspect he may have been abusing it at the time. I currently have an older Stihl 046 that still runs like a champ. Bought it in very used condition 6-7 years ago. I always use Stihl 2 stroke mix and either Husky or Stihl brand bar oil, it makes a difference. Always drain the gas if it's going to sit for more than a few days.

The 361 you observed leaking bar oil may just need the oiler adjusted or cleaned, it's not unusual to get a wood splinter in the oiler port that makes it leak a little. I'd bet you'll be just fine with the $335 saw and would feel better about buying it from a shop than someone who used theirs "once".

[char_]

My local used tool shop has a 361 for $335. I'm not sure if it's from that saw as there are a few other tools on the floor next to it, but it looks like it might be leaking chain oil. This seems like a really good deal. The place runs the equipment before they buy it. Typically, they get used lower end saws or the big HP saws. Can I assume that any issues with that saw that I'm not aware of can be fixed?

Also, locally somebody is selling a 361 that they claimed was used once to drop a medium-sized pine and never used again. It's listed for $575. If the listing is true, it doesn't even sound like it was broken-in....

Thoughts?

Lots of saws leak chain oil. It just depends on how much you are willing to put up with.

[bodywhomper]

Thanks! Perplexed. I just spoke to my friend, older "tree guy". His thought is that the used saw is great and a pretty good deal. At the same time, his thought that the issue that I'm having with my current saw could be solved, at least temporarily with an aftermarket part(s), after some more diagnostics to better isolate the problem; stating that aftermarket parts sometimes address issues with the OEM parts. Searching the forestry and arborsite forum, the issue seems to be with the flywheel or ignition coil pack, but that the particular model us a PITA when compared to many other saws. If I have continual issues with the saw, my friend will eventually be helping me out. Assuming that I can get my saw to run consistently, is it worth having the two saws, 50cc and 60cc? Maybe running the smallest speced bar on the smaller saw.....