The chainsaw thread...

[bodywhomper]

I agree. It’s interesting. Thanks for thoughtful responses

[SB]

60+mph winds this AM had me running saw after the nado threat moved off.

[~mikey b]

I got my saw out of storage this morning - I haven’t cut since October - fired right up first pull -

12 year old Husqvarna 455 Rancher - it’s never let me down

[Meadow Skipper]

Did you run the tank empty last fall, or use gas stabilizer?

[gretch6364]

I picked up a stihl farm boss for $20. Need to get in to the shop and tuned up.


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[~mikey b]

ran it empty
left the gas cap open
stored in a cold garage

new gas and mix

up to now I’ve used my saw here and there over the winter so it didn’t sit for long

I’m cutting tomorrow working for a friend - gonna put on my freshie chain - cedar cuts like butter

[Meadow Skipper]

^Cool.

[lifelinksplit]

I dig my 455 rancher although it's only a couple years old. Lotta plastic but it fires up first or second pull every time. Mostly cut wood for the house but its seeing double duty with some work I've been doing.

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[XXX-er]

All the Sthil have the same plastic parts on the outside they are all orange/grey, doesnt matter if they are industrial or homeowner they all look the same, so you gotta check the specs to know which is which and make sure you use the right saw for your app

[I Skied Bandini Mountain]

Anyone else run bean oil (maxima 927) in their 2 stroke mix? A cold morning, a good running saw, and the smell of castor oil is just divine.

[XXX-er]

Sthil would double the engine warranty if i bought a 6 pack of Sthil oil and then i just kept running it

I keep the little empty bottles to refil with chain oil, one bottle holds > enough chain oil for a tank of fuel

Chain oil is easier to pack/put in a pocket and i know if i have enough by counting the little bottles


I remember the smell of bean oil in dirtbikes way back in the day and while it did smell good I don't know if it lubricates better ?

[Jethro]

I remember an ad for a dirt bike oil which smelled like strawberries. I think it was to make the hikers less grouchy when you roosted them on the trail

[Jethro]

Like this https://www.dirtbikebitz.com/en-US/P...yABEgJfCPD_BwE

[Peruvian]

Sold my Husq Rancher 55 after selling the house on the country and moving into town.

If I decide I need a new one, I’ll look into the battery powered e-saws.

[jackstraw]

Sold my Husq Rancher 55 after selling the house on the country and moving into town.

If I decide I need a new one, I’ll look into the battery powered e-saws.

Milwaukee. I've used a couple different ones now and the Milwaukee is superior imo.

[I Skied Bandini Mountain]

I remember an ad for a dirt bike oil which smelled like strawberries. I think it was to make the hikers less grouchy when you roosted them on the trail

That's awesome. MB's don't have anything like that when they strafe the hikers.

[heckacali]

Re: The Ego battery saw

How long does the battery last in the real world while cutting?

I have an Ego battery leaf blower. I love it, but a battery only lasts a few minutes in "turbo" mode (the only speed I ever use) so clearing the yard and driveway will eat all 3 of the charged batteries I have.

I also have the edger (weed whacker) and that runs for a good long time on a battery as it clearly operates using much less power than the blower power.

I can't imagine getting the Ego lawn mower knowing how much power a mower uses and how short lived the battery would last (even though the mower uses 2 packs at once)

I have to imaging the chainsaw uses even more power than the blower per minute, (but less than the mower) so that would be a really short session.

[gravitylover]

I need a saw soon, it's time to deal with 5 trees worth of crap laying around the yard. I want to get something that's part of a system so I end up with a couple of batteries that work with everything because I hate when batteries die and you have to put something on hold to charge. I'm also going to add an impact at some point, a blower but that's not immediate because my gas one works fine, saws, random orbital sander and polisher and a few others. I guess my biggest thing is what battery/plug/voltage system is going to last the longest going forward? It would make me crazy to have a bunch of stuff I can't use because batteries or chargers aren't available anymore.

Milwaukee is on the pricey side, I wonder about Makita. Is it even worth it to go with Craftsman or Ryobi? I'm leaning towards Makita because they also have mowers and snowblowers, they just double up on batteries. Like this https://www.toolnut.com/makita-xcu03...batteries.html

[jackstraw]

^I think you're looking at it correctly.

Makita is good stuff and Milwaukee is totally committed to the 18v battery platform. They're just messing with amp hours now for more power. I've said this in here before, but Milw deals at a X trade supply store are better than box stores when the sales are running. Their focus is contractors for turns.

[Jethro]

I need a saw soon, it's time to deal with 5 trees worth of crap laying around the yard. I want to get something that's part of a system so I end up with a couple of batteries that work with everything because I hate when batteries die and you have to put something on hold to charge. I'm also going to add an impact at some point, a blower but that's not immediate because my gas one works fine, saws, random orbital sander and polisher and a few others. I guess my biggest thing is what battery/plug/voltage system is going to last the longest going forward? It would make me crazy to have a bunch of stuff I can't use because batteries or chargers aren't available anymore.

Milwaukee is on the pricey side, I wonder about Makita. Is it even worth it to go with Craftsman or Ryobi? I'm leaning towards Makita because they also have mowers and snowblowers, they just double up on batteries. Like this https://www.toolnut.com/makita-xcu03...batteries.html

I’ve got a different looking Makita 36v chainsaw which I bought last year. It’s probably very similar to the one you listed. I use it a lot on little aspens and willows around my 3 acres. Mostly for trimming along trails when loppers are too small. If I need to cut 5” or larger trees, out comes the Husqvarna. Or if I’m brushing I use the gas saw. The battery one is just too slow. If you are cutting close to the house, I’d consider a corded electric. Makita makes excellent ones also

[Bronco]

I have the Milwaukee chainsaw and other 18v tools. The problem is that the batteries that run the drill, impact driver, etc are compatible but their batteries last just a few minutes in the chainsaw. The chainsaw battery is much larger and heavier than the normal batteries and would be unwieldy on a smaller tool designed for one hand operation.

I have a small tree clearing project and the battery will drop and limb one 50' fir tree before needing a charge. I'm dropping and limbing a bunch and will buck them up with my MS460. Kind of nice to use the little guy as much as I have, saves my back and energy for playing.

[Peruvian]

I’ve got a different looking Makita 36v chainsaw which I bought last year. It’s probably very similar to the one you listed. I use it a lot on little aspens and willows around my 3 acres. Mostly for trimming along trails when loppers are too small. If I need to cut 5” or larger trees, out comes the Husqvarna. Or if I’m brushing I use the gas saw. The battery one is just too slow. If you are cutting close to the house, I’d consider a corded electric. Makita makes excellent ones also

I agree on the corded models. I’ve cut a lot of wood at my bud’s sugar house with a corded saw and they are great for close-in jobs.

[bodywhomper]

I’ve been cutting quite a bit with my little ms241. Thinning trees on my property and in the forest adjacent to my driveway. The biggest trees have been maybe 10” at the butt. Fell, limb, buck into logs that I can pick up and stack, and haul slash to a chipping area. The little saw has been great!

Today, I put on a new air filter on my ms361, and retuned the carb (I do not think I’m very good at carb tuning by ear...). I haven’t used that saw since October. It fired right up!

I burned thru 2 tanks in that bigger saw. Man, that saw is a lot heavier than my ms241! (I’m not a big guy).

I need a saw soon, it's time to deal with 5 trees worth of crap laying around the yard.

you can also probably rent an adequate chainsaw from an equipment rental shop.

[XXX-er]

those ^^ are both good industrial grade Sthil saws eh

So a dirty airfilter can alter the fuel-air ratio and make the saw run badly (rich I think ?) I have never touched the Carb and the saw has always runs the same, air filters on the 261 are not expensive so I have 2, at the end of every 6 hr day I swap out the dirty airfilter, vacuum it/ wash under the tap/ dry gently on top of an idling italian espresso maker, the air filters stay clean & seem to last forever using that service method

also a good time to clean cooling fins, vacum all the sawdust from under the engine covers, sharpen chain, clean bar groove, maybe flip the bar

[Jethro]

Any tips on keeping the oiling ports on the bar unplugged? I try to sharpen before fine shavings/dust is coming out. It’s gotten to the point that I pretty much pull the bar every sharpening to clear the holes out. On one bar I drilled them out to a larger diameter, but I’m not sure if it made a difference. I’ve thought about thinning my bar oil. Saw is a Husqvarna 55 circa 1997 and it homeowner/firewood duty. I used to use it for clearing creeks for kayaking in a previous life