Chainsaws...which one

[sawtooth4x4]

I have a cheap craftman 18" I bought off a guy from KSL. It wouldn't run well. I switched the gas out to ethanol free and used some good oil in it. After some tuning its been a great $40 saw. Although i let a neighbor borrow it. Now the chain is trashed. I'll just go buy a new chain, its not worth my time to try to sharpen it.

I've used some big Stihl saws. They are the bomb. When i win the lottery, i'll get a big one of those.

 

[jmaxj]

Hope I'm not hijacking this thread, but what do you guys do about chain sharpening? DIY, Have a shop do it, or just buy a new chain?

Small file and some practice. Chain sharpening is pretty simple actually, just takes a min to get the angle down. Most common mistake I've seen is that people thing the teeth on the chain are level with the bar. So they sharpen it that way, and that'll kill a chain quickly.

 

[Jeepj667]

In Aspen Hills. Where is yours? Ours isn't a cabin yet technically. We are building one. The foundation should be done Monday. The septic goes in next week.

 

[Toad]

I have a stihl as well. I don't use it alot but always runs great. It is 8-10 years old. I also have a stihl leaf blower and weed wacker that are both pieces of shit. Both newer then the saw. I have been told that Stihl quality in general has declined. I would look for a good nice used one that is older.

 

[Shawn]

Stihl Farm Boss, nuf said

 

[muleskinner]

Stihl saw, and the best axe I've ever used is a Fiskars. It is way better then my maul for splitting anything.

 

[Vonski]

I need to pickup a chainsaw for up at our cabin. Having never used one, I know nothing about them. I'll be using it for firewood, clearing small areas, I'd also love to be able to strap it to my bike for clearing trails in the early season. What do you guys recommend, what features should I look for (either to avoid or must haves), etc?

Thanks

Semi-related, I need a good axe. Would a good one from Home Depot or Lowes be recommended or should I look for something else?

Here's my ms201tc-m with a 14" bar, and this thing rips! I agree with most that an old ms200 is superior in ways, good ones are just too difficult to find. As you can imagine, they're commonly used as climbing saws, so a lot get dropped from trees and/or abused by laborers. Now that they're out of production, people are holding onto the ones they have and buying up the remaining used ones. The regular ms201t has now been discontinued in favor of the new tc-m version. Stay away from the 201t, they can still be found new at some Stihl dealers from what I understand.

Not showing is my Dakine Trail Builder pack, but it sounds like you're putting a mount on your bike, so you wont need one of those.

 

[Corban_White]

Get one of these for the bike:
http://www.homedepot.com/p/ECHO-16-...shless-Cordless-Chainsaw-CCS-58V4AH/205566014

 

[Caleb]

Get one of these for the bike:
http://www.homedepot.com/p/ECHO-16-...shless-Cordless-Chainsaw-CCS-58V4AH/205566014

The idea is cool and not having to carry gas would be nice but it weighs more than the one Von uses does.

 

[Kiel]

I've been locking at echos at work, mainly the 59cc timber wolf with a 20 inch bar.

 

[ID Bronco]

I blocked 2 chord wood last night with my farm boss. It worked flawlessly, cut quickly and efficiently. For wood cutting 2-3 times a year, it's wonderful. I bought it slightly used at $250.

 

[nnnnnate]

Did you end up buying one Caleb? Looks like the MS250 is on promo right now for $300 which is $50 off. Also, there is a promo for a carrying case and chain. I can't tell if its both for $10 or if you buy one of each you save $40 between the two. I filled up my cute little trailer with logs we cut down over labor day on my brothers BILs permit and need to get his chain sharpened so I can round and split them. I'd like to get a file and stump vise and do it myself but am really close to just buying the MS250 which I believe has a different pitch to it. I'm planning to go by Speeds this morning to see what I can find out about the case and chain and maybe just pick up a file set while I'm there.

On the same trip we attempted to carve bears. My brother and wife both said mine looked like a raccoon which some here will know I'm not happy about, my brother was far more ambitious and his attempt was on a larger scale but I haven't seen exactly how far he got on it since we went home while he was still working. It was fun and I'd like to carve something better that could look okay on my porch, thats what I'm shooting for someday.

One last thing....a question about terminology. What is the correct term for cutting a big log into smaller pieces suitable for splitting with an ax/maul? Are these rounds? Blocks?

 

[mesha]

I love my stihl saw. I love gerber/fiskars axes.

 

[Caleb]

Did you end up buying one Caleb? Looks like the MS250 is on promo right now for $300 which is $50 off. Also, there is a promo for a carrying case and chain. I can't tell if its both for $10 or if you buy one of each you save $40 between the two. I filled up my cute little trailer with logs we cut down over labor day on my brothers BILs permit and need to get his chain sharpened so I can round and split them. I'd like to get a file and stump vise and do it myself but am really close to just buying the MS250 which I believe has a different pitch to it. I'm planning to go by Speeds this morning to see what I can find out about the case and chain and maybe just pick up a file set while I'm there.

On the same trip we attempted to carve bears. My brother and wife both said mine looked like a raccoon which some here will know I'm not happy about, my brother was far more ambitious and his attempt was on a larger scale but I haven't seen exactly how far he got on it since we went home while he was still working. It was fun and I'd like to carve something better that could look okay on my porch, thats what I'm shooting for someday.

One last thing....a question about terminology. What is the correct term for cutting a big log into smaller pieces suitable for splitting with an ax/maul? Are these rounds? Blocks?

I haven't picked one up yet. Let me know what you find out today. I was planning this week or next to get one (finally got in to our cabin last week and spent this last weekend there too).

 

[nnnnnate]

The lady at Speeds said the case and chain promo was only in conjunction with the purchase of a saw and you get both for an additional $40. (I was thinking about just buying the case for a future saw, and an extra chain for my brothers saw before she told me this.) I asked about chain sharpening and she got another guy for me. Rather than try and sell me the most expensive thing on the wall he said he likes to use just a round file and that the nice thing with Stihl chains is they all have a line etched on each link that you align parallel with the file to get the right angle. So I just bought the right round file set for my chain and a handle for $10. I also asked him what he thought between the MS250 and the MS271. Is seems like they are both pretty similar, the 271 is built to handle 16-20" bars where the 250 is only 16-18" but the 271 is a bit more than 2 lbs heavier. The 250 is at the top of the "homeowner" line and the 271 is in the "farm and ranch" line which I'd guess means they are built a little more durable. He seemed to like both of them a lot but again surprised me by talking about how good of a saw the 250 was even though it is the cheaper of the two. He says he has sold a ton of them and hes used one a lot as well and just really likes them.

The internet seems to really like the 250 as well praising the simplicity of it as opposed to even the 251. There is a lot of chatter about it going out of production back in 2013 and I asked about it and was told Stihl took it out of production then brought it back in at some point but he thought the 251 would replace the 250 at some point. The difference between those two are the 251 runs a little cleaner and has a spring vibration control rather than the rubber on the 250. I think I'm pretty sold on getting the 250. I've used my brothers 170 enough to know that I want an 18" bar, a 20" would be neat but I don't think I need it for the stuff I'll likely be cutting down in the Uintas. The extra power of the 271 would be nice but I'm not convinced the extra weight is worth that at this point.

So the promo running through the end of October is $300 for the MS250 (thats $50 off) and an extra chain and carrying case for another $40. Seems to be a fairly decent deal since the case retails for $50 and chains are about $25.

While reading online I did find that people liked the harbor freight electric chain sharpener so I'll have to check that out.

 

[cruiseroutfit]

I'm in the hunt for a Stihl as well, Jordan Mower has always been my Stihl go to so I'm hoping they too are doing the promo. The 271 had my eye but I ought to go look at the 250

 

[mesha]

I have owned a few different brands of saws.

Stihls come with a chrome lined cylinder which aids in long life.
Husqvarnas usually (depending on year) come with dual ringed pistons which aid in long life.

I chose a stihl, but a husqvarna would be great too. I had a poulan which was nearly impossible to keep running. I have heard poulan pro models are okay, but I don't know from experience.

 

[nnnnnate]

After work today I bought one of the stihl MS250s at Speeds. I also picked up a case and chain on the promo for $40 and a 6 pack of the 2 stoke motor oil which apparently doubles the Stihl warranty by buying that and the saw on the same receipt. They oiled and gassed it up for me and started it in the parking lot to make sure everything was good to go. I had bucked most of my wood yesterday with my brothers ms170 but still had a few logs to saw through and I was pleased with how the new toy did. Its got an 18" bar which was something I really wanted. I checked the fuel and bar oil before and after sawing what I did and think this one is much less thirsty than my brothers 170 which is nice.