First Chainsaw...

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delp

Member
Jan 6, 2009
186
pittsburgh, pa
On a good day I weigh about 105lbs, so

All I want to do is feed the Englander 13 N/S and recut bought firewood down to about 10" and probably no more than 2 cords per year.

Any recommendations on a chainsaw for this non-truck owning, first year wood burner?

Money's an issue, but safety first!

Also, any recommended websites/literature on the proper use and care of said chainsaw?

Thanks!
 
I would recomend searching the Stihl website. Maybe the ms250 with 16" bar would be the only saw you would ever need. I know price might be an issue but in the long run you can't go wrong with quality of Stihl. I have had the box store saws and they aren't worth it in my opinion.
 
The first saw in this pic is what you need. Ms170 is more saw than it looks. Very easy to operate and light.
I am sure few much more experienced members will chime in.......
 

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Thanks for the quick reply's! I'm definitely a believer in the, "you get what you pay for" school of thought. Think I'll find a local Stihl dealer and make a pest of myself trying their saws and asking a bunch of questions.
 
Just can't go wrong with Stihl. My 170 is 5yrs old and it runs like the day I bought it.
 
stihl 170 or 180.
 
delp said:
All I want to do is feed the Englander 13 N/S and recut bought firewood down to about 10" and probably no more than 2 cords per year.
A small electric would work as would a Sawzall.
 
Fifelaker said:
The drawback for electric saws is chaps will not stop one.

neither will your skin.

x2 on a 170.
a dealer is the easiest way... They usually have them all out on display there, so pick them up and pretend like you're cutting.
Bend down, etc... Make you feel like you can use it for more than carrying it to/from the wood pile.

get a green chain as well (reduced kickback) and a green bar.
I think they're standard on the 170 or any similar saw.
 
I just bought a 170 and used it for the first time this past friday. I was happy with the performance. Your local stihl dealer has them for 179, and in my opinion, they are somewhat overpowered, and are able to take a longer bar. I cut up 1/2 cord of wood, around 15" and it did great.
 
If you are anywhere near a Dolmar dealer, I can recommend the Dolmar 420. It is an awesome little saw that will eat up a Stihl 180, and for just a few dollars more. "The Little Saw That Could", it cuts like a 50cc saw, starts easy as pie, has almost no felt vibration and has all the quality of a pro saw.

Here's a nice thread started by a very well respected saw enthusiast:

http://www.arboristsite.com/chainsaw/88634.htm

The saw he speaks about came from a dealer about 15 minutes from me. They really know saws, especially the Dolmars. They actually ran one of these beauties with an 18" bar and it did pretty good.

Nothing terribly horrid about a Stihl 180, but the Dolmar 420 is in a whole other league. It is a fantastic first saw.
 
Battenkiller said:
If you are anywhere near a Dolmar dealer, I can recommend the Dolmar 420. It is an awesome little saw that will eat up a Stihl 180, and for just a few dollars more. "The Little Saw That Could", it cuts like a 50cc saw, starts easy as pie, has almost no felt vibration and has all the quality of a pro saw.

Here's a nice thread started by a very well respected saw enthusiast:

http://www.arboristsite.com/chainsaw/88634.htm

The saw he speaks about came from a dealer about 15 minutes from me. They really know saws, especially the Dolmars. They actually ran one of these beauties with an 18" bar and it did pretty good.

Nothing terribly horrid about a Stihl 180, but the Dolmar 420 is in a whole other league. It is a fantastic first saw.
Brad is friend of mine and has been to all my GTGs. He is a Stihl man through and through so for him say that about the Dolmar really says something. 180s are good reliable saws but not real big on power IMO.
 
+1 on a Stihl. You might keep your eye on CL and find one for relatively cheap on there. $100 for a decent small used saw.
 
Don't just take our word for it--get to the stores/dealers and hold the saws in your hands. Shoot for a 50cc saw from a quality manufacturer (Stihl, Husqvarna/Jonsered, Dolmar/Makita, et al.). If too heavy, drop to a 45cc-ish saw.

As far as proper use and care, I highly recommend watching the Stihl chainsaw videos. Watch all FIVE of them. Yes, it can get tedious at times, but stick with them.

PPE = personal protection equipment

PPE I always wear when cutting:
chaps
steel toe boots (or chainsaw boots)
safety glasses/goggles
ear protection
gloves

Most of the time I wear a forestry helmet (helmet + ear muffs + mesh face shield). I wear clear safety gasses under the forestry helmet's face shield. Sometimes I won't wear the forestry helmet when bucking in the open but I will still wear earmuffs and safety glasses. The helmet is always worn when felling. The gloves are anti-vibration gloves.

Other PPE that may be worn:
dedicated chainsaw gloves (usually little anti-vibration protection but better top of hand cut protection)
hard hat (definitely should be worn when felling and can protect against kickback to the head even when not felling)
chainsaw vest
protective pants instead of chaps
 
delp said:
On a good day I weigh about 105lbs, so

All I want to do is feed the Englander 13 N/S and recut bought firewood down to about 10" and probably no more than 2 cords per year.

Any recommendations on a chainsaw for this non-truck owning, first year wood burner?

Money's an issue, but safety first!

Also, any recommended websites/literature on the proper use and care of said chainsaw?

Thanks!

delp, with your size you might also consider one of the saws that has the easy start option. I've been considering one of those just for limbing or cutting the small stuff.
 
Fifelaker said:
The drawback for electric saws is chaps will not stop one.
You guys are over-thinking this. All the OP wants to do is recut already cut and split firewood. A chopsaw could do it.

Now he needs to go out and buy chaps, a hard hat, ear protection, a full face shield, safety boots, Kevlar gloves, and take an Game of Logging course. On top of all that he needs to learn how to sharpen the saw, worry about whether the gas and oil mix is good, and then pull his arm off trying to start the saw.
 
LLigetfa said:
Fifelaker said:
The drawback for electric saws is chaps will not stop one.
You guys are over-thinking this. All the OP wants to do is recut already cut and split firewood. A chopsaw could do it.

Now he needs to go out and buy chaps, a hard hat, ear protection, a full face shield, safety boots, Kevlar gloves, and take an Game of Logging course. On top of all that he needs to learn how to sharpen the saw, worry about whether the gas and oil mix is good, and then pull his arm off trying to start the saw.

+1 Precisely. I use my 20yr old Delta miterbox (old basic one w/40 tooth carbide tipped blade saved for rough work) all the time for 2" to 5" rounds & smaller splits.With 1/8" kerf its much faster than any chainsaw & saves my back.
 
Two decades ago when I was working out of town, the wife bought us a home out in the sticks but it only had electric heat. She showed me pics when she brought me the mortgage papers to sign.

Anyway. the first thing I did when I got home was to install a woodstove but I didn't have any firewood. Fortunately for me (unfortunate for him) an accaintance had a chimney fire and the fire mashall condemned his wood furnace install so he decided to quit burning wood and gave me all 3 cord of his seasoned Ash. Every split was too long and had to be recut to fit my stove. I tried using my chainsaw and rigged up a sawbuck to do it but the amount of waste to the saw kerf bothered me plus a chainsaw being inherently dangerous, I would not let my two sons get anywhere near me. That was when I decided to put a longer blade in my Sawzall and give that a try. One son could safely hold the split in the Y of the sawbuck while the other son did the cutting on the other side of the Y. Made quick work of it and the best part was my two sons did all the work!
 
I recommend an electric too. Cheaper to buy, cheaper and easier to operate. Fuel is delivered as needed. I've done a tremendous amount of work with my Poulan Pro 18 in. I paid less than $100 for it. Never fails to start, it is light and surprisingly powerful. My 14 in. Homelite electric would be perfect for recutting firewood, paid $50 for it.
 
delp said:
On a good day I weigh about 105lbs, so

All I want to do is feed the Englander 13 N/S and recut bought firewood down to about 10" and probably no more than 2 cords per year.

Any recommendations on a chainsaw for this non-truck owning, first year wood burner?

Money's an issue, but safety first!

Also, any recommended websites/literature on the proper use and care of said chainsaw?

Thanks!

I started out with a big box store Poulan. That saw did everything that was asked of it - why? Because you have to take care of it; clean it after every use, and keep the chain sharp, which ment I bought two chains so one was always ready. We started out thinking that we wouldn't be cutting that much wood every year, but soon realized (after joining Hearth) that you will always end up cutting much more than than you expected. Wife bought me a Stihl Farmboss 290 last spring and we haven't looked back. Yea, you could use a chop saw and other stuff to knock down the splits you have today and that's a great idea and much better than buying a chainsaw for just that job. However, you did say you would be cutting about 2 cords a year, so you may as well get the saw that will best fit you now. The Poulan is now just a backup or one that I would loan out to a friend. NEVER loan out your good saw; it will be the last time you call it your good saw!!!

My advice is to use another method - chop saw, sawzall, etc - for the wood you have today and spend the time like you are now researching all the different types.

Good luck and glad to see another wood burner join the ranks!!!
 
I can't argue against a "chop saw", not that I know what that is. Anything like a power mite saw? Electric in any case.

I'd recommend electric is the cutting can be done were you have electric power. I am considering getting a Poulan Pro 400E 18" as a Christmas present. That is bigger than you need if you are cutting splits, a small 14" would work fine I think. I have a 14" low-end and old Remington ($49) electric that I used to cut rounds out of a large birch tree that came down in the October NJ snow storm. This tree had a low trunk diameter larger than 14". but as the tree was on the ground I used some care and cut through that size with only 14".

Hitch-hike: Craig, looks I am again thinking about buying equipment you have experience with. I was a bit worried about a larger electric chainsaw because of the safety problem, it seems the electrics have enough torque to cut through Kevlar chaps (not that I have any of the same). The Poulan Pro (and most/all) new saws have chain brakes, which I think reduces this safety risk, i.e., the chain stops immediately when the switch is released or the protective handle is moved.
 
Im a stihl fan so a stihl 170 would be great if you want a great quality saw. Dont rule out the others....I also have an Echo 310 31cc with a 14"bar..$200 at Home depot or an authorized Echo dealer..I find myself using my Echo ALOT on the smaller stuff...Echo offers a 5 year consumer warranty vs Stihl's 1yr. For the 2 cords of wood you would be processing I would go with an Echo. Like I said I am a Stihl man but I love my Echo as much as my Stihls


Just my.02

Jeff
 
jhoff310 said:
Im a stihl fan so a stihl 170 would be great if you want a great quality saw. Dont rule out the others....I also have an Echo 310 31cc with a 14"bar..$200 at Home depot or an authorized Echo dealer..I find myself using my Echo ALOT on the smaller stuff...Echo offers a 5 year consumer warranty vs Stihl's 1yr. For the 2 cords of wood you would be processing I would go with an Echo. Like I said I am a Stihl man but I love my Echo as much as my Stihls


Just my.02

Jeff

I have an Echo CS-400 w/ 18" bar. With my factory chain it worked okay. After sharpening my factory chain with a grinder, it cuts very, very nicely. Sounds like 18" is more than you need but this saw would take a 16" just fine.

As far as Stihl goes, I'd definitely recommend seeing a Stihl dealer. You won't be disappointed.
 
jhoff310 said:
Im a stihl fan so a stihl 170 would be great if you want a great quality saw. Dont rule out the others....I also have an Echo 310 31cc with a 14"bar..$200 at Home depot or an authorized Echo dealer..I find myself using my Echo ALOT on the smaller stuff...Echo offers a 5 year consumer warranty vs Stihl's 1yr. For the 2 cords of wood you would be processing I would go with an Echo. Like I said I am a Stihl man but I love my Echo as much as my Stihls


Just my.02

Jeff

Stihl is now doubling their factory warrenties if you buy a 6 pack of HP Ultra oil with the saw/blower/trimmer. Still not 5 years but it's a cheap way to double that warranty and use quality oil.
 
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