Advice on top handle saws

[lorenz]

Hi.

I'm new to chainsaw use; We bought an olive grove in Greece a few years ago & found it entails a lot of wood cutting. In a bit of a rush I bought a Spear & Jackson model from Argos and have found it useful for cutting firewood however we want to take control of the land so have been advised to get a "decent" saw.

We have around 70 olive trees that require regular pruning which will need a bit of low level climbing but this can be achieved with step ladders.

I'm looking at buying second hand, maybe on EBay, but don't have much to spend.

Stihl 020T's look good but keep going over my budget. I'm currently looking at a Makita DCS3410TH - please don't start bidding - and wonder if anybody has any opinions.

[Tree Man Tom]

Dig deep and buy a stihl ms200t

 

They go for silly money on ebay, go to a dealer if i were you. You should be asked to show proof of having cs39 to be able to buy a top handle. But i never have been so dont worry about it.

[Steve Bullman]

when you say pruning...what size stuff are you going to be cutting?

[geoff]

The makita saws are ok,not got the oomph or reputation of the stihl,but please dont buy second hand off ebay,unless you are incredibly fortunate you will end up with a pile of trouble and wasted money.

Save up for a new saw,it,s cheaper in the long & short run........

[log dog]

if you can afford a olive grove in greece the price of a decent saw shouldnt be beyond you ? other than that see what the locals use .

[Rowan the Bruce]

I bought a 200t on ebay for 330 quid it looked like it had been used 3 or 4 times. I searched for about a month. 3 years later its still used almost every day, replaced a few bits and good servicing monthly - I am one of the lucky ones though. Never buy one that looks too dirty.

Good silky handsaw is useful too

[Rupe]

Hi.

I'm new to chainsaw use; We bought an olive grove in Greece a few years ago & found it entails a lot of wood cutting. In a bit of a rush I bought a Spear & Jackson model from Argos and have found it useful for cutting firewood however we want to take control of the land so have been advised to get a "decent" saw.

We have around 70 olive trees that require regular pruning which will need a bit of low level climbing but this can be achieved with step ladders.

I'm looking at buying second hand, maybe on EBay, but don't have much to spend.

Stihl 020T's look good but keep going over my budget. I'm currently looking at a Makita DCS3410TH - please don't start bidding - and wonder if anybody has any opinions.

 

If you are in greece you could buy a stihl 192T, its the smaller brother of the 200 and not available here but is available in greece and is cheaper than a 200!

 

Olive wood is very hard, so a good saw is required! Where abouts in Greece? My sister and brother in law (her husband) have many olive trees in their little part of greece and I visit every year if I can, its a great place.

[spudulike]

You sound like you are not a very experienced saw user - top handled saws are extremely dangerous as you have a lot less operating leverage than on a typical rear handled saw.

 

I generally use rear handled saws and find having both hands so close together on a saw un-natural, the temptation is to use one with one hand but can lead you to hold branches whilst cutting causing the possibility of cutting in to your free arm.

 

You may find a Stihl MS181 or 171 a bit more managable - the MS200T is a great, robust and powerful saw but is lethal in the hands of the inexperienced! They are a fab climbers tool but if you do go down this route - know the dangers of using this saw and take the correct precautions.

[MattyF]

If you need to use steps have you thought about a pole saw instead , could be a lot safer then get a cheaper rear handled saw .

[tommer9]

A pole saw would be a very good idea.