Noob Needs A Chainsaw.

[MartinF]

Hi all,

 

I am in the process of buying of a chainsaw and I was hoping that you guys could help me.

 

I need a chainsaw that will be able to cut through hardwood logs upto around 12 or 13 inches.

It will be used for cutting up wood that I have bought to turn into wood for the logburner.

 

I'll be honest and say that I am a 7 day expert on chainsaws and don't really know much about them and which is best etc, but the two I have narrowed my search down to are the Husqvarna 435 and the Stihl MS211.

 

From looking around the forum I've noticed that you guys generally use the serious stuff but I wondered if anyone knew anything about these saws and which of the two is the best.

 

Many Thanks for any help you can give me, Martin.

[Stubby]

Don't know much about either of those two but I am in the Husqvarna camp mostly so would choose the Husky . You really need to reserch what they are aimed at . Ie home owner , semi pro etc etc . Then look at what you are going to subject them to and asses whether they are up to it power wise . Bigger power head smaller bar = faster cutting and so on .

[Rob D]

If it is occasional use then both those saws would prob be fine. With all the hobby/home user type saws there doesn't seem to be one that stands out head and shoulders above the rest.

 

On another note and without being patronising make sure you have chainsaw boots and trousers. These should be bought before buying the chainsaw!

 

Also a short course will save you time and money in the long run. FR Jones organise something here if you live nearby Things you didn't know you needed | F R Jones and Son

[morten]

As you will be an "occasional" user of the saw, I would recommend using ready-mixed Aspen 2T fuel for the saw. It is more expensive, but it has several advantages:

 

• You will always have correct fuel/oil ratio (prolongs saw life)
  
• The fuel will not go "stale" when left in the saw for months (like ordinary fuel)
  
• The solvent content is much lower, which means you'll breathe in less carcinogenic stuff
  

[Daniël Bos]

I second the Aspen suggestion.

It does lead to another decision though. Though I've never used the Husky you mentioned I'd go Husky no doubt. I've had an MS210 for years and though it's been great it's one of the saws that's always given the most trouble when running it on aspen and I've heard this from a few people about the 210, the 211 may be different though...

[MartinF]

Thanks for the replies, much appreciated.

 

The saw will probably be used 3 or 4 times a year for sawing up loads of wood as I get them.

 

I have a pile of wood in the back garden at the moment that I have bought.

It consists of blocks of wood that I will use a splitting axe on (need to get descet one of those too), a pile of branches that are 4 inches to 8 inches thick and a load of thicker pieces that range from 9 inches thick to 13 inches thick.

 

I'm working on the assumption that this is the sort of wood I will get in the future so want to tool myself up for it.

I'm also hoping that whatever saw I buy will hopefully last for a long time so I will be maintaining it properly and looking after it as best I can.

 

Rob, I do intend to get headwear and legwear so I don't do any serious damage to myself.

 

Unfortunately I'm not near where the course is being done, I live near Derby, but that is a very good idea.

 

Which of the 2 brands tend to be more reliable or are they bothe very much alike in all ways so it usually comes down to brand loyalty for people?

 

Thanks

Edited March 18, 2012 by MartinF

[geoff]

The stihl & husky will both be reliable,I would use aspen fuel as sugested or you will be liable to fuel problems,but for what its worth get a larger saw to make sure it can handle the larger pieces,those tiny domestic saws wont like dealing with regular cutting on stuff much over 8 inches,something like the stihl ms250 would be a very good reasonably priced saw.

Try F.R. jones,for a good price.

[MartinF]

Hmmm.

So the two saws I mentioned are going to out of their comfort zone you think Geoff?

Perhaps I should retitle the thread to "what saw do I need for 9 to 13 inch pieces of wood".

 

I just had a look at the Aspen fuel. There is Aspen 2 and 4.

Is that for 2 and 4 stroke engines?

[Stubby]

As I said eirlier " a good bigun will always beat a good littleun " Rule of thumb . If you are going to need a 15" bar max from what you say then I would sggest no smaller than 45cc . Of course if you went up to say 60cc it will rip through quicker . You just got to balance out cost and weight and so on .

[MartinF]

I started off hoping to spend around £200, it the slipped to around £280.

Now I'm looking at aroud £100 more.

I know it's probably the wrong way of looking at it but it seems to be a lot of money to spend for 3 uses a year.

 

Ok, let's look at thia another way.

The Hushy is a 40cc engine kicking out 1.6KW ( 2 hp) on a 15" bar and the Stihl is kicking out 1.7KW (2.3hp) from a 35cc on a 16" bar.

What thickness of wood would these cut?

 

The thing is that I fear I will end up spending an awful lot of cash on something that will spend most of it's time collecting dust.

Perhaps the more sensible route would be to get wood that is in a certain saws range?