New carver on the block

[GeeSaw]

Hi all,

 

Just been browsing through the forum and have to say there’s a shed load of talent & heaps of amazing work!

I’ve always had a passion for working with wood and being able to turn something bland into a piece of eye candy!

So being a keen carpenter I was inspired to give carving a go when I discovered this site & stumbled across some videos online.

 

I’m probably what you would call a hobbyist carver just working in the garden & have been using a cheapo B&Q electric chainsaw

which isn’t ideal by any means but I have been fortunate to borrow a friend’s Stihl Ms 180 on the odd occasion which makes life a lot easier.

Other tools in my arsenal include an Arbortech pro 4 woodcarver,

Saburr tooth Donut wheels, sanding discs, Dremel with shank bits, hand carvers chisels & a sander.

 

I am looking to buy a chainsaw & fit it out with a carving bar in the near future so any advice

on what would be a good starting point would be greatly appreciated.

 

Once again great work to everyone & I look forward to being part of the community, swapping ideas & learning any tips ‘n’ tricks

 

I will post some pics of the few carvings I’ve done so far asap...

Keep up the great work everyone!

 

Gee

[dervishcarving]

Hey Gee, welcome aboard

There wil be plenty of opinions on what-saw, enjoy the Stihl/Husky debate There are some good discussions already on some of the older threads which are probably worth looking through. I would suggest using a saw you are familiar with is a good idea so maybe one like your mate has? a carving bar makes a big difference and there has been a good discussion thread about carving bars quite recently too.

http://arbtalk.co.uk/forum/chainsaw-carving-forum/46188-bar.html

Buying from Rob will certainly ensure you get a quality service but remember that without a 'chainsaw ticket' (qualification) you are going to struggle to buy Stihl products online.

before anyone else says it, PPE! Its easy to ignore it but its really important, especially when using a petrol-saw. Ok, so chainsaw-proof gloves are (in my opinion only) a bit of a waste unless you can get hold of a pair for cheep as they only give protection on the back of the left hand, but the rest of it.. legs/boots/head/face/ear... all essential

main thing, have fun and feel free to ask questions, I certainly did when i started

[munksapprentice]

Look out for a second hand rear handle Stihl MS200 on ebay. You'll get one for about £200-250, Way better than the 201, I have both. I even went and bought the 200 i traded in back. Then fit it out with a carving bar of your choice. I use Stihls own 12" carving bar, great bar. Then look on ebay and buy cheap chains. I can buy genuine stihl chains off ebay that are cheaper than my local stihl dealer can buy them for. Great saw, will run all day either flat out or just tinkering at low throttle doing intricate bits. Cracking piece of kit.

[GeeSaw]

Hey guys thanks for the advice

I totally agree PPE is essential & I’m slowly but surely getting kitted out. I’ll check out the older threads on carving bars and the Sthil / Husky debate.

Although both brands do seem pretty evenly matched the Huskys definitely seem torqueier. But as you said it might be more beneficial using a saw

I’m familiar with and the MS200 does seem like a great saw to get hold of only the rear handled saws seem to be quite scarce at the moment.

Has anyone tried out Echo chainsaws which sponsor the American carving competitions?

Ok this may be a silly question but are you limited to a certain CC chainsaw when using a carving bar?

[woodsculptor]

Hi Geesaw and welcome :-)

 

The little echo cs270wes (think its 280 now) is brilliant, knocks both stihl and husqvarna into a cocked hat for the price (in my opinion). The parts back up is ok and it comes with a 2 year professional warranty. Why buy second hand when you can get a new machine for the same money. I carve for a living and am saw deep in wood nearly everyday so my detail saws get plenty of use so I feel fairly well qualified to say they are ace :-)

 

Less than 40cc for a caving bar I seem to recall having read somewhere.

 

Kim

[dervishcarving]

Yeh, keep the CC down to 40-ish is a good idea for a carving bar. I THINK its due to the lack of nose-sprocket ,eaning there is more of a chance of tearing the chain off but that could be my poor engineering knowledge

[GeeSaw]

Many thanks for the welcome & advice

 

Funnily enough I was looking at the exact same model yesterday & thinking the same as you!

Why pay for second hand when you can buy a new one for the same price!

My only worry was reliability and parts but if it is all that and a bag of chips

It sounds perfect plus weighing in at 3.1Kg it’s lighter than its Sthil/Husky equivalent!

 

What bar do you use Kim?

[wisewood]

Hi Geesaw,

Like your work:thumbup:

Rob.D on here (Chainsawbars ? bars, chains and chainsaw accessories) is worth chatting to. He's got some budget carving bars in, zebra ones and there's a deal on chain too I think.

Si

[GeeSaw]

Many thanks Si

 

I appreciate the info as soon as I’m hooked up with a chainsaw

I’ll contact Rob.D to see if we can work out a deal for the rest of the kit

[woodsculptor]

Many thanks for the welcome & advice

 

Funnily enough I was looking at the exact same model yesterday & thinking the same as you!

Why pay for second hand when you can buy a new one for the same price!

My only worry was reliability and parts but if it is all that and a bag of chips

It sounds perfect plus weighing in at 3.1Kg it’s lighter than its Sthil/Husky equivalent!

 

What bar do you use Kim?

 

:-)

 

The reliability is as good as if not better than the two big brands and this is speaking from the experience of having had them all, I still can't believe how good they are for the money (by the way I'm not sponsored by Echo or anything, just my honest opinion)

 

Bar wise I use Cannons, found the Stihls not to last very long. I'm just experimenting with an Oregon one (off Rob.D) and so far so good although annoyingly they use a different no. of drivelinks to the Cannon and Stihl ones which is nice!

 

Kim