Best 14" saw for cutting cordwood?

[MattyF]

Me neither.

[SawTroll]

Am I the only 1 that finds the 346 a bit of a heavy munter??

To be fair I had the xpg which is heavier and didn't find it anything special even with a muffler mod.

With the 346 on semi chisel against an ms250 with muffler mod and full chisel I used to grab the stihl every time as it was quicker cutting and lighter to.

I much prefer the 357.

 

The 346xpg is my favourite saw for most of my cutting, but I always use chisel chain on it (LP/LPX or RS/RSC).

 

The MS250 is a cheaply made "homeowner" saw, and at best a bad joke in comparison - but it is of course lighter, if it is one without to many "add-ons".....

Edited September 13, 2014 by SawTroll

[Eddy_t]

Best saw for cutting 14" logs? A 365, 372xp or ms440 on 15/16" bars. That much power you can just push through the timber.

[wisecobandit]

The 346xpg is my favourite saw for most of my cutting, but I always use chisel chain on it (LP/LPX or RS/RSC).

 

The MS250 is a cheaply made "homeowner" saw, and at best a bad joke in comparison - but it is of course lighter, if it is one without to many "add-ons".....

 

That's one fight you will never win getting me to like a 346 especially the xpg.

Theres a massive weight difference even against the unheated handle 346 and you can use the 250 one handed if needed unlike the 346.

In the right places like hedging or chipping the 250 would be my choice. The 346 is a "in the forest" saw but then I would rather use my 357 in those circumstances.

Like for like I would say if kept up maintenance wise the 250 is no less reliable than the 346. That said the 250 in its "homeowner" status and price is a saw people wont bother maintaining and its pitfall is people not greasing the drum bearing which is there main failure.

You can also have the engine out and rebuilt in an hour on a 250 for half the price as you would on a 346 and it would take 3-4 times the amount of time on the 346. I fail to see how a "professional" saw should take 3-4 times longer to rebuild than a "houseowner" saw that is capable of doing the same work.

Even the stihl fuel line can be replaced in 5 minutes whereas the Husqvarna fuel line is a royal P.I.T.A

I can see why the 346 has its following but I certainly wont be in that queue.

[lakeyboy]

044 (the old 10mm wrist pin version) with 16 inch bar and full chisel chain on an 8 tooth sprocket, my favourite firewood saw

[AHPP]

I wouldn't advise anyone to buy a semi-pro saw or a hobby saw, a complete waste of time and money.

 

Much is said about "homeowner" saws against "pro" saws. Small saws are light and quite fast enough for a lot of work. The low weight is key. I can go at a good pace all week with a small saw. A heavier saw tires me out more and makes me slower at everything else.

 

Small saws are cheap as chips:

Stihl MS 170 - £169

Stihl MS 181 - £275

Stihl MS 261 - £678

 

Also, some of the "homeowner" saws come with features like the Stihl ergostart, which is fantastic.

 

Small saws are great for 95% of the stuff 95% of us do. So what I'm saying is please leave the small, cheap, productive, intelligent choice of saw to feeble poofters like me. I like competing against worn out masochists with bad backs, sore shoulders and no money.

 

 

 

That all said, this thread is about firewood, probably the best exception to the above. Standing in one place, having a table/stool to put the saw down on etc is a time where a bigger saw is probably better.

Edited September 13, 2014 by AHPP

[wisecobandit]

044 (the old 10mm wrist pin version) with 16 inch bar and full chisel chain on an 8 tooth sprocket, my favourite firewood saw

They are a great saw I loved mine, and actually sold it to someone in Belgium!

The downside is if the piston goes you will struggle to get a replacement now and also they cant take the 460 topend big bore conversion.

They spool up quicker than the later 12mm 044 and ms440's tho for sure.

[lakeyboy]

Its ok I have 2 one for parts and one with muffler mod for firewood and and most of the bigger stuff