Andy U

I have carved quite a bit of alder. The colouring is good. I have found that Rustins water based quick drying decking oil is excellent for sealing most wood especially alder as you can apply to damp timber. Dries hard after a couple of coats.

About 40 mins. Longer on the MSA220. I have 4 batteries for the 3 saws which last as long as my energy does lol. Rapid charger recharged in about 30 mins

Hi, I use 3 Stihl cordless saws for carving. (MSA220, MSA 200 and a MSA 180). I find them excellent for carving and I rarely use my petrol saw now. I use various Sugihara and Cannon carving bars. Rob at Chainsaw Bars has a good selection of suitable bars.

MSA220 with a revised set up by fitting a 14” Sugihara bar and a Husqvarna X- Cut S93-G 3/8” 0.50 x 50 Lo Pro chain. This is an excellent combination which I’ve been using for nearly a year.

The 220 is more powerful and it uses 3/8 .50 chain. Btw these saws are designed so that the chain oil lasts about the same as battery. I use Plantotac 68 bio chain oil because I work in an environmentally sensitive area. I find it works well with these saws.

I think the run time is the same but it is capable of supplying more power required by the 220.

Yes, I normally fully discharge the batteries. I have 3 AP300 batteries and one AP300S battery for my MSA 220. The AP300 works in the 220 but don’t allow for full power.

Yes it would be interesting to see some research on this. I have solar panels which power the charger on most days. I have used my MSA 160 and 200 quite a bit over the last couple of years. Batteries are still working well and holding charge. When carving the saw is almost constantly on and I think I must get close to 40 mins use out of a battery.

I have a MSA 160 and a 200 which I use with carving bars. However I have had a MSA220 for over a year now which I use for general forestry work and cross cutting. Originally I had the 16” Stihl bar and chain but have now modified it to use a 14” Sugihara bar with a Husqvarna X- Cut S93-G 3/8” 0.50 x 50 Lo Pro chain. Much better performance and cutting power. These saws are expensive to start with but seem to require very little maintenance and over time there is a big saving on fuel (especially if you use Aspen).

Thanks Lee, I have been using the Rustins quick drying decking oil on different timbers for a while now and have found it excellent. It says that it can be applied to damp timber which is good. It’s strange stuff to paint on but dries well. I will have to experiment with sealing the resin on the cedar with different products. I’ll let you know if I find a solution. Regards, Andy

Especially like the Barbel. I have recently been carving quite a bit of blue cedar which I find nice to work with. However, I have found that after coating with Rustins quick drying water based decking oil or water based garden paint it weeps resin from the heart wood. This makes the surface sticky. Just wondering how you finish your carvings in cedar?

I also use a 14” Canon bar on my MSA200 using the 1/4” chain. The Canon fits well. Available from Chainsawbars.

Hi, I mainly do carving and run MSA 160, MSA200 and a MSA220. They are all excellent saws. The 160 and 200 use the 1/4 PM3 chains . The MSA220 is a much more powerful saw using 3/8 chain. The only thing is that the 220 is designed to use the MS300S battery to give the extra power that the saw draws. It will run on the AP300 battery but not as well or for as long. I have put a Sugihara bar and a Husky x-cut chain on the 220 which is an excellent combination. For general forestry work and cross cutting it will really get through some work. However the MSA200 is a good saw but I mainly use it with Sugihara R7 carving bar.

I’ve got a Canon 8” and 14” which I use on MSA160 and MSA200 respectively . They seem to run well and I find the 8” especially good for fine work. However I prefer to use the Sugihara R7 12” ‘tough carver’ bar for most of my carving. They are designed for the Stihl saws. Rob at Chainsaw Bars sells them. SL2A-4P30-A Sugihara Tough Carver R7 Tip 12"[30cm] 1/4 .043 64 dl WWW.CHAINSAWBARS.CO.UK SL2A-4P25-A [Stihl Only] Sugihara Tough Carver R7 Tip 10" 1/4 .043 56 drive links

Excellent