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).

Hi Andy, after many instances as you described, including 10 mushrooms seats I did for a school which all pissed sap out of the knots and centre pith and had to re-sand and finish them twice![emoji85], I dont put any oils on cedars/pines or green oak for that matter as it just doesn't soak in at all , I just do two heavy coats of clear wood preservative(ever so slightly tints the wood but brushing it in also helps clean up any sawdust still left in the details) and then it's upto the buyer in 6 months or so what finish to apply. Teak oil does work on the mentioned timbers and does tint slightly and I also seen some coloured wood preservative but have yet to try it, cheers Lee. 

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

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SL2A-4P25-A [Stihl Only] Sugihara Tough Carver R7 Tip 10" 1/4 .043 56 drive links

Excellent

Nice carving!
I have used various finishes. Osmo was good but expensive. On advice from another carver I changed to Rustins clear decking oil which was very good but no longer available.
I have now got it’s replacement Rustins clear water based quick drying decking oil.
It is early days but I’m very impressed so far. A small amount goes far. After a couple of coats it gives a good hard surface but also soaks in well. It is very strange stuff to apply. It’s like painting with skimmed milk. It tends to pool and it looks milky until it’s dried. The really good thing is that it says that it can be applied to damp wood.
Worth a try and it is more environmentally friendly.

Hi, interesting re changing chain to 3/8 on MSA200.
I also use MSA160 and MSA200 with the PM3 1/4 chain for carving.
I use an 8” Cannon quarter tip carving bar on the 160 and either a 12” Cannon or a 12 Sugihara R7 carving bar on the 200. Used in conjunction with the 220 this is an excellent carving combination. The PM3 chain is good for carving but I also find it good for small to medium general forestry work (sledding etc).
I use a MS 261 for bigger work.
I have found that the cordless can get a bit full of wood chips in battery compartment and in get real casing. It’s fairly easy to take apart to clean it though.

Update: I have now ‘tuned’ my MSA220 by fitting a
14” Sugihara bar and a Husqvarna X- Cut S93-G chain. This makes for a much better saw for blocking out and general forestry work.

I have also used a Marita 9032 for about 3 years but I have also found that the belts do not seem to last as long as they used to. I have also found that the little cushion pad under the arm becomes dislodged.
It is a good sander though. However, the need to finish standing carvings away from a power source led me to purchase a Ryobi One+ R18PF-0 cordless power file. Which uses 13 x 457mm belts. I use the 5Ah battery . Although the belt speed is much slower than the Makita I have found the Ryobi to be an excellent tool. I purchased some cheap non Ryobi belts for it ages ago and they seem to last much better than the Makita ones. I now find myself using the Ryobi much more. The big battery lasts ages.

Alder doesn’t rot underwater. It has been holding up Ely Cathedral and the Rialto Bridge in Venice for years!

The Sugihara R7 carving bars fit well. Rob sells them but is waiting for new stock.

I will attach a couple of photos but basically the bar has an open slot at the mounting end which fits over a raised stud on the saw. The MSA160 and 200 run the 1/4 0.43 PM3 chain. The MSA220 runs a 3/8 full chisel chain on either a 14” or 16” bar but has the same open end.

We just need to get the carving bar manufacturers that there is a growing market to get them to produce a better choice of bars for these saws.

Thanks wisewood. There is no doubt that cordless technology has advanced and can only get better. My new MSA 220 is a powerful saw.
There is an interesting, if rather crude, Australian review on YouTube. Just turn a blind eye to the H&S aspects.

I’m really keen to see if others are using Stihl cordless as I think it will help if the manufacturers realise that there is a growing market out there. Rob is not sure that the Canon will fit. It might need the end of the slot machined out.