The Chainsaw Thread

BushHead said:
As for the discussion at hand, we heated with only wood heat until I was in my 30's, so while I'm not a pro I've cut my share of trees. We used to call Poulan's, "pullings" they will cut the small stuff just fine, but you'll grow to hate it... I guarantee. These days I borrow the shop saw for the small stuff and call a pro for anything big, seen to many people crushed, smashed, and cut to hell for me not to spend 75 bucks to let someone else do it esp. if it's near the house.
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Funny we had a similar name for them. We called them Pull Ons.

I grew up on a small ranch in Florida and when I was in high school I was promoted to chainsaw duty. If we were clearing branches for fences, roads, or cleaning up after a hurricane we needed as many chainsaws as possible. I always ended up with the "Pull on" saw b/c it took about 10 minutes to get it going and all the old timers had a trusty stihl in their trucks. We have no idea where that saw came from, and no one claimed ownership. It just showed up in the barn one day and it saw duty every couple of years or so when I had to use it to clear branches. You want to talk about learning brand loyalty? I learned early on I was never going to buy one of those.
 
bob91yj said:
^^^^Exactly!:cool: I'll bet the one I bought doesn't get 20 hours of use before I die, as long as it lasts that long, I'm a happy camper!

Knowing what I know now from people that have experience with chain saws, I probably would have stepped up to the Stihl, the model that Dan (100acr...) posted.

I'll take my chances with it if I ever need it on a trail run, it'll beat using the little POS hatchet that I have. Thinking about using it on the trail, I might find some use for it on some of the overgrown trails at Los Coyotes Indian Reservation now that it's open again. There are a couple of trails that have become overgrown/unpassable over the years that it was closed. Better yet, I may use the same tactics that I used this time...I bring the saw, someone else does the labor!:D
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I'm on to your shenanigans now Bob.

As for the Poulan.................The engine ran fine but the bar slips, even with the bar adjust screw tight. In turn, the chain slacvks and jumps the bar. Scared the &#$% out of me every time. Not a big fan. It will do the yard work ok.........ISH.

When I was still a SEABEE, i had a $400,000 dollar TOA of STIHL saws. We cleared out most of New Orleans after hurricane Katrina. I love those saws. We had a version of the MS 661 with a 36" bar...........Damn that was a blast to run.
 
All kidding aside though, I would be willing to look at one of the new lithium ion powered saws just to toss in the Jeep on a trip "Just in case". Battery technology has improved so much it's crazy! Now if I KNEW I was going to be cutting, I would bring one of my gas saws though.


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treefireguy said:
All kidding aside though, I would be willing to look at one of the new lithium ion powered saws just to toss in the Jeep on a trip "Just in case". Battery technology has improved so much it's crazy! Now if I KNEW I was going to be cutting, I would bring one of my gas saws though.


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Honestly, I think they're cool too but I can't get past my two main concerns - price and the fact that batteries (in my experience) don't like the cold. It'll be interesting to see this technology mature.
 
Dave said:
Honestly, I think they're cool too but I can't get past my two main concerns - price and the fact that batteries (in my experience) don't like the cold. It'll be interesting to see this technology mature.
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Ya I hear you. I've never looked at them close enough to notice price. I have been impressed by my new DeWalt tools though. Drill, sawzall, scroll saw etc. I have been slowly upgrading everything from 18v NiCads to the 20v Li Ion. Been pretty impressed so far. Time will tell I guess.


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treefireguy said:
I have been slowly upgrading everything from 18v NiCads to the 20v Li Ion. Been pretty impressed so far. Time will tell I guess.
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The only problem I've had switching over to the Li Ion powered tools is that they don't seem to hold charge as long when using them in the cold. I'm talking temps below 25* or thereabouts.
 
I recently picked up a ryobi 40v chainsaw for limbing, and so far I'm pretty darned impressed with it. I bought into the 40v system for the weed whacker, which is similar to the still kombi system, but I was interested in the electric power. My other say is a Stihl ms391 with a 20" bar so I'm not too concerned with using the ryobi for felling use.

While I've found that it is perfect for small stuff, I don't think I'd trust it to actually cut down a tree. For some reason the saw randomly shuts down in the middle of a cut, and only taking out and reinserting the battery will fix it. I think that's an extremely dangerous flaw, and I'm terrified to think that it could happen 9/10ths of the way through a tree.

I'm very impressed with the battery life however. I think when I need a chainsaw on the trail the 40v will be the one I take. It's small enough to pack away, I can get an hour of limbing out of a charge, and can always recharge the batteries as I drive. No fuel or oil to deal with either, it sounds perfect!
 
I invested in a Stihl 029 Farm Boss about 20 years ago. That saw is still running strong. I don't run it as much as I used to - which is too bad, because it is a really fun (satisfying) tool to run.

As has been mentioned earlier, knowledge (training) and safety are paramount. I was fortunate enough to be able take a class and be certified by the USFS to operate a chain saw in the forest. I thought I knew a lot before the class - amazing what I didn't know...

Also, always wear chaps (or pants). If the chain can cut through a log in a matter of seconds, think how easily it can go through your leg. (Yes, I've seen an injury when I was working in the ER during my EMT training.)
 
givemethewillys said:
I recently picked up a ryobi 40v chainsaw for limbing, and so far I'm pretty darned impressed with it. I bought into the 40v system for the weed whacker, which is similar to the still kombi system, but I was interested in the electric power. My other say is a Stihl ms391 with a 20" bar so I'm not too concerned with using the ryobi for felling use.

While I've found that it is perfect for small stuff, I don't think I'd trust it to actually cut down a tree. For some reason the saw randomly shuts down in the middle of a cut, and only taking out and reinserting the battery will fix it. I think that's an extremely dangerous flaw, and I'm terrified to think that it could happen 9/10ths of the way through a tree.

I'm very impressed with the battery life however. I think when I need a chainsaw on the trail the 40v will be the one I take. It's small enough to pack away, I can get an hour of limbing out of a charge, and can always recharge the batteries as I drive. No fuel or oil to deal with either, it sounds perfect!
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You should have read this thread first...Ryobi products will never work, you should send them to me immediately, I'm a collector of junk that doesn't work!o_O
 
Meanwhile, in @TangoBlue 's truck...

... ever ready for that Eastern storm or blown down Tree in the Beltway...

Behold! The original chain saw that Tim bought New from the Montgomery Wards catalogue

IMG_6021.JPG


;)
 
I had one of the small pull-ons. bought it used, I wanted a small enough saw I could manhandle for cutting splines inside windows and doors building cabins. I inlet a 2x4 edgewise into the ends of the logs to stabilize the opening, and attach the window and door frames to. A plunge cut into the upper end, then all the way down the height of the window, kerfed out for the 2x to slip into. The saw was so-so at first, then got progressively harder to get started and keep running.
 
After Tropical Storm Irma hit us here in Northeast Ga, that was impetus enough for the accountant to approve buying a new chainsaw. We killed our last saw a couple years ago. It didn't take much to show the cost/benefit of a new saw vs. paying the tree service.

I caught the local dealer before they even opened on Monday. Their computers were down, but cash is king and a handwritten receipt on a scrap of computer paper works for me. Gotta love small town businesses. I ended up with a Stihl MS251 Wood Boss, in no small part because of this thread.
 
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