Stihl MS251
Husky 445
Dolmar 421
Mods here are shit
Some other saw
Stihl has been great to us for years. I keep a 210 with a 16" bar around the house here in suburbia. A 10lb or lighter Stihl is a handy homeowner saw. I use it much more than our larger Stihls which now reside at the farm and it'll handle the occasional storm dropped larger tree with no problem. I'd probably look at a new 211 if I were going to replace it.
I used to cut up eight cords of delivered wood a year with a chain saw.
I think it was a Sachs-Dolmar. Good saw. A friend talked me into getting that brand.
He'd been using them for a long time.
Quit heating with wood when we moved into the house we are in now.
Still got the saw somewhere.
We also had a small Remington electric chain saw. My father-in-law left it behind.
My son used it to take down the walls of a shed for my dad.
I never used that one.
Have used Stihls for years. Have my first one O38 Super AV. Since 44, MS660, MS200, 020 Top Handle. Old 090 as a toy it is a little too much.
Until they changed to alcohol in gas never had any trouble. Get a gas dock of no alcohol gas. Do not let gas sit in saws for months. Turns to varnish.
Go to a dealer and get at least a farm ranch grade saw. Big box saws are often like putting a HK label on a Taurus. Several good saw brands out there. Where I am, SC, Stihl and Husky have good dealer support.
Buy 3-5 good chains, keep them sharp. I don't cut as much any more but when I do it may be a necessity and take all day.
Bear in mind this is one of the most dangerous tools out there. The day you do not worry a little bit about it getting you SELL IT.
The 41 Farm Boss is a good saw. The 038AV is similar but a little less vibey to run for long periods and I prefer it, but you'd have to find one. They're not hen's teeth but people tend to keep them (as the post above indicates).
If the Farm Boss is convenient to pick up I doubt you'll be disappointed. If you want to scrounge around, you can get some great deals on Homelite saws which get overlooked and sold cheap but are great saws.
Or if you can con someone out of their 38, that's a really pro-grade machine in the same size package as the Farm Boss.
This is a thread where I built a boat I designed and which I very occasionally update with accounts of using it, which is really fun as long as I'm not driving over logs and blowing up the outboard.
https://pistol-forum.com/showthread....ilding-a-skiff
Theres websites that show where to get gas without ethanol. When looking in my area, the premium grade gas is whats most often shown as ethanol free.Originally Posted by 1slow
http://www.pure-gas.org/
I haven't had much trouble with varnish forming. I think the oil mixed in with the gas helps in that regard, same as drying out in the carburetor.
Back when The End Of The World! was about to happen, my dad bought a 30 gal drum of fuel for his generator. He didn't want to mess with it, and gave it to me several years later. Like 6 or so years. It did smell like varnish. I mixed it with fresh gas and burned it up in my Nissan pickup. It was a little sluggish, but didn't seem to cause any major issues. It hadn't had sta-bil in it. I think it probably helps, but I tend to forget it when getting fuel that may end up sitting around a while. I used to keep a few drums of fuel around for my work truck, it would occasionally go a couple years before Id use it up. So far so good.
Sthil 170 or 180 Easy start will be all you need for 8-12 inch trees. Keep the chains out of the dirt ant they will stay sharp a LONG time, but since that aint gonna happen starting out.... buy several. And Runnin a chain saw is almost as much fun as shooting,
After having sthil and husquvarna over the years. I tend to like the husky more. Seem easier to start. I would say the best one is one with a local dealer not some box store an actual dealer. As for prices and chains. Hard to beat www.baileysonline.com after you get comfortable cutting switching to a pro chain with a steeper pitch and no low kickback links will cut much better.
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http://www.stihlusa.com/products/cha...er-saws/ms250/
I bought one of those after Irene hit. Best investment in a tool I've ever made. That little saw is an animal.
I used to heat solely with wood so I've cut more than my fair share of wood. If you are going to buy used be sure the oiler works. Run it over a slab of concrete and make sure it slings a line of oil. A saw that won't oil is garbage.
I'll wager you a PF dollar™ 😎
The lunatics are running the asylum
I prefer Stihl, but we have Husky too. The Stihl is just easier to use and more refined. I know nothing about their light duty saws, but I have a small pro model (260) and just love it. Had a 261 and it wasn't nearly as nice as the now discontinued 260. I would be very happy picking up a used saw from a small saw shop if it was a few years old and in good condition. My saw shop here tears them all down and fixes what needs fixing before they sell it.
I guess I'm weird, but I enjoy hand filing my chains. I'm far from great at it, but I seem to get them sharper than my shop does, and with less wear on the chain as well. There are some great youtube videos from the Canadian Forestry Service that have a ton of good info, and will make you enjoy caring for your saw.
I ALWAYS wear chaps and a helmet/eye/ear pro. Gloves too.
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