Thinking About Buying A Chainsaw for Bowl Prep Work?

Mike Turner

Member
Messages
361
Location
Laurinburg NC
Im thinking about buying a new chainsaw mainly to use for bowl prep work. I want something easy to start and dependable, doesnt have to be a really big saw..maybe 16"...What have you guys had good or bad luck with?? Any recommendations?
 
I'll second the suggestion for Stihl. A bit more expensive, but well worth it. I still smile every time I use mine. I would have saved myself about $200 if I had bought the Stihl first, instead of buying a Poulan at Home Depot and wearing it out in a year or so. ;)
 
I have a 24 year old stihl ms023, which I believe is the predecessor to the 230. Never had a problem in that time.

value wise it was a "inbetween" model.... The model above my 023 was priced too close to the 023 model in the product line-up thus it never sold well.

Iow for an extra $20-$30, I could have had a more powerful saw..... But overall, I have been very satisfied with this size saw.
 
I have a Husqavarna 372XP and its LOTS of saw and runs a 24" bar just fine (it was my grandpas before me). I'd say with either a Husqavarna or a Stihl you won't be to far wrong. With either one if you can swing the $$'s get into the pro line you'll have a LOT heavier duty saw, one step down from that both have a "farm and ranch" line that is generally quite good as well. Personally I'd avoid the homeowner line (although yeah it would still be better than a Poulan).

What would probably drive my decision between them is if one had a good dealer in my area that could provide service and support; beyond that they're both great saws.

I don't think the 24" bar is excessively large as I've used all of it several times. If you're getting yard wood, from my limited experience, it seems like its not uncommon to have to carve the tree up a bit to get useful pieces out of it. I recently took some crotches off of a largish elm the neighbour took down. It was ~3' across where it forked out and I had to cut from both directions to get the pieces I wanted out. After all the inclusions and what not were cut off though I only ended up with the largest bowls being 12-14" across.
 
Even thought I'm a Stihl fan, I agree with everything Ryan has said above. His recommendation to find a good dealer is a very good one. In my case, my local dealer sold both Stihl and Husqvarna (as well as Echo, Shindawa, and several others), but he said in my area Stihls were the most commonly used by the local tree companies, and he can generally get Stihl parts easier and faster than he can the other brands. But in differor ent areas, different dealers will suggest other brands. Husqvarna is the other brand I'd recommend. There are a lot of very happy Husqvarna owners on the arborist forums. (Tree guys tend to know a lot about chainsaws.)

I also agree with the recommendation to go with the "pro" or "mid-range" models and stay away from the homeowner saws. In my case, I couldn't justify the extra $100+ to buy the pro version of my saw so I got the MS390 instead. Same horsepower, but a little bit heavier in weight. Probably more aluminum and plastic parts instead of magnesium, too, but still should last the rest of my lifetime. It's the biggest mid-range saw Stihl sells, and it'll spin a 24" chain through anything I've pointed it at without even breathing hard. :thumb:

Lastly, I'd also suggest going with as long of bar as you can afford. Just as soon as you buy a 16" chainsaw you're gonna find an 18" log. ;)
 
Just thought I'd ask, as I was looking at chainsaws today - will a 16", 11 amp electric chainsaw cut a 7" cherry log down the middle (about 15" for most of the firewood I've collected?)

It probably will, but it'll likely be quite a bit of work. If you cut directly into the end of the log (cutting into end grain), the cutting will be real slow. If you cut lengthwise into the side of the log (along the grain), it'll cut faster but it's quite possible the saw will bog down from the long shavings coming off the chain. Making a 15" lengthwise cut with a 16" saw is a lot of work for any chainsaw, especially an electric one.
 
Roger, another option would be to cut a kerf (maybe 2" or 3" if you can swing it, maybe take a couple of passes) on both sides with say a circular saw (nailing/screwing/clamping/somethinging a board on top for stability & guide might be a good idea as would fixing the log so it can't roll) and then splitting the log with some wedges. If the grain is really twisty it might not work as well as you'd like but if its at least moderately straight grained I reckon you'll most likely have a better time doing it that way than trying to use the 16" electric on it.
 
I own a Craftsman (built by Husquvarna) that I've had problems with from the get go, so I've bought a WORX electric for working around the shop... works great and does the job.... I used my first Stihl today and my next gas powered saw will be a Stihl.... it sliced through a 30" Hackberry tree like it was butter.
 
I'm soooo glad to have access to my dad's Stihl. I inherited his old homelite and my MIL's as well. When they did start, it took an hour to get that far. Spend the $$ now, you'll be glad you did.
 
The advice given is excellent. Chainsaws are one place you generally get what you pay for. The homeowner saws are excellent for trimming limbs with most under three inches and they will take down the occasional tree. One thing I don't see mentioned is once the tree is down, those short bars and slow cutting chains are brutal on the back! Twenty-four inches of bar and the extra teeth make it far easier to work your way through a tree once it is down.

My opinion, a few hours a month and light work, the homeowner saw might be marginally adequate. Certainly adequate for a little pruning and the rare heavier use, as long as you don't tackle dried wood or major logs with it.

If you are going to use the saw more like ten hours a week, at least the farm and ranch saws. In truth while these aren't optimal they will do the job pretty much anything you tackle with the bar and chain that comes with them. You can also often change the bar and chain out to pro style bars and chains. These saws still won't hold up to hours a day usage as well as a pro saw but they fill the bill for most of us. A little extra weight and not quite the durability and build quality of a pro saw but probably a fine saw for typical usage.

The pro saws are meant for daily use, hours a day, for years. They are a no compromises top quality saw if you buy a Stihl or Husqvarna and some of the others aren't too far behind. Pricey and worth it if you are going to use a saw a lot.

One thing I haven't seen much focus on is safety. The homeowner saws are built for amateurs who rarely use a chainsaw. Few teeth and very unaggressive profiles are lousy for cutting but they are hard to make kickback and give you a faceful of chainsaw! The end guards that are riveted on some annoy the hell out of me but the bolt on ones aren't the worst idea for someone learning to use a saw. The farm and ranch saws have more teeth and more aggressive teeth. These saws aren't as dangerous as pro saws but it seems to me they are built with the assumption someone buying them knows how to run a saw. The pro saws are designed for professionals to cut wood fast and as easily as possible. The worst possible place for a beginner to start, naturally where I started many years ago! These things will hurt you in a heartbeat a dozen different ways. If I was a beginner with plenty of money to burn I would buy one of these but if just starting out I would buy one that could be downgraded with a farm and ranch style chain or chain and bar as needed. Like turning wood and most things, everyone makes mistakes starting out using a chainsaw and the pro saws are extremely unforgiving. Few old pro's don't have major scars as reminders. Used right these saws make green trees seem soft as butter. Used wrong, they make meat and bone seem softer than butter!

Hu
 
The advice given is excellent. Chainsaws are one place you generally get what you pay for. The homeowner saws are excellent for trimming limbs with most under three inches and they will take down the occasional tree. One thing I don't see mentioned is once the tree is down, those short bars and slow cutting chains are brutal on the back! Twenty-four inches of bar and the extra teeth make it far easier to work your way through a tree once it is down.

My opinion, a few hours a month and light work, the homeowner saw might be marginally adequate. Certainly adequate for a little pruning and the rare heavier use, as long as you don't tackle dried wood or major logs with it.

If you are going to use the saw more like ten hours a week, at least the farm and ranch saws. In truth while these aren't optimal they will do the job pretty much anything you tackle with the bar and chain that comes with them. You can also often change the bar and chain out to pro style bars and chains. These saws still won't hold up to hours a day usage as well as a pro saw but they fill the bill for most of us. A little extra weight and not quite the durability and build quality of a pro saw but probably a fine saw for typical usage.

The pro saws are meant for daily use, hours a day, for years. They are a no compromises top quality saw if you buy a Stihl or Husqvarna and some of the others aren't too far behind. Pricey and worth it if you are going to use a saw a lot.

One thing I haven't seen much focus on is safety. The homeowner saws are built for amateurs who rarely use a chainsaw. Few teeth and very unaggressive profiles are lousy for cutting but they are hard to make kickback and give you a faceful of chainsaw! The end guards that are riveted on some annoy the hell out of me but the bolt on ones aren't the worst idea for someone learning to use a saw. The farm and ranch saws have more teeth and more aggressive teeth. These saws aren't as dangerous as pro saws but it seems to me they are built with the assumption someone buying them knows how to run a saw. The pro saws are designed for professionals to cut wood fast and as easily as possible. The worst possible place for a beginner to start, naturally where I started many years ago! These things will hurt you in a heartbeat a dozen different ways. If I was a beginner with plenty of money to burn I would buy one of these but if just starting out I would buy one that could be downgraded with a farm and ranch style chain or chain and bar as needed. Like turning wood and most things, everyone makes mistakes starting out using a chainsaw and the pro saws are extremely unforgiving. Few old pro's don't have major scars as reminders. Used right these saws make green trees seem soft as butter. Used wrong, they make meat and bone seem softer than butter!

Hu

Great advice everyone and what Hu said about pro saws is spot on, they do cut very well and very fast and they do bite back hard.
Invest in a good set of chaps, and mitts for running your saw and a helmet set-up that has hearing protectors and a face screen too, then use the darn things!

Cheers!
 
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