- This topic has 30 replies, 27 voices, and was last updated 9 years ago by jimjam.
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So, what chainsaw?
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duckmanFull Member
Sorry if this has been done, but I am on a phone with dire interweb, and it takes ages to load. So; stove is in and my house backs onto woods beside a river( at the foot of a hill, thankfully) last spring the river flooded and undermined a number of trees. The area was made safe and there are lots of large hardwood tree limbs lying about. The land is council owned and had a little used path along it ( the odd dog walker) so I can get a wheelbarrow to the wood quite easily. So; to get to my point…us anybody using the cheap chainsaws from amazon, the bay etc? I would be looking to go through limbs 10-12″ and under across. Ta, Stuart.
glasgowdanFree Member“Cheap chainsaw” sounds like a very bad idea. A machine that can easily kill or maim if you fall on it or get kickback.
Get a nice used husqvarna, more refined than stihl and usually lower vibes.
jimjamFree MemberI’ve used two cheap chainsaws. One was an imitation Stihl which a friend had bought mistakenly believing it was the real deal, the other was a Mitox, a “reputable” chinese saw at the entry level end of the market.
I would avoid both like the plague. The chinese stihl had a chain break, it just didn’t do anything. At all. The Mitox was a stuttery, horrible, unpredictable lethal weapon masquerading as a tool. It also had a chain break that worked some of the time.
If you want cheap buy a new entry level Husqvarna, avail of warranty and have confidence that you haven’t bought a dangerous imitation. You should be able to get something for £170ish. The second hand market is awash with knock off Stihls and Huskies and they are very convincing to the untrained eye. For processing firewood any half decent saw will be more than enough. I ended up getting a 436 Li because I wanted something lightweight and quiet but didn’t want to compromise on cutting power. I only use it occasionally so I didn’t want to worry about it being hard to start. I’m very happy with it, and it cuts as good as any £500 petrol saw. Wasn’t cheap though.
timburFree MemberPay someone to do it for you that knows what they are doing, has the kit and the tickets. It’ll be cheaper!!
If they are any good you’ll have enough wood in two hours work for next year (unlikely to be seasoned enough this year) and still have your limbs.
Tim5thElefantFree MemberI’ve got a cheap Chinese saw (one of these). Comes with a decent bar and chain.
I used it a hell of a lot over 2 years – cut up enough trees to last me 8 years. Then the starter pawls went which I thought was a great excuse to buy a posh saw. But it cost 2 quid to fix. I’ll get another if/when it dies.
Under half what the saw managed before needing new pawls…
PigfaceFree MemberIf you get away with more than 10 barrow loads of wood I will be amazed, chainsawa are noisy and someone will report it to the council.
As said get trained, lying timber can be tricky and a chainsaw needs to be given the utmost respect.
Husky would be my choice as well, but I like the bikes (not same company anymore) and they sponsor my Swedish Ice hockey team.
skiFree MemberWe use lightweight stilh ms-170 , just had to replace one after 7 years, cheap and does the job
geoffjFull MemberYou won’t go wrong with a stihl or husky. But please get the ppe and take care. Using a saw safely isn’t difficult, but you do need to understand some basic principles.
duckmanFull MemberAye, the lad three doors down works in a sawmill,he offered to ensure I wasn’t limbing myself in return for fitting his flue. Pigface;nearest council depot is 5 miles away, I live in a 12 house Cul-de-Sac. I suspect there are 8-10 stoves fitted as no gas availiable.
bobloFree MemberIf it’s for more than occasional use, I wouldn’t buy a cheap Stihl. I bought an MS250 after my fantastic 11AV bit the dust thinking it would be just the ticket. The starter pawl is plastic, the on/off switch is a crappy spade connector/friction fit/chewing gum affair, the oil pump doesn’t really and it flooded on start up from new.
I hate it with a passion. You can buy it from me if you want 🙂
willjonesFree MemberAs said get trained, lying timber can be tricky and a chainsaw needs to be given the utmost respect.
This, and also timber is often left deliberately as part of conservation/woodland regeneration programmes.
PeterPoddyFree Member“Cheap chainsaw” sounds like a very bad idea. A machine that can easily kill or maim if you fall on it or get kickback.
Get a nice used husqvarna, more refined than stihl and usually lower vibes.There’s little call to buy used when a brand new Husky is just over £160. We bought one a few months ago. It’s a delight to use, light and well balanced with seemingly shedloads of power. The handles are all well isolated so no vibes in your hands to speak of. It starts easily, and basic maintainence is very simple
Couple of things you WILL need
Eye protection and some decent boots as a minimum PPE
A spare chain or two
Fuel can for your premix
Chain sharpening files. (Instructional vids on YouTube)
Chain oil. Don’t buy cheap stuff from DIY stores either. It’s shit. Too thin. My next lot will be branded Husky stuff.burko73Full MemberJust be award that you can’t just wander into a wood and start cutting up someone else’s timber? Call me old fashioned but whoever owns the wood probably has a plan for it which involves trying to make enough money from it to stop it costing them a fortune.
We’ve bought wood from councils, forestry etc and often pay for it and leave it in the wood until it’s dry enough to collect. If there’s not the case it’s prob been left for conservation reasons. Dead woods essential for any wood.
Wandering in there is like someone coming in to your garden and digging up your roses to save going to the garden centre to buy their own…..
thecaptainFree MemberI bought a chainsaw a year ago, and since then I’ve found a lot of friends and relatives who need trees and wood dealt with! Not that I’m doing anything too ambitious, but the saw is getting more use than I expected and I don’t regret spending a bit more than I’d originally hoped.
You can get a full set of PPE off ebay for about 100 quid.
Andy-RFull MemberI’m a big fan of these – (Husky 242XP)
I’ve got two of them (the older from 1998), both with 16″ bars. Damn good saws.
jamiemcfFull MemberI used to work in forestry,
I’ll echo everyone else, get trained and buy a decent saw. I’ve only got a husky 353g left. great wee saw, light and it has heated handles.
Try to buy from a local shop (much like a LBS). The local guy wouldn’t repair saws bought cheaply online.
Chainsaws are pretty simple machines to use once you know how (i’ve met some pretty simple saw operators/trigger pullers). The hardest part to learn is how to sharpen them properly, most folk are crap at it, like really crap. A dull chain won’t cut well, and you’ll knacker the saw trying to force it through).
thats my random rantings over
Jamie
granny_ringFull MemberBought a Stihl MS181 with 14″ bar about 4 years ago and been happy with that.
Anyone has one of these serviced? Just wondered how much it would cost.tomkertonFree MemberWas in a similar situation to you a year ago OP (new house with available wood and woodburners!)and took the advice on here to get PPe and get trained. It means the budget went from £200 to £700 for a Stihl plus 3 day course at my local agricultural college plus trousers, boots, gloves and helmet.
I really do advise the course and PPe. I am wary of saws but I do enjoy using it.
nantFree MemberI have a mcculloch chainsaw. Not as prestige as the old huskys or stihls. But cheap and cheerful. Have had for 6 years now. Keep it tidy and clean and regularly sharpen the chain.
BTW also good to do the course. I did a small tree felling course about 9 years ago, license has expired but have the necessary skills and ppe. Even if you did just the cheapest course, cross cutting and maintenance would be good intro.
Amount of crazy people I see in their shorts cutting with the end of the bar.makes me cringe.
nasherFree MemberStihl… then I am a bit of a fanboy..
I borrowed a huge stihl mother, to cut a metre diameter tree that fell on the trail, scared the bejezus out of me… Used it to do some small bits and pieces and I slipped, cut my knee open and just grazed the tendons….
Don’t £$%& about with them…and don’t put your safety trousers on the wrong way round
projectFree MemberGoogle chainsaw injuries first before you get trained and buy one, training at local agricultural colleges not cheap , but cheaper than an artifical arm
MugbooFull MemberMy old McCulloch died so I’ve taken a punt on a cheap Amazon Raptor saw in 16″ flavour. I’m using it with an Oregan bar and chain that came from a PSA on here. It’s a Powersharp bar, chain and sharpener.
The saw feels cheap, needed fettling to get it to run right too. Now it’s working I’ll see how long it lasts…
On the plus side, the Powersharp chain cuts well and the sharpener is a doddle to use 🙂
timberFull MemberLook up what you can get parts for and then get that.
It will most likely be Husqvarna or Still.
And get some files.timberFull MemberAnd secondly, just because wood is ‘left around’ does not mean it is yours to liberate, I work in forestry and we take a pretty dim view on this. Ask first.
samuriFree MemberIf I ever say I’m happy to take wood off people’s hands, they always ask when I’m coming round with a chainsaw. I reckon if I had the kit I’d get free firewood for life. Right now we get enough wood simply by knowing a guy who cut trees down. I’ll regularly come home from work and find half a tree on the drive. Good stuff. We give him a bottle of Talisker every now and again and he helps himself to my home brew when he’s round.
No, really. I’ve come home and found 8 bottles missing. He’ll bring them all back, empty and clean the next day!samuriFree Member“Ask first”.
Yep, good advice. I find plenty of wood around the local parks. I’ve asked the wardens and they’ve said if it’s been cut and is just lying there I can take it. If it’s still a tree then they said leave it there. H&S. They bring it back to the compound and eventually turn it into chippings that they use for borders and things. Again, when it’s in big lumps, they’re quite happy if I turn up and collect a load.
There’s more wood than people who want it right now.
quallimFree MemberI have a bosch electric chainsaw, that needs topped up with chainsaw oil every now and again. For home use, or near plug use an extender.But then again it is electric, and petrol per se is mobile. You can get one for around 80 quid. Cut up logsaround 14 inches with it. http://www.toolstation.com/shop/p55837?utm_source=googleshopping&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=googleshoppingfeed&mkwid=ufgwfXnR&pcrid=46297916663&gclid=Cj0KEQiAwuSkBRC7qKq8rr7796sBEiQA
And also, get a sharpening kit for your saw too. Nothing more dangerous than a dull blade. I guess there are courses out there, but youtube has some useful videos also. Just take your time, use good technique and don’t be a idot.
jimjamFree MemberJust take your time, use good technique and don’t be a idot.
Wise words.
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