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smaller chain saw advice

| Posted in Tools for Home Building on December 7, 2003 04:56am

I’ve been looking at smaller chain saws.  The Stihl 170 and Husky 136 are both $180 locally.  The 170 is 1.7 hp and 8.6 lbs.  The 136 is 2.2 hp and 10.1 lbs.  This will be my first chainsaw and for occasional use.  Have to cut up some 2″ to 6″ maple limbs and the 12″ trunk.  After that, don’t know, but I have a few relatives who live on the edge of wooded areas, so maybe some firewood cutting there. 

I realize this is small time compared to what most may need and use chainsaws for.  Anyway, does anyone have any experience with these saws?  Is what I’m considering even too small for what I’ve mentioned?  What’s the largest stuff a 1.7 to 2.2 hp saw is capable of cutting, or is it a matter of how long it will take one vs another to cut?  I appreciate any advice or recommendations.   

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  1. Piffin | Dec 07, 2003 06:02am | #1

    I'll take a Husky any day over the Stihl but in a sm,all one for occasionall use, I think the primary concern should be how it feels to you. How well it handles and balances.

    because an unconfortable saw is more dangerous to use. It will wear you out faster. Tired people make mistakes. Mistakes with a tool like this cause injuries.

    How fast any saw cuts is strongly related to how sharp yuou keep the chain. There angain, it will play out in how tired you are for he amt. accomplished. So learn to sharpen the chain. I tune mine up every time I fill the tanks.

    .

    Excellence is its own reward!

  2. Toolsguy | Dec 07, 2003 06:05am | #2

    DHoov2, below I have noted an extensive string that I posted a few months ago regarding just what you are asking about.

    Anyway, Stihl is the way to go. I have the 170 and its great. It was my first for about 2 months. I bought it when I just bought my house for the same reasons you list in your post. Unfortunately, it turned out to be just a bit too small after I had to have some trees taken down and took down a few on my own.

    To make a long story short, I went out and bought the Stihl 250C. VERY nice saw has an 18" bar compared to the 14" bar on the 170 and a bigger motor.

    The key here is to learn the safety issues and respect the tool (probably more than any other you own). Cab be very unforgiving. I havent found out first hand but I have seen that it can happen.

    ps - I kept the 170 for limbing and smaller work.

    ps again - keep the chain sharp. Buy a file set and regularly sharpen. You will see in my post that you find that I learned the hard way and sacrificed a chain and a bar. After I leared what I was doing, it hasnt been a problem ever since. Very easy to learn.

    The string I mentioned is: http://forums.taunton.com/tp-breaktime/messages?msg=33087.1

    Good luck and be safe.

     



    Edited 12/6/2003 10:07:16 PM ET by larleb



    Edited 12/6/2003 10:09:27 PM ET by larleb

  3. dogfishlake | Dec 07, 2003 06:15am | #3

    I think you will find an equal number of Husky and Stihl fans.  I was going to buy a Husky but went with a Stihl only because I could get better service locally, that should be your main concern as both are great brands.  Be careful, which ever one you get will cause you to want one of everything else they make!

  4. User avater
    BobSmalser | Dec 07, 2003 06:18am | #4

    Personally, I use my little arborist's saw, an Echo 341 with a 12" specialty bar for quite a bit.  7 1/2 pounds.  I do a good bit of chainsaw carpentry with it, making trail benches and such....with the new 1/4" pitch carving bars and chain, you get a pretty smooth cut.

    Trail Bench

    Chainsaw'd Adirondack Chairs

    Also use a Stihl 026 for firewood-type chores and a Stihl 046 with 36" bar as my main machine supporting the sawmill.  Most of my professional logger friends prefer the Husky for all-around use in the woods, because they are lighter than the Stihl in the same power....but most also have a big stihl for especially heavy work.

    After using those and my friend's Huskys regularly, my recommendation for a "small" saw would be the Echo.

    Get your chainsaw supplies from Bailey's in CA and TENN...have had a commercial account with them for a long time and they can't be beat for price and service...bars and chain are cheap enuf that I can abuse them without guilt....files do the best job but grinders are twice as fast and sawchain is cheap these days.

    Look for my other posts on Fir trees if you want to see their use.

    http://www.baileys-online.com/store/USA.htm

    “When we build, let us think that we build forever. Let it not be for present delight nor for present use alone. Let it be such work as our descendants will thank us for; and let us think...that a time is to come when those (heirlooms) will be held sacred because our hands have touched them, and that men will say, as they look upon the labor and wrought substance of them, ‘See! This our father did for us.’ “ --John Ruskin.



    Edited 12/6/2003 10:24:08 PM ET by Bob Smalser

  5. EricGunnerson | Dec 07, 2003 07:41am | #5

    I bought a Stihl MS 290 (Farm boss) to cut limb and cut up a bunch of trees from a lot where we built a ski house.

    It's been a great saw. I can let is sit for 6 months, and it will start with 4 or 5 pulls. The biggest logs I cut were around 18", and it cut those well.

    You should do some reading on chainsaw safety, and I also suggest considering getting some chainsaw pants, which will clog up the clutch on a gas chainsaw if you happen to hit your legs.

    Finally, and most importantly, think before you cut. What are the tensions on the log? Where will the cut-off piece fall? What is on the back side?

  6. caseyr | Dec 07, 2003 08:01am | #6

    I have three relatively new chain saws, but I haven't used them in several months, so I don't recall the specific numbers. My favorite, by far, is the small Echo arborist saw, as was mentioned in a previous post, I have a 12 inch blade, but I think you can put a 14 on it. I use it on just about anything up to about 8" and occasionally larger limbs. It does tend to bog down a little if pushed too hard in 8" and 10" pine. It starts readily after sitting for long periods of time. When unused for a long time, I usually squeeze the primer, pull the choke, pull once and it sputters, then pull again and it fires.

    The next larger saw is the Stihl "Saw Boss" also mentioned in an above post. Mine has a 22" or so. It is much harder to start than the Echo, and I couldn't get it start for a while until someone told me that I had to get absolutely new, clean gasoline that did not have the MTBE (or whatever) additive. I got some new gasoline from a 76 station and it has run fine since - all the old gasoline that the Stihl refused to run on works just fine in the Echo...

    The third is a big Husquevarna with something like a 36". It is a bear to start. Three times a week at the gym I do back exercises with over 200 lbs, but the Husqy is even more of a workout. I am sure it will dislocate my shoulder one of these days. Needless to say, I use it as little as possible... However, to be fair, before I bought the Husky, I rented the biggest Echo at the rental yard - about the same size as my Husky - and it was also difficult to get started.

  7. jc21 | Dec 07, 2003 08:15am | #7

    In larger saws, it's hard to go wrong with Husqvarna or Stihl but in small saws I'd take an Echo before either a Husky or Stihl.

  8. Ralph027 | Dec 07, 2003 02:31pm | #8

    I have a Stihl 310 and an OLD Homelite Super EZ.  The Stihl will cut anything, I think it might cut steel.  But it is heavy.  I need it for some of the things I do, it has a winterizer feature which is nice.   I use both about equally because the Homelite is so much lighter.  The Stihl starts easier.  If I ever buy another saw, it will be another Stihl, maybe a 021 or so.   Huskys are nice, but the only dealer around here for Husky is sub par.  But the Stihl dealer is excellent.  On many occasions I have been given free service or free parts because of my return business.  That is the important thing, find a good dealer and use their product.  I also own a Stihl Trimmer and plan on getting a Stihl blower/vac, and am trying to keep my 2 stroke gas engines the same so that I don't need 10 different mixtures.  One thing to note, Both Stihl and Husky have many safety features standard that other companies only add on expensive models.  Good luck, and be careful.

  9. MrBill | Dec 07, 2003 06:14pm | #9

    D,

     I am going to go a bit against the grain on this one. First of all, just to make it clear, I heated my house with wood for almost 15 years, cut and split every bit of it, so I am fairly familiar with chain saws. Due to time constraints, and a bit of laziness, I dont use the wood any longer but still have a couple of nice 24" saws. 

     About 5 years ago, my Wife's grandmother passed away, and among the few things she had left was a 12" Wen electric chain saw. I needed to trim a few branches and figured I would give it a try. Let me tell you that I was impressed to no end !  Since that day, the gas saws have never been started. The Wen always leaked bar oil when sitting, and I finally trashed it about a year ago and bought a McCulough 14" electric to replace it.  I use it a couple of times a month to cut up stuff that falls out of the trees etc. I also used it when I renovated my deck last summer to cut all (50) the   2 x 6 x 12's in half to get them to the dump.  It never missed a lick.  I would have to say that for most homeowners, who are using the saw only a few times a year, that is the way to go.  It may have a hard time with the 12" trunk on your tree, but I bet it would cut it. The advantage of not having to mix fuel etc is great. Gas powered tools of any type that are not used regularly always seem to have problems with fuel going bad, carburetors gumming up etc. If you truly are only going to use the saw occasionally, you should at least consider an electric. The extension chord to run it is no big deal.

    One more comment no matter which saw you end up with....learn how to sharpen your own chain and do it regularly. It makes the saw cut so much nicer, and it is safer when it is sharp.

    Just my opinion,

    Bill Koustenis

    1. DHoov2 | Dec 08, 2003 08:11am | #10

      If the listed hp or cc's are the same on a gas powered saw and an electric, do they both cut as well?  I rented an electric a few weeks ago and it was worthless, slower than a bow saw or pruning saw.  Don't know what the power rating on it was, but regardless, it was probably dull.  

      Thanks to all, by the way, for the responses.

      1. jimblodgett | Dec 08, 2003 09:18am | #11

        Stihl. Smooth, dependable, easy to get parts for...right up there with Honda small engines in my opinion (and don't neglect your rakers when you file your chain).

  10. User avater
    BossHog | Dec 08, 2003 04:32pm | #12

    I'd go with Stihl over just about anything.

    But "dogfishlake" makes a good point - You need dealer support for parts and such. I'd consider that heavily in your purchase.

    Bumpersticker: Constipated people don't give a crap

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