Which chainsaw to choose.

Hope it's ok to post about chainsaws on here as perhaps not 100% a gardening subject in some ways.

I am looking to buy a chainsaw, mainly to cut up wood for the log burning stove. The local council are busy removing a fair amount of trees from the roadsides as the bus operators are complaining about branches scrapping their buses.

The workers who are felling the trees are quite happy for the wood to be taken as it saves them having to load it into their lorry and take it to a landfill site. OMG all that wood being wasted is nigh on criminal. Anyway for a couple of crates of lager they let me know where they are going to be felling and I get the wood which is in various lengths/thicknesses. It will need cutting up, luckily I already have a log splitter.

I've been told that Stihl are worth paying the extra for?, certainly I wouldn't risk buying something cheap and cheerful as chainsaws are dangerous enough at the best of times! Doing a bit of research on the net something like a Stihl 180 or 181 would appear to be roughly what I need. I would also plan to use the saw to cut down the odd smallish tree in the little wood we have but will not be attempting anything of huge proportions. It might also be used to do some rough pruning of some of my very mature shrubs which would take weeks to prune by hand.

It would be a great help to get any advice members might have. The big snag about getting a Stihl is unless you are a proven professional you can't buy a Stihl chainsaw by mail order so I can't take advantage of some good prices available due the where the outlets are located being huge distances from where I live. Hope someone might be able to point me in the right direction. Thanks.

 

I have a stihl and please with it, 12inch bar
Don't buy a big chainsaw as they can be hard to handle ie the lenth of chain,get one which is right for you
Mine is 12inch's but i still can cut up a 48inch log/tree with no problem
Also buy the safety gear as a chainsaw will not think twice about your legs/arms/fingers etc always think safety with them
And be carefull
always keep it sharp, if you hit a stone/nail, sharpen it staight away, a blunt saw makes work harder and a blunt saw is can be more dangerous
Don't take any changes, i now a few pro's with bits missing

 

I've got one of these http://www.amazon.co.uk/Jonsered-All-Round-Chainsaw-45-7cc-Start/dp/B00D1WY0XC

You can get benches for log cutting that hold your saw and just allow nice and safe up/down movement and some place offer a discount on these is bought with a chainsaw.

EDIT: It's called a logmaster saw horse

 

I would echo the advice on being careful, I am a professional gardener and would not use a chainsaw without full safety gear, which is one of reasons Stihl want you to go to a dealer who will advise you on what you need and also give you some basic instruction on using the saw.
Remember if it will cut timber it will go through a leg in a jiffy.

 

I use chainsaws occasionally at work, a few years ago I took the basic chainsaw training course and proficiency test (CS 30/31), so I have some (limited) experience here.

Stihl and Husqvarna seem to be widely regarded as the best amongst professional users, they certainly seem the easiest to use and the most reliable in my experience.

I would certainly agree with what Jiffy and Lawnman have already said too, wearing the right safety gear and keeping the saw well maintained are vitally important and will make the job safer and easier.

 

Thanks everybody. I have already invested in a pair of chainsaw trousers today! and have suitable boots. Will get gloves and have goggles. Not going to get a hat tho as feel that is a bit of overkill as won't be felling anything which might go the wrong way and land on my nut! Not going to get ear muffs either as spent at least a fortnight with neighbour dealing with 2 enormous trees which blew down in a gale. He sawed and I cleared. My hearing was fine and had no ill effects.
Luckily I have a horse which will assist the cutting of logs. I certainly will take all your good advice and be sure to get neighbour who is very experienced with chainsaws to give me some lessons in maintenance of any saw I buy and sharpening of the chain.

 

I have 2 x Stihl chainsaws.

Buy a Stihl

Amen to all those. NO SHORTCUTS PLEASE

You need a hard hat. Things falling on your head is only one problem, standing up with a chainsaw running and banging your head on a branch you didn't see will make you flinch / stumble, and that's not good with a running saw.

I recommend you get a hard hat with ear defenders and a MESH screen. Googles may not be sufficient - i.e. won't protect face, and might not stop a stone that gets propelled by mistake. Don't assume that your hearing isn't damaged because you can still hear OK after using it.

And don't put the hard hat on the footwell of a dumper, instead of your head "because it would spoil my hair", such that it falls onto the ground and you run over it ... like Mrs K did!

You can get a [circular] file with a "guide" on it, which will help you sharpen the blade at the right angle. If you sharpen the blade often it just needs a quick "touch" on each tooth. Leave it all day and, without knowledge & skill, you'll be lucky to get it back to life again, as the angle of filing is important / acquired with knack over time.

I suggest you get a spare chain, then when the first one wears out (which will be some time) you can install the spare whilst figuring out where the best place to get a replacement is. Ditto if you knacker the chain on something buried inside a trunk.

 

P.S. Buy the file with the saw / blade, that way you will be sure you have got one that is the right size. I'm sure that's obvious, but I thought I'd say it anyway

 

OK then!!!!! Looks like the bank balance is in for a complete hammering. I suppose as I am getting the wood for basically nothing I shouldn't moan about paying for all the safety gear. Of course you are all correct and I'll give in and get the hat and ear muffs too. I didn't have a problem getting all the very best safety gear for daughter when she competed horses at a high level so suppose I should do the same when using a chainsaw be it not a big powerful 1.
Re your 2nd post Kristen just as well I got this advice as might not have realised there are different sharpeners for different chains. I am off to see the local Stihl dealers tomorrow. All donations to my lumberjack "business" will be gratefully received

 

IKWYM - easy when "for self" to talk yourself into "I'll be all right" and "save the money". Not worth doing that wrt personal safety though IMHO

Although ... I sometimes take the view that when I have an occasional job I want a decent set of tools to make the job easy. I think for chainsaw, because of the safety aspect, "cuts really easily" is probably A Good Thing.

But you pay's yer money and you makes yer choice, for sure ..

 

Really pleased with my new Stihl 211. It has a 14 inch bar, is very light and easy to use. It has made light work of some hefty pieces of wood. Have been "good" and bought Stihl oil for the engine and have got a hat/ear protector thingies (2nd hand off Ebay). The only cheap skate thing I am doing is using up some engine oil which I've had kicking about for ages instead of chain oil. Seems to be ok, not probably as thick as the proper stuff but does the job. Will get chain oil when what I have runs out. Thanks for all the advice, not lopped any bits off me yet!

 

Becarefull

http://home.bt.com/news/worldnews/chainsaw-blade-embedded-in-neck-11363889744765