Chain saw purchase help needed

I plan to buy a Husqvarna 353, 53cc, 3.3hp 11lb plus 18" bar and chain,with a decompression valve for easy start. or a Stihl 45-50 cc.The saw would be fine for cutting some large Oaks that I need to get rid of. My question to the more experienced is the saw okay to rip logs, or more cc's needed, do you use a ripping chain, is it easier to cut logs while laying down or better to stand up and cut it in half. I assume that I should cut twice to eliminate the Pith. How much of center should be taken out? Any other helpfull suggestions on harvesting the free wood into bowl blanks. My 12" bowl limit (1974 delta Rockwell)will be replaced some day so saw needs to accomodate my future purchase. Remember buyers are liars so I may buy different specs from above if the turning Lords convince me.Thanks in advance

Reply to
chuck
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Darrell Feltmate did a good job of showing how to prepare a bowl blank using a chains on his web site at:

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Reply to
no(SPAM)vasys

Hi Chuck

I have a chain saw with a 18" bar and I should have gotten a

24" or so bar, (I will get a bigger one soon) the reason is, you cut let say a 18" or so log, you should cut the sections a little longer, then you want to rip in half and doing that you should lay the section flat and keep your saw on a angle so as not to jam the saw up with the long slivers that you will get if you keep the saw horizontal. Also every time you get a bigger log you have the nose buried in the log , does not work well. The saws you are mentioning are very capable to cut and rip most logs you will be able to handle IMO, I don't use a ripping chain, I'm not slabbing up logs, in that case a ripper would make sense. Usually I just cut once through the pit, sometimes I cut the section 2 or 3 times depending how centered the pit is or how deep a turning I want to make out of it. If you have the wood by your shop and you are able to handle the log or sections, it is easier to have the wood up a little higher so you don't have to bend over while doing the cutting, you can make a saw buck to do so. If in the field then I use a log section, standing on end to lay the other sections on and rip in half, or I take them home and do it there, if they are not to heavy to load in one piece. Also a cant hook is very helpful to have, roll a log onto some wood to get the log up off the dirt and to prevent the log from pinching your saw bar. Just make sure you use that saw safely, it cuts flesh and bones like butter.

Have fun and take care Leo Van Der Loo

chuck wrote:

Reply to
Leo Van Der Loo

Chuck, Hopefully this will help:

The size of this saw should be fine. It doesn't sound like you are cutting huge logs. If you cut larger logs later you may want two saws. I have a 16 inch and a 20 inch.

I have used both regular chains and ripping chains. Even though there are some advantages to using a ripping chain I choose not to anymore. I hate changing the chains back and forth in between ripping and cross cutting. If you keep your regular chain very sharp and point the nose of the saw down when you are ripping it works just fine. BUT you do want to watch out because the chain can become clogged more easily with a regular chain. This can require loosenign the chain once in a while and cleaning it.

Lay the log down. It will cut either way but it is faster if the log is laying down. Laying it down while cutting produces larger mulch like shavings. If you stand the log up and rip you get fairly fine saw dust.

How much you take out depends on the type of wood and the size of the tree. Some woods have a very small pith and you can get away with only cutting them once right through the center. Other trees need to be cut twice, cutting on both sides of the pith. If you cut too much you waste bowl depth. If you cut too little you risk more cracking. Experience will be your teacher here.

Good Luck, Ted

Reply to
Ted

I refer to my rip technique as "rocking" the bar. Nose down opposite end, nose up near end, trying not to get so much of the bar into the cut that you lose speed , and making sure there's clearance between the piece and the body of the saw for shaving clearance. Then straight through to reduce the center with bar at full, repeating the rocking as required to cut through.

Since I leave my wood in the log until I'm ready to cut, I normally slab the outsides first, then up the middle or close. If there's already a check there, I try to include it in the cut. If no major check, I turn down the depth until I have firm wood at both ends. Best not to cheat on this part, because it is the point around which the bowl distorts as it dries, and it will have a lot of stress on it. Firm wood, no punk, no juvenile wood. Else the risk is great of a platter-making check.

If you have a check revealed as you turn, get the depth of the bowl down until it no longer originates at center, where the stress is greatest, but rather a half-inch or so out on a 10" bowl. Then you have a good chance of saving it by running in CA. If the origin is in the center, I seldom succeed.

Reply to
George

Ripping chain is really only needed if you are lumbermilling, IMHO. And if you're doing that, a bandsaw becomes worthwhile very quickly. With a good, sharp, crosscut chain, even the safety chain that came on the saw which my saw supplier sneers at, ripping is no problem. I rip (unlike most other responses) standing on end. If it does not cut, or does not cut straight, the chain is dull.

The least expensive time to get a longer bar (with most chainsaw dealers) is when you get the saw - you can generally get a larger bar then without having to eat the cost of the shorter bar. If you anticipate any need for a 20, 22 or 24 inch bar, consider that now. That said, I've done a lot of work with a 16 inch on a silly little saw, and have an 18 inch now, and it does most of what I need, without being too much of a hassle to store and carry.

Reply to
Ecnerwal

Chuck, I have two chainsaws. One is a Husky with a 24 inch bar. The other is an electric Husky with a 16 inch bar. The heavy work gets done with the big saw, and the trim work gets done with the electric. I can use the electric inside the shop, and it doesn't disturb the neighbors. The smaller saws work if you never get very big pieces of wood, but you surely will get some that you can't turn down, but will have problems cutting up because your saw is too small. I am considering a bigger saw for the future, mostly for crosscutting, and making shorter work out of ripping.

As far as ripping the log, it depends on how big it is, and how much checking there is off of the pith. On smaller logs, I usually rip down the pith, trying to cut out any checks, and trying to make it so that the growth rings will center in the bowl blank. On larger logs, I sometimes take a 2 to 6 inch section out of the center. This is used for smaller bowls, and the quarter sawn bowls look nice. On all of the logs, I also make a cut for the bottom of the bowl, before cutting down the center. It is nice to be able to have it sit flat when you are cutting off the corners. I like to try to do it without marking the lines of the cuts. The eyeball method works well sometimes, but lines are more accurate.

Make sure to have someone show you how to sharpen your chains. Get a bow of files, not one or two as they wear out quickly. Also, get a guage to tell you if the tooth inbetween the cutters if too high, and a few of the files to take the teeth down when necessary. robo hippy

Reply to
robo hippy

Note that you can usually upgrade to a different bar for a very low price (perhaps $10-20), as most chainsaw power heads (for the good brands you mention) ship seperately from the bars. If you wait, you pay full price for a new bar and chain and have the extra bar to take up storage space.

Derek

Reply to
Derek Hartzell

Hello,

Can any one recommend a quality chainsaw chain and place(s) to buy them?

Thanks in advance, Roy Fek

Reply to
royfek43

As the one who started this topic I would like to thankyou for all the great information received, what i asked for and then some. As to the question where to buy. If service is important then a local dealer with parts and repair would be the right choice.The three top brands from what I can tell would be Husky,Stihl, Jonseraed (spelling ?) The people that advertize on the top right of this thread are close to $100 less and either give free freight, 2 extra chains, no sales tax. The service dept at your local dealer will still want your business. I will buy a Husky on the internet because I like the local parts and repair oportunity. The web address that I know of are

Popular Brand Links & Resources > "Husqvarna Chain Saw" Buy Husqvarna Chainsaws at WiseSales.com Welcome to Wise Sales. We carry a complete line of name-brand generators, lawn mowers, blowers, chainsaws, trimmers, pumps and more.

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Husqvarna Chain Saws - Free Spare Chain Buy Husqvarna chain saws at Norwalk Power Equipment Company. We're a wholesaler of power, pruning, climbing and landscape equipment. We also carry arborist supplies, safety apparel and more.

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Husqvarna Chain Saws - Free Shipping Receive a free sharpening file and bar protector with the purchase of any Husqvarna chain saw (up to 28" bar). Large selection, free shipping, and no sales tax outside Colorado.

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Reply to
chuck

I bought a Stihl 361 (59 cc engine) with a 20" bar earlier this year. It has proven to be a very capable saw. It's a bit on the heavy side (12 lbs without bar and chain) but that sucker will throw the chips! It's more saw than I will ever need.

Barry

Reply to
Barry N. Turner

Reply to
John DeBoo

I have a nice Husky 50 Rancher 20" (I suppose - it is older than the name). I got it in '87 and used it extensively after the '89 earthquake that was 7 miles from my house - called the SFO (70 miles north and 77 from the place it happened... ) - I carried it in the back of the truck as trees were falling weeks afterwards. Some were large and others were small - lots across the roads. We would just saw out the lanes and roll the logs to the side. Someone got it for firewood or wood working.

Several months ago I got a Stihl MS 192T - what a sweat little saw. 1.84 cu in. I can't find it in the manual - just sales lit - IIRC, 6 pounds. chain speed -

18.6 meters/sec. This is a limbing saw - a arborist saw. One I can use on a ladder or up the tree. Also - with the trees down around here - holding a 50 cc above the head in limbing action is dangerous and tough on the body as well. So with the two saws these oaks will come down yet.

If not, I have a long 8' buck saw ready and willing. Just if I were... :-)

Martin

Reply to
Martin H. Eastburn

When we needed a new saw this year, I almost bought it (14" stihl), when a friend asked how much I would save... it was about $10 in our case, after shipping.... He asked if it wasn't worth $10 to buy it locally and get it right away and have local support, and he was SO right!

I bought it at the local stihl dealer and got it the same day... they were friendly, helpful, and helped me choose a brand and size that was affordable but good quality... and 3 different folks at the store gave me their cards and said that if I had any questions about operating the saw at all, give them a call...

We had a throttle linkage problem the 2nd weekend that we used it.. I took it in on a monday and got it back the next day... Oh.. they also threw in a quart of chain oil and 3 or 4 bottles of 2-cycle oil, (the small bottle that you mix with 1 gallon of gas), so maybe it was LESS expensive to buy locally than on the web.. Also involved is the satisfaction of dealing with a local business and building a relationship with them.. This not only helps if you have problems or questions, but as the owner of a small local business, it enlarges my "network".. YMMV

mac

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Reply to
mac davis

Stay with stihl, and the 361 is the best one. It is always smarter to buy from a local dealer, thay are there to help you, they need your bisnes.

..............Latter Ron

Reply to
R & M Smith

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