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Stihl Chainsaw

Jim

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Oct 19, 2011
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15,617
With not being familiar with these machines i am looking for advice from some of you guru's on chainsaws .. Is this one suitable for use in the garden .. Click Me .. If so is longer better?? :thinks:

Thanks guys .. :thumbs:
 

Doug

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Take a guess
Longer appears to be cheaper :thinks: I'd go for the 16" if I had to choose from the 3 lengths
 

chas_41_uk

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Not a chain saw expert, but I'd agree with Doug as the longest one is the cheapest :thumbs:
Plus if you went for one of the smaller ones and then wanted one that was a bit longer, you'd be :mad:
 

Neil

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Jim,

If you need a chainsaw like that for around the garden jobs you must have a fair sized estate! You could lob down in a day what would take about fifty years to grow in a garden. I have a 100ft conifer hedge, two apple trees, two lilac trees and several smaller woody shrubs that get dealt with by one of these: Titan TTK587GDO 25cc 1.1hp Petrol Landscaping Multi-Tool | Petrol | Screwfix.com

However, if you are trying to kid Carol that by buying a stihl you will be clearing the garden, i must point out that the Titan wont prepare firewood, fell trees, or prepare blanks and so your sneaky little ploy wont work!
 

Jim

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lol, as if i would Neil .. :whistling:

It is for cutting up logs and nothing else Neil ..
 

GeordieB

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george
I would go the longer bar Jim but for the amount you will use it I would get a second hand one I think I got my husky for £60
A bit ott for you potted plants mate :devil:
 

Neil Lawton

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The bigger bars are cheaper because they kill you quicker!:devil:

Make sure you really understand the tensioning and sharpening instructions before you use it.
Quote a trainer.
"A glancing cut with a chain will give a ragged wound that is difficult to heal, and will probably quickly become infected.
A bigger cut will mean you bleed out before the shock allows you to use a mobile phone to say hello", if you can get reception!:whistling:

My most expensive clothing is my chainsaw gear.
 

Chillicamper

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As someone who worked in forestry/tree surgery for years I'd say Stihls are a good saw. I only used Stihls & Husqvarnas. All other makes seemed to give up a lot quicker.

For faster cutting and slightly higher revs I'd always use a Huskie, but for slightly lower revs and more grunt the Stihl got the job. It used to be the case that Stihls were the go to saw for farmers, as they were long lasting and reliable for being picked up to use on and off. Huskies were higher revving but could be a bit more temperamental as they got older.

Get a decent sized bar. 12 inch is too small, but if you go for top length bar that the model can accommodate, it sometimes is at the expense of sapping a bit of power. A mid range bar14/16 inch will cut up to 28 inch log - that's pretty big!
 

Moondoggy

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I have the MS211 with the 16" bar, brilliant machine.
I need a decent machine because my garden is around 2 acres of what could be classed as woodland.
I first bought a cheap £50 petrol chainsaw, complete waste of money.
If you need a chainsaw, buy the best you can afford. Usually Stihl or Husqvarna.
Just remember, the longer the bar, the more teeth to sharpen, and they need frequent sharpening.
 

Vic Perrin

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Maybe i should get a mate in to cut the wood .. :bwink:

Our Audrey is a dab hand with the chainsaw Jim. You can have her FOC for a year or two (When my sheds finished).

On a serious note the Sthil Chainsaws are superb but a lot of money. If it's going to be used day after day it would be a sound investment. But for occasional use I would look at a cheaper version. I have had a B&Q petrol saw for years now and it still performs well. I also have an electric one which I brought on a boot market for a tenner, put a new chain on it and it's great for use about the garden etc. I only use the petrol one now when I have to go out harvesting some free timber.

:thumbs::thumbs:
 

Dalboy

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Given the choice I would go Stihl having worked for over 25years in the plant hire business where we ran a lot of Stihl machines, Great to work on and easy to start. Also like many have said go for the longer bar sharpen little and often. If the logs/tree has been laying on the ground a good stiff brush helps get rid of some of the dirt. Also buy good safety clothing suitable for use with the chainsaw. Also find a place that runs training even if it is only a day one.
 

paulm

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I have a Stihl with a 16" bar Jim, I used to have a 36" one but wouldn't do that again, it took too long to sharpen the chain and I wouldn't go any smaller either. 16" is the perfect size.
 

Penpal

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I prefer the 16 inch Stihl and for in town around here I buy and dispose electric ones they sure do the job and dont alienate the shift workers or families with babies. The electric ones not a lot more cost than a couple of chains.

Peter.:fingers::fingers:
 

Terry Q

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MS290 farm boss is my choice. Plenty of power, 20" bar, not too heavy so you can saw for a couple hours. The one you selected is pretty light weight. My big saw is an old Husqvarna 394XP. 94cc motor with a 32" blade. Weighs 7.6kg. Wonderful power. I can only use this saw for about 30-45 minutes. Break the big stuff down first then switch to the smaller saw.
 

Chillicamper

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To follow up peoples points on sharpening - doesn't matter how long the chain is. Little and often is best (and quickest). Don't carry on if it feels it's getting blunt, The more you carry one the more blunt each tooth gets and the longer its gonna take to sharpen.

And prep of the wood is the most important. Don't cut dirty wood, used a strong brush to clean out the grit in the bark. Time spent on this is easier than time spend sharpening.

Finally, don't neglect the depth gauge part of the chain when sharpening. This is the rounded protrusion in front of the tooth. it stops the tooth being too aggressive and ripping into the wood. Most chainsaw stores will sell a depth gauge checker for these. Lie the tool over the chain on the bar and see if the depth gauge on the chain stick up above it. If so a few strokes of a flat file will bring it down and remember to round off the profile.

Because the teeth on chainsaws angle down as the get shorter, if you leave the depth gauges untouched, the tooth will gradually take of thinner shavings and take longer to cut anything. Don't take them too low though, it makes the cut too aggressive and you're more likely to get kickback.

Sorry if I'm preaching to the converted, but a badly sharpened chainsaw is one of my pet hates :blahblahblah::goesred:
 

wm460

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As someone who worked in forestry/tree surgery for years I'd say Stihls are a good saw. I only used Stihls & Husqvarnas. All other makes seemed to give up a lot quicker.



Get a decent sized bar. 12 inch is too small, but if you go for top length bar that the model can accommodate, it sometimes is at the expense of sapping a bit of power. A mid range bar14/16 inch will cut up to 28 inch log - that's pretty big!

Totally agree with this.:thumbs:
 

wm460

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Given the choice I would go Stihl having worked for over 25years in the plant hire business where we ran a lot of Stihl machines, Great to work on and easy to start. Also like many have said go for the longer bar sharpen little and often. If the logs/tree has been laying on the ground a good stiff brush helps get rid of some of the dirt. Also buy good safety clothing suitable for use with the chainsaw. Also find a place that runs training even if it is only a day one.

I have done two courses, A Tasmanian Wood Forestry course, 5 days.
A Northern Territory Emergency Services course 1 Day.
 
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