Who makes a decent chainsaw?

[glennmac]

There was a juggler this evening on the Family Channel. He fired up three chainsaws and juggled them. Couldnt read the brand name. But they were basically all gray with some black on the handle and a little splash of orange somewhere. This could be the tiebreaker quality--jugglability.

 

[woodstock]

It doesn\'t Pay to Brag.

I can't believe it. After all that nicey nicey talk about my trusty Homelite chain saw, sadly and thankfully it went quietly after a short illness.
The mourning period was short. I had a 50 foot ash that was threatening to flatten anything with its reach.
After two trips to Home Depot, first saw even though it was in a sealed box had no bar or chain, second one we inspected at the store and got 10% discount for our trouble (net $359 cdn $233 US)
Back at home we Installed the bar and chain
Filled it with mix and chain oil
pumped the primer bulb until it was full
and then one more time to send the piston a good shot
pulled the choke on full
flipped on the ignition
Pulled once, nothing
Pulled again, just a little cough.
Pulled a third time and holey cow.
You could feel the torque and the power throbbing in my hands.
My chest swelled with pride.
The ash trembled in my presence.
I was the owner of a new Echo 3450 and it was time to
"LETS GET READY TO RUMBLE"

Winnipeg, Manitoba

2001 BX2200 All Kubota FEL, Tiller, box blade, blower w/elec shute, 60 mid mt deck, Ag tires.
Grey market B7000 w/Tiller (120 hrs)
1984 JD 316 after 687 hrs.

 

[Anonymous Poster]

JOHN DEERE LICENSES CLEAN-BURNING
ENGINE TECHNOLOGY
Agreement with Andreas Stihl AG & Co.

JUNE 25, 2001 - Deere & Company recently signed a technology sharing agreement with Andreas Stihl AG & Co., licensing Stihl to design, develop and manufacture engines using a reduced-emission, 2-stroke engine fuel handling technology developed by John Deere. Stihl, headquartered in Waiblingen, Germany, is a multinational producer of a broad line of commercial-grade engine products, including the number one selling brand of chain saws and cutoff machines worldwide.

Stihl will utilize this technology in some of its products as one of the means of satisfying emissions standards such as CARB Tier II, EPA Phase II and future European regulations, which are expected to mirror those of the EPA. The firm is committed to the implementation of a variety of technologies. Hans Peter Stihl, chairman of Andreas Stihl, said, "The breadth of our product line demands the investigation and development of multiple technologies, allowing us to provide the optimum solution for each product and application. Along with several other available technologies, we have chosen to pursue Deere's fuel handling technology as a means of reducing emissions in some of our products."

Deere is offering this fuel handling technology, which it jointly developed with Design & Manufacturing Solutions Inc., to other companies under license agreements. This technology may have applications beyond handheld equipment, including walk-behind products, marine products, utility engines, snowmobiles and motor scooters.

"The signing of the Stihl agreement represents a breakthrough in Deere's efforts to spread the use of this technology. We are confident that the advances made by Stihl's world-class engineering organization will further our combined efforts to improve the state of this technology and to extend its application to a wider array of products," said Dan Reilly, vice president of manufacturing and product development for the John Deere Worldwide Commercial and Consumer Equipment Division.

Deere & Company (www.johndeere.com) creates smart and innovative solutions worldwide, in the form of advanced machines, services, and concepts, for customers on the farmsite, worksite, and homesite.

Please forward sales inquiries to John Deere Inquiry Department, PO Box 12217, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709. Readers can call 1-800-537-8233 or visit us at www.johndeere.com.

{from the web}

 

[r0GuE]

Just got my Husky 350 yesterday with my FEL delivery. So far it looks good on the shelf. I'll let you all know how it cuts once I read the manual. (I don't know anything about them and I'm scared I'll cut my head off)

Rogue

 

[dmccarty]

Rougue.

I'm not a chain saw expert by any means but here is what I have learned about saws and much of it applies other dangerous equipment as well.....

Read the manual for the Husky. And then read it a couple of more times! /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif Remember each one of those lawyer written warnings in the manual is because some body got unlucky, stupid, or both .... Dont fall into either one of those groups when using a chainsaw! /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

I HIGHLY recommended getting safety chaps as well as a helmet that has good hearing protection and a full face shield. A good pair of steel toe shoes is also cheap insurance. I have to Head Protective Devices, /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif, one is a full helmet with the hearing and face protection. The other is the same ear and face protection but does not have a helmet. Its basically just a head band and sun shade with the face shield and hearing protection. I pretty much just wear the helmet when running the chainsaw now adays. I'll wear the non helmet version if I'm brushcutting. But even then I just put on the helmet. What the heck I'm going to work up a sweat regardless.... You won't pay much more than $100-150 for the Head Protective Device AND the chaps. That is dang cheap insurance for YOUR body parts. People may look at you and think you are a wimp but its YOUR body parts and YOUR life not theirs. And if you are married and have a family. YOUR body parts and life is THEIRS as well...

Running the chainsaw. DO NOT PUSH either yourself or the chainsaw. If the saw is not cutting as fast as you think it should. STOP. Turn it off and check the chain. Did it loosen up? New chains will loosen up as they get warm. A loose chain does wont cut as well as a snug chain. Is the chain sharp? A dull chain works YOU and the saw much harder. Its not worth your time to run the saw with a dull chain. You litterally are waisting your time. Its also dangerous because it forces you to push the saw which should not be done.

I have some hand files for the my chains. I hone up each tooth everytime I prep the saw to run. Its that important. I have run dull chains and then switched to a new chain or a just sharpened chain. The new chain allowed me to do 2-3 times the work than the old chain. And I was pushing the saw to much with the dull chain. Don't run a dull chain.

Right now I have one chain on the bar, a new one in the box and two old chains back from being sharpened. I have my origional chain buried somewhere and I need to drop it off to see if it can be brought back from life. Its in bad shape. Keep at least two chains that are sharp.

Interestingly, the Stihl manual does not tell how tight/loose the chain should be on the bar. I try to keep mine snug but not loose. How is that for being exact. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif I pull down on the chain when its tightened. If it takes a decent effort to pull the lower part of the chain down and it snaps back into the bar I figure I'm good to go. But not to much effort. If the chain is loose and barely snaps back I tighten it up some more. I have seen people running a chainsaw with a huge gap between the bar and the lower part of the chain. YIKES! Hopefully your manual will give a good description on how the chain should be on the bar. I might be wrong but I figure I would rather have a tight chain than a loose one. I don't see how the chain is going to break on the saw and if it is to hot the chain and bar will smoke. Been There Done That.

If your chain is smoking. STOP. You have a problem. In my case its always a DULL chain. It only takes a split second for the bar tip to get into the dirt and you can have a DULL chain. You can go from sawing through 20+ inches of wood like a hot knife through warm butter to the saw not moving at all. Then the chain and bar will build up enourmous heat and start smoking..... VERY HOT VERY FAST. STOP. Get another chain.

You need to spend some more money. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif Along with the safety items go buy another bar just like the one you have. And by now, I think you know you need another chain or two. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif The reason you need two bars and at least two chains is because if you are cutting up any decent size trees. You WILL pinch the bar. Once the bar has been pinched you have a couple of choices. Get a long lever and if the tree parts are not to large you might, just MIGHT be able to lever up the tree so the chainsaw gets freed. Otherwise get an axe. Shudder. OR, just take the bar off the saw, put you spare bar/chain on and away you go! Runing the wrench is easier than swinging and axe!!!!! /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif Course you could get another chainsaw but I'm trying not to spend too much of your money. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

Buy plastic/nylon wedges. When you are cutting up something big that looks like it might pinch. Put in a wedge. The wedges are easily carried in the pocket that should be on your safety chaps. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif How do you KNOW if something looks like it will pinch the bar? Experience, i.e., getting the bar pinched. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif Its the hard way to learn but I'm afraid the only way. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif I still get the bar pinched every once and awhile.

Which leads to another topic. Don't for one second think that you know what that danged tree/branch/wood is going to do. Always assume the worse when cutting up somthing and position yourself so if worse does happen it wont get you. I got slapped in the head last Saturday by a limb that I thought was free. Something had bound it up and when I cut it it started moving towards me. It was only a couple of inches thick but it hit my head square on. I had on the helmet so not a big deal. Without the helmet it would have rung my bell.

If you are cutting up a down tree. Start from the little limb side, i.e., the crown and work back down the trunk. This gets the weight off the tree and allows you to access the trunk safely. BE VERY CAREFUL OF ANY BRANCH THAT IS UNDER TENSION. The timber guys call them spring poles. Timber under tension can pinch the bar and depending on how the tension is released the tree/limb can swing with great speed and distance. There can be some enoumous energy stored in a spring pole. YOU don't want to be in the way when that energy is released. If you work the way down the tree from the crown you minimize pinching since the tree is likely to be off the ground somewhat towards the crown. Usually a few branches will hold the trunk off the ground. So as you cut back, the wood falls easily to the ground. When you have a trunk that is all on the ground or close to it is prime pinch time.

Back to spring poles. I had a spring pole that was horizontal to the ground. The tree was about 6 inches in diameter and it had been bent around a standing tree. The bend move the end of the downed tree so it was 4 feet or so off line form the main trunk. Or to put it another way, the end of the trunk was bent four feet away from the rest of the trunk. The end of the tree was pinned under another tree. The timber guys somehow created this mess. Anyway I noticed the bend when I was cutting this mess up. Thankfully I noticed it so I could safely cut the tree. When I released the tension on the bent tree it moved through that four feet very quickly. If I had cut on the other side of the tree, it would have knocked me off my feet if I could not have jumped into the air. This would have been bad with a running chainsaw. Both the jumping or getting hit part. /w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif If the tree had hit my ankles I'm sure they would have broke........ /w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif

YOU must look and think ahead when doing this stuff. If you are tired. STOP. If your mind is wondering. STOP. If you are thinking about your job, wife, kids, dinner. STOP. You ain't thinking about what you are doing so STOP. Always think a couple of step ahead. If not STOP.

When you start using the saw cut up small stuff. Three inch branches can pinch like a big log but are much easier to deal with. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif The mechanics are similar. Start small go slow. DONT cut with the tip of the bar. The manual will say that over and over. The tip is where the kick back will occur. Be VERY careful with kick DOWN. Cutting with the top of the tip on the underside of a log can cause the bar to kick down. Make sure your feet are not directly below the bar when cutting. This is why I have steel toe boots. I have much more fear of kick downs that kick ups. I really don't see how a kick back is going to hurt a person if they are strong enough to operate the saw and are using their hands on the saw like they are suppose to. Kick back/down is not something to take likely but if a person has the strength to run the saw and the left hand is on the front part of the saw everthing should be ok. If there is not a hand controling the front of the saw there is going to be a problem.... Kick downs are much harder to control than kick backs. I have dulled the chain a few times because of kick downs.

The most power of the saw is on the bottom of the bar right in front of the engine. That will do the most cutting. When you start out try to keep the saw cutting in that area. Its the safest.

Man, is this long, been writing it off and on all morning. Hopefully I do not loose my train of thought and this is clear and helpful.

Go SLOW. Get and use the safety equipment. When you get tired put the saw down and take a break. Read the manual ESPECIALLY after you THINK you know what you are doing. ESPECIALLY about maintaining the saw. Make sure your habits are the right ones from day one. There are some references on TBN to other sites about using a chainsaw. Read them, they are written by people who know far more than me. GO SLOW! /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

Good Luck, hope this helps...
Dan McCarty

 

[Gomez]

Dan,

Excellent post and advice. Even though it had a lot of verbage (do nouns and adjectives count as verbage?), it kept my attention.

I think it may be the longest one I've read here. I wonder if
Muhammed keeps track of the longest post?

 

[dmccarty]

Gomez,

I'm afraid the post was a bit long! /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif I knew it was long but not that long! LOL! Gracious. The sad thing is I had a few more things to say about spring poles, resting, how the safety chaps are supposed to work, sharpening chains, safety chains vs "regular" chains, henges, felling trees, and a few other things...../w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

I just have a big mouth. I have written long posts before but this most be my longest. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif It did take all morning off and on...... /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

Jeese that post was long........

Later...
Dan LongWindedOnAFriday McCarty

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Dan,

Great post!

Now copy it over to Tractor Safety-Chainsaw/Tree Cutting Instruction/Safety and continue with all the rest you didn't have time for... /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

Thanks Dan...

 

[ERNIEB]

Gomez, someone did a post on skunks that I'm pretty sure was longer. I don't recall who it was, mabe it was Dan.

Ernie

 

[Anonymous Poster]

I agree totally with dmccarty's post but I have one thing to add. It is about kickbacks and kickdowns and the fact that a kickdown is/can be worse than a kickback. Please do not take this to mean that a kickback is no big deal. I had a kickback happen this year when I was cutting a small tree down and there was another small tree behind it that I dug the nose of my chainsaw bar into.

That bar and chainsaw kicked back (sideways because I was cutting sideways) faster, harder, and more suddenly than you would think was possible for something that big and heavy. It really was stunning for the bar to jump that fast. It did not move far because it did not have much tree to climb during the kickback phase and I had a good hold on the saw (and I was _lucky_) but I am telling you that the tip of the chainsaw bar jumped so fast and hard that I could hardly even believe it had happened.

 

[Anonymous Poster]

A very graphic picture of a lucky guy from chainsaw kickback...

 

[StanInCalif]

Speaking of kickback, The pointed nose on the bars of modern saws is an integral part of the anti kickback mechanism. As the chain rounds this sharp bend, the anti kickback pawls flip up and prevent the teeth from digging in. I wish I could explain it better with diagrams, but I am quite computer-challenged. Maybe somebody out there can help. Or you can roll the chain around the nose of a saw so equipped and visualize it. The "pawls" are simply tails sort of "cantilevered" on the links. The reason I mention this, is because I've seen guys replace these bars with the older blunt round nose type. They were having trouble with the chains coming off, and this was their solution. A better solution, of course, would have been to watch the chain tension more closely. These guys were crew supervisors and obviously not aware of the liability they were setting themselves up for.
This is one of those "don't try it at home- conditions may vary" things, but I have tried to make these saws kick back, and they wouldn't do it. Again, I welcome a better explanation of what I'm trying to describe. - Stan

 

[alan40]

Just purchased a Husqvarna 55. Love the saw except for one thing. The chain really heats up doing any sideways cutting. Smoking and the bar turns gray at the hot spots. I've checked the flow by running the saw above my cement floor so you can see the oil spray and it seems to be putting oil on the chain. I'm not using the Husqvarna brand bar oil but it's one I've used with my other saw with no problems at all. Maybe I need a heavier oil or maybe it's a problem with the automatic oiler. Taking it to the dealer tomorrow to see what they say. Thought I would go armed with any suggestions you may have.
Also has anyone come up with a fool proof way to sharpen a saw besides take it to a pro. When I do mine sometimes it cuts right/left or anywere it wants./w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif
Take care,
Al

 

[r0GuE]

I just wanted to thank you for taking the time toi give me all that info. I made a few cuts to a tree that had the low limbs I needed to mow under. As for the big brush / tree pile, I just moved them whole with the loader.
MY GOSH (politically acceptable phrase) I love that loader!

Rogue

 

[JohnMiller3]

<font color=blue>...When I do mine sometimes it cuts right/left or anywere it wants....</font color=blue>

My Poulan would do the same... the bar was slightly bent... my eye couldn't see it, but a new bar corrected it...

<font color=blue>...chain really heats up doing any sideways cutting. Smoking and the bar turns gray at the hot spots...</font color=blue>

Sounds like a dull chain... and this is a new chain?

"You are what you eat, drink, think, say and do..."

 

[Hillbilly]

Anyone own a John Deere chainsaw?

 

[dmccarty]

Kubotadriver,

You are absolutely correct about kickback when the chainsaw is making a horizontal cut to down a tree. I have not had it happen to me but I worry a bit about it. I figured/guess/HOPE that if it does happen then the kickback will be more away from me than it would be if the saw was cutting vertically.

I don't want to minimize kickback. If anyone reads my Magnus Opus and gets that opinion I worded things incorrectly. BUT you see/hear very little of kickdown and I think its much more dangerous than kickback. The saws are designed so that if there is kickback hopefully you have the strength and proper hand positioning to control the movement. I have found this to be easy to do when cutting vertically. Controlling kickback during a horizontal cut is much more difficult since the hand that is forward on the saw is not inline with the motion of the saw. In a vertical kickback the forward hand/arm is inline with the motion and I have not had a problem controling the kickback. My saw, and I assume all saws built today, have the "shield" that if it impacts your arm will stop the chain during a kickback.

At least a horizontal kickback is away from the body. What is bad about the kickdown is that it is very difficult to stop if there is not a decent distantance between the saw bar and the ground/body part. The body injury aspect of kickdown is fairly easy to prevent. Just make sure that there are no body parts under or in line with the saw.

As far as I can tell there are two kickback and one kick down scenerios. Vertical and horizontal cut kick back and vertical cut kick down. If anyone knows of a different way the saw can move. PLEASE let us know....

Of the three kickbacks/down I think the easiest to control is the vertical cut kickback. Kickdown is somewhat easy to control if you have a foot or so before hitting something. Horizontal cut kickback I would think is the worse to control.

I have also wondered how much the saw has to do with kickback. Would a lighter saw make kickback harder to control or easier? Does the saw weight have an impact on the likely hood of kickback?

Kickback is bad not matter how you slice it, so to speak! /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

I'll try to write an addition to the Chainsaw Magnus Opus in the next day or so. I'm sure everyone can't wait! /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

Oh, I did not write the Skunk Post but I do seem to recall it being kinda long..... /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

This really should be its own thread over in Safety.......

Later....
Dan

 

[dmccarty]

Alan40,

There was a thread a while back on chain saw sharpening. There was a decent conversation on the electric sharpeners and where to buy them. The conversation happened sometime this year I think.

I have round hand files made by Sthil that match my chains. I just eye ball the angle to match the teeth and file away. Maybe 4-5 strokes per tooth. Maybe more if the tooth is really dull. Once the point it gone from the tooth, usually because I put the bar into the ground, I take it to the dealer and for six bucks he brings the chain back. But I use the hand file on all the teeth before each Chainsaw WorkOut Session...

When my bar has been smoking its been because the saw was not cutting well. That has always been a dull chain or a loose chain. The bent bar is one I had never thought of or experienced.

Good luck...
Dan McCarty

 

[Richard]

Alan40,

I was part of the discussion on sharpening your own chain. I discovered there was a WHOLE lot about chains that I didn't know.

What started my frustration was that I rotated between 3 brand new chains. I would "touch up" the edge on them a couple of times then I would take them out for the "pros" to do.

Long story short, I was at home getting ready to fell a LARGE dead (beetle bugs in pine) tree. Tree was leaning to right, cut wedge for right side fall, go to felling cut and tree leans LEFT and pinches bar. /w3tcompact/icons/crazy.gif

Not to worry, I ran inside garage grabbed extra bar (THANKS TBN) and FRESHLY sharpened chain back from the "pros". Went out removed power head and reassembled saw with "professionally" sharpened chain.

@!&&*&%^&#($&(* thing cut like a butterknife against steel. /w3tcompact/icons/mad.gif Words, public forum and general ettiquite won't allow me to tell you how I REALLY felt with that "professionally" sharpened chain that cut worse AFTER they sharpened it than before.

I finally got the tree down, participated in the thread and finally, bought (I believe from Madsens..again, thanks TBN) a 100 foot roll of chain and had it looped for me. Today, I have a box of loops (23 I think) ready to go. I'll still touch up the edge but I have totally lost interest in having a pro do them. When they get that bad, I'll just toss the chain.

Anyone want to buy some slighly used 20" loops for 3 "flex-payments" of $19.99 ?? I'll even pay the LAST payment FOR you! So you only pay TWICE. If you order NOW withing the next 10 minutes, I'll also throw in my empty bar oil jug!! /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

Richard

 

[Muhammad]

Yep, 185 posts in Bird's 'Hydraulic Tip 'N Tilt' thread. /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif