Chainsaw advice

[CynicalSurvival]

Hi all, I have a new wood stove, and with that aspect of sustainabiity set up, I'm thinking of getting a petrol chainsaw to ensure a steady supply of wood! Ideally I want to build up a good stock sooner, rather than later. there are no shortage of discarded logs where I live but they tend to be huge. I carried a couple of the larger ones home yesterday, but need to cut them into shorter rounds before I can split them with an axe.

Any advice on chainsaws - are the £100ish new ones on Amazon/ebay ok, and how much protective clothing is a must? Also, an advice on storing petrol in jerry cans - I assume there are legal limits? Thanks!

[Briggs 2.0]

At home we use about five tons of timber per annum to heat the house and provide hot water so we're pretty heavy on our saws. First of all, I'd steer clear of the bargains on eBay. I have not tried one but a mate bought one and it managed to fell a couple of large trees then the saw gave up and would not start, and despite a strip down, has not restarted since and he got zero after sales advice.

We have a small Hitachi 30cc with a 14" saw. This is good for cutting through dry wood up to about 150mm in diameter. Try it on less dry wood or wood up to about 200mm and it will bog down, even with a sharpened chain. It really struggles.

Next up is a Husky 236 with a 38cc motor and 15" chain. Lovely saw, nice and light and it will cut through timber up to 300mm in diameter without too much trouble. It's labelled as being a handyman's saw, so after a couple of hours of heavy use it will get a bit temperamental, stall and then refuse to restart until the engine cools. Usually time for a cuppa, then it will start up again and run for another couple of hours. The 38cc motor doesn't kick or flip.

We have a Husky 550XP with an 18" chain. This thing is a monster and you can feel the extra power! It's from the professional range, cuts through our larger trees (500mm diameter at the base) with ease and runs all day due to it's auto choke. I tend to wear out long before this saw does.

I'd recommend steering clear of those sub £100 eBay job for starters, go for a known brand. Some with swear by Stihl, others like me prefer Husqvarna. Take a look at the Husqvarna website and their model range to find a model that suits what you're planning on doing. From what you're describing, I'd have a look at the 236 model which is about £160 to £170.

Protective clothing is a must. Trousers rated to Safety standard EN381-5 : 1995, Class 1, Type A are the minimum and they should be specific to the saw you use. I must admit, my trousers are rated to the above and a 20m per second chain, the 550XP I have exceeds the rating for this saw and I should get an upgraded pair. Chainsaw gloves and a helmet with visor and ear defenders plus chainsaw boots. Don't skimp on these.

[Briggs 2.0]

Double post.

[grenfell]

Used to have a husky myself till it grew legs and have used sthils through work and got on with both. At the moment I haven't replaced the stolen one and have a Mcculloch which is ok but seems a bit less solid and powerful but still does the job. As said protective clothing is important and you may even want to consider a training course. Don't forget to learn how to sharpen the chain and look after the saw itself .

[Briggs 2.0]

One tip I would pass on is try not to lean over the saw. I know it sounds like over-stating the obvious but when you get into it, you'll likely find yourself creeping more and more forward and leaning over the chain. Try to stay more upright so the safety bar has a chance to operate if the saw flips up. The safety bar should operate in that instance but it's a good idea to keep as much distance as you can between your vulnerable bits and the chain.

It's difficult to explain what I mean by 'leaning over'. Try to think of it as the way Health and Safety says to lift a heavy box. Straight back, bent legs.

I'm sure someone here has the legal allowance of fuel that can be stored. I think 20l in a metal container is the limit but I stand to be corrected. On the subject of fuel, use a decent two-stroke oil, don't skimp on that and you'll need a measuring bottle if you don't have one already.

If £100-ish is your limit, try some of the specialist gardening repair companies that may have a refurbished Stihl or Husky which I'd say would be a better move than the cheap stuff on eBay.

I hope that helps and above all, be careful. I don't mean that to be patronising, I can't stress enough how much care is needed.

[DustyDog]

As everyone else has already said really, a helmet with mesh visor and ear protectors is a must, as are chainsaw protective trousers, i have Oregon helmet and trousers which exceed current safety standards.

The saw, again £100 new??? you have to ask what you are getting, my big saw is a Partner 650, basically a Husky with a 56cc engine, bought for a £100, but it is 18 years old, and you can tell, metal chassis not like nowadays, plastic, it is used every week, I have a smaller Mac 335, used as a backup and smaller stuff. for £100 i'd be expecting a 15 year old-ish make of a saw, Stihl or Husqvarna. We go through around ten tonnes a year and the bigger saw goes through it easily.

As said, you get what you pay for, but do not scrimp on protective clothing and equipment, always respect chainsaws, they are great to use (love using mine) but they will cut a limb off in the blink of an eye.

[preparedsurrey]

As has been said get decent protective clothing (and use it!) and if you can do a training course, or at least get someone who has done one to show you how to go about things safely, especially what causes kickback and scenarios when it is likely to occur.

An elderly Husqvarna or Stihl will keep going and going and rebuild parts aren't dear when you do eventually manage to wear it out.

I would guess one of the cheapy ebay saws maybe ok for logging up small stuff but not if you have to log up everything you need to burn or even cut big tree rings

[90.]

Excellent advice from the above.. I'd add if you are mainly using it to chop logs to size get a saw horse, maybe one with a chainsaw adapter to turn it into a chop saw e.g.
https://www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/prod ... aw%20horse
This allows you to keep away from the chain, lots of saw injury's are down to bracing a log to cut with your foot to cut ..

regards all
90.

[Stasher]

all of the above

[Illini Warrior]

you should also buy a sledge hammer and a few splitting wedges .... otherwise you'll land up breaking your axe trying to split the bigger logs ....