The chainsaw thread...

[~mikey b]

[riser4]

Tree professionals are amazing. My brother in-law was one for a while here on the East Coast.

[~mikey b]

PG&E hazard tree removal contractor
Mountain F Enterprises - Lotus, CA

[Meadow Skipper]

Idle curiosity. In areas where it is encouraged to remove trees from around dwellings due to fire danger, what is the approach to preventing soil erosion especially since the areas are often prone to drought followed by heavy rain cycles?

Perennial native grasses.

[~mikey b]

Yeah that's what we are doing....creating a meadow to skip in.

[BCMtnHound]

https://www.facebook.com/jeremy.cado...2221445455395/

And they wonder why drugs and alcohol are pervasive in a faller's after work relaxation...

Edit - if someone can better imbed the vid, please do. I suck at the internet.

[bodywhomper]

Favorite small high end saw that's not for in-tree work and why? Go!

[Powder Ho]

Favorite small high end saw that's not for in-tree work and why? Go!

Stihl 261, light, powerful and it fits in my Dakine builder pack.

[Meadow Skipper]

Stihl 261, light, powerful and it fits in my Dakine builder pack.

Nailed it.

[XXX-er]

The 261 is or was the smallest pro quality saw Sthil makes when I got mine, I was also looking for the husky 353 but it was replaced by the 550xp and Sthil was giving away some freebies so I got the 261, been really happy

The reasons are more power higher revs, magnesium engine cases insted of plastic and it's very noticeable of you are operating next to home owner quality saws

[bodywhomper]

What about the 43cc 3hp saws? Ms241 and 543 xp vs the 50cc saws listed above? Thinking smaller user.

[Viva]

Heh...I bought a used Stihl 026 from some guy in Napa who hadn't used the saw for several years at the time. That sucker's been money! Switched the 20" for an 18" bar, and I do a bit of trail maintenance with it on occasion.

[Charmander]

I have a 550xp

Works great, killer firewood and trail saw. Have an 044 too for felling bigger trees but have dropped 20"+ Dougs with the little husky.

[XXX-er]

What about the 43cc 3hp saws? Ms241 and 543 xp vs the 50cc saws listed above? Thinking smaller user.

Yeah the 241 came along after the 261 and is now the smallest sthil pro saw, I'd look at specs see how much weight going that small really Save's you ??

[~mikey b]

Had a couple guys come and climb and drop the last 4 dead trees today. A couple were very close to the house. I was quoted $500 just for the boom truck. These guys did all 4 for $500 cash.

[~mikey b]

[MagnificentUnicorn]

I was visiting my folks this weekend and had to help my dad with some things around the property and in his shop. My dad was a logger back from the mid '50s to about 1970. I was sorting through some stuff and found his chainsaw collection.

The Wright and the big Homelites he used when he was logging. He picked up the others along the way. The old McCullough and that newer Husky he got when my uncle died two years ago. He didn't know he had the Husky(he's 80 now), my cousins just dropped a bunch of stuff in his shop after my uncle passed. He can't remember where he got that little Cox Beaver(great name) or the 30 yo all red Homelite. He got the Stihl 031 a few years back and had his saw guy in Darrington work it over. It's a little hard to start, not bad really, but it screams and cuts like crazy with a skip tooth chain.

I can't imagine carrying around those big Homelite felling saws for 10-12 hours a day in Cascappalachian, brutal. They must weigh 30-40 pounds.

[rbtree]

Favorite small high end saw that's not for in-tree work and why? Go!

Current model--Husqvarna 550XP, or even the 543...... my 550 is fully woods ported. Before it, the 346XP was the best 3 cube saw, hands down.... I had several, though never ran any of them in stock form. I now have a stock Dolmar 5100S, which replaces my two that were stolen, and not stock. Here's me running one, when I'd thrown the pipe on it. I still have the pipe....

[rbtree]

Been an arborist for 41 years now..... and decided to take some risks in order to fill out a log truck. We had some problems with the rigging, and am doubtful that I'll ever try anything so big again..but here it is.... we pulled it off. I've not ever seen or heard of anyone aerial rigging loads approaching 3000 lb, besides the best big tree rigger there is, Graeme McMahon, who works with the largest hardwood trees, Eucalyptus Regnans--southern Australia. And the rigging of that size that he has done, was done with explosives, with him safely on the ground. Google Sherbrooke Tree Service.....

read the description

[MagnificentUnicorn]

I haven't seen any Echo love in this thread. The "pro" Echos saws are great quality and ultra reliable. When I bought my CS510 13 years ago it was better made than the Husky in the same class and on par with Stihl.

[bodywhomper]

Current model--Husqvarna 550XP, or even the 543...... my 550 is fully woods ported. Before it, the 346XP was the best 3 cube saw, hands down.... I had several, though never ran any of them in stock form. I now have a stock Dolmar 5100S, which replaces my two that were stolen, and not stock. Here's me running one, when I'd thrown the pipe on it. I still have the ]

Thanks for the suggestions. We were gifted an ms241. A pretty spectacular gift and we are stoked. We would have been happy with many of the options. It'll get used by my wife and me. Eventually, the kids will use it, too. It should last a long time. It's really nice having a new saw. I still need to get my oil pump functional on my bigger saw and am a hindered moving fwd with several projects without a bigger saw.

Our arborist friend uses a few echo saws and my neighbor uses an echo saw. The neighbor used his saw for substantial thinning. I believe it's a saw that he's had and used for over a decade. The saw runs great. He's a car mechanic and keeps all his motor driven stuff running well.

[bodywhomper]

I'm looking for recommendations for chain sharpening tools and file guides. I'm aware of different chains. I noticed some Oregon brand ones at some of the local shops.

[~mikey b]

You don't need a guide. But pretty much anything you see at your saw shop will work, starting with a simple guide that goes on your file to all sorts of contraptions, motorized or otherwise.

[XXX-er]

http://www.husqvarna.com/ca/en/suppo...ing-the-chain/

I find the guide in this^^ link idiot proof

you don't need a guide but you will probably fuck it up without and have the saw cut pulling to one side

[BCMtnHound]

I know of fallers that tend to stay away from electric sharpeners as the speed of the file can heat up the tooth, changing the temper of the steel, making hand filing in the field very difficult. Never used an electric sharpener myself, always sharpened manually - YMMV