# What saws are you running



## babalu87 (Dec 12, 2005)

Since we all know what kind of stoves/inserts we all have I figured a saw thread may be useful.
If (and what saw doesnt) any saws have that little thing that maybe the next guy knows what wrong with it.

Anything I burn that isnt a pallet comes from my 6 acre lot I live on, plenty of Red/White Oaks and Pine trees
Not many of those E Z to split Maples though 

Jonsered 2054
Carb screws tend to back out and there I was thinking it was my fuel mix  :red: 
Now if I can just get it to stay on idle


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## Eric Johnson (Dec 12, 2005)

I use a 1998 Husqvarna Model 55 with an 18-inch bar and .325 safety chain. It was a gift from my Dad, who cringed every time he thought about me using my old Jonsereds 90 with no inertial chain brake.  He also feels that an 18-inch bar is way too big for the kind of wood I cut. He says, "if your bar is never too short, it's always too long." But that didn't slow me down last summer.


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## bruce56bb (Dec 12, 2005)

1996? husky 51. just started using it again after 3 or 4 years of not burning wood.
recently bought a new bar and chains and changed to the 18" verses the original 16".
on a side note, the new bar and chains made it feel like a new saw. best $80 i've spent in a long time.


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## quads (Dec 12, 2005)

Stihl 026.  20" bar.  

I bought it used from a neighbor for 50 bucks.  Was missing a few screws and things (like me), but nothing affecting performance!  And the chain brake is.......broke.  Maybe not quite as powerful as my old Sachs was, but sure a lot lighter.  And starts way better than the Homelite before that, or the McCulloch even before that.


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## wg_bent (Dec 12, 2005)

Husky 136.  Their smallest saw with new 16" bar and chain it's a very nice saw.  Cuts well, and seem much tougher than the previous saw I had...a Poulan.

I don't cut as much wood as Eric does (I still want to know if your trying to heat the local WalMart Eric).  This year I've accumulated about 7 cords but that saw has probably easily cut 20 so far. (Oh the pain to watch my neighbor burn all that wood I gave her before I bought a stove)  

For a wood burner, I'd reccomend getting something with a little more HP, but I like my saw since it doesn't vibrate at all, and it's easy on the back cause it's lite and has modern safety features.


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## snowfreak (Dec 12, 2005)

I'm running a Craftsman 16" bar 60% of the time for the smallish stuff and a Husky 55 Rancher with a 20" bar for the bigger stuff.  When I got the Husky I realized how much I wanted to replace the Craftman.  Problem is I can't kill it, can't sell it for much,  so I guess I'll keep using it to the very end.


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## Bushfire (Dec 13, 2005)

I'm using a Husky 141 from Lowes.  So far no problems, although I don't have anything to compare it to as this is my first saw.  Cuts real well and it easy to handle as the bar isn't too long.  I also have saftey pants and head, ear and eye protection - a must in my opinion, especially as I doubt many of us ahve had training on these extremely dangerous pieces of eqipment.  In fact, i'm trying to convince some people at work (long time chain saw users) to offer some safety and technique training for us amatuers.

So am I reading that this is not really a husky, but something else in a orange cloak?


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## BrotherBart (Dec 13, 2005)

1991 Poulan Pro 405+ 65cc 20 inch bar (Old Yaller) for serious arguments with big oak trees and a 2004 Poulan 1975 Wood Shark for limbing and bucking smaller stuff. After using it for a couple of weeks the Wood Shark is in serious danger of having the ChainsawBuddy permanently attached to it.

Splitter is a 1988 Duerr. Bought the day after I realized it was a hell of a lot cheaper than my neighbor was paying for his son's college tuition. The boy was splitting his wood for him.

Since Old Yaller fully fueled and oiled up weighs over 23 pounds, I see a lighter saw on the horizon to give the wrecked left elbow and back a little breathing room. Until a big oak pisses me off that is. Sorry Husky and Stihl guys. It will be another Poulan. Gotta keep the family together.

I will try to get a pic of the Poulan my neighbor still uses. Made in the 50's. The thing could rip a Pontiac in half.


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## bruce56bb (Dec 13, 2005)

lmfao........vintage poulan vs the pontiac. set it up and i'll sell tickets and popcorn


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## Sandor (Dec 13, 2005)

Echo CS-346 
Stihl 025

Maybe a Husky 55 in my future!


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## SeanD (Dec 13, 2005)

Stihl MS440  w/24" bar
Stihl MS270  w/16" bar
Echo CS300  w/14" bar

Also have an old McCullough 610.  Weighs a ton.  Take it along in case I pinch the bar on another saw.


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## whenley (Dec 14, 2005)

Solo 100CC twin cylinder - 24" bar
Stihl 038 20" bar
Stihl 029 18" bar
Echo 3450 14" bar
Homelite XL-12 16" bar

Of those, the two Stihls and the Echo are the workhorses.   That little Echo is an awesome saw - limbing and logs <8"
it cant be beat.  Light and reliable.  The Stihls are great also.  The 038 will get up and talk!
Stihl RS chains on all three of them.

The Solo twin is flat scary - that thing will throw some chips!, but no safetys whatsoever.  Rescued it from a neighbors junk pile/shed.  Too
heavy for practicality, like carrying a 12" cinder block around.  
The Homelite is dad's old saw from the mid '60's.  Still runs pretty well - but man it is loud!

Worth in VA


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## BrotherBart (Dec 14, 2005)

katooom said:
			
		

> Solo 100CC twin cylinder - 24" bar
> Stihl 038 20" bar
> Stihl 029 18" bar
> Echo 3450 14" bar
> ...



Wow! A 100cc twin. Would love to see a picture of that hoss.


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## CountryBoy (Dec 14, 2005)

I run a Jonsered 2036 16" blade and cut/split wood off my 40 acre farm.  I also have a Mac 10-10, which is a heavy sucker, compared to the 2036, but it comes in handy for the dirty, grubbing work.

CB


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## carpniels (Dec 14, 2005)

Husky 359 with 18" and 72LV chain.

Works like a dream.

Carpniels


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## whenley (Dec 14, 2005)

Hey BB,
here are a couple of old pics of the Solo Twin.  This is shortly after I dug it out of the barn.  It took 
a while to get it running.  20yr old fuel was like honey.
It truly is a beast.  Takes some real guts to hold the throttle wide open, it screams.  No safetys at all.
yeah, it is missing the air filter.  But I do have the top cover.
I've only used it a couple of times, mostly for the novelty.
wbh


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## BrotherBart (Dec 14, 2005)

katooom said:
			
		

> Hey BB,
> here are a couple of old pics of the Solo Twin.  This is shortly after I dug it out of the barn.  It took
> a while to get it running.  20yr old fuel was like honey.
> It truly is a beast.  Takes some real guts to hold the throttle wide open, it screams.  No safetys at all.
> ...



That thing does look like a beast. Start it, rip it a couple of times and the tree surrenders and falls over.

This is all I can hang on to:


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## Mo Heat (Dec 15, 2005)

Sears Craftsman 18". Works ok with the new chain. Chain gets loose pretty quickly. Only a manual chain brake as far as I can tell. Someday I may look for the kit snowfreak put on his saw to keep the chain tight.

Dang, katooom! Your Solo is twice the size of my first 50cc Harley Davidson M-50 motorcycle. Unlike the photo in the link, mine was blue.


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## drizler (Dec 15, 2005)

Husky 141.   New saw after the old one blew up due to a carb hold down nut got ingested.   Figure that one out; they said it had happened before so jus gave me a saw.    New one starts like crap when cold always.   Had to remove the limiter caps and it was better.   Nice light saw though and not too much power but seems like plenty for anything I do.  I have cut down some fairly big trees with this saw  and it handles nice when it finally gets running.
  Does anyone know how to disengage that cursed auto dump choke that the Feds pushed on all the manufacutrers.   That stupid stunt works on engines that have a fuel primer bulb but of course Husy doesn't have one of these simple functional devices.   I see they have that thing pretty well woven into the system so you can't just disconnect the spring so I am looking for ideas before I go in and reinvent the wheel.    Sad how you have to go to so much trouble to get around the government and all for nothing.  When is the last time you ran a saw for any length of time with the choke on.    That auto dump choke must have been designed by a "Suit" for sure!


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## wvstriper (Dec 15, 2005)

Stihl 361 20"
Poulan WildThing! 18"

I love the Stihl. Lot's of power and no vibration! The Poulan is a nice little (disposable) saw, it would be better with a 16" bar.


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## kkesler (Jan 22, 2006)

Homelite C5 24" bar
Stihl MS260 16" bar


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## Dr Bigwood (Jan 23, 2006)

I just bought a 1997 "Husquvrna 55". 18" bar. Found it on e-bay and am waiting for it to arrive from upper Michigan.  It supposedly has had a complete tune up with a new sprocket.
I hope to get a a cord of wood delivered this week so I can get it cut, split and stacked.  Gotta get crack'in! 
The Jotul Castine arrives this week.......  Getting ready to convert to wood....... Ah wood is good....
Doc


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## DavidV (Jan 23, 2006)

Had to read thru this to see if I hadn't already answered.

Only Chainsaw I have ever owned is a 14 inch Poulan.  3 years now. I've cut so dang much wood with that thing I can't believe it's still running....and iti runs like mad.  Put a new Oregon bar and chain on it this year.  Just last week I cut a whole truck load and trailer load of 3-4 foot logs into smaller more manageab le stuff so I could split it all by hand.  I've topped trees, dropped trees, cut up stuff that's storm casualty....you name it.  Used it for construction demolition and once, late last year, I watched in horror as my sister in law used it to dig a 20' long 4" deep trench to landscape around a flower garden(thus the new chain and bar).  I keep thinking that it's definately going to drop dead now.....but it doesn't.


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## AKFireMan (Jan 23, 2006)

Brand new Husky 353 with a 20" bar and a Stihl 026 with an 18" bar (old faithful).   I was pleasently suprised with how well the new husqvarna works, I have been a faithful Stihl user for years.


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## Runs With Scissors (Jan 24, 2006)

katooom, That SOLO is N.I.C.E. !!




In no particular order of usefulness.....

 Two sears (poulan) 3.7ci. one heavily modified, cuts like a beast and Im wondering when its going to explode.... 18" 20" bars

 One Stihl 015L    Cute lil thing for when the limbs fall. 12" bar


 Homey Super XLao. Tough, dependable, loud, 18"bar


Homey SXL12 same as above but thinner and more powerfull 22"bar


 Homey Super EZao, Just for kicks

 Homey 4-20 gear drive 24" bar, Heavy, loud, ancient looking thing. Makes children cry......

 And not last nor least.....


 Homey SXL-925 . 85cc's of rip snortin, chip throwing, log devouring power, 26" and 32" bars. Makes _ADULTS_ cry. :ahhh: 
..
.


 Thats whats in current rotation, theres more in the shed waiting to be cleaned and tinkered with.



 If anyone has old saws that need a good home, Send me a P.M. And we can work something out.


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## MountainStoveGuy (Jan 24, 2006)

I use a Husky 372XP, i love it. It cuts big trees like butter. I have various bars for it, everything from 18-30 inches.
Ryan


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## begreen (Jan 25, 2006)

Dr Bigwood said:
			
		

> I just bought a 1997 "Husquvrna 55". 18" bar. Found it on e-bay and am waiting for it to arrive from upper Michigan.  It supposedly has had a complete tune up with a new sprocket.
> I hope to get a a cord of wood delivered this week so I can get it cut, split and stacked.  Gotta get crack'in!
> The Jotul Castine arrives this week.......  Getting ready to convert to wood....... Ah wood is good....
> Doc



Hey Doc,

Did you get that via eBay from Dave in PA? How did it work out?

- Will


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## begreen (Jan 25, 2006)

Got a Stihl 029 off of eBay this week (it was selling together with a Husky 55, thus previous query). Has a 16" and new 20" blade. So far looks to be in very good shape and runs/cuts fine. I have to get used to the chain brake, none on the 041, but looks like it will work out fine. The 041 is shared with a close friend, but he's moving north and will need the saw on his new 40 acres.


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## Dr Bigwood (Jan 25, 2006)

Will
No.  I purchased my 55 from fellow who lives in northern Michigan.  It seems to be a fine saw.    It started on the third pull and idles good.  It seemed to cut slow at first but after I switched to a sharper "chisel" chain it cut a lot faster.  Brake works.  ....I am happy with my purchase but I have yet to put it to the real test though.  The cord of wood is scheduled to be delivered on Thursday.....  

Doc


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## elkimmeg (Jan 27, 2006)

nobody cares what saws I use went fishing


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## MuckSavage (Jan 31, 2006)

McCullogh 3516. Not much but free! I stopped to look at the "For Sale" board leaving the grocery store. I see an add "Free Chainsaw in exchange for cut-up & removal of tree" I take the ad, call the guy & go over on my lunch break. The tree the guy wanted cut-up was a branch about 8" round & 15' long. The guy tells me the branch fell over the weekend, he went to Home Depot, bought the saw. Upon reading the owners manual, he didn't feel safe doing the job himself. (Yes, the branch was on the ground.) I cut it up in 10 minutes (including fueling the saw) Loaded the wood into my CJ7. I told the guy I couldn't take the saw. He insisted. Since then, I've cut probably 20 chords of wood with that saw. Surely, I'll upgrade one day, but for now I'm happy with my freebie!


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## CountryBoy (Jan 31, 2006)

I just purchased a Husky 340 today.  Is there anything interesting or quirky about this saw not covered in the owners manual?  Anxious to fire it up.

Thanks
CB


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## stoz (Feb 2, 2006)

Stihl 260 for me, haven't found anything it won't cut yet w sharp chain.

Scott


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## pinefarm (Feb 2, 2006)

I'm always surprised at the number of people who run saws I consider to be junk and seem to love them. I think it must be that almost all modern saws are actually pretty good, maybe not as much difference between them as I thought. Maybe time to get my nose out of the air and accept what those who run them are saying. How happy people are may have more to do with how well they keep their chains sharp than the power head. My only caution would be to advise everyone to not operate a saw that doesn't have an inertial chain brake. There is just no excuse for ignoring such a safety feature. Dave Johnson


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## begreen (Feb 3, 2006)

Just got a slightly used Stihl 029 from eBay. It seems pretty capable so far, though I haven't given it a real workout. Before that I've been using an 041 which is an older, though very tough and reliable beast.


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## luke (Feb 4, 2006)

Dolmar 401, Makita/Dolmar 540, and a Husky 372. All modified to different degrees. Very please with all.


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## MarkM (Feb 4, 2006)

Stihl 034 with 16" bar
It's about 20 years old and runs great with regular maintenance.  Have a 20" bar for it, but don't need it much.
Also have a Husky 335 that I used to use for climbing, but don't do that much anymore.


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## kkesler (Feb 5, 2006)

pinefarm said:
			
		

> I'm always surprised at the number of people who run saws I consider to be junk and seem to love them. I think it must be that almost all modern saws are actually pretty good, maybe not as much difference between them as I thought. Maybe time to get my nose out of the air and accept what those who run them are saying. How happy people are may have more to do with how well they keep their chains sharp than the power head. My only caution would be to advise everyone to not operate a saw that doesn't have an inertial chain brake. There is just no excuse for ignoring such a safety feature. Dave Johnson



Hi Dave.  Ran saws for years that had no safety features at all, and the C-5 (circa 1962, ~80cc) I still use for bigger jobs has no safety features.  Given the choice between spending the bucks for it's modern equivalent in order to have safety features or continuing to use it in the manner I have for years (read carefully), I'll keep using it til it dies.  With 2 parts saws for it sitting in the basement combined with the fact that I use it very infrequently, it will be awhile.  It makes a good mate to my MS260.


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## papabear (Feb 12, 2006)

Speaking of safety features:

Chain saw manufacturers should make a 'left hand' model so the blade is away from the operator when holding the saw. Think about it. And who waits until the blade stops before standing up straight from a bent over cutting position and letting go with the other hand? Some might but I don't. And who holds the saw blade straight away when not cutting and holding with one hand? No one - when you let go with one hand the saw turns 90 degrees. If you are are righty, the blade is on the opposite side of the saw - away from you. So you cut your log and stand back up straight letting go of your right (control) hand.  But the opposite if you are a lefty. You let go with your left hand as you straighten up holding the saw with the right - the saw turns 90 degrees and the blade is next to your right thigh. I am a lefty and I've nicked my right pant leg more than once as the blade is coming to a stop(drew a drop of blood once).

Anyway, the design would be the opposite if manufacturers made left hand models. And a lot safer for a lefty.

Oh, to keep with the thread, I run a Stihl (Farm Boss)! But I still like my old Jonsered. Had a 621 that cut and limbed all my cuttable hemlock and built a 40 X 120 barn with the lumber after a portable sawmill came in and sawed the hemlock. Also cut many ash trees to split into 3" X 30" splits to go to Larimore & Nortons in Troy, PA where they would mill the split into a 3" dowl. (Today, a machine reems the dowls out of the log bolt like 6 at a time.) Then they were shipped to Louisville, KY to be lathed down into ballbats, Louisville Sluggers. Also cut many locust fenceposts for the farm and to sell. And in the winter, my Jonsered cut all the firewood for 12 years. That was probably 25 or 30 years ago and when they were made in Sweden - Loggers around here said they were the best at that time. Can't get parts for that model anymore, if I could, I'd fire the old girl up again.
Today, the loggers around these parts say Stihl, Jonsereds and Husky's are good too. The loggers are the guys I like to ask. Heck, what do I know - I'm basically a weekend firewood cutting guy and they use them every day.


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## ourhouse (Feb 23, 2006)

At home I have a Husky 50 with 18" bar which my dad uses.  I also have 2 272's with 24" bars, 1 288 with 24" bar and Husky 335 and 2 Poulan Super 25's.  At work I have a Stihl 200T with 14" bar, a 346 with a 16" bar, 2 Husky 372's, a 575 and a 394 all with 24" bars.


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## michaelthomas (Feb 24, 2006)

Husky 55.  I bought it from a guy for $150.  He used it to cut 2 cord of wood 3 years ago and then stopped burning wood.  It powers through everything I need to cut.  Nothings as nice as cutting with a brand new chain, It is like butter


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## MALogger (Feb 27, 2006)

This is what I use.

Stihl MS460, 20" bar, 72CK chain 3/8x8 sprocket
Husky 372xp 16" bar (most of the time) 72CK, 3/8x8 sprocket
Husky 268 (same specs as 372)

Stihl MS200 (climbing saw I hope I never use again)


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## Roospike (Mar 2, 2006)

Husqvarna 346XP 18" bar 2001 model 
Husqvarna 346XP 18" bar 2005 model 
Husqvarna 359 20" bar 2006 model
Husqvarna 372XP 18",24",28",32" bars 2005 model  
 They get the job done.


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## PAJerry (Mar 3, 2006)

John Deere CS56, 16" cut. Has been the best saw I ever had....starts every time with no problems, unlike my old Stihl.


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