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Post by kirch86 on Mar 7, 2011 22:57:25 GMT -5
Dad bought a poulan and the thing has been junk since he took it out of the box. We bought him a husky the next year for father's day and he loves it.
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Post by Russ Koon on Mar 7, 2011 23:25:56 GMT -5
OK, I retract the "safely" part as being too broad.
I almost didn't type that, but IMO it can be done if careful. I did it quite a bit in trimming around the house. Wouldn't attempt it with a gas saw with a 14" bar, but the minimally powered Homelite with the short bar never kicked or gave me any exciting moments.
The electric did on one occasion, when I had been cutting up a huge section of a large soft maple in the sideyard that had come down in a violent thunderstorm. I don't cut that often, so I probably tend to be more cautious than most guys who are more experienced. I knew better, but stuck the tip of the saw into a tight spot while holding pressure outward on the trunk, trying to finish the last little bit that was holding a hefty chunk from dropping off. That bit of carelessness resulted in the saw "bucking" upwards quicker than I could even think about getting off the trigger, and it nicked me pretty good on the forearm. The guy at the hospital said it likely require stitches and probably some plastic surgery later, but after an hour or so of waiting I convinced the wife that I was leaving even if she wasn't and we stopped at the drugstore and got some butterfly bandages and gauze pads that took pretty good care of it. You have to look pretty hard to spot the scar now, so I'd rate his advice as a bit on the cautious side as well.
I shouldn't have tried that maneuver with the longer bar. I had used the tip of the little Homelite on many occasions one-handed and had no trouble controlling the occasional buck.
I also had never used that technique when my other arm would be the next thing in line to be hit.
I'm certainly not recommending it as a practice, but I think it's reasonably safe with that short a saw if other body parts are away from the line of fire and if the operator realizes that the procedure is riskier than normal and calls for extra attention.
I realize that when safety is involved, the accepted posture is "kids, don't try this at home", but in real life we all know that when the situation calls for something beyond what the safety manual says is kosher, people WILL push the envelope despite the best advice of those in the know.
I sputtered for a while this year when I saw a police spokesperson saying on the news after an ice rescue, that " in Indiana, there is no such thing as safe ice"!
Do they actually think that advice will keep people off the ice when they have seen snowmobiles and four-wheelers playing on the lakes and ponds? All that the over-cautious advice does is tell the newcomer that the advisor is not being realistic. Sort of like the instructions you get with a new electronic device that informs you not to ingest the remote, because it could be harmful and possibly fatal.
Not saying that your advice is in that category, and I agree that one-handing a full-size gas saw would be way more risky than should be attempted by anyone. They're just too heavy and powerful, and even a 14" bar gets way too much leverage. But I've trimmed a lot of fruit trees and yew hedges with that little Homelite ten-incher, and the combination of low torque and short bar with little leverage has never given me a scary moment.
I still maintain that the realistic approach with the little saw would be to advise the user to control the saw with both hands whenever possible, and for those occasions when one-handing is needed, to do so with extra care and to keep other body parts well clear.
The riskiest tool I've used around the house in dealing with wood is the axe. Followed very closely by the splitting maul. Those things are treacherous and will leave a guy with a serious limp REAL quick. Neither one ever got me, but they sure grabbed my full attention enough times.
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Post by esshup on Mar 7, 2011 23:38:05 GMT -5
I second going to arborist site. I went there when I was looking for a new saw last Feb. People look at the saw funny, and say that they've never heard of it, but I bought a Dolmar 7900 and really like it. It is on the larger side, I normally run a 24" bar and have a reduced weight 32" for the larger stuff. The saw is lighter in weight than the 372 (which they quit making) and is the same size - 6+ hp.
I have a small arborist echo that has run flawlessly for 8 years and cut a LOT of wood. Cleared probably 2 acres with it, one being 2"-4" sumac. I have an extra bar, and about 1/2 dz extra chains. I just swap the chain out when dull, and sharpen at home.
Don't run ethanol blends in the saw. Always fill up the oil tank when filling up the gas. I run as high octane as I can find. A saw mechanic said that while Stabil helps, the gas when sitting looses octane as well, which Stabil won't help.
Don't cut when you're tired, and always be aware of your surroundings. Branches can fall out of trees, trees can start to go the wrong way, etc. ALWAYS have an escape route planned.
There are more things, last but not least BUY A PAIR OF GOOD CHAPS I bought a set of labonville full wrap chaps after watching the video. I also wear ear plugs, some sort of safety glasses, steel toe boots and leather gloves.
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Post by whiteoak on Mar 8, 2011 4:02:06 GMT -5
Good advise on the chaps and PPE. The Dolmars are very fine saw. There is nothing close to the 7900 as far as power to weigh ratio, but it is a little more saw than the average home owner firewood cutter needs. Don't get me wrong if a guy wants to spend the money for one and wants one, then go for it. You will have a professional saw that will get the job done and done well. If he's just needing a general purpose firewood cutter a 455 Rancher, or a Stihl MS291, or a MS290 will get the job done for a lot less cash. If he does want to buy a pro saw, I would recommend a Stihl MS362 as the best size all purpose firewood cutter. You can run an 18" bar up to a 24" bar using skip chain with 3/8" pitch with no problems. I have been hearing good things on the Stihl MS 261 saws.
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Post by whiteoak on Mar 8, 2011 4:06:14 GMT -5
Dad bought a poulan and the thing has been junk since he took it out of the box. We bought him a husky the next year for father's day and he loves it. The new Poulans, Macs and Homelites are throw a ways saws, but back in the day they all made very fine saws. There are still a bunch of the old Poulans cutting wood today. Believe it or not Husqvarna owns the Poulan name and are producing the Poulan saws today.
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Post by esshup on Mar 8, 2011 6:40:27 GMT -5
whiteoak, I agree. That Dolmar isn't a average homeowner saw. He would be better served by a smaller saw. Since he doesn't dive into the internals, having a good local dealer that he trusts is almost more important than the brand of saw. I needed a bigger saw because I use wood for my main heat source in the winter. The local tree service leaves anything over 18" for me to cut up and take home - I've had to buck up trees that were over 50" dia. and that little arborist echo wouldn't come close to cutting wood that big. I'd stay with one of the big saw companies, such as Stihl or Husky. I like the primer bulb on my Echo for east starting when it's been sitting a while. I believe its a CS360? I'd recommend looking at the operating RPM of the saw. More RPM = faster cuts. My little echo cuts quicker than Dad's Stihl because of the RPM, and the Dolmar bounces off of the 13,750 rpm rev limiter even with the bigger bar on it. That's my neighbor holding the saw. I was cutting, he was rolling the pieces on the trailer. We moved about 14,000# of wood that day, and regretted it the next day! We both use wood for heating.
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Post by drs on Mar 8, 2011 6:50:25 GMT -5
It wont get used much. Food plot stuff, firewood, and some cherry trees. Nothing huge. I bought a couple of "Professional Grade" Stihl 14" saws that are light weight & well balanced. Would do the jobs you listed above.
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Post by swilk on Mar 8, 2011 7:48:30 GMT -5
Others have touched on it but I will offer a bit of advice from experience as well.
Buy safety glasses, a hard hat and a pair of chaps.
We were girdling some trees in my woods last winter and a relatively small branch came out of a gum tree and hit Derek square in the shoulder. Brought him to his knees and he thought sure it had broken his collar bone. Ended up just swollen and bruised but if it had hit him in the head it could have been a lot worse.
Same day I was cutting and had a split second mental lapse and the chain got into my pants. Had it not been cold ... had I not been wearing thick, double walled jeans .... it would have been really bad. Aint nothing clean about the way a saw cuts flesh. Chews it would be a better description.
Anyway, those three items should be considered a necessity.
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Post by drs on Mar 8, 2011 8:00:15 GMT -5
SAFETY FIRST!!!! I know a few that cut themselves with chain saws. ALSO remember NO BEER before using a chain saw.
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Post by DEERTRACKS on Mar 8, 2011 10:32:17 GMT -5
Any recommendations? Im in the market for one. Lyman What bar length you looking at, how often will you cut, & how big of wood are you going to be cutting. I've used em all for cutting timber, clearing power lines, & cutting firewood over the past 30+ yrs. My preference is Stihl.
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Post by dadfsr on Mar 8, 2011 15:47:10 GMT -5
OK, I retract the "safely" part as being too broad. I almost didn't type that, but IMO it can be done if careful. I did it quite a bit in trimming around the house. Wouldn't attempt it with a gas saw with a 14" bar, but the minimally powered Homelite with the short bar never kicked or gave me any exciting moments. The electric did on one occasion, when I had been cutting up a huge section of a large soft maple in the sideyard that had come down in a violent thunderstorm. I don't cut that often, so I probably tend to be more cautious than most guys who are more experienced. I knew better, but stuck the tip of the saw into a tight spot while holding pressure outward on the trunk, trying to finish the last little bit that was holding a hefty chunk from dropping off. That bit of carelessness resulted in the saw "bucking" upwards quicker than I could even think about getting off the trigger, and it nicked me pretty good on the forearm. The guy at the hospital said it likely require stitches and probably some plastic surgery later, but after an hour or so of waiting I convinced the wife that I was leaving even if she wasn't and we stopped at the drugstore and got some butterfly bandages and gauze pads that took pretty good care of it. You have to look pretty hard to spot the scar now, so I'd rate his advice as a bit on the cautious side as well. I shouldn't have tried that maneuver with the longer bar. I had used the tip of the little Homelite on many occasions one-handed and had no trouble controlling the occasional buck. I also had never used that technique when my other arm would be the next thing in line to be hit. I'm certainly not recommending it as a practice, but I think it's reasonably safe with that short a saw if other body parts are away from the line of fire and if the operator realizes that the procedure is riskier than normal and calls for extra attention. I realize that when safety is involved, the accepted posture is "kids, don't try this at home", but in real life we all know that when the situation calls for something beyond what the safety manual says is kosher, people WILL push the envelope despite the best advice of those in the know. I sputtered for a while this year when I saw a police spokesperson saying on the news after an ice rescue, that " in Indiana, there is no such thing as safe ice"! Do they actually think that advice will keep people off the ice when they have seen snowmobiles and four-wheelers playing on the lakes and ponds? All that the over-cautious advice does is tell the newcomer that the advisor is not being realistic. Sort of like the instructions you get with a new electronic device that informs you not to ingest the remote, because it could be harmful and possibly fatal. Not saying that your advice is in that category, and I agree that one-handing a full-size gas saw would be way more risky than should be attempted by anyone. They're just too heavy and powerful, and even a 14" bar gets way too much leverage. But I've trimmed a lot of fruit trees and yew hedges with that little Homelite ten-incher, and the combination of low torque and short bar with little leverage has never given me a scary moment. I still maintain that the realistic approach with the little saw would be to advise the user to control the saw with both hands whenever possible, and for those occasions when one-handing is needed, to do so with extra care and to keep other body parts well clear. The riskiest tool I've used around the house in dealing with wood is the axe. Followed very closely by the splitting maul. Those things are treacherous and will leave a guy with a serious limp REAL quick. Neither one ever got me, but they sure grabbed my full attention enough times. Russ as much I as usually look forward to your posts all I can say this time is-you play with fire long enough you're going to get burnt!!! Would have thought the gouge you received would have maybe taught you something.... We took my father-in-laws chainsaws away from him while he was in the hospital getting his fractured C-2 put in a halo brace from having a limb hit him the back of the neck ....thought he would have learned after hitting sending my mother-in-law to the hospital after almost dropping a tree on her when she got hit in the head with a branch I think both of them are living on borrowed time right now Don't know what else I can say other than some people are just hard headed and stubborn!!!!!
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Post by whiteoak on Mar 8, 2011 19:28:41 GMT -5
whiteoak, I agree. That Dolmar isn't a average homeowner saw. He would be better served by a smaller saw. Since he doesn't dive into the internals, having a good local dealer that he trusts is almost more important than the brand of saw. I needed a bigger saw because I use wood for my main heat source in the winter. The local tree service leaves anything over 18" for me to cut up and take home - I've had to buck up trees that were over 50" dia. and that little arborist echo wouldn't come close to cutting wood that big. I'd stay with one of the big saw companies, such as Stihl or Husky. I like the primer bulb on my Echo for east starting when it's been sitting a while. I believe its a CS360? I'd recommend looking at the operating RPM of the saw. More RPM = faster cuts. My little echo cuts quicker than Dad's Stihl because of the RPM, and the Dolmar bounces off of the 13,750 rpm rev limiter even with the bigger bar on it. That's my neighbor holding the saw. I was cutting, he was rolling the pieces on the trailer. We moved about 14,000# of wood that day, and regretted it the next day! We both use wood for heating. There's a cure for the rev limiting coil on the Dolmars. There are non limiting coils that will work. Modify the muffler and fatten the high side carb setting up a bit and then your 7900 will really impress you even more. What is sad is the 7900's will no longer be produced the way they were being produced because they will not pass the 2010 enacted EPA specs. Most saws being produced today are strato charged with catalytic mufflers and are so choked back it hard for a guy to have much fun anymore playing with chainsaws. I enjoy wrenching on chainsaws as much as I do hunting. Very nice load of heat you got there in your pictures. I bet you were tired at the end of that day, but saved you a lot on you heating bill.
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Post by duff on Mar 8, 2011 21:03:51 GMT -5
Any of you chainsaw guys know if fixing up 2 older stihls is worth it? I have two AV031 saws. I had one running last year but can't get it running. Have not been too concerned about it since they came with the house. Figured there was a reason he left them! When I got the one running I was suprised. Figured between the two I should get enough parts to get one running with a few extras to spare in case it conks out again. Thanks, Ryan
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Post by gundude on Mar 8, 2011 21:13:23 GMT -5
Yep fix them up great saws. My poulan is crap. Plastic case and the side studs are pulling out whih results in throwing the chain which also leads to a trip to the emergency room for stitches or worse.
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Post by indianahick on Mar 8, 2011 21:37:07 GMT -5
Stihl or Echo. Had a Huskey and when it ran it worked great. But it may have ran one day and then wouldn,t start the next and then ran like a champ a couple of days later.
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Post by wileyonetoo on Mar 8, 2011 21:52:19 GMT -5
I have used Stihl for years with no issues. I have two Stihl saws, weedeater, blower, and brush cutter. The brush cutter is an older one that I purchased from a friend at work. Not thrilled with it. Everything else has been great and is very reliable.
I agree with all of the safety comments. I don't wear the chaps or hard hat but have everything else on. As swilk said, a saw will chew through flesh faster than you can react to it. When I was in high school my dad almost killed himself with an old Sears saw that was in need of maintenance. He was clearing some large limbs that dropped from a pretty rough storm. He trimmed all of the smaller branches off and then started on the bigger trunk of the limbs. What he didn't do was clear the smaller limbs out of the way. He cut through a larger limb and just ticked a smaller limb. The saw kicked back, scraped down the side of his face, and almost cut through his collar bone. He has a terrible scar that usually gets a lot of comments when he has to see a heart surgeon. Had the saw cut the collar bone all the way he would have been a goner. As it was, he lost enough blood that he passed out before he made it to the Putnam County Hospital. This was before the days of 911 so my mom drove him to the hospital as he kept pressure on the wound with several towels. Because of his accident I'm way more cautious when it comes to using saws than most people I know. So regardless of what you choose, be safe and use all of the appropriate PPE.
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Post by imnatree on Mar 8, 2011 22:23:02 GMT -5
We do alot of cutting here in the storm damage side of construction. I also heat with wood. Around here, stihl rules. 5 saws: 020T w/ 16", MS34 pro w/ 18", MS0362 w/ 18", telescoping pole saw w/ 12", & 066 w/ 36"(which is seldom needed). The first saw taken is usually the 020T. It's a one handed arborist saw and super light. Second, would b the new MS0362 I bought last summer. It's really nice, ton of power for the size. We us the RS chains on the 18" & 36" talk about throwing chunks. Cuts wood like a hot knife through butter. If I had to pick, I call the 020T my "baby" cuz it won't wear u out & it's nice to have one hand free at times. Not the fastest, but most convenient. Gets the job done without breaking ur back. Run that saw all day long and ur muscles won't b talking back the next couple days. Like anything in life, everyone has personal preferences. Agree with safety gear. We don't wear chaps, but leather gloves have save my hands a time or two. If ur cutting limbs over head, please wear a good, I mean GOOD hardhat. I got an X scar on the back of my head where a 2 ton limb hit me, sat me down on another log lying on the ground. Compression fractured my sternum. 20 staples(not stitches) and a sever concusion. I'm lucky to b able to tell this story, really. Stupidly, I wasn't wearing a hardhat! Put me out of work for 6 weeks. Btw I'm self employed so workers comp is exempted here Good luck & b safe!
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Post by voodoofire1 on Mar 8, 2011 22:27:04 GMT -5
I've got two Stihls, had 3 but figured I'd downsize and sold the big one, I can't hardly cut wood anymore, and if you lived closer I'd make you a heck of a deal on one, but anyway, I've had a few different saws since we moved here, and old sears, homelight, Husqavarna and a real scary old McChulloch, they all ran ok, but nothing like the Stihls, they always start easy, and run great, never have had the first problem................
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Post by lymanl3 on Mar 8, 2011 22:47:19 GMT -5
I've got two Stihls, had 3 but figured I'd downsize and sold the big one, I can't hardly cut wood anymore, and if you lived closer I'd make you a heck of a deal on one, but anyway, I've had a few different saws since we moved here, and old sears, homelight, Husqavarna and a real scary old McChulloch, they all ran ok, but nothing like the Stihls, they always start easy, and run great, never have had the first problem................ Where abouts do you live? Im in Southern indiana, but will be heading to lafayette in a month or so..what you got? Shoot me a pm..
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Post by Russ Koon on Mar 9, 2011 0:16:25 GMT -5
dadfsr, you may be right.
We prefer to be called determined and perseverant, but the wife still uses the old-school descriptions of my condition that you seem to favor. 8^)
You're probably right. I'm sure it's safer to take all the good advice offered by the very experienced users.
Some of us old geezers were pretty lucky to have gotten old after disregarding so much good advice over the years.
Be careful out there.
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