Chainsaw Setup
- Thread starter mtholton
- Start date
Hideaway Acres
Yearling... With promise
I've been using an Echo CS400 with Oregon AdvanceCut chains. Has worked well for me but I'm far from an expert. I will say the Echo starts easy and has been very reliable. The chains are easy for me to find but I haven't compared them to anything else.
Natty Bumppo
5 year old buck +
Full chisel is going to give you better performance....but if you're in trash or dirty wood and if there's any risk of hitting dirt it's going to dull quicker and you'll spend more time sharpening. Semi-chisel is less aggressive but more durable and will last longer between sharpenings.
Standard chain is better if you're doing plunge cuts and stuff like that. If you're just using the flat of the bar for down cuts and under cuts safety chain is fine.
For me the most important thing I can do to move quickly and be efficient is have a SHARP chain. Doesn't matter what brand. I always use semi-chisel safety chain...and I keep it sharp.
Bowsnbucks
5 year old buck +
A word of safety advice on chains ----- full-chisel is a much more aggressive chain. It's more prone to "kick-back." Best advice for safety is to NOT cut with the tip of the bar ----- kick-back danger. Had a cousin cut DEEPLY into his shoulder with just such a tip-cutting kick-back accident. Grizzly wound from that incident.
As Natty said above - a sharp chain is critical if you want cutting performance. Sharp chains save wear & tear on your engine too.
As Natty said above - a sharp chain is critical if you want cutting performance. Sharp chains save wear & tear on your engine too.
Tree Spud
5 year old buck +
I own 5 chainsaws from small limbing size to large big cutter. They are all Stihl. One is 25 years old and still running well. I also have a Stihl extension pole saw. Great for cutting upper limbs.
Good cutting is dependent on saw power and diameter of wood. Not enough power and large diameter will bog saw down.
For fast cutting ... sharpen the chain before every use. Filing the top rakers so they are even with the teeth ensures correct depth. A properly sharpened chain will require very little down pressure to cut well. I use the Oregon sharpening stone bit in my drill to sharpen with.
Remember chains will wear out and stretch over time which won't allow for proper chain tension.
Good cutting is dependent on saw power and diameter of wood. Not enough power and large diameter will bog saw down.
For fast cutting ... sharpen the chain before every use. Filing the top rakers so they are even with the teeth ensures correct depth. A properly sharpened chain will require very little down pressure to cut well. I use the Oregon sharpening stone bit in my drill to sharpen with.
Remember chains will wear out and stretch over time which won't allow for proper chain tension.
35-acre
5 year old buck +
A sharp chain and a reliable saw. after that, unless this is your livelihood I suspect things don't matter as much (I can be 100% wrong here and might just be making myself feel good by saying that).
My saw was a gift from my dad (it's a craftsman). Saw blades need to be sharp and usually recommended to be sharpened on a bench. There was thread on here last year or the year before about saws and sharpeners. I did some investigation and watched some videos on sharpeners. The end result was that for me/my needs I opted for this sharpener - it works great (I use a bench)!
My saw was a gift from my dad (it's a craftsman). Saw blades need to be sharp and usually recommended to be sharpened on a bench. There was thread on here last year or the year before about saws and sharpeners. I did some investigation and watched some videos on sharpeners. The end result was that for me/my needs I opted for this sharpener - it works great (I use a bench)!
mtholton
5 year old buck +
Thanks, yes I have a couple of those sharpeners.
Telemark
5 year old buck +
I take a rattail file and an extra chain with me. I sharpen the chain as best I can in the field until I feel I'm not making much progress with the sharpening. Then I switch the chains and carry on. When I go home in the evening, I sharpen both chains properly on a bench with a vice.
4wanderingeyes
5 year old buck +
I have a ms261 with an 18” bar, and a ms362 with a 25” bar. Just keep your chains sharp, I can cut a cord of wood without sharpening, then the next log I will have to sharpen every couple cuts.
Wind Gypsy
5 year old buck +
I picked up a ms261c-m recently, really like that saw so far. 18” bar and full chisel stihl chain has worked well.
Last edited:
Wind Gypsy
5 year old buck +
I'm not following what you're saying here. Are you saying because you didn't sharpen at all through a cord you have to sharper more often in the future?
bigboreblr
5 year old buck +
Bought a ms261 in 2010. Cut 8 cords a year for 5 years, and now just habitat stuff, bonfire wood out back, or firewood weekend up at camp. Ignition coil died in 2018. Other than that it's been great. Also had problems wth oil leaking out, needed a new oil cap, common stihl issue.
I keep 3 chains and bars with me. Always a brand new bar and chair, so I don't have to drive back to get one. A good 16" and their semi chisel non-ansi chain, yellow key. The ansi one has dual depth cutting guides, but slower cut. The 3rd bar and chain is a beat up one, dirt dipping, root cutting, etc.
Chaps, several wedges, stihl helmet, woodchuck timberpro cant hook, and really love the stihl 2-in--1 ez file. I use a scabard and chalk to mark the cuts when doing firewood. Makes the piles alot neater.
Shortest bar you can use is the right one. Keep that air cleaner in good shape too.
Bought a FR70 weedwacker the same time too. Used to weedwack and acre foodplot 2 or 3 times a year in under 2 hours. Use the red line.
Everything gets the silver stihl synthetic oil and stihl bar oil. Been very happy so far.
Bigger small engines have bigger fuel jets. 32cc little motors plug alot easier.
I keep 3 chains and bars with me. Always a brand new bar and chair, so I don't have to drive back to get one. A good 16" and their semi chisel non-ansi chain, yellow key. The ansi one has dual depth cutting guides, but slower cut. The 3rd bar and chain is a beat up one, dirt dipping, root cutting, etc.
Chaps, several wedges, stihl helmet, woodchuck timberpro cant hook, and really love the stihl 2-in--1 ez file. I use a scabard and chalk to mark the cuts when doing firewood. Makes the piles alot neater.
Shortest bar you can use is the right one. Keep that air cleaner in good shape too.
Bought a FR70 weedwacker the same time too. Used to weedwack and acre foodplot 2 or 3 times a year in under 2 hours. Use the red line.
Everything gets the silver stihl synthetic oil and stihl bar oil. Been very happy so far.
Bigger small engines have bigger fuel jets. 32cc little motors plug alot easier.
Fair oak
5 year old buck +
I think he’s saying it only takes 1 dirty log to put a hurtin on a sharp chain.
