What\'s your favourite chainsaw?

[greyman]

Hello MattB,

Welcome to our splinter group....

Well for my sins I started off using a 14" 'Alpina' saw back in the '80's and I have to say it did us proud. Then I moved on to a Sachs Dolmar 100 when we started coppicing sweet chestnut over in Midhurst in West Sussex back in late 80's. As our range of work increased I went on to use a large Sachs Dolmar with a 36" blade for ringing up wind blown and hedge felled butts. When we stopped work in the mid '90's I'd just bought a new Sachs Dolmar 14" which I started using again when we bought the wood. As Sachs Dolmar went down the pan and Makita now make the Dolmar range I went for a 12" Stihl and a sweet little saw it is too. When we start felling some big trees I'm planning on seeing if we can get ripping chains and bars for the big Sachs so I can put it in a Logosol (or similar) so that we can convert some of the timber - we don't want to open the wood up so dragging the felled wood out isn't likely to be an option.

Greyman

[tracy]

I use a husky and it is very cool and it is orange and it is good at coppicing. ...

Just thought I should bring the level down a bit! ;-)

[mikepepler]

We also have a Husky 570 now, which I use - Tracy has the 346XP. The 570 is great, lots of torque. It's a fair bit heavier, but that's the price you have to pay...

[wood troll]

Hi All,

Tracy, perhaps you could paint your Husq purple with go faster stripes? ;-)

In regard to the logosol "alascan mill".... I have a French equivalent called a Gruminette that works wonderfully and costs about 250 euros.

On alascan mills it is recommended that you use a chainsaw of at least 5.5 horse power. This is to deal with increased friction on the blade and longer running times involved in planking. My MS660 is 7.3 hp (5.2kw) and on something like a 50cm oak log it is working hard, though on poplar it relatively sails through. On pine you can sometimes get a build up of resin on the blade that makes life a little harder.

wood troll

[greyman]

Hello Wood Troll,

sounds like your well within the power band - 5.5 horses =4.10 Kill 'o the watts. Does anyone know what sort of 'cc engine you need for that sort of power? I am talking in general terms as we all know the infernal combustion engines on our chosen method of destruction are all different! Well of course, if you paint yours purple and use the go faster stripes in the right way, it can make all the difference......and if you also put a bit of Castrol 'R' in the mix you can pretend your at the TT races all day long - until you chough your lungs up because of the fumes. LOL

My word what a jape!

Anyone apart from Mike, Toby, Tracy and Me and the head of house, going to be at the Wood Fair at Bentley on Saturday?

Greyman

[wood troll]

Hi Greyman

I just happen to have a Stihl cataloge to hand and the cc needed is just under 71cc. Thats the a MS440 or 441 (or above) to us Stihl lovers;-)

I would love to come to a wood fair but its a bit a treck from France to Blighty!!!

As a thought... I have used for my own garden and sold to friends planked poplar for raised beds. It could be a way to make a few more pennies if you do get an alascan mill and have a type of wood suitable.

wood troll

[Exeldama]

Well i took advice and plumped for a wonderful looking thing from china, MISTAKE.

Bits missing, faulty parts... replaced bits , delays and still doesnt work as well as it did for the first 10 minitues....

Never again...............................................................................

Zomax thats the name.... avoid it.

Everyone seems set on Stihl and husgavana, plus dolmar and sometimes jonsered.... size etc and personal exeriences all seem to vary otherwise. But hey what do i know.. i bought a doughnut.

[davetb]

Did loads of internet research and bought Husqvarna 357xp.

Did the LANTRA crosscutting course.

Found it way too heavy to lug around all day, and too heavy to fell overstood coppice.

The personal protection equipment made it all worse, could hardly manage 20 mins, without collapsing.

Then bought a Stihl MS192 ( lightest I could find - out of Stihl / Husqvarna).

I have spent the last 18 months using the Stihl - coppicing, logging, fencing, carving etc..

Every review / person I talk to tells me the Stihl is underpowered,is rubbish etc.

I very occasionally use the Husky for logging, and plan to use it for planking.

That's what happens when 'softies' like me who sit on their bum all day buy a wood.

I do love the MS192.

The most important thing for me is weight.

I do expect most people to disagree.

Cheers, Dave

[tracy]

Davetb, don't disagree at all! If you can't work for more than 20 mins then there is no point! The light one is sounds good. I find my husky kind of heavy too. We work for a more or less solid month, so the first week is a killer and by the last week I am getting stronger!

[Dennis]

Anyone else think that Argos and Aldi are crazy/irresponsible to be selling chainsaws over the counter to anyone who'll put £60 in their hand? Leaflets/catalogues say nothing about safety gear or training.