Chainsaws and those who use them

[ZG47]

@ZG47 - I’ve got to look into chainsaw “Trousers” (pants) if they are cooler because anytime I’m chainsawing in temps are over 60F degrees I am “boiling” wearing Chaps. When it’s 70-80F (frequent where I live) I can’t cut more then 20-30 minutes without sweating buckets and needing a break —- and drink a pint of water before resuming. After an hour or so of this — I quit before an “accident” happens.

My chainsaw trousers have a mesh liner which prevents binding and helps with ventilation. They also have a rear vent below the belt loops. In addition to the mesh liner and vent; the fact that they are retained by a belt and/or braces, instead of being tightly strapped to your legs, reduces overheating and cramping.
N.B. Go to a place where you can try them on before buying. DO NOT order from afar. I bought mine from a sawmaking company, in my hometown, about an hour from my address. It has broadened its own range and introduced other maker’s products to provide:
pretty much anything and everything that a timber feller, arborist, tree pruner, tree planter or firewood company could want.
Have you considered using a water bladder with one of those lightweight runners’ packs? No more looking around for your water bottle.

 

[M70375!]

361 Stihl is my favorite,

 

[Tubby’s Canteen]

I’ve tried the chaps as well as several styles of chainsaw pants the best I have found is clogger jeans although you’ll pay for them they are not cheap.

 

[HankBuck]

361 Stihl is my favorite,
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@M70375! - agree and I also love using my Stihl 361 w/20” bar, it’s over 12 years old and runs great…its usually bigger then I need and recently purchased a Stihl 261 w/18” bar——that is becoming my Go To saw because of the lighter weight even felling trees 18”-20”+ it’s been fine and for bucking/limbing “much easier” to lug around…at least for me. Obviously Not quite the power of the 361 and noticeable when felling some larger hardwood trees but overall it meets 90% of my needs AND as one professional Lumberjack told me “any tree you can’t cut with this - You’ve got No business cutting”…. For me and my very Average timber skills - a smaller saw keeps me out of trouble

 

[Rifleman97]

@M70375! - agree and I also love using my Stihl 361 w/20” bar, it’s over 12 years old and runs great…its usually bigger then I need and recently purchased a Stihl 261 w/18” bar——that is becoming my Go To saw because of the lighter weight even felling trees 18”-20”+ it’s been fine and for bucking/limbing “much easier” to lug around…at least for me. Obviously Not quite the power of the 361 and noticeable when felling some larger hardwood trees but overall it meets 90% of my needs AND as one professional Lumberjack told me “any tree you can’t cut with this - You’ve got No business cutting”…. For me and my very Average timber skills - a smaller saw keeps me out of trouble

Even when I worked full time on a professional crew, we generally only brought 3 saw sizes to any job from felling to light pruning. Those saws were the 201T tophandle, 261 with a 18”, and a 462 with a 28+ bar for the bigger stuff. And of those, the 261 got the most use. The 261 is the saw I recommend the vast majority of people who do more than 1 tree a year get. It’s a pro series so you get a more easily repaired longer lasting motor, and it’s really lightweight, and really powerful for how light it is. Amazing little saws.

 

[ZG47]

I’ve tried the chaps as well as several styles of chainsaw pants the best I have found is clogger jeans although you’ll pay for them they are not cheap.

Clogger is what I use. Possibly a bit cheaper here in NZ, the birthplace of Clogger!

 

[Tubby’s Canteen]

Clogger is what I use. Possibly a bit cheaper here in NZ, the birthplace of Clogger!

Pretty well 500$ a pair here

 

[mdwest]

Pretty well 500$ a pair here

Holy hell… for $500 I’ll just buy a new leg!

 

[Tubby’s Canteen]

Holy hell… for $500 I’ll just buy a new leg!

It’s not so bad when you can write them off as a business experience

 

[ZG47]

Pretty well 500$ a pair here

Clogger Denim and Defender Pro 2 are both NZ$440.00 incl GST. Thank the international fuel prices and probably some invalid tariffs from you know who, for your prices.

 

[mdwest]

Ive got some serious chainsaw envy now and may be forced to go out and buy a pro grade stihl saw lol..

the owner of the property where I deer hunt knew I was coming out this weekend to do a little maintenance on some shooting lanes and to do a little weed eating around the blinds and the feeders.. He sent me a text on Thursday asking if I would mind bringing a chainsaw.. I was already planning on bringing my little stihl MS180... but I thought what the hell, I'll throw the MS 291 in the truck too.. maybe whatever he is needing worked on needs a little bit more saw...

well... this is what he needed work on lol..

a freaking 60' oak that was about 46" across at the base...

and the biggest saw I own has a 20" bar....

thank God I had a spare chain for both of the saws with me as well as a gallon of gas and a quart of bar oil..

After about 90 minutes of chewing on this freshly blown down, still live and wet behemouth.. 3 guys that work on the landowners landscaping and yard cutting crew walked up on us.. they head the chainsaws running and came down to see what was going on...

they laughed a little.. left.. and then about 20 minutes later came back with an MS 661 with a 32" bar on it...

In 30 minutes they got more done than we had accomplished in an hour and a half and we were able to get it cut up into blocks small enough for a tractor with a front end loader to be able to push them out of the roadway..

I have no clue what use I'd have for a $2K chainsaw... other than over the last 6 weeks or so Ive had to clear 2x trees about this size (but never in my life have ever had to do it before)... but holy hell do I want one badly now lol..

 

[Challer]

I've got an original Farm Boss from the 80s. 4 bars and probably a dozen chains and still going strong. The big saws have an allure but I'd never use it. Actually have a smaller gas and smaller electric and they work great. The electric always gets the call for the odd job.

 

[ZG47]

Yea

Ive got some serious chainsaw envy now and may be forced to go out and buy a pro grade stihl saw lol..

the owner of the property where I deer hunt knew I was coming out this weekend to do a little maintenance on some shooting lanes and to do a little weed eating around the blinds and the feeders.. He sent me a text on Thursday asking if I would mind bringing a chainsaw.. I was already planning on bringing my little stihl MS180... but I thought what the hell, I'll throw the MS 291 in the truck too.. maybe whatever he is needing worked on needs a little bit more saw...

well... this is what he needed work on lol..

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a freaking 60' oak that was about 46" across at the base...

and the biggest saw I own has a 20" bar....

thank God I had a spare chain for both of the saws with me as well as a gallon of gas and a quart of bar oil..

After about 90 minutes of chewing on this freshly blown down, still live and wet behemouth.. 3 guys that work on the landowners landscaping and yard cutting crew walked up on us.. they head the chainsaws running and came down to see what was going on...

they laughed a little.. left.. and then about 20 minutes later came back with an MS 661 with a 32" bar on it...

In 30 minutes they got more done than we had accomplished in an hour and a half and we were able to get it cut up into blocks small enough for a tractor with a front end loader to be able to push them out of the roadway..

I have no clue what use I'd have for a $2K chainsaw... other than over the last 6 weeks or so Ive had to clear 2x trees about this size (but never in my life have ever had to do it before)... but holy hell do I want one badly now lol.

Yes, well … keep up your chainsaw muscles and tendons, if you are going to buy something bigger. The big saws don’t get any lighter, as the years go by. I recently used one of my arborist mate’s big saws whilst helping him on a job. I commented to him that I had forgotten how nice it was to use and … how heavy it was! He laughed.
A chainsaw with a standard 24” bar and the capability to run a 28” bar is probably the maximum that you should even consider buying. I type this, as a 63 year old carpenter who occasionally does some arborist work and still climbs the odd tree, such as a tōtara, next to the miniature railway club that I belong to. Some widow makers were blown off a neighbouring oak tree—probably quercus robur—into the tōtara. I cut up the branch that fell to the ground. I am not waiting for the city council to deal with the issue. Have fun and try not to give yourself a hernia in the chainsaw shop!

 

[Altitude sickness]

I am very pleased with my 500i

In the dead of winter. At the most. 2-3 pulls it starts

 

[Boyd Brooks]

I’m a Husky saw guy, I’m waiting for the 564XP fuel injected saw. I run an older 61 that does everything I want, but the power to weight ratio on this injected unit is supposed to be very good.
My buddy runs a 395XP at 17.5 lbs you just have to lift it to the log, the saw weight does the rest. It is a scary powerful saw.

 

[Tubby’s Canteen]

I’m a Husky saw guy, I’m waiting for the 564XP fuel injected saw. I run an older 61 that does everything I want, but the power to weight ratio on this injected unit is supposed to be very good.
My buddy runs a 395XP at 17.5 lbs you just have to lift it to the log, the saw weight does the rest. It is a scary powerful saw.

If you think the 395s are impressive ( which they are ) you’d be amazed at what a 3120 will do….

 

[Boyd Brooks]

If you think the 395s are impressive ( which they are ) you’d be amazed at what a 3120 will do….

Yes, I’m sure they are. My buddy has access to softwood and hardwood, so he doesn’t buy wood for projects, he mills all his own lumber/ timber. He mills an 8 foot board as fast as I cut a couple 18” firewood rounds.

 

[fourfive8]

Cut this Rocky Mtn juniper down last week for annual fire mitigation around the house. Only about 20” diameter but older than I had thought at about 75. Some on the place are really old and gnarly… maybe a few hundred. I think some known specimens have been aged to over a thousand.

This spp is hard enough on saws but I think the other type juniper here is even dirtier… and more dull o matic. Heartwood of these always impresses me. Color and physical nature reminds me of mopane in Africa.

 

[HankBuck]

Ive got some serious chainsaw envy now and may be forced to go out and buy a pro grade stihl saw lol..

the owner of the property where I deer hunt knew I was coming out this weekend to do a little maintenance on some shooting lanes and to do a little weed eating around the blinds and the feeders.. He sent me a text on Thursday asking if I would mind bringing a chainsaw.. I was already planning on bringing my little stihl MS180... but I thought what the hell, I'll throw the MS 291 in the truck too.. maybe whatever he is needing worked on needs a little bit more saw...

well... this is what he needed work on lol..

View attachment 761767


View attachment 761768


a freaking 60' oak that was about 46" across at the base...

and the biggest saw I own has a 20" bar....

thank God I had a spare chain for both of the saws with me as well as a gallon of gas and a quart of bar oil..

After about 90 minutes of chewing on this freshly blown down, still live and wet behemouth.. 3 guys that work on the landowners landscaping and yard cutting crew walked up on us.. they head the chainsaws running and came down to see what was going on...

they laughed a little.. left.. and then about 20 minutes later came back with an MS 661 with a 32" bar on it...

In 30 minutes they got more done than we had accomplished in an hour and a half and we were able to get it cut up into blocks small enough for a tractor with a front end loader to be able to push them out of the roadway..

I have no clue what use I'd have for a $2K chainsaw... other than over the last 6 weeks or so Ive had to clear 2x trees about this size (but never in my life have ever had to do it before)... but holy hell do I want one badly now lol..

@mdwest - “Chainsaw Envy”, very normal for Men to get this. Look into the “cure” and for ONLY $1800 buy a new Stihl 500i. 79cc and tests show it out cuts the Stihl 660 and is lighter - might be close to Stihl 880 and much lighter. I have absolutely No “Need” for one, No business using one, likely can’t even handle one—— but I would certainly LIKE one - even if I cut-my-leg-off with it….at least it would be very Quick !

 

[Rifleman97]

@mdwest - “Chainsaw Envy”, very normal for Men to get this. Look into the “cure” and for ONLY $1800 buy a new Stihl 500i. 79cc and tests show it out cuts the Stihl 660 and is lighter - might be close to Stihl 880 and much lighter. I have absolutely No “Need” for one, No business using one, likely can’t even handle one—— but I would certainly LIKE one - even if I cut-my-leg-off with it….at least it would be very Quick !

The 500i only out cuts the 661 and 881 on bars 36” and shorter, due to its higher max RPM. If you run a 42-60” bar the 661 and 881’s torque will outperform it. Plus you can file the rakers more aggressively with more torque. Plus the 500i’s oiler maxes out at 36” bar length for adequately oiling.

But yes, for the average man, the 500i is the only saw you will most likely ever need. I primarily run the 462 which is only 7cc’s less than the 500i, a full pound lighter, and it was on sale while the 500 wasn’t, so the price difference was pretty noticeable. I’ve got a 32” and a 20” bar for it currently, the 20” bar is begging for death as it’s the 3rd chainsaw I’ve had it on lol, when it finally kicks the bucket here soon I’ll be switching to a 25” bar for the shorter stuff. The 32” is nice for not needing to bend over to buck logs but good lord it can take forever to sharpen sometimes. I feel a 25 or 28 might be a nice balance between the two