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Chainsaw anyone?

A

austinaubinoe

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Montgomery County, MD
ok, so about a month ago I was in the NJ pine barrens and we had to turn around at one point due to a fallen tree. the tree was only about 6 inches in diameter, but it was wedged in between the other trees.

Thinking how great it would have been to have had a chainsaw! I have never owned one or ever used one, but have often seen them strapped to old jeeps in upstate NY. Are the hard to learn how to use safely? Do you think a class is necessary?

There is a local Stihl dealer here so I checked out there site.... there lowest end model (which still looks good in youtube videos), the MS-170 is $180.

Do you think I would be better off buying a used saw for VERY occasional use? Is Stihl just a high end brand overall? would like to spend about $100 if possible.

Just wondering what you guys would recommend. THANKS
 
stihl is good stuff.. well built durable light. expensive.. look for a used one .. garage sales,cl. they're not hard to use.. i have a little homelite i keep in the jeep, it is not a great saw but its good enough for camping and the occaisional trail blockage i wouldnt think you would need a class but maybe a quick lesson.. just remember your saftey equipt. eye/hearing protection..
 
6'' in diameter???? thats like 2 mins with a bow saw.. cut into pieces, nicely stacked, into the back of the jeep for firewood ,you shouldnt need a chainsaw for that..
 
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what about stuff to look for when buying a used one? I think I would be better off just buying one new. anyone know one thats a good value?

--yeah your probably right, I should just carry my saw, just was thinking about chainsaws ever since I saw one strapped to the back of a CJ yesterday. Cant really afford one right now anyways:rolleyes:
 
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I wheel in National Forest for the most part and in order to carry a chainsaw in the NF you need chainsaw certification with the NFS or you could get fined. I just carry a axe and play Paul Bunyan about once a year when a tree happens to be in the way. A good/cheap carry saw would be a Homelite XL (12" bar), I picked one up at a yard sale for 25 bucks and rebuilt the carb, it runs great now, makes a good climbing saw since its light weight.
 
I was on the forestry crew in Elmhurst, Il back in the day before eye protection, ear protection, anti-kick back bars, mufflers, etc. Just don't space out, and lift your knee up to the running saw blade. :wow: It's like using a knife or any tool, if you constantly pay attention, you'll be all right. It does help to have someone show you the basics for using it. There is a right way and wrong way.

Can't help you with brands. We used Macullogh 10's(I was a climber) which sucked. The foreman liked homelight.

I'd have to agree on the hand saw. I use a Sven saw for cutting our Christmas tree, and the trunks are ~ 6". Even frozen at 10,000 feet it's not that hard.

Fred
 
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well it seems everything is cheaper in the states.. 100 bucks ?? i dont know, the poulan pro. has gotten the love em hate em reviews .. prolly good enough for occasional use.. here at canadian tire they were on sale for 148 with a case.. the 14'' homelight like i have in the jeep was just on sale at home depot for 99 bucks..
 
Check to see if a permit is required or if it's not allowed in the Pines, some areas around here dont permit it.

Where we camp often here in Pa the SF has a permit fee of $10 for up to three cord in a 30 day period. We always have a saw in camp.. to easy.
 
Running a saw is no joke. Have an experienced sawyer teach you the right way to use the saw, how to maintain it, and how to cut. ALWAYS use the proper PPE. Anyone who tells you they don't need to use a minimum of chaps, sturdy boots, hearing and eye protection, and a gloves is a fool.

Here's a good video to watch to get an idea of what a saw will do to your leg:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pilcLXpdJK0&feature=rec-HM-r2

Your local saw shop should be able to take you through the basics, and could probably hook you up with an experienced sawyer.

I've run a saw for 20+ years, and had chaps save my legs twice. I've seen guys damn near bleed to death because they failed to wear the proper PPE. Don't take your own safety lightly.
 
a used chainsaw (even decades old) can usually be resurrected by a good cleaning and lubing (especially the carb). ive acquired a few for free in my day and cleaned them and either sold them or given them to friends.

in my neck of the woods (Northern NJ) im almost 90% positive that non-park service people cannot cut down or remove trees from trails in my local State Park. but i do remember hearing something about anyone being allowed to remove downed trees on the side of a trail for use as firewood as long as they were NOT using a chainsaw.

in order to access my local park with a motor vehicle you need a permit and one of the access options is as a trail maintainer. acquring that cert. may be a quick and legal way to be able to use a chainsaw. im sure the NJ park service may have similiar regulations down there

as said above, i would also highly recommend proper eye protection as a definate. if something gets into your eye you can enter a whole world of hurt (especially plus the fact that something has hit you in the eye could very well cause you to lose your grip/control on the tool etc)
 
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Stick with a good brand - Stihl, Husqvarna. I have a Homelite, once it gets started it's fairly OK but starting it for the first time is a real hassle.

SWAMPMAN said:
stihl is good stuff.. well built durable light. expensive.. look for a used one .. garage sales,cl. they're not hard to use.. i have a little homelite i keep in the jeep, it is not a great saw but its good enough for camping and the occaisional trail blockage i wouldnt think you would need a class but maybe a quick lesson.. just remember your saftey equipt. eye/hearing protection..
Click to expand...
X2. Hearing protection I would skip for something silly like removing a single fallen tree from a trail but more than that and you'll want it. I wished I had it a couple weeks ago at a trailcut, forgot to bring it.

MT Mike said:
Running a saw is no joke. Have an experienced sawyer teach you the right way to use the saw, how to maintain it, and how to cut. ALWAYS use the proper PPE. Anyone who tells you they don't need to use a minimum of chaps, sturdy boots, hearing and eye protection, and a gloves is a fool.

Here's a good video to watch to get an idea of what a saw will do to your leg:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pilcLXpdJK0&feature=rec-HM-r2

Your local saw shop should be able to take you through the basics, and could probably hook you up with an experienced sawyer.

I've run a saw for 20+ years, and had chaps save my legs twice. I've seen guys damn near bleed to death because they failed to wear the proper PPE. Don't take your own safety lightly.
Click to expand...
Definitely good advice too... I don't have chaps yet, should get some. I always wear steel toe boots and eye protection though.

I cannot possibly stress eye protection enough. A single 0.1mm fleck of metal from my angle grinder cost me two ER visits and six followup visits, two hundred bucks in medications, the use of my right eye for a week and a half, $500 not covered by my insurance and approximately $2000 covered by my insurance. It would have cost me at least $5k if I had not had insurance. Wear those darn uncomfortable goggles (or face shield) and be happy.
 
kastein said:
X2. Hearing protection I would skip for something silly like removing a single fallen tree from a trail but more than that and you'll want it. I wished I had it a couple weeks ago at a trailcut, forgot to bring it.

Definitely good advice too... I don't have chaps yet, should get some. I always wear steel toe boots and eye protection though.

I cannot possibly stress eye protection enough. A single 0.1mm fleck of metal from my angle grinder cost me two ER visits and six followup visits, two hundred bucks in medications, the use of my right eye for a week and a half, $500 not covered by my insurance and approximately $2000 covered by my insurance. It would have cost me at least $5k if I had not had insurance. Wear those darn uncomfortable goggles (or face shield) and be happy.
Click to expand...


You think the fleck in the eye was a pain in the ass, wait until you fillet your thigh. Decent chaps can be had for $60 at Tractor Supply Company. Less than .001% of what it's going to cost you to have your leg repaired (if you don't die) when you cut yourself.

Ask any arborist, logger, or sawyer how often they cut without chaps. They'll most likely look at you like you've asked them what color the sky is. If people who run saws EVERY day to make a living wear chaps, don't you think you should to?

WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT IN LINK.

Take a good long look at the picture in the following link:
Chainsaw leg wound and ask yourself if that's something you want to experience. I've seen 2 guys who were just going to make "a quick single cut" do that exact same thing with no chaps on. It is truly a sickening thing to witness. Worst thing is, both guys had their chaps with them, but were to lazy to put them on.
 
I knew it'd be bad... But yikes, that's quite ugly. Been considering chaps for a while, after seeing that I need to get a set.
 
I'll just say it makes pics of motorcycling accident road rash look painless by comparison. :shocked:
 
great link, Chaps , eye and ear protection, glove, steel toed boots help keep an accident from being to bad, chaps will stop a saw before it goes too far and removes your leg entirely...... I have a Husqvarna, and an older Homelite...the Husky is an great medium sized saw, the homelite is a beater, hard to start, but runs well, keeping them clean and maintained keeps them working well, I don't use them often , but when I do they need to work properly.
 
I ran saws for a couple years on a tree removal crew. I can attest to chaps being worth their weight in gold.

Last cut of the day, I had already removed my chaps because I thought we were done. I fire up the saw, run it in to the trunk and cut to deep and the trunk sits down on the bar. I leave it running and start to try to pull it free and accidentally gas it. It kicks out of the stump and across my leg. It just barely nicked my thigh leaving what looked like a cat scratch (my pants were shredded).

Another time we had a guy hit something metal in a tree, the chain came off, whipped around the back of his leg and ripped his chaps clean off.

As for Stihl, I would vote for them being called the best in the business. A little pricey for non-commercial use, but it will run forever.

The best thing you can learn about cutting downed trees is how to read their stored energy. By this, I mean being able to look at a tree and tell how to cut it so hundreds or thousands of pounds of pressure don't kick the truck up in they air or towards you.
 
Agreed on that last bit. There's a lot to cutting trees that I learned from watching the tree removal crews from the city take down the old dead century-old maples along the street I grew up on. I've seen a lot of people try and cut a tree down without notching the side they want it to fall towards (or if it's leaning too far, the side they know it's going to fall towards.)

My chaps are in the mail... chainsaw will not be used till they show up (though it was unlikely I'd need it in the next month or two anyways.)
 
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