Tuesday, August 4, 2009

New Chainsaw


I've been putting off bucking any more wood because my current chainsaw is just not the right tool for the task. I can only get about 10-15 cuts before it runs out of gas, and it doesn't start up again when it's hot, so I have to wait until it cools down. Extreme pain in the keister. (You can see in past posts, my angst about getting new chains for it, and my fun times at the hardware store.)

I bought this guy on EBay yesterday! I'm so excited about getting it and making short work of the 5-6 cords of wood up on the hill. And all the future wood that will fall under this willing chain.

This time I did my own research (which is what I should have done the first time - silly me for believing the Ace Hardware people). This is a Stihl MS310, which is a 60cc, 4 HP midrange saw that has good power for the weight. It comes with a 20-inch bar, chisel chain, bar cover and bag. I don't know what half of that means, but this time I think I got the right tool for the job!

2 comments:

  1. Congrats on your new chainsaw! Here's some info from my husband (chain sawyer person in our family) that you can take with a grain of salt and do with what you will.

    He says you've got a good chain saw there, but he suggests you swap the 20" bar for a 16" one. Roy's 6'2" and even he finds a 20" bar a little unweildy; the 16" is a lot more manageable (better balance) and not so heavy. (I guess that extra 4" can make a difference.) He says the only time he'd want a 20" bar would be if he were cutting very large diameter standing trees.

    Also a chisel chain dulls quickly especially if you cut through hard bark, or any gravel/mud as you may if you're cutting logs that have been lying on the ground. I guess a chisel chain is used for cutting fresh, green, standing wood. But you can easily replace it with a semi-chisel chain which he says will stay sharp for you longer.

    I'm sure all chain saw users have their own personal preferences and you should do what works best for you.

    Watch out, Firewood. Here she comes!

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