No questions about them. (I know y'all are disappointed)

Just going to say that I have a couple of pretty good ones.

Have had them for a few years. One is a Jonsered 20" bar, and my other is a Husqvarna 24" bar.

Both of them are beasts. I have been cutting some behemoth trees downed by the hurricane here. I mean like full time, balls to the wall. Then removing the trees with my big tractor and the grabber. Been cutting mature oaks that even the 24" saw won't go through with one cut. Endless use and abuse. But they are both running like a top. I keep the chains razor sharp, and they cut like a hot knife through butter.

It's better to get a good saw up front before you have to put them through abuse like this...

I'm really glad I spent the money I did when I bought them.

There's a pretty significant difference in the "Pro" lines and the "Homeowner" lines. I've always favored Husqy's, but lotsa pros use Stihl as well - both are good saws (kinda Chevy/Dodge/Ford thing).

I have a Husqvarna 450 18" and it cuts like madness (always keep a spare sharp chain on hand..).

Ya never know when you're gonna need one, but when you do - there is no substitute for a good one.

Prolly, the two best saws you can buy!!!

You should PM Jeff Obama, he has "Superhuman" strength when it comes to cutting trees...........As generous a man as he is I'm sure he would run right down and give you a hand.

Big plus if ya got any Peyote growing in the pasture.

I once had a great saw. It was a Husqvarna. Some jerk stole it and my wife gave me a replacement for Christmas. It's a Poulan. I've been fighting that saw off and on for 20 years. After Irma I was thinking if the Poulan gave me the least bit of trouble I was going to treat myself to a new Husqvarna. Dang if that old Poulan didn't crank on the second pull and settled right down into a smooth idle. It cut through some downed oak like it was a brand new saw. Still got it...

I have three saws.

A Stihl 250 that I use for fencing, a Stihl 460 with a 28 inch bar and skip chain and a McCulloch 850 with the original 24 inch bar with a skip chain.

........and not a tree in sight. If'n I was ever attacked by trees I would be ready.

lifes too short to own a cheap chainsaw. i fought and killed a poulan before i wised up and got a stihl.

Funny thing today...

I was in Tractor Supply, and looked over at the chainsaw section. It was bare! None. Not even the cheap ones.

Guess everybody has downed trees.

I feel sorry for those guys that didn't have a good saw beforehand. Even sorrier for those that rushed in to buy a $125 Poulan.

You musta Skeered it with the threat of replacement

Been looking at the Husqvarna Rancher big 5. engine with an 18" bar

I purchased a Husqvarna Electric with a 16" bar and burned it up on my second small tree

As with everything, buy what can be fixed local.

If buying a husky, be sure and order a muffler kit as you can't keep a muffler tight on em without it.

Years back I had 1 of them purple Poulan Wild Thing's, hated that fuggin saw...tractor store down the road had Stihls on sale, bought a new with extra chains and case.

I took the Purple Thing out back and shot it repeatedly with a 357mag, the wife thought I was a deranged lunatic.

How many of those city boys you figure will cut themselves with what they have never owned?

Geeze, I never thought of that.

At least a set of chaps and boots........

I have three and rarely need one.

Stihl 310 with muffler mod and 20" bar
Husky 55
Stihl 170

There is he old, bad joke about the fellow that took his new new saw back to the dealer. "It took me all day to cut one cord of wood." The dealer pulled on the starter cord, and the saw roared to life, and our man jumped out of his socks.

48" bar or bust

I keep looking at the top handle arborest saws, 14". To take ice fishing to cut a little wood for a fire. In a boat as well in case of a down tree blocking a channel, but, $$$$

That McCulloch 850 brings back memories. We had an 800. Awesome saw for the times,
unfortunately they never got them quite right, and the company slow!y died. There are 3 10-10' s
out in the shed, all run and one is taken along as a pinch saw. Pretty upset when the Husky 372 is
shut down, and I have to start one of those noisy, viberating bastards.

The past couple of trees I dropped on my property were taken down with a 3 1/2 pound, 36" Collins axe. I have a few more to drop when it gets cooler and I'll use the axe again.

I have a Stihl 250, but I also have time and I enjoy the quiet of swinging an axe and the workout.

Love a skip-tooth chain. surprised more guys don't use them.

Love it!

A good saw is worth the bux for sure. When first married I was given a cheap one. Luckily, I didn't need one much for a year or two. Once the need arose to have a real saw I went and bought a 028 Super Wood Boss, that one hurt the wallet at the time. We have heated with wood as primary source for 30 years now. I retired the 028 last year when too many times using ethanol finally caught up[100% my fault]. I bought the Echo CS 590 which I believe is made by Shindawa[looks and sounds like one and is Japanese made]. It's a great saw too IMO.
So I have an old 028[Pro] with a new carb that seems ready for 30+ more years
021[newer] I picked up used for little or nothing back when son became old enough to help
Echo 590Cs just getting broken in.
It's truly a good feeling knowing all 3 are ready to go, especially when your driveway is 3/8's mile through the woods and then another 1/2 mile of private gravel road through the woods again.

I still use a Jonsered 535 that I bought in 1986. We used to heat (primarily) with wood, and averaged 7 cords a year - most of which was dead and downed cedar.
That little saw is indestructible !

All my things are Stihl, had good luck with them!!

I have an Echo with a 24' bar that I have had real good luck with. The dealer I bought it from also carries Stihl products but the guys that work at the dealership all said their customers had fewer problems with the Echo equipment. All the newer 2 cycle engines are set to run lean and hot for "better" emissions and some even have catalytic converters on them. The carb adjustment screws are usually locked with plastic so you can't adjust it plus you need a special spline tool to adjust the screws. The dealer probably won't sell the tool but you can order them online once you figure out which tool you need. Running 2 cycle engines lean is a very bad idea since the lube is in the gas. I recently had some trouble with my Husqvarna leaf blower and when I looked at customer reviews to see what problems other users were having one of big problems was seized pistons. My problem was hard starting and once started I had to keep the choke on about 1/2 way to keep it running and it wouldn't run long even with the choke on so I took it to the local Husqvarna rep. he said he couldn't fix it and wanted to sell me a new one. I fixed by buying a new carb ($20), new fuel line kit ($9), 21 spline adjusting tool ($9) and removing the catalytic convertor. It stared right up and after I adjusted it runs better than it ever did. I'm going to adjust the carbs on my chain saws next and remove the catalytic convertosr if they have one.

Raeford;

I can relate to long driveways.

I've got almost 1/2 mile of gravel driveway that gains 300 feet elevation.

I had to saw my way out after last year's ice storm. Had 1/2 doz. trees down, up to 30" diameter.

I always keep TWO saws on hand, I've been known to get one stuck and have to saw it out with the other.

I'm getting smarter in my old age. I use wedges to keep from pinching saws now days.

Currently have two Sthil's An 021 and a 250 both with 18" bars.

Had a McCulloch 850 with 36" bar back in the 70's Sure like my little Stihl's better now days.

I'm too darn old/lazy to handle a heavy saw anymore! (GRIN!)

Virgil B.

I had a Stihl but it never seemed to get enough oil to the bar in spite of a couple trips to the dealer who claimed it was in spec. I have two Dolmar's now (42 cc and 61 cc) and they run great. I think you get more for your money with Dolmar. Some of the Dolmars are sold under the Makita name but they are the same saws.

I have been thinking of one of the Stihl battery powered saws. Have a couple of gas ones now but many times just need a little touch up around a stand or along a trail. Seems like the battery version would be great for that

My brother has a Echo electric, it would be good for what you mention, not really much else though.

This.

I see several references to a "skip tooth chain". What is this?

I have a couple of Husqvarna's, a Rancher with 20 inch bar, and one with a 16 inch bar. I also have a Jonsered with a 16 inch bar, that I use most of the time. If they ever quit, and I'm sure they will, I plan on replacing them with a Stihl.

It's helpful for clearing the chips out of the cut with a long bar, and also lightens the load on the engine when pulling a long bar with a smaller engine.

Then there is opposite tact, big ported engine with high comp head, 8t driver and a short bar.

Generally used for looong bars where the saw--any saw regardless of size--can't keep rpm's up with a regular spaced teeth.


Casey

As our chainsaw dealer likes to say--a guy just keeps poullin' and poullin' and poullin' on it.............


Casey

The company began to die the day Robert McCulloch died. The family was more interested in selling the "planned community"real estate in Arizona McCulloch bought and began to develop in the 70's.

The 850 is the cheap version of the Super Pro 81 introduced in the mid 70's.

Although I own 50-70cc Huskys and Stihl's, my go-to saw is a 1976 McCulloch Super Pro 60--the torque of a 80cc saw in a smaller package. The saw has been in the family since new, and will probably still be running when the new plastic saws have been turned into recycled lawn furniture..............

I also have a 1975 Pro 10-10. The 10-10 series was first developed in the late 60's, and variations continued in production until 2000. The 10-10's were still popular in South America where they were abused to no end and would run on about any crappy gas they could find.

Casey

I build log cabins. I have chisels, and draw knives, and an adze etc etc.
But my main tool is the chain saw. I have two Stihls and a Husqvarna. All three, great saws.

To bring out the full capabilities of the 590, do the muffler mod and retune. It is like night and day regarding the performance. You just can't beat it for $400 out the door. A chip throwing machine.

Stihl are no good.
My 1981 031 crapped out a year ago.
So I bought another Stihl, likely my last chain saw.

I got a Stihl MS261CM model works good around the place. But I do not cut fire wood. I just cut down the fallen trees. Maybe 5 or 6 trees a year.

alpincrick, I have been around a lot of different saws, most but not all.

10-10's were good reliable saws in their day. But, I have never heard any
stock saw, or even most muffler modified ones, that were close to
a 10-10 for LOUD.

The only time I used a skip tooth chain was when I was bucking (limbing and measuring trees and cutting them to length). I used them because there were only half the teeth to sharpen as the trees are often covered in mud so you had to file often, making you more productive when a skidder or 2 are coming into the landing about every 5 minutes with a pile of muddy trees you dont have time to file.
A skip tooth chain doesn't cut as fast as a full tooth chain, therefore when I was falling I used a full tooth chain for faster cutting.

Skip tooth sucks for cutting small stuff.
Clearing saplings around a tree or cutting small limbs, they
are grabby and jerky. Especially if you have worked the raker short.

go ahead & laugh...........cuttin' SOB..........

https://www.amazon.com/Remington-RM...-1&keywords=remington+rebel+chainsaw

For trimming. Only has a 16 inch blade and 42cc engine.

Love my Husky 55!

Love my Stihl MS 260 Pro

A dingo and a chainsaw(and an Ash tree)...

I prefer Husky, but any of the big names make good saws depending on intended use. I only have two now, Husky 345 (16") and 365 (20") both with muffler porting. Handles everything I have any business cutting. I bought both used and both run like a top.

Sam;
Good evening to you my cyber friend, I hope all is well in your world tonight.

Although I don't always comment, I try to catch your posts in the event that you share some of your photos - which I always very much enjoy. Not that I don't enjoy your writing Sam - but your photos bring back a bunch of good memories most times - and you've got an eye for composition too.

I offer for an example how your photo has a regal bird, taken fairly by an elegant shotgun whilst an obviously intelligent stock dog looks on.

On the other hand, I've got no dead birds, a mean looking little pump gun and no dog either - oh and a Dodge to boot.....



Anyway Sam, thanks for sharing your world and there's a bit of mine now - though we're less green this year.

All the best to you and yours Sam and of course good luck on your hunts this fall.

Dwayne

I've got a Husky 181 that is a hoss. I don't use a saw much, but I tend to use a smaller, old (as in 30 year old) Echo that still runs fine. Like I said, I don't use one much but when I do, I like a nice saw.

Dwayne, it is good to hear from you!

Are you guys still dry or did relief arrive?


Finally rained here last weekend and REALLY cooled off.


I wouldn't be surprised if it isn't a foul winter....

AKA chainsaw weather.



Good reminder to start cutting wood.

Perfect time to do it.

Open up the hole in the bar with a Dremel tool. Or thin the oil with a little diesel.

I just picked up the same saw a month or so back to serve as my thinning/limbing/little stuff saw. Dang that thing is impressive. The Stihl 261CM is a lot of saw in a small-lightweight package. I wouldn't be without one now. And if I could only have one saw(Gawd forbid), that might be it.

Not the biggest use.....to give enough room for chips on a long bar.

A Ported Stihl 090 has no problem keeping the RPMs up. But with a 5 or 6 foot bar there are too many chips. No where to go.

Just sayin.

Sam;
Thanks for the reply.

It rained a wee bit down in the valley here, but hardly enough to settle the dust. It did snow up top though and the last few days it's been freezing up there so that slows down the fires a fair bit too.

They've now let us into the back country to hunt, but still have a campfire ban on, which is smart.

I went up looking for elk sign last weekend and saw they'd not been there for at least a month - well as near as I could tell Sam. It looks to be a good year to hunt the watering holes I guess.

A buddy got a few grouse last weekend, so it's fowl weather anyway Sam!

I do agree though that the saws in the photo are going to have to come along next weekend and a few more after that too as there's been no firewood cutting since spring here with the back country bans.

All the best to you folks this fall Sam, I look forward to seeing a good mulie or whitetail from you again.

Dwayne

The buffalo berry bushes are loaded with berries.

That means the birds left early..........ahead of a bad winter.......


I am gonna start cutting wood, and Idont even heat with wood!

I loved my ported 026. Go to saw for years. The 261 CM is miles ahead of a stock 026.
And a ported 261 CM.......my new go to saw. Lol

I have 20" commercial Husky's, one here in Texas and the other in north Idaho. Same machines. Zero issues when the blades are dead nutz sharp, which they are...

Any good pro saw taken care of will last for years.

Sharp chain is good for the clutch and bearings.

The Domlar 5100 and the updated 5105 are kick ass little saws.

Dad had a Stihl 028AV Super Wood Boss. We used it for years on the farm. When I bought my first house, he gave it to me. It's cherished.

I log part time and I have used Husqvarna and Stihl chainsaws. Both have their pros and cons and I usually buy based on price point. Latest purchase is a Husky 395XP that has only about 8-9 hours on it. Too busy farming.



My favorite for big timber (Midwest) is a McCulloch Super Pro 125C with a 54" bar. Bone yards in area have kept it going for years.

I have a 5105 and it is the best saw I have ever used.

make a go cart out of that Mac. they are scary fast with the 650-850's.
at least they were 35-40 years ago.
i have 4 saws here . a 066 stihl for falling, a 029 stihl for cutting fire wood , a poulan for carving saddles for log construction and a craftsman my wife bought on a trip to Commiefornia to see her folks.
the 066 is getting harder to pull every year and harder to carry. must be gaining weight as it gets older. couldn't be i am getting weaker.

When I was logging I mostly used the 394 Husky with a 34" bar. My boss was a Husky dealer so I got a good price on them. The 288 wasn't a bad saw either it was popular as landing saw.
My dad loved his old McCulloh 125, but switched to Husky at some point.

Scott the Dolmar was the first GOOD chainsaw my Dad ever owned. Before he got one in the late seventies it was all Homelite's and Monkey Ward's and the like. I'm not sure they were worth the effort to keep them going. The Dolmar ran a long time and cut a lot of wood with a whole lot less maintenance than the previous ones.

I traded it and several other saws for this one a few years back. Then it sat around over a year before I used it. I used it on this project and it crapped out. Literally the first time I used it. The dealer claimed Dolmar wouldn't stand behind it and basically effed me over, but another dealer came to my rescue and got Dolmar to completely rebuild it. The dealer and Dolmar are to be commended. The dealer I bought it from can suck my ass.

I'm not saying that Dolmar is better than Husky or Stihl, but when I last looked they didn't have a "Pro" line and economy lines, etc. When you buy a Dolmar you just buy a good saw. The others are a maze of this quality level vs. that quality level, etc. I like to keep it simple.

I've been making sawdust for 10 years now with the Husky 455. Always works. I do a little operator maintenance to it - clean the clutch, air/fuel filters, sharpen, flip the bar.

Beautiful.

Can't tell how many cord I've taken from forest to woodshed with my Dolmar over the years. The damn thing just runs........

I've got Dolmar PS7900W and it's one badass saw.

When I am not logging I use a Stihl MS271 with a 20" bar and impressed with the easy start, balance and rpm. It is essentially the old 041 Farm Boss, which I wore out several years ago. A great utility saw around the farm and for bucking up wood in the firewood yard.

The best deal on a saw going.
The weight and speed of a 70 cc saw
but with an 80 cc powerplant.


If my 372xp died, that saw would replace it.

Kinda 031. Just sayin.

I had gotten about 10 yrs service out of stihl 029 before the piston/wrist pin failed. Daily to weekly use in demolition, and fall lap cuttings.
Replaced it with a 290 ( same saw)

Have been running a companion ms 250 to the above for over 15 yrs, just a few carb tweaks has all it ever required.

Then for bbq and 'stove wood' i've had an 017 since 1995. Missing most of the choke and throttle linkage - still runs. I did retire it with a new 017 last fall.

And finally last month bought a new, stihl HT-56 ce pole pruner. Works great for carving radial shooting lanes for all my tripod stands in the hardwood.

Won't own any other brand.

+1 on the stihl.

MS250 here, and loving it.

026 pro is my fave of all of 'em,......

My Stihl MS390 crapped out on me a few years back and I replaced it with a Dolmar 6400. That things runs like a rapped ape,absolutely love it, runs much better than my Stihl ever did

Mail came today with my new saw chains!

Got 6 full chisel chains for my 20" bar saw for about $65. Free shipping.

Guess I have chains for awhile...

Actually the Mac -10 series came out in 1965 with the 1-10 & 2-10, which then grew into 3-10, 4-10, 5-10, 6-10, 7-10 and finally the 10-10 (all basically the same saw, ranging from 54-70cc), with some being electric start and others being gear driven. The PM 850 is just a newer version of the SP81E. The 5.0 cube anti-vibe Macs started with the SP-80 then the SP-81, then the electronic ignition version SP-81E then the PM850. The PM850 then changed to the PM800/805/8200, with the PM8200 being the last of the Mac 5.0 cube inch saws. McCulloch also had a DE80 in the early 90's.

Bob McCulloch sold his business to Black & Decker in 1973 (Bob died in 1977). It took until the mid to late 70's before B&D screwed up when it focused on homeowner saws instead of the "pro" line. At the time of the sale to B&D, McCulloch had anti-vibe saws ranging from 60cc to 123cc. In 1983 B&D sold Mac to an invetsment group and then it really went downhill from there.

Here are most of the 5.0Cube saws (missing running versions of the SP-81E & PM805)



A few part saws:



A few of the runners....on the floor is a SP125 with a 42" bar and a PM800 with a 28" bar.

A Titan Blue Streak. Eight foot bar. Once used on the big wood on the west coast. Two man saw....the operator and the bar tip holder. These positions were referred to the smart end and the dumb end. Can you guess which was which?

That is an awesome bone yard.

Nice group of Macs......I have never taken a group photo of my Stihls 22-135 cc

I started out on the idiot end of a Disston. Bought new in 48......I was on it 14 years later.
Fuel metering....no real carb. Restoring one now.

Sackett, I've got an old Target cut-off saw. It's a beast!

No time like the present...I would like to see them.

I've got a Husqvarna 162SE I'm trying to get back to running condition.

My go to saw is a Stihl MS-180C-BE. Will handle anything I need to deal with.

BEST BATTERY POWERED CHAIN SAW

ECHO won this shootout comparison test (click pic for details)

q

I know where a BP-1 is just over the border in NY...........

A couple 30+ yr old McCulloch Pro Mac's and a pair of Stihl's here. Clean and sharpen everything even if it's just a single day of firewood cutting. The Mac's are like old friends, carry full chains, and are the first I pick up. Thought I had blown one this past spring, but it had only sheared the flywheel key. Five $$ and it's purring again. The Stihls run skip chains and are reserved for the bigger stuff. Still enjoy giving them all a workout. Great inventions.

My grandfather would agree. In the SnowBelt in NY state in the 40s. My grandfather retired and moved in with my parents.

Heating a 13 room house with a crosscut saw. Grampa never drove.

The story goes my father got home from work one day and grampa said we had to go over North of the lake. Oneida lake.

"Why?" Says dad.

I bought a chain saw.

"What Kind?"

I don't know

"How much?"

Fifty dollars.......lets go.

Grampa lied. A 2 man Disston was about $1200 back then. This was a one man. Only made that year so it had to be pretty new.

1948. He used it till 1966. A lot

It was Grampas money and saws were so rare then I don't think my dad ever knew.

my dad traded into a 30" mac back in the 70's when the oil crunch was going and he bought our first woodburner. previous to that we used crosscuts, which i still have. that mac was like a small block chevy with a chain. i have no idea of the year or model but it was scarred and beat up when he got it. that thing was a holy terror on everything we cut for most of the 70's. he ended up trading it for a pioneer which i still have. you could just sit that mac on a log and it would eat its way through. but man did it give you a workout, especially for small stuff.

How long is your shotgun barrel?

Does look "brief".....

Dwayne is in Canada.

In Canada, shotgun tubes can be as short as 10 inches.

John

[/quote]I know where a BP-1 is just over the border in NY...........
[/quote]

That is the one saw I would love to own, but cannot spend the money on it. A grand and then some for a twin cylinder shelf saw. Maybe if I could hit the lottery...........

That is the one saw I would love to own, but cannot spend the money on it. A grand and then some for a twin cylinder shelf saw. Maybe if I could hit the lottery...........[/quote]

If I win I'll get you one.

I want a 9 cube 090G.......have to settle for 8 cube now.

Though my 084 is going from 122 to 147......

Yeah, chain saws aren't a place to pinch pennies. I've only owned Husky's (3 of them) and can recommend them with no reservations. I heat with wood and cut ~ 4 cords a year for the last 25 years. They get used hard.

John;
Good evening to you sir - well good morning I guess for you already - I hope all is well in your world.

Thanks kindly for answering the barrel length query for me, I appreciate you taking the time to do so.

On another unrelated thread, I've put together a wee bit more information for our friends south of the medicine line, certainly not the entire synopsis but a "kinda sorta" cliff notes I hope.

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbt...s/12290299/re-cheap-shotgun#Post12290299

In the event I kill something big enough to make multiple backpack trips out, its my meat packing arm nowadays. I've been experimenting with a single point harness for it, but the jury is still out on that.

All the best to you my cyber friend and good luck on any hunts you've got planned for this fall.

Dwayne