A new chainsaw

[Boston_Joe]

I found out yesterday that my local (as in 10 minutes away) Husqvarna dealer has closed his doors. While not the end of the world, it is inconvenient. He was a full service shop. Service, parts and sales. Apparently Husqvarna and most of the other manufacturers have made things increasingly difficult for the smaller shops to continue as authorized dealers. They've upped the minimums for orders of new equipment and taken to mandating that they take certain quantities of dogs as well as top sellers. Same for parts. To really get them these same companies would undercut them to the box box stores who are not required to offer parts and service.

Hard to compete when things are truley stacked against you.

[kickstand]

Sounds a lot like Michelin Tires. It's VERY difficult to compete against El Cheapo Tires due to Michelin's pricing to the small guy.

[Boston_Joe]

And while I can understand volume pricing these small servicing dealers get no points for it. They have to meet certain levels. I hope this strategy comes back to bite them all in the ass.

[kickstand]

Well, the Stihl won out. Let me first say that I have never owned a piece of Sthil equipment. I've always heard good things, but never bought any, and really don't know much about them. I had stopped at the Stihl dealer late last year, and their tech/chainsaw guy acted like the MS250 was about the only one they sold. I would love that saw, but at $359, I held off. Even though I really wanted a Stihl, I came VERY close to buying an Echo from Home Depot, primarily due to price and their 5 year warranty. As I was reading up on them, I found that the Stihl Homeowner model (MS180) was the same price, at $199.95, through July 1. I called the dealer and found out that yes, they did have the MS180. I told them that I would be there in about an hour to pick one up.

I got to the dealer and went to the back of the store, where the chainsaws are kept. Their chainsaw guy, a different one than I had dealt with months ago, came back and asked if I was there for the MS180 that was sitting on the counter, and after my confirmation, he filled it with fuel and chain oil, and set it on the floor to start it. It took probably between 10 and 20 pulls to start it. After getting it started, he goosed the throttle, the engine revved, but the chain didn't move. He then released the chain brake, and gave it full throttle, which started to spin the chain, and a small, orange handled screwdriver shot out of the chain guard and skidded across the floor. You could see the embarrassment on his face. He shut it off and set it on the counter and went to get a sheet of paper so that he could show me that it was slinging oil. It was then the we noticed two things. 1) The chain was way too tight-easily correctable. 2) The chain was on backwards. He asked his helper "Who put these together?" Although easy enough to correct, you could see the frustration starting to kick in, so he went and got a different unit, and again, filled it with fuel and oil. We checked the chain on that one, and although it was facing the correct direction, it too was quite a bit too tight, so we adjusted it. I say "we" because their guy didn't really seem to know how to properly adjust the chain, so I assisted. After about 20 tugs of the cord, my confidence in the Stihl was starting to wain, but a few more pulls got it to fire. Being an auto mechanic, and having these kinds of things happen in that field, I completely understand that it takes a bit for a carb to fill, and that you have to get the air/fuel ration just right, etc in order for an engine to fire off. He then revved this one, showed me that it was indeed slinging oil, and I took it home.
After I got it home, I wanted to see if it was that difficult for me to start. It wasn't. 5, maybe ten pulls, and it was running. I tested it on a number of pieces of wood, and it cut like a warm knife going through butter.
I hope that it lasts longer than my several Craftsman saws. Time will tell.

[redman2006]

So, hAve you put it to work?

[kickstand]

So, hAve you put it to work?

Yes, I have, and so far, am extremely pleased. Now all I have cut so far is firewood that was just a bit too long for my small fireplace, nothing over about 10 inches in diameter. Is the saw just a little under powered? Yeah. Would I have liked the larger, more powerful saw? Yes, but I do have to say that it's nice not having to haul 30 pounds of saw around. It's also really nice not having to drape an extension cord around behind me. So I am very have happy with what it does for what I need it for. I do still have a couple of <12" diameter trees to fell, but that'll be a couple of weeks down the line. I will keep you updated on whether or not I cut off my other leg.

[Zef_66]

I missed this tread before. So for anyone out there, I recommend Stihl. I've got 7 of them right now in various sizes. 3 I'm looking to move on, so I will keep 4. I will be getting rid of my 015L, MS192T, and MS290. I will be keeping my MS170 (12" bar), MS261 (16" bar), MS361 (20" bar), and my old trusty 038 Magnum (24" bar). I cut 8-10 cords a year. And like to have two saws with me when I go in the woods. So this is what I've found works for me. Stihl has always been great for me. I've tried other saws and they are just not as solid and dependable as Stihl. Husky are a close second as they will scream, but usually have more problems than a good proven Stihl model.

The MS180 that you bought, kick, is very similar to the MS170 that I have for limbing and small stuff. It is a great brush saw, but like you mentioned, a bit under powered for taking down any decent sized tree. I like to know when I want to power into a back cut to bring a tree down quickly that it is not going to die out on me. The MS170/180 doesn't give me that feeling. I keep a short bar on it so I don't try to tackle too much. For what you are doing though, it sounds like it will be perfect for you.

[kickstand]

Thanks Zef...and don't forget that I'm in the desert southwest. Around here, 3 trees closer than 100 yards apart is considered a state park. If at least 2 of those 3 trees happen to be over 12" in diameter, well, now it's a forest.

[Boston_Joe]

Zef. Any good on line guides or videos on how to hand sharpen a blade? I've done it but think that I have done more damage than good. I had a place 10 minutes from here that would sharpen them for $6.00 so I would rotate the 3 blades I had. 1 on the saw and 2 getting worked on. But now that place has closed and I'm more or less on my own.

[olfart]

I use the Dremel chainsaw sharpening guide with appropriate diameter stone for my chain. The guide attached to the Dremel tool gives you the proper angle. Then all you have to do is grind each tooth just far enough to restore the cutting edge. Be careful, though, it's very easy to go too far. Then occasionally you'll need to file (or grind) down the depth gauges (bump in front of each tooth). Again be careful not to take off too much.

[kickstand]

Ya know, it's funny. I can put an edge on a knife, axe, adz, shovel, hoe, etc. I've read up on chainsaw chain sharpening , and it just doesn't compute. I don't know why, but I just can't seem to get the angle of the dangle, so for now, it looks like I will just buy a couple of extra chains, and have my Stihl guy sharpen them.

[redman2006]

I do the same now with a dremel, but stihl makes a gizmo i hear a lot of folks swear by. it has two files and a depth guage on it. https://www.ebay.com/i/192596525852?chn=ps


I have yet to try one, and you have to have one for the right pitch, but I hear good things from guys I trust

[kickstand]

Has anyone used those $30 electric chain sharpeners? Are they any good? A total pile of Pelosi?

[redman2006]

Which one?

I used one that was a cheap dremil with a built in guard. In theory, it should have worked like thebdremel. The reality was a burned up motor and loose and broken parts very quickly.

A friend has the timber line or timberland. He swear by it one day, and at it the next day. It is a clamp on hand grinder gizzer. I thought it was way too pricey. I could buy a dremil and the guide and several replacement stones for what he paid

[Zef_66]

I've sharpened my chains a bunch of different ways. When I first started cutting, I would sharpen by hand. That is how my dad always did it. Just a round file for the teeth and a flat file for the rakers. And it kinda sorta worked for me. So every now and then I would have to take the chains to the dealer and have them sharpen 'em for $5 each. They cut awesome when I would get them back, but then over time I would mess them up again.

So I eventually got one of the harbor freight electric sharpeners. https://www.harborfreight.com/electr...ner-68221.html That worked better, but I felt I was taking off way too much. And it is hard to get an even cut on all teeth no matter how careful you are. It just isn't rigid enough. And the more you grind, the more out of profile the stone gets. So you need to replace the stones, which can get costly. And you still need to cut the rakers by hand.

So just about a year ago, I splurged and bought the all in one files for each of my chain sizes (I use 3 different). Obviously, I tried just one first. But like it well enough to get all 3. They are similar to what redman posted above. But I got the offbrand Pferd that works just as well: https://amzn.to/2A66NDP If you watch them on Amazon they will occasionally drop below $30. They work great. I'm not a professional, so this is the perfect solution for me. I can sharpen in the field correctly. The rakers are always at the correct height. They are easy to use and change files. And I still have my electric if I for some reason try to cut a foot thick stone in half.

My dad has the Timberline, which he says works great. And I'm sure it does. But again, it only does the teeth. And they are quite expensive. And the replacement reamers are expensive. For him that runs one pitch, it's not a big deal. But for me with 3 different pitches, it would get costly.

I've looked at some of the automated machines. I think I may end up doing that some day and running it as a side business. But I don't have the time to do the stuff I want right now. So maybe in a couple years. I think you could more than pay for it in a couple years.