My
Chainsaws
Here we have my first collection of saws.
I
built up this collection over a three year period or so, balancing the
choice of saw with the type of job I've had to do. Don't think you need
all of these to be able to start carving - I started out with just one.
The role each one has is listed as follows:
1.. The biggest saw with a 28" bar. Not sure of the engine capacity, seems to be around 90-100cc. A "Sachs Dolmar" bought second hand. I bought this saw to process the larger logs I work with. It's an excellent saw for doing large straight cuts to break down a big log into manageable sections, or to slice off big bits of waste wood on a sculpture. It's a bit heavy and tiring to handle, but not so bad when the weight of the saw is taken in the cut. It is the only one of my saws that still have the felling dogs left on ( the spiky bits at the base of the guide bar). These are essential to get sufficient purchase and leverage when making deep long cuts. I could really use an even bigger saw with a 40" bar to crosscut and rip the very big logs.
2.. This one is a Husqvarna 141. Classed as an occasional user saw. It's nice and light but a bit temperamental, especially with the oiler. They are comparatively inexpensive saws so I regard it as a reasonable tradeoff. This one is fitted with my 16" carving bar with 1/4"pitch, sprocket and chain (more about this later). I find the 16" carving bar particularly versatile.
3.. Another 141 bought for the same reasons as above. This one is fitted with a 12" carving bar with obligatory 1/4" pitch, sprocket and chain. I thought I would acquire this particular carving bar in order to increase the degree of detail I could achieve with a chainsaw. As it turns out, having used the 141's for approximately a year and a half, I have come to the conclusion that they are a false economy. The oil pumps wear out extremely quickly ( 3pumps on one saw and two on the other). The engines are very prone to breakdown (one seized, crankcase cover cracked on the other). After having tried alternative saws I realised that the vibration levels with the 141's were excessive. Having been let down by the saws on numerous occassions, I lost patience with them and gave them away.
4.. One of the mainstays. A now rather old Husqvarna 262 with a 20" bar and 3/8" pitch chisel chain. I do a lot of the secondary roughing out with this saw, then use it to do as much detail as it's capable of before using the next saw down. The chisel type cutter on the saw chain gives a good positive lead in to the cut and a fast progression of the cut with the least effort. The 20" bar gives me a good reach for deep penetration and access to areas within a sculpture.
5.. This is a Husqvarna 45. Bought this as it was going at a reduced price and because it was nice and light. It is quite a good saw in terms of it power to weight ratio but has a number of design peculiarities that make it a little awkward and unreliable and has now been relegated to a standby saw. This was mainly due to the excessive vibration as compared with other saws. I have since replaced it with a Husqvarna 351.
6.. My electric chainsaw. This is used where ventilation or noise could be a problem. It's nothing like as versatile as a petrol driven saw (e.g. it's only either "on" or "off" with no way of varying speed). Nor can you put on any other bar or chain combination than that supplied with the saw. However, I have found it useful on occasions. I particularly like the way the motor is in line with the bar and not sticking out to one side as in most electric chainsaws. Beware of trying to run it from a small generator (2.2kva). It will work but is very slow on the pick up when the trigger is depressed.
A Husqvarna 351 has now been added to my saw collection. With a 15" bar, this saw is used more than any others for the general carving work. Shown below, it is a professional model and is very pleasant to use.
1.. The biggest saw with a 28" bar. Not sure of the engine capacity, seems to be around 90-100cc. A "Sachs Dolmar" bought second hand. I bought this saw to process the larger logs I work with. It's an excellent saw for doing large straight cuts to break down a big log into manageable sections, or to slice off big bits of waste wood on a sculpture. It's a bit heavy and tiring to handle, but not so bad when the weight of the saw is taken in the cut. It is the only one of my saws that still have the felling dogs left on ( the spiky bits at the base of the guide bar). These are essential to get sufficient purchase and leverage when making deep long cuts. I could really use an even bigger saw with a 40" bar to crosscut and rip the very big logs.
2.. This one is a Husqvarna 141. Classed as an occasional user saw. It's nice and light but a bit temperamental, especially with the oiler. They are comparatively inexpensive saws so I regard it as a reasonable tradeoff. This one is fitted with my 16" carving bar with 1/4"pitch, sprocket and chain (more about this later). I find the 16" carving bar particularly versatile.
3.. Another 141 bought for the same reasons as above. This one is fitted with a 12" carving bar with obligatory 1/4" pitch, sprocket and chain. I thought I would acquire this particular carving bar in order to increase the degree of detail I could achieve with a chainsaw. As it turns out, having used the 141's for approximately a year and a half, I have come to the conclusion that they are a false economy. The oil pumps wear out extremely quickly ( 3pumps on one saw and two on the other). The engines are very prone to breakdown (one seized, crankcase cover cracked on the other). After having tried alternative saws I realised that the vibration levels with the 141's were excessive. Having been let down by the saws on numerous occassions, I lost patience with them and gave them away.
4.. One of the mainstays. A now rather old Husqvarna 262 with a 20" bar and 3/8" pitch chisel chain. I do a lot of the secondary roughing out with this saw, then use it to do as much detail as it's capable of before using the next saw down. The chisel type cutter on the saw chain gives a good positive lead in to the cut and a fast progression of the cut with the least effort. The 20" bar gives me a good reach for deep penetration and access to areas within a sculpture.
5.. This is a Husqvarna 45. Bought this as it was going at a reduced price and because it was nice and light. It is quite a good saw in terms of it power to weight ratio but has a number of design peculiarities that make it a little awkward and unreliable and has now been relegated to a standby saw. This was mainly due to the excessive vibration as compared with other saws. I have since replaced it with a Husqvarna 351.
6.. My electric chainsaw. This is used where ventilation or noise could be a problem. It's nothing like as versatile as a petrol driven saw (e.g. it's only either "on" or "off" with no way of varying speed). Nor can you put on any other bar or chain combination than that supplied with the saw. However, I have found it useful on occasions. I particularly like the way the motor is in line with the bar and not sticking out to one side as in most electric chainsaws. Beware of trying to run it from a small generator (2.2kva). It will work but is very slow on the pick up when the trigger is depressed.
A Husqvarna 351 has now been added to my saw collection. With a 15" bar, this saw is used more than any others for the general carving work. Shown below, it is a professional model and is very pleasant to use.
My next aquisition was as a result of my frustration with the Husqvarna 141's. I had previously tried a Stihl MS180 that a client on a chainsaw carving course had brought along. Even though it was an "occasional user" saw I found it light, pleasant to use without undue vibration, and a good carving saw even with it's standard guidebar ( the guidebar has an unusually small radius nose). Having given up on my remaining Husq.141 on a contract that saw me working well away from my usual saw suppliers, I decided to buy a Stihl MS170 from a local dealer. This is a very similar saw to the MS180. It is pictured below with my "dime" tipped 16" carving bar and 1/4" pitch chain fitted.
The
saw has some annoying design traits, such as the lack of the full set
of tuning screws and the fact that you have to take so much of it apart
to change the starter cord. I have also discovered that the oiler is prone
to packing up if you constantly use the saw in positions other than that
for crosscutting logs. The saw is inexpensive and it is also easy to kit
out with the carving bars and, if neccessary, the 1/4" pitch sprocket
and chain for the "dime" tipped bars. All can be purchased from
Ed Robinson
In Northumberland, UK, or ordered from Baileys
in the USA. I have it fitted with the "dime" tip bar as it isn't
used very heavily, only for detailing work.
Following on from the Stihl 170, I have now bought one of the smaller Stihl professional models. I was looking for a saw that was reliable and could be used more intensively than the "occasional user" models - something that could fit between the "standard chainsaw and guidebar" finish and the very much finer "dime" tip detailing. Having tried another chainsaw carver's saw at an event, I settled for the same thing, a Stihl MS200. This is the rear handled version of the older top handle tree surgery saw. It's fitted with a 16" quarter tip bar running a 3/8" pitch 0.048" gauge chain. The saw is a lot easier to use as far as my wrists are concerned and has very little vibration. The Stihl MS200 is pictured below.
Following on from the Stihl 170, I have now bought one of the smaller Stihl professional models. I was looking for a saw that was reliable and could be used more intensively than the "occasional user" models - something that could fit between the "standard chainsaw and guidebar" finish and the very much finer "dime" tip detailing. Having tried another chainsaw carver's saw at an event, I settled for the same thing, a Stihl MS200. This is the rear handled version of the older top handle tree surgery saw. It's fitted with a 16" quarter tip bar running a 3/8" pitch 0.048" gauge chain. The saw is a lot easier to use as far as my wrists are concerned and has very little vibration. The Stihl MS200 is pictured below.
I have recently had the good fortune to try out a new saw made by Echo. So far (as of Oct 04) I have found it to be an excellent carving saw. It is extremely lightweight and can also be supplied with a 10" quarter tip carving bar also made by Echo. This saw was supplied to the "overseas" carvers at the first "Sandringham Chainsaw Carving Competition" (as well as a large number of other saws of various different sizes) in Sept 04 as part of a sponsorship package by Echo.
This saw is model 2700ES
The saw is very smooth running, fits in the hand well and is very comfortable to use for extensive detail work on carvings. The bar is of a lighter weight than a Cannon carving bar of similar size. The saw oil ports and tensioner will match the smaller Cannon carving bars as sold for fitting to the Sthil 170,180, and MS200.
I have always tended to use Husqvarnas if given a choice. This is mainly because it is the saw I first trained on and worked with, in my early days in the Forestry Commission. They have a reputation for being good saws (and a high price to match) but don't seem to take kindly to having multiple users. They do have a high power to weight ratio, and are capable of higher revs (handy for smooth cutting) than a lot of the other saws. I think that if you use a saw fairly intensively, then don't expect the "occasional user" saws of any breed to last very long. You get what you pay for. Hence the reason I picked a Stihl MS200 which is more than twice the price of a Stihl MS170.
Apart from all of the above, remember to watch out that all of the safety features as detailed on the Chainsaw Safety Features page (left) are in place. Avoid using guide bars that are very wide across the side face, these bars have comparatively large kickback area at the nose. Avoid using "top handled saws" as there is insufficient control due to the lack of compensatory leverage afforded by the rear handled saws. They also strain your wrist a lot.