First let me say I have not ran a chainsaw much in my life. When I did it was a borrowed Poulan. I have some dead pine trees in my yard that have fallen or are close to it. 3-4 total and maybe 16 -18 inches in diameter for the biggest. I do not cut firewood but every once in a while but the saw can come in handy at work and helping family.
I decided to get online and research for my needs. I ended up with a Stihl MS250. It is a homeowner saw as you all know and at the most I figure I would put 2-4 tanks a year through it so pro models seemed overkill. Also,the dealer was close and outside of Lowes I couldn't find any dealers close for Husqvarna,Dolmar,Echo etc. I wanted somewhere that worked on the saws if I had problems.
I researched here and watched many videos including the Stihl instructional videos. I also bought a wedge after learning about them. I ran a tank through it yesterday getting started and I have to say it is harder than I thought it would be. The worst for me has been determining compression and stress points. It seems chain pinch is very easy to do. (for me anyway)
I have been watching videos determining different cuts for different situations but sometimes it still starts to catch. I have learned a lot but my hat goes off to those who do it for a living. I think my best bet is to practice as much as possible on small stuff. This site has been great for learning also.
I decided to get online and research for my needs. I ended up with a Stihl MS250. It is a homeowner saw as you all know and at the most I figure I would put 2-4 tanks a year through it so pro models seemed overkill. Also,the dealer was close and outside of Lowes I couldn't find any dealers close for Husqvarna,Dolmar,Echo etc. I wanted somewhere that worked on the saws if I had problems.
I researched here and watched many videos including the Stihl instructional videos. I also bought a wedge after learning about them. I ran a tank through it yesterday getting started and I have to say it is harder than I thought it would be. The worst for me has been determining compression and stress points. It seems chain pinch is very easy to do. (for me anyway)
I have been watching videos determining different cuts for different situations but sometimes it still starts to catch. I have learned a lot but my hat goes off to those who do it for a living. I think my best bet is to practice as much as possible on small stuff. This site has been great for learning also.