Favorite Chainsaws for Firewood Cutting and What is Your Woods Like?

[max2cam]

What saw do you personally like best and feel is a good combination of power, weight, reliability, balance, value, ease of maintenance, etc. for sustained firewood cutting?

I have 3 saws that could fall into the firewood catagory: Stihl 024, Jonsered 2050, and an Echo CS-510.

For me the Echo CS-510 is without doubt the best firewood cutting saw that I own. The 024 makes a great limbing and construction saw and it is smooth running and reliable, but it isn't quite powerful enough out in the woods.

Too bad it's not an 026.

The Jons. 2050 is def. a consumer-quality saw and feels sort of cheap and prone to failure (which it has in several places). Power is okay, but the wimpy oiler SUCKS and it tends to kickback on starting. The snap-on air cleaner should be called a "fall-off" air cleaner instead.

I guess they ditched the 2050. If so, no great loss.

The Echo CS-510 has the power, the smoothness, easy-starting, high build-quality, and easy maintenance. Not sure if it's considered a "pro" saw but it's way ahead of the Jons. 2050 in quality and about like the Stihl. I find myself using the Echo more and more over the Jonsered.

Would be great to try out a Husky 246xp & 353, the Solo 651, or a 50cc Redmax, Shindaiwa, or Dolmar.

Also have my old Jons. 451 which was a good saw and I should try to rebuild it.

Cutting in my black ash swamp the past week or more. Cut a trail thru swamp so I can sled wood out with my black poly tobaggon. Had just enough snow and overnight we got LOTS more. Snowing like heck right now. Deer eating my white cedars near house.

Black ash swamp is an eerie place and feels sort of like you are cutting in a graveyard as the trees have weird creepy shapes. Some standing dead and fallen stuff that tends not to rot. Split the chunks up right in the frozen swamp with a Sotz Monster and then sled them out to the road where I pile it up and will haul it to my woodpile come spring.

Ash swamp peters out in a big open brushy peat filled extinct lake basin thru which a creek runs and joins the river nearby. Higher ground is all nice 2nd growth red and white pine about 100 years old. REALLY nice white pine stand across the river on the neighbors 80. Plus oak, ash, popple (aspen), maple, jack pine, balsam, black and white spruce, alder, blue beech -- considerable mixture.

 

[turnkey4099]

I run three. Only one that I bought due to choice of brand. Others were picked up as I came across them

Husky 51 16" bar - limb/trim. Gotta up the bar/chain/sprocket on this one. It has the size of chain that takes 3/16 file. I have never had any luck keeping that small of chain sharp.

Stihl 310 20" bar- Only one season on this one and was my brand/saw choice for a new saw - Most of the bucking.

Stihl 041 24" bar - falling and bucking stuff over 20" diameter. I have run into some stuff that I wished for 30 or 36" bar but not often enough to keep a saw for em.

Harry K

 

[TonyM]

I have had several favotires, but they revolve around a 50cc and 70cc saw. Right now I use my modified Solo 651 for all the 6" and under and anything I need to reach a little for. Once I get down to the bigger stuff where I can lay the saw into it, I reach for the Dolmar PS-7900. Not to say the saw's roles don't ever cross over, as sometimes you use what's in your hand. In the past I had a ported 346XP and a 372XP that ranked up there as well. If I was using one saw, I liked the Stihl 036 Pro, and really liked a Husqvarna 262XP I had for a while. I'd like to try a CS-510 or CS-520 Echo sometime, as I've heard good things about them. I had a CS-670 for awhile, and it was a nice handling and well built saw, but a little under powered in stock form for it's weight. Another saw I'd like to try is the Efco 962 or Deere CS-62.

 

[sedanman]

OK, I'm gonna get hammered for this but I really like my 009 for limbing. Firewood duties used to be handled by my 026 but it has been replaced with a MS-361. Big stuff is handled by the 064 or the 7900.

 

[woodshop]

I'll have to agree with Sedanman, my MS-361 is small enough to haul around the woods all day cutting limbs and tops into firewood, yet enough punch to fell a 14" oak and cut it up into firewood size chuncks without having to run for a bigger saw. Great all around firewood saw. My Husky 365 would be my second choice. Snow coming down hard here in PA also right now, supposed to get a foot or so before it stops tomorrow.

Dave

 

[ray benson]

Limbing and climbing Echo cs3000
Most firewood with Makita 6000i
Bigger wood Poulan Pro 505

 

[Lawn Masters]

I like to use my 038 for most all my woodcutting tasks, the 250 for REALLY big logs, when I get a few of them. and my ugly little Mac 110 for cutting small trees, limbing and general small wood cutting.

 

[Mange]

My favorit firewood's saw would be the Husqvarna 254xpg, or Jonny 52E.

 

[brent denny]

My shindaiwa 488 is a nice saw but I dont think its my number one pick like it used to be. It vibrates a lot more than my other saws and that bothers my fingers in the cold weather. My husqvarna 353 is hard to beat. Easy on the hands and the back. With a 16" bar and 95vp chain this thing blasts through 14"-16" hard maple and beech with no problem. My 372xp is a great saw but it gets heavy quickly and I dont use it much unless the wood gets over 16". I will be getting a dolmar 540 soon and probably will have to try a ps-5000 when they come out just because. To me, 50cc saws are the sweet spot as anything bigger usually brings on two or more pounds and anything smaller doesnt weigh hardly anything less but doesnt have as much power.

 

[che]

I have the choice of a Shindaiwa 488, Jonsered 2141, Jonsered 2036, and a Dolmar 116si. The Shindaiwa is my favorite. I used the 2141 and got alot cut....but so far, I'm leaning towards the Shindaiwa. The 2036 has too many problems lately but it's a wonderful saw if all you're cutting are limbs....very light and well balanced. The only time I've picked up the Dolmar in the past couple years is when I got the Shindaiwa stuck in some big hedge.

Our woods are cedar, osage orange (hedge), some oak, sycamore, locust, wild cherry, hackberry, hickory, KY coffee, black walnut, mulberry, elm...more will come to mind later. I only cut hedge for firewood. Our woods have cowpaths throughout...not great for the trees, but necessary at this point...too much to fence.

 

[CbaileyBG]

I personally dont cut firewood for myself but I do for some elderly folks (Free of Charge). But its not habit forming so dont anyone get any ideas..lol. But my preference of saws are the 029 Farm Boss for downing the tree and the 026 for cutting the blocks.

Curt

 

[Pioneer]

Homelite xl for pruning trees in the yard, The xl-1 for most firewood duties, Pioneer 14-20 for the big stuff. The xl-1 is similar in power to the 024 Stihl and is 1/2 pound lighter. It handles softwoods up to it's 16 inch bar length without problems. The Pioneer has decent power for the hardwoods, but it needs to go on a weight loss program and needs auto oiling.

 

[max2cam]

I forgot to mention that all my firewood saws (024, 2050, & CS-510) all have 16-inch bars & .325 chain. Rarely do I feel the need for anything longer, but if I did get another saw (60-70cc range) I would put an 18 or 20-inch bar on it.

One thing good about the chainsaw world is that there are so many excellent choices on the market and it is still a place where people actually use the tool for its intended purpose instead of it being a "lifestyle" or "fashion" statement!

Our woods are cedar, osage orange (hedge), some oak, sycamore, locust, wild cherry, hackberry, hickory, KY coffee, black walnut, mulberry, elm...more will come to mind later. I only cut hedge for firewood. Our woods have cowpaths throughout...not great for the trees, but necessary at this point...too much to fence.

Your woods sound very exotic to this northern man!

Any MILLING size black walnut for gunstocks? That is my dream....

I have tried planting black walnut nuts up here but so far with no luck. I think in this sand they would grow slow and dense grained. Black ash sure does! The walnuts I got were from Zone 5 and this is Zone 3. Walnuts not native this far north, altho I have heard of some growing within 30 miles of here. Didn't actually see them tho. If true, those would be the nuts to get!

Headed out into the woods for a little cutting and to check out the new deep snow. Also try to block deer from my white cedars. Maybe cut some feed for them. Warm today. About 20 F.

 

[Ranchero50]

Favorite has got to be my 041 super with the 27" bar. I'm 6'8" in work boots and the old Super XL with a 16" bar killed my back after an hour or two. With the 041 super it's like weilding a figgin light saber 70+cc and 27" of reach out an touch someone. Only down side is it jerks bush and briers at me when they get in the way. I just had an old Homelite Xl palm saw given to me with a 14" bar so I'll probally clip it to my belt for topping out the little stuff. I'll use the 041 w 20" bar when a friend steals the super (they get envious of it's torque and power).

Wood so far is all standing dead locust and red oak with occasional maples and other junk wood thrown in.

Jamie

 

[oldwild]

well MAX, you woul dprobaly kill for the chunk of black walnut I have in the shop 8 or 9' long will give a 4"x5" mantle or whatever I want to use it for!

Limbing: Poulan 220 have not had time to try the Husky 353. Cutting down bigger, Poulan 3400, cutting into firewood chunks the JD 60V, just finished the 360 but need to test it. The 330 is to be done tomorrow. Waiting for the Homey 1130 to get here for the really big stuff!

 

[Toneman]

sedanman OK, I'm gonna get hammered for this but I really like my 009 for limbing. Firewood duties used to be handled by my 026 but it has been replaced with a MS-361. Big stuff is handled by the 064 or the 7900.

I know what you mean Paul, I like using my 009 once in a while for limbing too.
Firewood duties are shared by my 026 and 346XP. The big stuff gets taken care of with the 440 Magnum.

 

[coyote556]

034 super, oak is what i cut

 

[woodshop]

Max if you were closer I could turn you on to some Walnut I milled few years ago, got couple hundred ft waiting for a future project or whatever. I milled several chunks 3" and 4" thick for gunstock or bowl stuff. Not sure I would call our woods "exotic" but the Appalachian woods running from New England down through Georgia do have more different species/acre than anywhere west of the Mississippi. Only certain pockets of Florida (tropical) have more species. As for growing Walnut up where you are, keep in mind that Walnut, like Black Cherry is a species that needs good rich soil like that which you find in bottom-land to grow well. That's why you rarely see a (naturally growing) Walnut or Cherry tree on a rocky slope or near top of a mountain. Soil is usually not good enough for them. I've seen them growing in sandy soil in NJ and Md, but it has to be "good" sandy soil, mixed with peat, dirt and well drained. If you play your cards right you can get trees to grow where they don't naturally, but they'll rarely do well without constant nursing.

Dave

 

[klickitatsacket]

there are 2 saws that I dearly love. First is Stihl 044; it is my everything saw except overhead work. I run a 28" bar and can stand up to do 90% of all my fire wood work. It has all the power I need for just about anything I run across. I find the lack of bending over more than compensates for a little extra weight. The other is the kick ars 020T. What a sweet heart. I know there is another thread in here about these. Pound for pound absolutely the best stock saw around. If I had a 3rd choice it would be the 372xp a great saw in it's own right. I grew up on Stihls though and have a bit of a bias.

 

[Butch(OH)]

I like my firewood'en saw to have a bar long enogh to reach the ground without crouching over too far (we all run a saw buck like in the books say to,, right?) 20" works well for me with most models. I dont get around much but its hard to imagine a better machine than my 036, it pulls a ful bar nicely the few times I need it to do that and I can throw it around when knocking off limbs. Before the 036 I ran a 610 Mac and it did very well for me. I like the torque of a 3.6 or so saw better than the highly tuned power of say an 026. My office job has caused me to loose a lot of mussle the last few years and I now like to have a small saw for limbing too. Most of the time all 4 of my (our) saws got othe woods with us but I have two boys sawing now too.