newbie with new to me shindaiwa 488

[steveo358]

Hi Just purchased a 488 shindaiwa, and seems to be a nice saw. My question is, what are people with this saw running bar and chain wise. The sprocket on this one has been changed to the .375, and I was curious if an 18 inch bar with .058 gauge is gonna be too much for this saw. Would love to know the best combo for this saw. Just gonna be used for residential firewood.(mother-in-laws.) Thanks, Steve

 

[ale]

welcome...
the 488's are pretty respected on this site and should do great as a firewood saw.

I'd say your set up is fine for what you are going to do...maybe go to 20" bar if you wanted something a little longer...but your set up is pretty much on the money.
try some .325 if you want to experiment

 

[Bowtie]

Hi Just purchased a 488 shindaiwa, and seems to be a nice saw. My question is, what are people with this saw running bar and chain wise. The sprocket on this one has been changed to the .375, and I was curious if an 18 inch bar with .058 gauge is gonna be too much for this saw. Would love to know the best combo for this saw. Just gonna be used for residential firewood.(mother-in-laws.) Thanks, Steve

It wont like the bar buried with that setup. Mine has 18" .325 .063, and its a bit much in hardwood. I would prefer 16" .325.

You will like that 488, they are a very good, reliable saw!

 

[DSS]

Mine has .325 .063 16".......I love it. Really barks,but I think .375 would be too much. Great little firewood saw

 

[steveo358]

Guy before me changed it to a .375,and has a mcculloch16 inch bar,.050 gauge. It seems to do fine, I just feel that I need an 18 inch bar. Well, I have one coming, so we will see if it will pull it I guess.

 

[DSS]

Oh yeah, it'll pull it,probably pull a 20",it just cuts down the fun factor,right? No big trees here, so the 16" makes sense to me. :greenchainsaw:Welcome to the site...............

 

[alderman]

The 488's are probably the most popular of the Shindaiwa lineup and their simplicity and reliablility make them a good homeowner wood cutting saw. The other plus is a good running used saw will often go for a portion of the price of the big name brands.

Parts still seem to be readily available if needed.


I run 18" and 20" .325 on mine. I find the 18" to be a better match for these saws but I picked up a couple of 20" bars off e-bay and just had to try them.

I'm mostly running 20RC from Bailey's. I've been happy with this chain. Sharpen this at 35 degrees and it does well for my cutting which is mostly Alder and Maple.

They'll cut wood with a 20" bar, but I don't think they'd do well burying the bar in 20" wood. I'm always looking for an excuse to run one of my bigger saws anyway.

Let us know how the 3/8 works for you.

If you can stand the rude comments, there's a Heavy Duty filter system available for the 488.

 

[JohnnyBoy1986]

Congrats, i love the 488, its excellent, reliable and fairly strong. I run an 18" .325 setup on my saw. It turns the 18 pretty well, i usually run an oregon 20LPX72 chain on mine, very aggressive chain and in most hardwood the saw wont have an issue. If you already have the 18 and dont like it, the 16" will be much faster, and while it will hang a 20" fine as said already burying (or close to) it will slow it down significantly. Personally, i vote to keep the 18", but it all comes down to what you want, neither choice will be a bad one.

 

[GrantC]

I run an 18" .325 narrow kerf setup on my 488; it cuts like a banshee with that combo.

Congrats on getting a great saw! (The Pro filter setup is a MUST!)

-=[ Grant ]=-