How good is the Stihl MS 880 Magnum?

[BobL]

Now that's what I call a stash!

 

[john taliaferro]

first a full moon ,now those big flethes & talk of 88 i will never get to sleep . i do like the big saw,mine has a muffler mod bout 7/8 pipe 45* foward . thiresty:censored: sucks down some gas then you look and your done for the day a real work horse .john t

 

[mikeb1079]

hey bill steuwe (or anybody), about how long do you dry with stickers/seperation before you can stack the boards directly on top of each other? as we all know, stickering takes up space and it'd be nice to just stack directly after a certain amount of time. nice stash btw.
cheers
mb

 

[billstuewe]

You must keep it on the stickers until it is air dried as low as it will go in your area, then you can flat stack it. This depends on the area you live in, the time of year, the species, the thickness, and about 15 other variables.
1. Get a moisture meter or learn how to oven dry to determing MC
2. Download this bulletin and read it. Check the chart starting on page 4 for your area.
3. A not-so-accurate-rule-of-thumb is wood will dry about 1" per year. For me here in Central Texas--June july And August = 1 year for most norther places.


Sorry I cannot be more specific but I have some 16/4 oak that has been drying about 3 years and still has a way to go and I have dried 4/4 cedar (ERC) in 3 weeks.

 

[BobL]

hey bill steuwe (or anybody), about how long do you dry with stickers/seperation before you can stack the boards directly on top of each other? as we all know, stickering takes up space and it'd be nice to just stack directly after a certain amount of time. nice stash btw.
cheers
mb

I stand hardwood slabs, of 2" or greater thickness, vertically before they are completely dry.
2" thick stuff I stand up after 1 year, 3" after two years and 4" after 3" years etc - seems to work OK. For <2" I usually wait till they reach local long terms MC.

 

[Madacobain]

Looking at getting the MS 880 Magnum. I want to be able to slab large trees for natural edge tables. Is this saw worth $1,990? Does anyone own it with the 59 inch bar? Any feedback is much appreciated! Thanks!

I brought an MS880 Stihl with a 60 inch Stihl bar and an Alaskan mill, never looked back, it handles any task, I cut mostly Rimu, Totara and gum, bars are expensive and I have set up another mill with a 900 bar because I was so impressed with Stihl products, they do the business and its money well spent buying new, one person operater, owner makes the difference as its looked after properly, Ive had mine for over a year and still looks new apart from some paint of the bars, running a rev counter with a built in hour clock tells me when maintenance time comes around and gives me piece of mind for the extra $100. I have a good dealer thats got a mill so his experience has made the difference in getting it right. I also have another mate thats had the same set up in business for 10 years and when it takes driving 3 hours in the back blocks and another hour on a quad you dont want trouble and the Stihl just keeps on being faithfull and does the milage plus. A real mans tool.