Tarki0
Running saws are money in the bank
like you i got started milling after I did a LOT of reading. At first I bought a used 395XP off of fleabay, and ran it for a year on a cheap vertical cutter rig. Good saw, so so rig. I learned a lot using it. Then it's age showed up so I put a bore and piston kit on it, replaced the carb, (then rebuilt the carb) and rebuilt the lower end... doing one, might as well do the other, right? Last year I picked up a 395XP (new) from a dealer that had one in stock that someone ordered and didn't come in an buy it. Lost his deposit and I got a better than good deal. It is now the primary saw, the rebuilt big bore is my back up. It runs great but i've not had a spit of issue with the new husky. Bars and chains... I run forester or Archer bars and carbide chains now exclusively. Yes its more expensive but it lasts almost five times as long in between sharpening. Longer if you can put up with it. You have to use a diamond to sharpen but once they're sharp, they stay that way. As for steel ripping chains, yes i have them and I use them. But they require a lot more work to keep sharp. I carry a Stihl 12v battery sharpening sytem in the truck with both stone and diamond burrs and a drill with a diamond burr on it in the bag (always have a backup). I run 3/8 .050 chain. Smaller kerf, less loss, less dust. Where I cut there are plenty of wild animals so I also have to carry a piece in case someone is hungry, or they chase me toward the truck. Usually they leave me alone because of the saw noise. I have had a couple close encounters with a big cat and a black bear but neither one wanted to get too close. I also wear chaps, gloves, head gear with the screen, ear plugs, glasses and ear muffs. I can hear what I need to with the PPE on. Your ears can only take so much before you lose the ability to hear someone speak in a noisy room. PPE is important. So is a first aid kit with a tournequet and suture kit. I took the time to learn how to suture and carry a staple gun and derma bond just in case I needed it. I needed it last week when a buddy cut his arm pretty deep, we cleaned it, fixed it, derma-bonded it and took him to the hospital for a tetanus shot. Doc said he couldn't have done any better. I guess first aid training is worth the time in the off season. I didn't see any bleeders so I stapled him up.... he howled a little each time but we laugh about it now.