TraditionalTool
Addicted to ArboristSite
I'm trying to decide on a chainsaw to buy. I have looked over craigslist as well as ebay, and in the end I come to the conclusion that I will be best off buying from a local dealer who can service the saw for me. I have a dealer not too far from me, but their prices seem to be over MSRP. Not sure if that is common or not.
First, let me explain what I want the saw for, so that will give you an idea of the type of use it will get. I am not an arborist, and I do not heat my home with wood. I am buying the saw to build a log home. The main purpose will be to cut the dovetails, as well as the mortises for the floor joists.
This is an example of the type of log work I will be doing with it.
When I receive the timber, the sides will be milled flat, so I will only need to crosscut 8" thick timbers, and to cut the initial dovetail. The timber will be 16"-24" wide, eastern white pine. I will most likely finish the joinery with either a power planer (i.e., makita or bosch), or with hand tools (chisels, hand planes, drawknife, shaves). However, if I can get a good cut with the chainsaw, I could leave it as-is.
While I will not be cutting wood day in and day out, I am fairly demanding of my tools and tend to "cry once and buy the best", rather than "buying the cheapest and crying for a long time".
With all that said, the log craftsman I'm working with on this project, and who will be supplying me the timber, loves and has about 6 - 8 Husqvarna 345 chainsaws in his yard. I used one of these a few weeks ago while I was at his yard. The problem is that the 345 is not available anymore, and they do seem to go for a premium when found. Oddly, a place in SoCal (I live in NorCal), Lomita Mower & Saw, has new 345s they are selling with a 16" bar/chain for $259, but they will not ship, only sell to walk-in customers...
So, I think they are out. (if anyone has NOS on 345s, let me know). I've seen a couple on ebay, but ebay doesn't seem like a very good place to find a deal on chainsaws, the auctions are often long (6 - 9 days), and the saws seem to get bid up. Since there is no real savings, I have been thinking to buy from a local dealer who can service it if something goes wrong.
Since the 445 is the replacement and similar spec, I'm willing to get one, but the reason for my post is that I know that many folks are fond of the 346xp, and in comparison it seems like the Porsche, where the 445 is the Volkswagon, for lack of a better analogy. It does have a bit more power, at just slightly more weight. The craftsman I've been working with liked the 345 for weight vs. power, in regards to being able to wield it on a ladder to cut the mortises for the floor joists, and just all around balance in general. The mortises will get cleaned up with a framing chisel though, so I'm sure the 445 would do fine in that regard.
Is the 346xp worth the extra $200 for this application, do you think?
I have a fair amount of chain saw experience, having worked on a Xmas tree farm when I was younger, and we had all types of saws. However, those trees had very small trunks on the, since they were Xmas trees. I personally preferred the Stihls the most, but I am going to buy Husqvarna this time around as the craftsman I'm working with recommends it for this purpose. He also has some Stihls and Jonsered, but he just likes the weight/power ratio on the Husqvarna 345.
I will be using a 16" bar/chain if that makes a difference, and the one last thing that might have some bearing on the decision is that in the future I could use it for carving with a smaller tip'd bar, and in that case I'm not sure if the 445 or 346xp would be better.
In general, the 346xp seems like a better machine to me, I looked at both of them up close at my local store, and it seems better built, and possibly a better design. Is that something I'm not likely to notice in use? As far as reliability, are either models better?
Thanks for any advice.
First, let me explain what I want the saw for, so that will give you an idea of the type of use it will get. I am not an arborist, and I do not heat my home with wood. I am buying the saw to build a log home. The main purpose will be to cut the dovetails, as well as the mortises for the floor joists.
This is an example of the type of log work I will be doing with it.
When I receive the timber, the sides will be milled flat, so I will only need to crosscut 8" thick timbers, and to cut the initial dovetail. The timber will be 16"-24" wide, eastern white pine. I will most likely finish the joinery with either a power planer (i.e., makita or bosch), or with hand tools (chisels, hand planes, drawknife, shaves). However, if I can get a good cut with the chainsaw, I could leave it as-is.
While I will not be cutting wood day in and day out, I am fairly demanding of my tools and tend to "cry once and buy the best", rather than "buying the cheapest and crying for a long time".
With all that said, the log craftsman I'm working with on this project, and who will be supplying me the timber, loves and has about 6 - 8 Husqvarna 345 chainsaws in his yard. I used one of these a few weeks ago while I was at his yard. The problem is that the 345 is not available anymore, and they do seem to go for a premium when found. Oddly, a place in SoCal (I live in NorCal), Lomita Mower & Saw, has new 345s they are selling with a 16" bar/chain for $259, but they will not ship, only sell to walk-in customers...
So, I think they are out. (if anyone has NOS on 345s, let me know). I've seen a couple on ebay, but ebay doesn't seem like a very good place to find a deal on chainsaws, the auctions are often long (6 - 9 days), and the saws seem to get bid up. Since there is no real savings, I have been thinking to buy from a local dealer who can service it if something goes wrong.Since the 445 is the replacement and similar spec, I'm willing to get one, but the reason for my post is that I know that many folks are fond of the 346xp, and in comparison it seems like the Porsche, where the 445 is the Volkswagon, for lack of a better analogy. It does have a bit more power, at just slightly more weight. The craftsman I've been working with liked the 345 for weight vs. power, in regards to being able to wield it on a ladder to cut the mortises for the floor joists, and just all around balance in general. The mortises will get cleaned up with a framing chisel though, so I'm sure the 445 would do fine in that regard.
Is the 346xp worth the extra $200 for this application, do you think?
I have a fair amount of chain saw experience, having worked on a Xmas tree farm when I was younger, and we had all types of saws. However, those trees had very small trunks on the, since they were Xmas trees. I personally preferred the Stihls the most, but I am going to buy Husqvarna this time around as the craftsman I'm working with recommends it for this purpose. He also has some Stihls and Jonsered, but he just likes the weight/power ratio on the Husqvarna 345.
I will be using a 16" bar/chain if that makes a difference, and the one last thing that might have some bearing on the decision is that in the future I could use it for carving with a smaller tip'd bar, and in that case I'm not sure if the 445 or 346xp would be better.
In general, the 346xp seems like a better machine to me, I looked at both of them up close at my local store, and it seems better built, and possibly a better design. Is that something I'm not likely to notice in use? As far as reliability, are either models better?
Thanks for any advice.
