jmethodrose
ArboristSite Operative
Hi everyone,
First of all, I have posted on this site before a couple of years ago, when I was bitten by the chainsaw bug and wanted to get into carving. Unfortunatley funds didn't allow it at the time, and so it took a back seat for a while...
Recently work that had to be done at home required the use of a chainsaw, and rather than hire one for a day I brought a cheap £50 second hand but never used Ryobi. This had never been taken out of the box, had just sat in someones garage gathering just for a year before they decided to sell it. Unsure of the model number, but it's a 44cc engine with a 20" bar - a piece of crap, but it cuts wood. Now that I have it, I want to get into carving and we have a good supply of free wood locally - driftwood!
I realise that this saw is unlikely to last long, and will probably struggle with pulling its 20" bar in hardwood up to 28" thick, as we frequently get here. So my plan is to do as much as I can with it until I can afford a proper saw for this, then fit it with a small carving bar and continue using it till it breaks and has to be replaced with a Stihl/Husky. So my question is which saw is capable of pulling a 26" bar though anything I tell it to? I've been looking at a Makita/Dolmar 7900, or a used Husky 372. Have thought about Stihl, but they strike me as being more expensive. Looking for something around the £450 mark, so the Makita would seem ideal to me.
Last question - on <a href="http://ww.lawson-hi.co.uk/sipts/details.php?=Petrol%20Chainsaws%20Makita&product=64616">this site</a> it gives the option for a slightly more expensive 7901 with decompresser. Is this necessary? I have used saws both with and without decompression valves, and couldn't tell the difference. Is it worth an extra tenner?
Thanks in advance
Joe
First of all, I have posted on this site before a couple of years ago, when I was bitten by the chainsaw bug and wanted to get into carving. Unfortunatley funds didn't allow it at the time, and so it took a back seat for a while...
Recently work that had to be done at home required the use of a chainsaw, and rather than hire one for a day I brought a cheap £50 second hand but never used Ryobi. This had never been taken out of the box, had just sat in someones garage gathering just for a year before they decided to sell it. Unsure of the model number, but it's a 44cc engine with a 20" bar - a piece of crap, but it cuts wood. Now that I have it, I want to get into carving and we have a good supply of free wood locally - driftwood!
I realise that this saw is unlikely to last long, and will probably struggle with pulling its 20" bar in hardwood up to 28" thick, as we frequently get here. So my plan is to do as much as I can with it until I can afford a proper saw for this, then fit it with a small carving bar and continue using it till it breaks and has to be replaced with a Stihl/Husky. So my question is which saw is capable of pulling a 26" bar though anything I tell it to? I've been looking at a Makita/Dolmar 7900, or a used Husky 372. Have thought about Stihl, but they strike me as being more expensive. Looking for something around the £450 mark, so the Makita would seem ideal to me.
Last question - on <a href="http://ww.lawson-hi.co.uk/sipts/details.php?=Petrol%20Chainsaws%20Makita&product=64616">this site</a> it gives the option for a slightly more expensive 7901 with decompresser. Is this necessary? I have used saws both with and without decompression valves, and couldn't tell the difference. Is it worth an extra tenner?
Thanks in advance
Joe
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