Is a 50cc saw powerful enough to cut good sized firewood?

[Stihl here]

got curious so i went out and dogged the 026 into a 34" cookie. i dogged right around cutn the full lenght of the 18 bar thrown big chips. iid think wearn 20" bar it could mange making me happy cutting 20" wood. i think 18" and smaller wood this thing will buck pretty quick. im kinda pleased so far. i cant wait to get up there and see how many cord i can pull out at a time. im thinkn 4-6 cored maybe more

An 026 is a good saw!!! It will cut all firewood needs for most IMO. But we tend to be a bunch of powerhungry junkies on this site. But good to see guys give the old 026 credit!!!

 

[mowoodchopper]

I agree the 346 will cut 20 inch wood but you will want more power at some point. I think the 359 is a great saw and the 346 would be a nice little brother but you may decide the 359 is a little small after you get a 346! I used to use one saw a 55-60 cc, and thought it was fine then I started using the lighter 50 cc saws alot and wanted a bigger big saw I bought the 6400 and loved it , then I got the 5100 and now the 6400 just dosent have the power I want so Im gonna make it a 7900 or the 85 cc kit and I think Ill be happy then!

 

[PA Plumber]

Same deal here. I heated my house for 2 years with just my 026 Pro. Then came the 034, (that was my big saw at the time, lol), then came the 441, then came the 7900, then came ....................

Yep.

026 was it for me for years. Now there are too many "other" sized saws.

Every time I think I'm ready to sell one, I just can't bring myself to do it.

Oh, and I know they are worth a lot more than they are really worth.:monkey:

 

[bowtechmadman]

Yes, I believe it would be up to the task just fine. I am another of the Cad bitten, CC mongerin fools that believe they need a minimum of 10 saws to cut up a tree, but still believe a 50cc will take care of the majority of needs, albeit not as fast.
If your biggest is 20" trees then only about 10-20% is actually 20" and the majority of wood you will be cutting is smaller, where the 346 will really shine.
Once you have run the 346 you'll send that 359 to Brad and have a more powerful saw to go w/ the best saw made currently(346XP). Enjoy whatever you get.

 

[weimedog]

I'm just curious if the Husky 346 has enough power to get the job done cutting hardwood up to 20"

Not really. That 359 will do it though. A 372 is more expensive and a lot faster in the big stuff.

But this sounds like a "CAD" moment...my friend built an old Husqvarna "61" with his mods (Cleaned up ports, no change in port timing that I know of, and his modded muffler) and it just rips the big stuff. Interestingly enough, its not far behind his new Dolmar 7300. Its at least a match of my 365.

If your haveing a "CAD" twitch, why not find (ebay) an old 272,288,371,372 class saw to build? Maybe a 365 to upgrade to a 372?

You have that 359 for real work & insurance policy while playing with the hobby saws...build one. No risk work won't get done because of that 359?

 

[IchWarriorMkII]

Yes, it will.

Im sure you are going to run a 16" bar, or perhaps shorter?

It will cut plenty fine, the bigger stuff you will have to cut from both sides... but thats easy.

Heck you could run a 13" .325 NK setup that would flat SCREAM and you could cut 24" wood...


The biggest thing is, if you don't know what a big saw is like you can get by without pretty easily... even if we (ArboristSite) say otherwise.

 

[mini kahuna]

if you only do it once in awhile you would be ok,but to put a 20" bar on a 346 and go blocking firewood,that little guy ain't going to last long.
in hardwood the 346 is very happy with a 16" bar,honestly your looking at a 60-70cc saw to block up 20" firewood all the time.
your 359 is a very nice firewood saw,are you just suffering from CAD?

 

[IchWarriorMkII]

He's not running a 20" bar guys, cutting 20" WOOD.


Little difference, in that detail.

 

[Octane]

My 50cc Echo with a 20" bar does the job just fine. Its getting a 16" bar pretty soon though. It pulls the 20" just fine, but most of the stuff I cut with it isnt that big and the longer bar makes it a bit unwieldy at times.
I will save the 20" for felling and for bucking the bigger pieces, but most of the cutting will be done with the 16".

 

[mountainlake]

I'm just curious if the Husky 346 has enough power to get the job done cutting hardwood up to 20"

Not reading all the replys, yes 50cc is fine. Last time I did timed cuts my 70cc 20# saw took 19 seconds and my 50cc 15# saw took 23 seconds side by side. Not being a young stud anymore I use the 50 cc saw way more. Steve

 

[indiansprings]

I have used Stihl 028 Wood Boss/028 Super and 032 all high 40 low 50cc saws to cut hundreds of ricks since 78, have sold wood that long, they have done a heck of a job on red oak, white oak, hickory and walnut. Does the 361 or 038 make it a little faster yes, but it's not a life or death difference. You have to remember this site puts a lot of emphasis on cookie cuttin speed, I think most members, myself included tend to lean toward overkill, why use a .223 when you can use a .338, thats part of the debilitory part of the CAD syndrome.
I'll take a good quality 50cc saw like a 346xp or even and old 028 over a box store piece of crap that has more cc's/greater hp rating any day.

 

[stipes]

+1

I have used Stihl 028 Wood Boss/028 Super and 032 all high 40 low 50cc saws to cut hundreds of ricks since 78, have sold wood that long, they have done a heck of a job on red oak, white oak, hickory and walnut. Does the 361 or 038 make it a little faster yes, but it's not a life or death difference. You have to remember this site puts a lot of emphasis on cookie cuttin speed, I think most members, myself included tend to lean toward overkill, why use a .223 when you can use a .338, thats part of the debilitory part of the CAD syndrome.
I'll take a good quality 50cc saw like a 346xp or even and old 028 over a box store piece of crap that has more cc's/greater hp rating any day.

:agree2:

Cut alot of firewood with the 028super myself with a 18 inch bar...A 20 inch dia. tree isnt that big folks..
To drop the hammer on a 20 incher with my 346,,I would and it's wearin a 18 inch bar...

 

[SilverBox]

I'm just curious if the Husky 346 has enough power to get the job done cutting hardwood up to 20"

No problem. Might be a lil slow going in the bigger stuff, but it shouldn't be all that slow. heck I've cut 20" oak rounds with a 33cc eager beaver and a 14" bar. sharpening every tank..

 

[cpr]

I heated my home for 4 years and cut 40 full cord with a 141. Then I got a 372 and refuse to look back. My 61 is a learning tool and test bed for mods. My thoughts are don't mess around. The 359 will serve you well, but lean towards a 372 for reinforcements (but then, I have CAD). FWIW, another 372 is joining my stable in 30 days or less. 346s are nice and I admit to wanting one, but when there's a 20 full cord semi load of oak to cut, I want 20" to 24" of bar and at least 5 hp. By the way, the power is there for speed and the 24" bar because I can reach out or down to work logs at the face of the pile much easier than I could with a shorter bar. Not having to bend over to work a log near shin level is worth more than the lighter saw after 6 hours for me.

Oh, if you think a 372 is heavy and bothersome, you're welcome to play with the Homelites to regain your appreciation :jawdrop:.

 

[mini kahuna]

cpr,I'm with you,I want some cc's when I am cuttin.
50 cc for 8 inch or so anymore the big boy comes out.

 

[AOD]

With all due respect if I may chime in here, I think a 346 running .325 on an 18" bar could handle 20" hardwood without much trouble. I've cut a bunch of hard maple with my friends 346 "classic edition" and it had no trouble pulling the 16" bar buried in sugar maple, a quick zip of the other side and it's cut. With a 16" it cut so fast that the extra time of finishing the cut was really a non issue.

If you start talking super hard wood like dry oak, hedge, black locust and the like you'll want something with a touch more power and a wider power band to really perform.

 

[Cliff R]

If time is important to you, then the size and power of the saw should match the task at hand. If you are just cutting a few cords of wood here and there, a little 40 or 50cc saw can do just about anything you ask of it, if you aren't in a big hurry.

I could outfit one of our smaller 50cc saws with a 20" bar, and get through just about any job we encounter, as we cut mostly tops. Even so, we have sized up the power of every saw in our line-up, and put the approprioate size bar and type of chain on it accordingly.

Our 480CD is fitted with a 24" bar, 3/8 full chisel, and is for the most part used only for material apprx 18" and larger.

The 268XP is fitted with a 20" bar, 3/8 full chisel, and used mostly for larger material as well.

The 262XP is fitted with an 18" bar, 3/8 full chisel, and it a workhorse of a saw for material from about 10-18". Relatively light, and very, very fast cutting.

All of the 50cc saws we own use 18" bars .325 semi-chisel chains, and are used the most. They are light, fast, easy on fuel, and easy on my back now that I'm 50 years old.

The CS-370 and CS-360T are used for small stuff, or anytime I've got a LOT of small limbs to trim from the trunk of a tree, or a lot of walking around to do cutting small limbs from a top.

For the most part, we size the saw to the work. Each saw has been outfitted with the bar/chain combo that keeps it easily in it's power range, and minimizes the time required to make cuts. This keeps from working both the saws and the operator any harder than needed. I don't head out to the woods just to listen to saws run, I want to get a LOT of wood cut up, efficiently and quickly, as the hardest part of the task is splitting and loading it up.

I've read on here and have seen a few folks outfit their saws with relatively long bars for the cc's of the engine. For example, we have used several bars on our 262XP, and consider the 18" bar the perfect choice for it, but it could easily run 24 or 28" if needed, and there is certainly nothing wrong with doing so, if it saves someone from having to buy another larger/more expensive saw.

Basically, it all boils down to time, don't expect a small saw to really shine in large diameter hardwoods, no matter how long of a bar you outfit it with. Plan on being on that great big log for an hour or more just to get it cut up with your little 50cc saw, when you could have came in with an 80cc saw and cut it up in minutes!.......Cliff

 

[DougNH]

Cad

Sounds like you're going to be the proud owner of a 346XP soon. Then you'll obviously need a 372XP for the big stuff. The only question is: will you keep the 359? I think you should, since a 21cc "gap" is too big.....

 

[SawTroll]

You would be surprised at the number of people who simply don't know any better that are happily cutting with 50cc and smaller saws.

Are they ideal for 20" wood? Certainly not, but if you're not in a hurry and don't mind workin' the equipment hard...

:agree2:


It will probably reduce the life span of the saw some....

If I had to do it, I would use a short bar, and cut from both sides, with .325x7.

 

[trimmmed]

Since you already have a saw that'll cut 20" wood better than the 346, I'd say save your money. Unless you absolutely gotta have one.........