New to carving

[im2tall]

I'm going to try my hand at carving and bought a 12" carving bar and chain from MFG Supply. The tech rep told me this chain would fit my Husky 51. It doesn't but appears to fit my Husky 455.
My question is are my saws too big for carving? I don't want to invest lots of $$ untill I get a feel for this and see if I have any talent at carving. Any advice?
2Tall in Wyoming

 

[MotorSeven]

2tall, that is a big heavy saw to be manuvering around while carving. I use a 210 & would even like a smaller saw. The small echo's are popular for carving & easy on the wallet. But, on the other hand, the benefit would be 23" biceps.......Just my .02
RD

 

[buzz sawyer]

The 455 seems large but it depends on the size of your work and type of wood. I could see roughing out to some degree with a larger saw and standard bar (watch the kickback), then drop down to something smaller with a quarter or dime tip bar for detail work. This also gives you an excuse to buy another saw.

 

[carver36]

Bigger saws!

Hey, i have been using an Echo EVL 510 with an 18" blade. It is a great firewood saw and was very helpful when i built my log cabin. It is good for taking off the big chunks but gets heavy in a hurry when i'm carving. I'm pretty new at chainsaw carving myself and didn't want to invest too much in another saw. I did buy a Lancelot blade for my angle grinder and i use that a lot, it was a very good investment. I have found that the people on this site are very informative and supportive, keep at it, it is a lot of fun.
Carver 36

 

[crowboy]

sounds a bit big for a detail saw,which is what a 12 inch dime tip is for,detailing. I use an ms 180 12 inch dime tip for small carvings and for detailing large ones.I'm not a burly dude so light is better. I use a 250 for blocking out bigger carvings,nothing over 2 feet diameter. Oh ya, I can't let that lancelot comment go by without saying BE Careful, those things are super dangerous, never take the guard off your grinder, hell just shelf it, there's nothing you can do with one that you cant do with a dime tip anyway.

 

[carvinmark]

Like others have said, you can use your current saws for carving but you will get tired much faster, and that's not good. You need a lot of control while carving and a light saw will be easier and safer for the detail work. I use my 395 for blocking the real big stuff and then work my way down to the smaller saw. Be cautious about kickback!!! And most of all, ALWAYS keep both hands on any grinder.