Questions from newbie. Maul and chainsaw selection?

[makey98]

Hello all! I have been reading this board for several days and had some general questions for all of you. I have a wood fireplace in the house that I rent and have gotten some good firewood and have learned how to get it going. It is great fun and I like feeling of a warm fire. (Dogs love it too!) My grandpa has about 30 acres of a fairly old woods with lots of good woods and I would like to learn how to split for exercise and free wood!

I would like some advice on what would be a good value for a basic chainsaw and maul. Anything else that I need? I have looked at the Iltis Oxhead and Gansfors maul and they seem like great quality but are expensive. Is this about the going rate for a high quality maul? Are these good choices? I would like a maul that will last for years and years and I am not scared to pay the price, I just wanted to see if they were good values compared to other choices.

Also curious about a good value in chainsaws. Seems stihl is popular on here, any suggestions for a good starter saw. Anyother gear I need? wedges? sledge? Thanks.

Regards,
Matt

 

[hornett22]

The Iltis Oxhead brand can be had cheaper.

go to the stihl dealer and buy the stihl version.it's made by Iltis Oxhead but doesn't have the metal sleave around the handle right below the maul head.

i love mine but stihl is on a price increase rampage so you better hurry.

 

[sawinredneck]

What size/type of wood are you wanting to use?

 

[FLCM]

What's your price range also?

 

[Gatsby174]

Don't forget PPE! Do a search for firewood saws and there's lots of reading. Remember - You get what you pay for! Just my .02
JC

 

[makey98]

HORNET -Stihl maul- great idea, I will look into it.

SAWINREDNECK- type of wood- I think mostly oak and poplar, but it is a big woods, so I am not sure......How big? I don't know, but I do know my grandpa has about 20 old rounds of poplar (i think) that are about 40 inches across....

FLCM - don't really have a definite price range, if anything is more than around 200 bucks then I have to save for a couple weeks, but I am just trying to find a good value/quality ratio....new to this..

GATSBY- Sorry, but I have no idea what PPE is??? or what a firewood saw is or where I should do some reading......any help??

Thanks for all the replies so far!
Matt

 

[woodchuck361]

WOW this is wide open. Part of me want to say go to a hardware store and buy the cheap splitting maul because you are going to break the handle a couple of times (if this is your first time splitting) I know I did. The other part says spend the money and get the really good maul it will make the job a little easier. The same for the saw. The problem I have is , Is this something you are going to enjoy while you rent this place with the fireplace and then get tired of after 2 years of cutting , splitting , chopping, stacking, and be stuck with a pro saw you paid 600. for and a really nice maul you paid 75. for plus all the little stuff that goes with it. Or it may be an investment that pays dividends for years to come. you really need to ask yourself a deep Question Is this something I want. I started with a poulan pro 260 saw and the cheep 12.00 maul. Now after several years I bought a stihl 361 still use the cheep maul But I hope you see my point dont rush into buying a bunch of high doller stuff unless your sure you want to use it for a long time other wise the cheeper stuff will do just fine for the couple of years you want/ need it to. Good luck with your purchase.

P.S. if you want advice as to a good CHEEP saw I can give you my .02
if you want advice as to a good mid/or pro saw I can do that too

 

[sawinredneck]

HORNET -Stihl maul- great idea, I will look into it.

SAWINREDNECK- type of wood- I think mostly oak and poplar, but it is a big woods, so I am not sure......How big? I don't know, but I do know my grandpa has about 20 old rounds of poplar (i think) that are about 40 inches across....


Thanks for all the replies so far!
Matt

WOW!!!!! And with a $100 buget, WOW!!!!!!

Hardwood that large, you are in 440 372 teritory!!!

 

[makey98]

Woodchuck- I agree, I don't want to buy a bunch of stuff that I won't use. I am just trying to see what you guys use and what you recommend. Do I really need a $100 maul or would a 24 dollar one from Lowes be just fine. My grandpa has a chainsaw that he used to use and I am sure that it is not the greatest, but it has worked. He also has a log splitter, but I don't want to use that just yet. I want to learn how to do it the old-fashioned way for a while... He just doesn't have a maul at the moment and I just wanted to get your opinion of a good value for the money in a maul and I threw in the chainsaw question just out of curiosity....

SAWINREDNECK- 100 dollars is my budget for a maul, but not for a saw. If I spend more than that it is going to take me a couple weeks/months to save up for it. (I just got married last week!) Also, keep in mind that I am new to this and not very good at identifying woods or sizes but I just remember my brother and I tried to see if we could pick them up and I couldn't get my arms around them....

thanks.

 

[Stihl051master]

I don't know if this will help you any, but I just bought a Tru-Temper Super Splitter and it works really well. I was skeptical b/c it is only a 4lb. Maul (I'm used to using an 8lb. or an old 16lb Wedge for the Really gnarly stuff), but it has these "wings" built onto the face, and that thing works really well- it just pops the wood apart. It would be a good one to learn with because it's very easy to control. Plus, it's so light you can swing it for hours and not get tired. It was $27.

 

[wdchuck]

PPE-- eye,ear,head,face,hand,legs,feet protection, basically achieved by getting a helmet system,$35 , some steel toe boots , good leather gloves, chaps $65.

Depending on the amount of wood you want, to keep the woodburner going, and the size of trees that you'd be cutting, and considering you are new at this, it would be wise to go to some dealers to try a saw in a log while at the store, so you can ask some questions about how it works and what to do/not to do.

You would serve your needs and budget by checking out Dolmar brand chainsaws, there are some dealers in the Chicago land area. The 5100 and 7300, 7900 are favorites amongst the AS members, they are each great saws to use, and should retain some value for resale if you take care of them.

Stihl, Husqvarna, Jonsred will all have good saws and if you got to a dealer they should be able to set you up right for your needs.

Of course, you can always verify what the dealer tells you by coming back here.

Regarding the splitting maul, I've tried the Fiskars, and it's fun to use, just wish the handle was longer.

Choose well, take your time.

 

[Brushwacker]

Hello all! I have been reading this board for several days and had some general questions for all of you. I have a wood fireplace in the house that I rent and have gotten some good firewood and have learned how to get it going. It is great fun and I like feeling of a warm fire. (Dogs love it too!) My grandpa has about 30 acres of a fairly old woods with lots of good woods and I would like to learn how to split for exercise and free wood!

I would like some advice on what would be a good value for a basic chainsaw and maul. Anything else that I need? I have looked at the Iltis Oxhead and Gansfors maul and they seem like great quality but are expensive. Is this about the going rate for a high quality maul? Are these good choices? I would like a maul that will last for years and years and I am not scared to pay the price, I just wanted to see if they were good values compared to other choices.

Also curious about a good value in chainsaws. Seems stihl is popular on here, any suggestions for a good starter saw. Anyother gear I need? wedges? sledge? Thanks.

Regards,
Matt

If you are using a fireplace without an insert while being enjoyable will not save you heating cost . I was told that but I didn't realize how much so until I installed a fireplace insert wood stove. 10 to 15 years ago I burned propane + kept my fireplace blazing . Was spending about $500 a year at around $.85 a gallon and burning roughly 4 full cords of wood to heat a small farm house. With the insert I use about the same amount of wood and about 100 gallons of propane burned mostly on my kitchen stove top. As a matter of fact my propane heating stove has not lit in 3 winters. I got my insert like new at a yardsale for $100. Probably about 5 times that more or less new depending on quality and size. With out an insert with what I know now I would only use the fireplace occaisonally for comfort , entertainment etc..
I did lots of experimenting with splitting tools 25+ years ago and the new gadgets, designs etc were almost always a waste of money for me. I kept advancing from the 6lb. maul to an 8 to a 10 and then to the best by far for me in average conditions is the monster maul. I use an curved wood handle single bit axe quite a bit in the straight grained easy stuff. Do a search on the monster maul and there is quite a bit of info. Theres been some debates whats best but nothing has convinced me the weight of the monster doesn't supply the best effect with the least effort in the tough stuff. Let the weight work by dropping it swinging just enough to control it. Easy stuff I can sometimes get through faster with an axe as some logs you can break through all the way around without knocking it over and having to stand it up as often. You can find something like the monster for around $25 give or take some. I buy most my axes at farm auctions for less then $10.
As far as chainsaws, 2 are better then 1, the right tool for the job. Big saw for big wood, small saw for small stuff. Stihl ms170 + an ms310 sounds like a
good value starter kit if your buying new and do not want to spend a fortune.
Stihls almost always have good resale value if you should decide to upgrade in the future but of course I am sure you could do as well with something else to.
Get you several falling wedges,something to pound them with , some chaps , a hard hat, read your chainsaws owners manual, then find someone to give you some good instructions falling as it is easy to get hurt or killed woodcutting. Stay alert and be safe and it can be rewarding and fun.

 

[Sprig]

If you are using a fireplace without an insert while being enjoyable will not save you heating cost . I was told that but I didn't realize how much so until I installed a fireplace insert wood stove. 10 to 15 years ago I burned propane + kept my fireplace blazing . Was spending about $500 a year at around $.85 a gallon and burning roughly 4 full cords of wood to heat a small farm house. With the insert I use about the same amount of wood and about 100 gallons of propane burned mostly on my kitchen stove top. As a matter of fact my propane heating stove has not lit in 3 winters. I got my insert like new at a yardsale for $100. Probably about 5 times that more or less new depending on quality and size. With out an insert with what I know now I would only use the fireplace occaisonally for comfort , entertainment etc..
I did lots of experimenting with splitting tools 25+ years ago and the new gadgets, designs etc were almost always a waste of money for me. I kept advancing from the 6lb. maul to an 8 to a 10 and then to the best by far for me in average conditions is the monster maul. I use an curved wood handle single bit axe quite a bit in the straight grained easy stuff. Do a search on the monster maul and there is quite a bit of info. Theres been some debates whats best but nothing has convinced me the weight of the monster doesn't supply the best effect with the least effort in the tough stuff. Let the weight work by dropping it swinging just enough to control it. Easy stuff I can sometimes get through faster with an axe as some logs you can break through all the way around without knocking it over and having to stand it up as often. You can find something like the monster for around $25 give or take some. I buy most my axes at farm auctions for less then $10.
As far as chainsaws, 2 are better then 1, the right tool for the job. Big saw for big wood, small saw for small stuff. Stihl ms170 + an ms310 sounds like a
good value starter kit if your buying new and do not want to spend a fortune.
Stihls almost always have good resale value if you should decide to upgrade in the future but of course I am sure you could do as well with something else to.
Get you several falling wedges,something to pound them with , some chaps , a hard hat, read your chainsaws owners manual, then find someone to give you some good instructions falling as it is easy to get hurt or killed woodcutting. Stay alert and be safe and it can be rewarding and fun.

Excellent post! Though there are many, many options for a saw to suit his needs imo, but most importantly is for him to learn to use the search function and spend some time in the archives, very much of this has been hashed over numerous times. Spend some time on some of the saw-choice threads but pay some good attention on the PPE ones as well as all safety related ones too, (especiall kickback, chaps, hearing, gloves etc.), your dogs will thank you! (and you will too)
Oh, and welcome Makey98!



Serge

 

[goof008]

I went the economical route...at first. I started with a MS290, which despite it's opponents here, is a good trustworthy saw for the occasional user. The MS310 and 390 are the same saw, just more hp. I also went and got a 8# maul from Home Depot with a fiberglass handle and handle guard. It's worked well for me, but I may try something different. I really don't think you need to spend more than $30 bucks on a maul, throw in a couple of wedges and you'll be at $50. Spend the other $50 you said you can spend on gloves, chaps, eye/ear protection, etc.
Keep coming to this site long enough, you'll have 3 mauls, a splitter, at least 3 chainsaws with 9 chains between them, six pair of gloves with holes worn thru from the maul handle, you'll reek of 2-stroke fumes and have sawdust on your hair. Ain't it great!?!?
:greenchainsaw:

But seriously, I'd start off with a mid-range saw like the Stihl MS290/310/390 with a 18-20 inch bar and an inexpensive maul. You're not a professional, you're only cutting enough wood for using in a fireplace, don't go overboard...there's plenty of time for that!!

 

[woodchuck361]

Sounds like you need to get the cheep maul, the high quality gloves,some good PPE , a sparkplug and a file kit for the chain. Learn to maintain the saw and chain (if you don't already). And get cutting. keep us posted you are in for a great adventure.