thesawisfamily
New Member
A speech teacher in high school once told me never to begin a speech by apologizing, that said, I'm not going to.
I've owned several saws in the past, ranging from a used mini mac with a 16" bar, to a Brand New Homlite Big Red with a 20" and more recently a used Stihl 028, 029 & 009.
I am now in the market for one large (20 inch or larger) and one small (top handle preferably) saw.
I've used .325 pitch in the past on both my 009 and my 028 but prefer a 3/8 for the larger saw.
At present I've been searching all summer for some good used equipment and have thus far been amazed at people on places like ebay and even my local pawn shops paying 2, 3 and 4 times what they should be paying for 10-20 year old saws that are in most cases half shot, or in the case of the last 009 I bought, completely shot (as in seized solid).
Since I can't seem to find anything that runs and will cut wood without needing $100-150 worth of "maintenance" first I'm reluctantly considering buying new.
I've not heard that much good about the MS 290 and have been considering a Husky 455 or 460 but have also been looking at Dolmar, something maybe like a 510.
I won't bad mouth any of the saws I've owned, I made money with all of them. I will say with my last 029, I was cutting some larger trunks and while the saw didn't bog, I could tell maybe something a bit larger would have made my job a little quicker and easier. Let's face it folks when you're working with your hands time is money, and when you're taking down dead stuff without fear of collateral damage there's no reason to get fancy, just knock the thing down and make big pieces into small pieces as quickly as you can and move on.
I don't care about who's a better dealer, everyone's your brother until the rent is due, I don't need anyone to pat my head and tell me everything is going to be all better. What I need is a saw that will do the job, hold up to heavy work, run just as good when it's a hundred degrees as it does when it's 10 degrees. Oh and if anyone knows a saw that will cut ice and dirt just as well as it does wood that would be great!
Ideas, thoughts and opinions welcome.
I can't afford mistakes and would rather buy the right (for me) equipment the first time for the right price.
P.S. THE RIGHT PRICE!!!! (Thanks for pointing that out)
I should have mentioned I'd rather not spend more than 200 bucks for a used saw, the 029 I had I paid a hundred bucks for then replaced the .325 drum with a 3/8 and put a new chain and bar on it, at my local stihl dealer which graciously charged me something like 80 bucks.
So a hundred or less for a smaller one handed saw used I think is fair for what I have in mind, and less than 200 for one with a 20 inch 3/8 chain hopefully with life left in saw, bar and chain.
If I have to go new, I understand $330ish is about the going rate for the 455, I priced a MS290 for $350 and have no idea what the Dolmar 510 goes for or for that matter how it rates against the husky or stihls I mentioned.
P.P.S. AS for what kind of wood I cut, whatever pays the rent! I live in eastern South Dakota rarely cut anything taller than 40 feet or thicker than 2. I've cut Elm, Linden, Maple, Cedar, Pine and some kind of particularly nasty thing dead for several years and still weighed a ton almost like it was full of water. Oh I also cut some sycamore out east, man am I deathly allergic to that stuff, and what's with filling trees with concrete? (I found more than one old tree with that junk in it out east)
P.P.P.S! Thanks guys for the tips and offers, I still haven't found a one handed saw but am bidding on an old stihl 15 that might fit the bill nicely if it's in as good a shape as the owner claims. As for larger stuff, yesterday I procurred both a new 455 and a used Makita of the type H.D. rents. Thanks again for the opinions and knowledge.
It's always nice to bounce ideas off those who use or make a living using the equipment you are considering.
I've owned several saws in the past, ranging from a used mini mac with a 16" bar, to a Brand New Homlite Big Red with a 20" and more recently a used Stihl 028, 029 & 009.
I am now in the market for one large (20 inch or larger) and one small (top handle preferably) saw.
I've used .325 pitch in the past on both my 009 and my 028 but prefer a 3/8 for the larger saw.
At present I've been searching all summer for some good used equipment and have thus far been amazed at people on places like ebay and even my local pawn shops paying 2, 3 and 4 times what they should be paying for 10-20 year old saws that are in most cases half shot, or in the case of the last 009 I bought, completely shot (as in seized solid).
Since I can't seem to find anything that runs and will cut wood without needing $100-150 worth of "maintenance" first I'm reluctantly considering buying new.
I've not heard that much good about the MS 290 and have been considering a Husky 455 or 460 but have also been looking at Dolmar, something maybe like a 510.
I won't bad mouth any of the saws I've owned, I made money with all of them. I will say with my last 029, I was cutting some larger trunks and while the saw didn't bog, I could tell maybe something a bit larger would have made my job a little quicker and easier. Let's face it folks when you're working with your hands time is money, and when you're taking down dead stuff without fear of collateral damage there's no reason to get fancy, just knock the thing down and make big pieces into small pieces as quickly as you can and move on.
I don't care about who's a better dealer, everyone's your brother until the rent is due, I don't need anyone to pat my head and tell me everything is going to be all better. What I need is a saw that will do the job, hold up to heavy work, run just as good when it's a hundred degrees as it does when it's 10 degrees. Oh and if anyone knows a saw that will cut ice and dirt just as well as it does wood that would be great!
Ideas, thoughts and opinions welcome.
I can't afford mistakes and would rather buy the right (for me) equipment the first time for the right price.
P.S. THE RIGHT PRICE!!!! (Thanks for pointing that out)
I should have mentioned I'd rather not spend more than 200 bucks for a used saw, the 029 I had I paid a hundred bucks for then replaced the .325 drum with a 3/8 and put a new chain and bar on it, at my local stihl dealer which graciously charged me something like 80 bucks.
So a hundred or less for a smaller one handed saw used I think is fair for what I have in mind, and less than 200 for one with a 20 inch 3/8 chain hopefully with life left in saw, bar and chain.
If I have to go new, I understand $330ish is about the going rate for the 455, I priced a MS290 for $350 and have no idea what the Dolmar 510 goes for or for that matter how it rates against the husky or stihls I mentioned.
P.P.S. AS for what kind of wood I cut, whatever pays the rent! I live in eastern South Dakota rarely cut anything taller than 40 feet or thicker than 2. I've cut Elm, Linden, Maple, Cedar, Pine and some kind of particularly nasty thing dead for several years and still weighed a ton almost like it was full of water. Oh I also cut some sycamore out east, man am I deathly allergic to that stuff, and what's with filling trees with concrete? (I found more than one old tree with that junk in it out east)
P.P.P.S! Thanks guys for the tips and offers, I still haven't found a one handed saw but am bidding on an old stihl 15 that might fit the bill nicely if it's in as good a shape as the owner claims. As for larger stuff, yesterday I procurred both a new 455 and a used Makita of the type H.D. rents. Thanks again for the opinions and knowledge.
It's always nice to bounce ideas off those who use or make a living using the equipment you are considering.
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It did come from a retired logger. I agree with manual- cut out the middleman whenever you can.
I ended up having to replace the bar and chain so my free saw actually cost about $50- no big deal.
