As a kid I learned how to cut wood with a Stihl 028 with an 18" bar (47cc). Over a period of years I got very used to grabbing a 60cc +/- Stihl with a 24" bar that belonged to my uncle...preferred 60cc's for just about everything.
Fast forward a few years...My wife and I bought our own farm, but I couldn't take my dad's or uncle's saws as they still use them. I had a Homelite EZ-Auto (38cc) and a Homelite 1050 (100cc) but neither were running. Luckily my Grandfather offered to give me his old (but like new) Stihl 024 (42cc's) with a 16" bar, as he could no longer use it. For a year or two now, all I've had to use was my little reliable 024. Felling and bucking was all done with the 024, no matter how big the tree. I got the job done, but every time I had to cut a log three times to get through the full diameter, I say I'm not going to keep doing that to the poor little saw.
In the past few months I've cut down 3 30"+ diameter trees and skidded them to my barn lot to cut them up for firewood...but once i got to the largest section of the trunks, I just left them until I had a bigger saw handy.
Gotta love Craigslist. $60 spent last Sunday morning on a Homelite 350 (57cc's), Homelite 550(84cc's), and a bonus Skil 1616 means a much needed vacation for the 024. Now that I am back in bigger saws again, I'll still use the 024 for stuff up to 12-14" diameter, cutting fence posts, etc...but when I'm felling and bucking big old dead trees as I often am, I will be grabbing 60-100cc's. Just no reason to overwork a nice smaller saw when you can use something the right size.
Here's a picture from this afternoon...the 550 wearing a 30" bar, sitting on one of the smaller trunks I had waiting to be bucked.
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-Phillip