easygo,
I've got a Stihl 036 Pro, just like oneshot mentions above. It is clearly more saw than your MS250 and might be one option for you to consider. The biggest piece of advice I could give to you would be to question how big of wood are you likely to routinely cut and how long are you going to be carrying your saw around? If you are routinely cutting 24"-36" diameter oak, then a bigger saw is definitely the better tool for the job. If you are working with smaller stuff and lots of limbing, then maybe smaller would be a better choice. Also, you have to understand that if you plan on spending 6 to 8 hour days cutting wood, then the saw weight is definietly something you should pay close attention to. When I hit about the 6 hour mark on a woodcutting saturday, I definetly wish my 036 was lighter.

One more note.
I am in complete agreement with TreeDoc on saw chain sharpening. I free hand file my chains every 3-5 hours of so of use to keep them touched up. However, after about 4-6 hand sharpenings, I can clearly see the cutting edges on my chains getting ragged and slightly out of angle. By this I mean that the cutting angle on some teeth are not identical to some of the others. In the worst cases, my saw doesn't cut a straight line and will "pull" towards either the left or the right. Also, the chain has a tendency to heat up during cutting when this happens. At this point, I always take my saw in to my local dealer and have him machine sharpen the chain and check the depth guides. It costs me $7 from one dealer and $9 from the other for this service. The saw comes back and absolutely eats wood again. This is money well spent in my opinion.

Just one guys thoughts.

Bill the Dog

 

Hi all

Thanks again for the advice. I ended up getting an MS 390 last week. I know that several of you suggested to get a pro-quality saw but I couldn't justify the cost and I really don't think I would need one. Even this is more power than I need for the firewood portion of my work, but I also wanted to get a saw that can handle a chainsaw mill. So. After doing research on the recomended saw power for the smaller Granberg mills I decided to go with this machine. I'm redoing an 1836 farmhouse and large barn, and have to match beams and such that were cut way before dimension lumber was ever thought of. Most of the firewood I cut is 10-20" in diameter and is a mix of oak, birch and maple. I'm sure that the 390 will more than handle all my needs with that. BilltheDog talked about the number of hours spent with saw in hand and he is so right. This is heavier than some other saws that were discussed and I will be paying the price for that. No need for gym membership anymore though.

I did do a few hours of work with it a couple of days ago to try how it works. Holy cow! It sure does make make a huge difference to have the extra power. I have to say that I'm happy I got it.
Please keep your advice coming. There may be others who find helpful hints here like I did.

easygo


"You will never know, if you don't learn."

 

We sell Jonsered and Dolmar. In my opinion they are the best. My dad has an old Dolmar and we use the crap out of it and still runs great. Its atleast 15 yrs old. Then we got a big Jonsered (Big Bertha). They don't make this particular one anymore. Its huge though. Don't know much about the other saws. We work on a saws too and we see it all. Some people love puttin just straight gas in their saws for some reason. Or mix the tanks up by putting bar oil in the gas tank and gas in the bar oil tank, hahaha.

 

You did no wrong, easygo! You over-bought as well which is a good thing. The old 029's and the 039's were not considered "commercial" saws but they are strong workhorses. For what your going after you'll get a long life out of it. Run quality bar oil like Husqvarna or Stihl bar oil and top quality fuel mix. We use Champion 2 Stroke oil EXCLUSIVELY for fuel mix and with thousands and thousands of hours and 16 years in business I have NEVER had a saw cough a piston or a ring. It also has a stabilizer so if you forget to dump it when you store it you'll have a lot more leeway before it goes sour.

As for Jonsred and Sach/Dohlmar saws, they are great saws too however, depending on where you are geographically in this country you could be screwed. There isn't a dealer for either make within 400 miles of me in any direction. Up in the Pacific Northwest yes but not here close in California.

 

Thanks for the post TreeDoc. It's good to know a pro's opinion.

The maintenace and running of the saws - and anything with an engine for that fact - is allways by the book at my house. It saves way too little money for us homeowners to skim on the bar and 2 cycle engine oil, especially considering the repair costs these days. I allways use the recomended oils. The precise chain sharpening by dealer from time to time, is something I certainly will look into.

easygo

 

my father and I run baby chainsaws. V8's and V6 fords on nitrous. the little saw is an 80" HD.

 

maggiesboy, is this V8 saw in the video yours ? That thing is awesome !!!!
V8 Chainsaw

So, back to the thread's title question "Is the bigger chainsaw better ?". Well, I'd have to say definitely, if you can pick the bloody thing up !

 

I have a husky 345 and my uncles got the 359. He runs a 22" bar and it cuts so fast

 

i swear by still i have acces to any saw i want
i like em strong a310 and 290 farm boss for this farm boss.[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

 

i meant stihl....yea not still......
wear safety equip.keep all your didjets.[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-shocked.gif[/img]