What is a good first chainsaw?

[jynxt]

My youngest is turning 15 this month. He's been helping his Dad cut wood since last year, but would love to have his own saw. I don't want to get him a "top of the line" kind of saw, but I do want to get him something that will last him awhile. He's hoping to cut enough wood over the warmer months to have some to sell in the fall, so he'll need something reliable and durable. I'm open to suggestions on size as well since I just can't seem to make up my mind. Thanks in advance!

[Old Vet]

Originally Posted by jynxt

My youngest is turning 15 this month. He's been helping his Dad cut wood since last year, but would love to have his own saw. I don't want to get him a "top of the line" kind of saw, but I do want to get him something that will last him awhile. He's hoping to cut enough wood over the warmer months to have some to sell in the fall, so he'll need something reliable and durable. I'm open to suggestions on size as well since I just can't seem to make up my mind. Thanks in advance!

Husvarnia makes a good one in a 16 inch that will do everything he wants. It is not the cheapest out their but not the high end one either.

[maverickxxx]

i would go with a husky or sthil i would talk to chainsaw shop on size. husky is my choice but the reasoning is top of line have alot more anti vibration and fatique fetures than a poulan or something.i ran a poulan once and it was horrible it made work and feel more tired than my husky 385.

[davel745]

It really doesn’t matter if you are new or experienced person, a chain saw is a tool that you should try to get the best you can afford. One thing is a local dealer is important. Another is reliability and longevity. And try to get a saw that will fit the work being done. A good general duty saw is the Farm Boss series from Stihl.

The most important thing with any chain saw is to learn how to sharpen it. A chain saw is only as good as the sharpness of the chain. This is the most common mistake made by new users. They grab the saw and start cutting and after a few cuts the saw doesn’t cut to good anymore. They continue to force the saw and after awhile I just won’t cut. They think that the saw is junk. It needs to be sharpened. Some times when I am bucking dirty logs I can get two or three cuts and need to sharpen the chain.

Time spent teaching a new user to sharpen correctly is worth a lot.

Dave

[oregon woodsmok]

My opinion: a good quality chainsaw is safer to use than a cheap saw. It runs; your kid won't be messing around with it trying to get it to work. I like the Husqvarna saws. They have a bit more weight, but they keep on running.

He'll need something with a long enough bar to handle a log, and that means a powerful enough engine to push a large bar.

My son got his first chain saw when he was 14. I bought him the very best one that I could afford. He made some nice money selling firewood, and I got all the wood for my own home cut and split. A winter's worth of firewood paid for that saw, as far as I was concerned.

[shawnlee]

A good quality chainsaw is best...

As long as you stick to new one with all the new safety features you should be fine....... and quality one.


Blade size depends on what size trees you generally cut......but in my mind over a 16 incher and you are moving towards lumber jacking as these usually tend to be pretty tall and big trees...your area might have larger trees with a thicker stump base and you may need a bigger bar just because of this.

[countryboy84]

I was 12 when I got my frist saw it saw a little Polaun pro and lasted me about 4 years. I still own a Polaun pro with 18 inch bar today and like a good bit for only costing me around 150-60 bucks. But I also have a Husqy now and love it and it will last me many more years. I have written a review of both of these saws on my blog and I like them both for what they are. I dont try to make the Polaun a timber saw and I try not to use the Husqy for the smaller stuff. If you want to go on the cheaper side get him a Polaun Pro not just a Polaun but one of their Pro line a lot better and just a little higher. Plus most areas have some where that close by that works on Polaun in case you ever need it. My son is 10 and learning to use the little Polaun. I am having him cut slabs up that come off the mill. It is a safe place to teach him since there is no chance of cutting something under presure ans it coming back at him or any thing, plus it is nice and clear all around him no little brush to mess with or trip over. Plus I am right there with him right now.

As to all the saftey features I would want the on the saw but the anti kickback chain is to me worse then a full comp chain. My frist saw came with a anti kick back chain and I really had a hard time cuting with it which put me in some places I should not have been. A full comp chain means that you have whatch what you are doing more but at least if the chain is touching wood it will be cutting.

I dont think that a bar bigger then 16 is moving into lumber jacking. The smallest bar I use is 18 and would never dream of using it for a timber saw or even a 20 that much either I feel both of those are still in the relm of farm or firewood saws, when you get to 25 and beyond then you are starting to talk real timber saw then.

[Belfrybat]

I have a Poulan Pro with a 14" bar that has done me well for 5 years now. I don't cut a whole lot -- probably one or two cords a year, so don't know how well it would hold up for heavy usage. But I've been pleased with it for an "entry level" saw. Probably would go with a 16" bar if I were to buy a new one. One thing I like about it is it is easy to start. I hate 2 cycle engines because of the trouble starting them, but this one has never given me a problem.

[FarmerRob]

Originally Posted by davel745

It really doesn’t matter if you are new or experienced person, a chain saw is a tool that you should try to get the best you can afford. One thing is a local dealer is important. Another is reliability and longevity. And try to get a saw that will fit the work being done. A good general duty saw is the Farm Boss series from Stihl.

The most important thing with any chain saw is to learn how to sharpen it. A chain saw is only as good as the sharpness of the chain. This is the most common mistake made by new users. They grab the saw and start cutting and after a few cuts the saw doesn’t cut to good anymore. They continue to force the saw and after awhile I just won’t cut. They think that the saw is junk. It needs to be sharpened. Some times when I am bucking dirty logs I can get two or three cuts and need to sharpen the chain.

Time spent teaching a new user to sharpen correctly is worth a lot.

Dave

Ditto on the Farm Boss series from Stihl. Not the cheapest saw but not the most expensive. That is often the price area where the best values reside.

[jynxt]

Thanks for all the information! He's a great kid and really hardworking... anytime one of my kids wants to work for their own money we generally try to do everything we can to help them out.

He has chaps, a helmet, and good goggles (though I would prefer a face shield), along with a good pair of steel toe boots. He's been using a REALLY old homelite that lacks a lot of the safety features I've been reading about, but then last summer he was using his older brother-in-laws (professional timber guy) bigger nicer saws and fell in love. He asked for a climbing harness along with spikes and ropes for his birthday too, I just don't know if I can make myself go that far yet.

So the general thought is stihl, husky, or poulan...right?

[jwal10]

Get a good saw from a close dealer. Chainsaws need maintainence and parts often. Don't get a small saw and add a large blade, keep the saw balanced. Many saws now come in a homeowner model and a pro model, don't just buy the cheaper model, the pro models have better bearings and heavier components and will last a lot longer. I like a 20" blade, big enough and powerful enough to cut all day. Don't get too heavy a saw, and keep the blade in the middle range for the model. ie: if the saw bar recomendation is 16" to 20" get 18" bar. I like the 18" to 24" saw and run the 20" bar....James

[pheasantplucker]

I've had Homelite (boo), Poulan (boo AND hisssssss!) and now a Husqvarna (Yeah!).I "baby my saws" and the Poulan was especially a HUGE DISAPPOINTMENT!!! Got my Husky at Tractor Supply...It's a good saw and I think it would work well for your son. He being only 15...I'd get a smaller saw that still has at least a 16 in. bar / chain. Good luck.

[GREENCOUNTYPETE]

well a was going to say a little 14 inch bar Stihl , granpa just got one 2 years ago it cuts great but is very light weight and easy to start , my uncle baught it for him and traded him for his farmboss

that said if your son already uses dads saw and likes it and is comfortable with it then get him what he has been using unless he has another prefrence

if you don't get a saw as big as dads saw your likly to find him borrowing up and using dads saw any way.

he probably has a very good idea of what he wants in a saw ask him.

it is so hard to say as we don't know your son , i was 16 and running a ms440 with 24 inch bar and i was never really happy with a saw till i had one that came close to it in size and power ( but i started at 14 with a little polan 14 inch limbing limbing trees out) a big saw is not something to jump into learn the basics on a lighter smaller saw first

i also was wrestling heavyweight at 14 6'2" and 205 pounds by 16 i was 230 and had the strenght and experince for the larger saw.
my brother didn't he was maybe 120 pounds at 14 even in the same family size and strenght vary to much to know.

[GREENCOUNTYPETE]

oh and every one should have a set of saw chapps and a hard hat with face shield and ear protection


and why is it that everyone talks about cutting when there is warmer weather , am i the only person who likes to cut in the winter , i can see hauling out when the snow is out but the frost is still in the ground. i sweat thru cutting wood at 20 degrees wht would i want to be in the woods the same times as the flyes misquitoes , poison ivy , and brush green and in the way.

i snow shoe in with a sled with my tools in my large sled , you can fall a tree into 16 inches of snow and cut clear thru and undernieth the log is supported so it doesn't bind and i can get twice as long out of a chain before it needs sharpening because it never touces the dirt with that mush snow , and half the brish that woudl normaly trip you is laying down covered in snow.

[oregon woodsmok]

I suggest that you buy him the full face shield.

I also suggest that you make it an iron clad rule. He wears full protective gear: hearing protection, eye protection, steel toed boots, chaps, before he touches the pull cord. No exceptions or he loses the saw. Then enforce it.

Also, full protective gear any time anyone else is running a saw. It's the nature of kids to try to use shortcuts. Don't allow it. Tough love now will give him safe behavior for life.

I'll second the Stihl Farm Boss, mine is the 290, with whatever bar length he thinks he needs.

And the saw chaps and helmet. I hate the things. They are hot, heavy, and a nuisance. But they also stopped the chain the one time I hit myself in the thigh with the saw. A cut in the chaps, but none in me.

I also prefer to cut in winter but then we don't exactly have to wade through the snow here in Florida.

[SmokeEater2]

In my lifetime I've had Craftsman,Homelite,Poulan,Jonsered and Stihl saws. My Stihl is 16 years old and still starts and runs great,it just won't die. The little Jonsered is just over 5 years old and is still a great little saw. The Poulan (Pull-on would be truth in advertising since it's so hard to start and keep running) pole pruning saw is absolute junk and It reinforces the theory that you get what you pay for every time I attempt to use it.

Paying a little more for a saw makes them cheaper in the long run. I know I've gotten my monies worth from the Stihl and Jonsered, the others cost me time and money on repairs and died early.

[jynxt]

Thanks again y'all! I'll let dh read this thread when he gets home tonight and see what he thinks. Thanks for the reminders about safety too, but like I already said... the boys both wear chaps and a helmet and steel toes, and goggles. We will be getting the full face shields when we pick up the saw, along with some better quality gloves.

My son is already 6ft, and around 150 lbs, he's built like a man and works twice as hard as most men we know. My other son was 6'1" and 181 lbs by his 14th birthday. Their older brother who is grown and gone now is just as big... don't know if it's genes or good food...LOL.

I'll have to do some looking around and see how the prices compare between stihl and husky since I have no idea.

We do cut during the winter...all winter long. The boys are just wanting to have seasoned wood ready to sell this fall and thought they would want to work on that this summer when the schedule is less hectic for them.

[silverbackMP]

Stihl makes a combo hard hat, ear mufflers, and face shield.

[rustyshacklefor]

Having used chainsaws for a living, I really like Echo saws, they have a lifetime warranty on the coil (the most common failure on a chainsaw) and a good overall warranty. Mine has never failed to start. Its. kinda like the ak-47 of chainsaws.