Chain saw advice

[Jessie]

I have a Stihl MS290 18” saw.
I want to pick up a spare chain. Chisel blade or I control cut blade? I roughly know the difference...chisel is fast cut, control lasts longer??
I saw a replacement kit with a 20” bar and chain. It says it’s good for my model, so I can move up to 20” with that?
There are so many choices and I have such little knowledge.
I’d appreciate any advice!

 

[delcrossv]

I haven't noticed much difference in longevity. Chisel cut does cut faster. (MS 362 for us)

 

[NYlakesider]

I have a Stihl MS290 18” saw.
I want to pick up a spare chain. Chisel blade or I control cut blade? I roughly know the difference...chisel is fast cut, control lasts longer??
I saw a replacement kit with a 20” bar and chain. It says it’s good for my model, so I can move up to 20” with that?
There are so many choices and I have such little knowledge.
I’d appreciate any advice!

I realy do not notice much of a difference with the two blades to matter!

I have had a few Steihls and what I normally do in regards to bar length is get a model that has a couple different bars that it is rated for. Then I put the smallest bar/blade on my saw, sort of makes it a magnum. My saw of choice is a 18''. I have all sizes of trees and so far all has worked out good for me.

 

[Jessie]

You know? You’re right. It’s like getting a .357 or 9mm barrel for your .40.
The kit is not much more than just the blade.
Made by Oregon. Are they ok?
There’s a lot of lumberjacks in Oregon.

 

[Jessie]

I can hear Tim Allen.....” Didn’t have enough chain, so I re-barred it.
OohAahAah. 20”, 85 blade chain..chisel cut! Aarrhh.”

 

[Doug627]

Don't let the blade touch you while it is running.

 

[Farmer17]

If you do a lot of cutting you can get chains cheaper on the internet if you buy 10 or twelve at a time. Chainsawing is hard work when you get older so I swap chains fairly often because I want to make it as easy as possible on myself and not spend a lot of time with a dull chain. I don't resharpen chains because they don't seem to stay sharp that long.

 

[NYlakesider]

You know? You’re right. It’s like getting a .357 or 9mm barrel for your .40.
The kit is not much more than just the blade.
Made by Oregon. Are they ok?
There’s a lot of lumberjacks in Oregon.

That brand has worked well for me.

 

[Jessie]

I hope I don’t need to buy in bulk, but your logic is strong Farmer.

 

[old tanker]

Some of my best customers are loggers. There are a couple of local outfits that buy 100LL aviation gasoline a hundred gallons at a time to keep their saws running. It is stable, runs clean, doesn't gum up the works and is absolutely, positively ethanol free. It's the alcohol that makes the fuel lines get brittle. The usual symptom is the saw won'r run and when you look in the tank you see the fuel filter rolling around the bottom connected to nothing.

 

[NYlakesider]

If you do a lot of cutting you can get chains cheaper on the internet if you buy 10 or twelve at a time. Chainsawing is hard work when you get older so I swap chains fairly often because I want to make it as easy as possible on myself and not spend a lot of time with a dull chain. I don't resharpen chains because they don't seem to stay sharp that long.

At this time 74. I sharpen my chains myself. Before I use the saw and as needed as I work. Only takes a few minutes and makes you work more productive! You keep the blades sharp and your right you will get much better use out of them. To me the biggest thing that dulls a blade fast is loosing control when limbing or bucking and hitting the ground.

It happens occasionally as hard as you try not to. In my bucket I always have at least 1 new blade and a couple of sharpened blades just in case. I do not use a gauge or tool I just free hand the file. As a retired welder I learned how to file and grind metal decades ago.

Logging is big business up where I live and I find most pro loggers do their filling in the field free hand and get good ''mileage'' out of their blades.

FWIW I only use none E gas and Steihl synthetic 2 stroke oil for my mix!

 

[Rudi]

Ran Stihls for many years. Not sure about the difference, just keep them sharp and even. Dull saws are more dangerous.

 

[Jessie]

I get non ethanol whenever I can. Sometimes, I can’t help but get the 10%.
I’ve seen my filters and lines in the bottom of the tank a couple of times.
They make it next to impossible to repair without buying a fuel tank “system” ....I hate those things.
That was on a leaf blower I think. I don’t do that anymore so I don’t care.
What my lawn mower doesn’t mulch, rots in place till the spring.

 

[Srruger762]

Bought this from Harbor Freight for $29.99 plus shipping.
Resharpened allot of chains with it, you can grind any angle you prefer to get the cut you desire. It doesn’t grind the rakers down you have to do that by hand.

 

[dant]

Yes, absolutely run the 100% gas , NO ethanol...and the issue is when you cut too many ( In our case), DEAD ASH trees...) they need to be sharpened more often............
be careful and wear chaps if you do a LOT of cutting............in all these years I have "tossed" a couple of chains,too close ,too often......always, always stand OFF to the side........and at 72 , I stay out of the trees, no climbing ,NO ladders..........
the service guys at the 'Stihl' dealers will tell you what and when and why..........

 

[Farmer17]

I've been hurt doing a lot of things but never been hurt while running a chainsaw. Many times I'm cutting in shorts and a T-shirt in the summer with some sunglasses on but I'm the first to admit that's flirting with disaster. I would have to say goggles are the most important piece of safety equipment because spinters and chips can fly around sunglasses right into your eye. Steel toed boots, heavy weight denim shirt and jeans, chaps, and thick leather work gloves are great and actually the helmets with a plastic face shield that loggers wear are not a bad idea, you can't be too careful.

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwNOmiHa6kQ[/ame]

 

[twodog max]

Sharpen that chain frequently. It is not hard to do correctly with a good file guide. Makes the work much faster and easier.
I have been cut by a chainsaw. It will cut you severely faster than you can possibly imagine. NEVER use a saw without chaps, steel toe boots, helmet and cut gloves. Much cheaper than the ER or a funeral.

 

[brucev]

Ah chainsaws! Wonderful little toys! Still makes fine saws. Don't waste money or time with a little bar. A longer bar is more versatile. Furthermore, inexperienced workers can easily end up getting snagged by a short bar.

Buy the 20 inch bar and a couple of chains. I used them for years both on the ground and un in the tops of trees. On a proper sling, 20 inch saw handles real nice and is adequate to cut just about anything you'll run into.

Keep the chains sharp. Pay attention to keep the length of the teeth the same. Not hard. Just find the shortest tooth on the chain. Sharpen that tooth and cut all the teeth back to that length. For hard wood, leave the rakers alone. For soft wood, you may find lowering the rakers a bit to be helpful. A better idea is to take the chains to a saw shop and pay them to sharpen the chains for you. Unless you are really cutting a lot of wood week after week, you will never get enough experience sharpening a chain to do a half-way decent job of it. If you keep the chain out of the dirt, then it will last a while. Regardless of the tooth shape, hit the dirt and you'll mess the thing up. Sincerely. bruce.

 

[LoboGunLeather]

Don't let the blade touch you while it is running.

Also, do not hold the saw between your legs while pulling the starting cord.

 

[MORSNO]

You know? You’re right. It’s like getting a .357 or 9mm barrel for your .40.
The kit is not much more than just the blade.
Made by Oregon. Are they ok?
There’s a lot of lumberjacks in Oregon.

I would recommend using only Stihl bars and chains for a Stihl saw motor due to the oiler for the bar. Oregon bars and chains are fine but I don't recommend using a Stihl chain on a Oregon bar they don't wear correctly. Bar length is really users preference, a longer bar isn't always best, it depends on what you cut.