I use 100LL avgas from a small airport and Stihl oil that has a stabilizer.
Avgas has excellent shelf life but if i haven't used it after a year or so I'll run it in my mower to use it up.
I have two Stihl saws, a BG600 leaf blower and a weed whacker. One saw about 30 years old and one 8-10. if I haven't used it for 6 months or so I'll start it up and let them get warmed up.
I have had zero gas, fuel line or carb problems with this method.

As an aside, much cheaper is the japanese (hand) pull saws. I've got 3 Bigboys, and it's a good workout, and get's it done. Never sawed Cherry, like Paras, but the price is right.

quote:

Originally posted by HRK:
Let a two stroke engine sit 2-3-4 years without being used and see what happens, you'll never get it to start, todays fuels will eat the rubber internals up, ask me how I know. ORC is correct you need to use a stabilized fuel and pre mixed is good for 2 strokes.

Four words for you: One hundred Low Lead (100LL). Aviation gasoline does not have the aromatics and other garbage that the stuff you can buy at the gas station does. Fifty three years ago, my dad used to buy “white gas” to run in his chainsaws. This was before the days of unleaded, but the typical gasoline had stuff in it that white gas did not. Now you just go to the airport and buy 100LL if you want fuel that will be stable for years and years.

Interesting video on battery powered chain saws. I have gas and battery powered. They each have their uses.

I skimmed the first and last pages so far. Not sure if it was mentioned yet, but you will still need bar oil even with the electrics. I have Ryobi stuff because I'm a skinflint, and there are a shitload of tools tha run on the cheaper lower juice batteries.

Back to the oil, I found that making sure you drain the bar oil after use will save you from a mess on your garage floor later.

For your size trees though, you may want to splurge up front for a long enough bar and strong enough batteries.

Thanks for the video wingspan. I am impressed.

I’m still not looking to replace our gas saws as I suspect the results would be different if you tried to run them all day without at least a few batteries and a way to charge one or more while you work. However, it sounds like if one of these fits the budget they could certainly do the job para described. The better ones did a lot better than I would have expected.

Watching the video, I wondered about the chains. If the drive sprocket is standard, there are multiple chain tooth patterns available. Some saws come by default with a “safety” chain that prevents it from biting too deeply. Even avoiding the safety chain, there are more and less aggressive tooth patterns. I wonder if all the saws tested had comparable chains or if some of the differences in the saws might have been a result of chain differences.

quote:

Originally posted by armme:

quote:

Originally posted by parabellum:
...Maybe I should just buy a corded saw. For example, this Black&Decker with a 16" bar for 85 bucks. ...

This is the answer. You will know pretty quick if it is going to work for you. If not, just take it back.

Given the criteria, I too think this is the best choice. Just knowing the limits of the cord length helps cement the decision. Keep in mind to get an exension cord that will handle the load.

I've been working on this tree a little at a time with my parang and Fiskar loppers and Fiskar bow saw.

Using the parang is fun, a lot more cutting edge than an axe or hatchet.

I've got the tree limbed down to the trunk (except for one large branch it's lying on), which divides into a Y towards the top.

Instead of a chainsaw, I'm going to finish this thing off with a Silky saw. I ordered a Silky BigBoy folding saw, 14.2" blade. Seventy-two bucks delivered.

The way the trunk is laying, off the ground at about a 20 degree angle, it should be very easy to saw it into fireplace-length sections from the top down, then split the sections with a hatchet.

No chance of a running chainsaw bouncing back on me, no chance of break down, no bar oil to buy, easier to store than a chain saw. This is the simplest solution.

Thanks for all the suggestions.

And more exercise. Be careful though, boss; you had that ticker incident. Pace yourself.

Para - the big Silky saw is outstanding for work like yours. I have the large saw and a smaller Silky. Suggest a second blade as a back up with both saws.
Regards to you and all.

Blackhorse4

Yeah, I've seen bushcrafters break these thin Silky blades in youtube videos. Extreme cold weather seems to exacerbate matters.

Spare blades are more than 50 bucks. I'll take my chances for now. There's no rush to any of this.

You will be set to be a candidate on the History Channel program "Alone" where they drop you off on Vancouver Island. They use the Silky saw as one of the ten tools allowed for survival.

just bought the Ego 16 inch battery powered from Lowes for $249.99, includes battery and charger. works great for moderate cutting work, not for heavy duty redwood felling. I usually have need for a chainsaw maybe 2 or 3 times a year and this gets it done

Not sure if this is still useful but FYI I tried an electric Poulan from home depot and it stripped the main drive sprocket the first time I used it. Took it back. Got a Makita
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07K...ed_asin_title_3&th=1

36V and it's been excellent overall. Got 6 batteries total. Gone through one chain so far. 1.5 Acres, lots of trees and dead limbs every year. Moderately hard use but the saw has held up great. You can tell when the chain gets dull.

I'd never heard of these Silky saws, so I looked them up.

I may end up getting one of them ,
The vids of their use are pretty awesome.

If one of them won't achieve my desired outcome,
Someone else can do the job.

And!
If I ever need to get rid of someone . . . .

quote:

Originally posted by parabellum:

Instead of a chainsaw, I'm going to finish this thing off with a Silky saw.

I use a Silky saw daily on the job. Even a hand saw can cut you as badly as a chainsaw. It happens when you are trying to cut a limb and when it finally gets through, the saw blade springs back into a body part. Just yesterday, I was up in a tree cutting some limbs out of my way with my Silky Zubat saw. It came back and hit me on my gloved hand. I thought to myself that without my glove on, I would have been cut badly. Silky saws are razor sharp and I am surprised It didn't do more damage to my glove.

Is there a better place to purchase them than Amazon?

You can order them from lots of places. Home Depot, for instance: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Si...Saw-354-36/206368688

Silky BIGBOY 14 in. Large Teeth Folding Saw $80.08
No gas, no batteries, no maintenance. You can't go wrong.

I've got a folding saw, a smaller one that I keep in my deer hunting bag. It's quite handy.

Hmmm, have used a smaller version (maybe 12” blade) that is ancient which looks a lot like a silky. Dunno if it is the same company or just a similar style of saw. Works great, but requires a little care to not damage the blade. The one I’ve used seems to work best if one cuts primarily on the pull stroke rather than the push stroke. Much less chance of bending or breaking the blade.