I went to the local dealer here looking for a better chainsaw as I just bought a cheapie when I arrived. It’s been a hassle using the small saw but I didn’t foresee my luck in getting big free beams. I can afford a saw around this price ($600 usd) and this is the saw I kinda picked out. I took a photo just to get some feedback before I potentially buy something that’s no good. Does anyone have one and do they do the job well? Pro and cons?
There are bazillions of those saws in the USA and they work just fine but it's not a pro-level saw. I would recommend a 261 if you could afford it and are wanting to buy Stihl. Or a 241 if they still have them over there. But there are lots of good saws. The power to weight ratio on a 250 is not as good as a higher quality Stihl and the latter will last longer. People more expert than me will likely have valuable comments.
thats a $300 dollar saw in the US. Is the Dollar that weak there? The 250 is a good home owner saw and very popular.
Thanks for the comment. I won’t be felling trees as I get stuff delivered in seasoned old house beams. I am toying up the idea another member had of Alaskan sewing the good ones for house cladding. I will be cutting softwoods do you think it will do the job?
Imported stuff is taxed to the hilt here but in saying this if buy you Japanese stuff such as cars and electronics it’s good value.
Thanks man. Japan doesn’t have a big market for our interests and we have to put up with higher prices for some things. Wood stoves cost you your first born.
Actually a better question could be what brand should I buy? Stihl is popular back home so I naturally went this way. Is husqvarna better? Or another brand? For the purpose of milling at the lowest level let’s say.
I have never milled but looked into it and the consensus was to buy big! You can probably mill beams with a 250 but it would be very slow and you might burn it up to failure! I have a ported Stihl 362 and was told even that really isn't big enough for milling. Now, it would probably mill those beams, but again, maybe slower than acceptable. As for brands, I don't know what you have over there. Do you have Makita? I have a Makita 4300 and it's awesome and they have a varied lineup and people sure do give them good reviews, its a good saw and not as expensive as Stihl. So far, bought it this year. (4300 not large enough for milling) Echo also costs less than Stihl if you have that brand and they are also good saws and great bang for the buck. Husqvarna also makes good saws but they also have a lot of consumer saws, so, you have to know what you are buying.
Makita is available but I always thought they were just crappy around the house type of saw. Does anyone know if they make a mill quality one? I’m sure they would be ok value as they are Japanese and won’t attract the import fees
I would buy the Stihl 261 over the 250 for cutting firewood. Getting a saw large enough for milling would be a chore to use for firewood. Have you looked into finding someone with a portable sawmill to cut the beams to lumber? Not sure if that's available there. I had pine logs sawn by portable mill for a very reasonable price.
That being said If you find Shindaiwa, that’s likely to be a better price range for you if you’re looking for something more valued. I’m not skilled in their line but I’m aware that they make some pretty handy equipment. That way if you buy it there then the service might also be available if you needed some.
Makita is GOOD Too, Horkn here has one where he got it off a Home Depot rental that sells them when they are ready. He should talk about his.
People give logs away here so I think there’s no market for portable mills that I can see. But I’ve only been here 4 months and don’t speak the language well. They didn’t even know what an Alaskan mill was at the shop I was at.
Good for garden tools I’ve owned quite a few especially brush cutters but I’ve never seen a Shindaiwa chainsaw
I think Makita owns Dolmar, did at one time anyway and there are some saws suitable for milling. I doubt 6100 is big enough but 7900 probably is. EDIT: Oops, somebody posted same Dolmar info just ahead of me.
