Shindaiwa chainsaws don't get enough love here.. ive had this saw for 10 years. Apart from replacing a coil recently it's never missed a beat.

I’m a carpenter of over 20 years and Makita is as reliable as it gets in my experience. I have a construction company with experienced tradies and apprentices always buying tools, and, after watching all power tool brands I’m positive Makita is the best. We can argue this out another time though lads…

-Why is Makita not rated as well as Stihl or Husky? - Is stihl and husky just better at marketing? - Surely a good brand like Makita would just poach good engineer staff and duplicate good existing ideas to an extent?

Anyone used Mak for years and give can me a VS on the bigger brands?

Saved it from the trash. Its going to be my Winter project

Saved it from the trash. Its going to be my Winter project

My son sharpen my chain for me and he said he did a great job. He usually exaggerates his abilities, but I'm thinking maybe he did okay. This is across the grain. When I sharpen I get good sized chips which is as good as I thought you'd get. For some reason I'm getting these strips when cutting with the chain he sharpen. If something's not right please let me know.

I only have about 6 tanks through it but man, it 4-strokes all the time unless the 28” bar is buried. I’ve read that it takes 15-20 tanks to break in. I hope it leans itself out soon.

Ive seen this question posted here before but I couldn't seem to find it. Bought a new 460 rancher with a 24 inch bar and im struggling to figure out why im not getting a nice clean cut. Been messing around with the tensioner but cant seem to find a happy spot for it. Any advice for a newb in the chainsaw world would be appreciated.

Hey guys. I just accidentally swapped fuel and oil.. only figured it out when it died on me.

How fu##ed am I? Can i fix it or should i get it to a shop?

I've already emptied the tanks.

Edit:

After reading all the comments and one or two yt videos heres what i did.

1. Dump oil and fuel.
2. Flush fuel tank with straight fuel.
3. Pump the daylights out of the bubble
4. Dump fuel and replace with some correct fuel mix and bar oil
5. Remove spark plug and insert a few drops of correct fuel mix into the combustion chamber
6. Replace spark plug and give it a few cranks to start.
7. Didnt start. Repeat 6 until she starts.

8. Let her run until she stopped smoking and ran out of fuel

9. Refil tank and cut some wood.

Thanks everyone. It wasnt as hard as i imagined.

Was given a non-running stihl ms 171 when buying another saw off fb marketplace. Wondering if it’s worth trying to get running based on the cylinder wall condition. It turns over normally, has spark, however when I took off the cover there was no air filter which would have been letting debris pass right through for who knows how long.

My next step is trying to start it with fresh fuel. I figure if that works I’ll order the maintenance kit.

Let me know your thoughts.

Hello! I realize it’s not a chainsaw but I came to here to see if I can get a little help from more experienced people. I am using a new Stihl pole - I’ve only used it a few times. I really like it and try to take care of it but two things I’m noticing: the chain comes off frequently although I make sure it is snug before I use it, and also it seems to go through the bar oil quickly. Is it normal for it to go through 1/4 of the oil in the reservoir in only about a half hour of operating it? I took a photo of the interior after it popped the chain again - it’s so wet from the lubricant. Is this normal or should I take it in for repair? TIA!

I've been using my neighbors Husqvarna 350 to clear maple trees at our new property. I'd like to buy a chainsaw of my own as we begin to build up there. The trees are almost exclusively maples. I have about 100 to fell and buck for firewood. The local hardware store services and sells Stihl parts so I would like to go with that brand for ease of maintenance.

Any suggestions on bar size and power?

Edit: Thanks everyone. I'm taking a look at a used ms261 this evening off of FB market place.

Edit: Purchased a 1 year old, ms261c.

For sale locally, trying to figure out what it is. Anyone have a clue?

What chainsaw is this? Just curious worth rebuilding it I see. It’s missing some parts. Also order the stock carb adjustments thanks.

Just ordered the semi pro and a skip chain to throw on my 365 clone should work good for the few times I use it a year. It currently had a non roller tip and I heard these do better with a roller tip and lighter chain

Lowest i got it down is 65$. Says runs with fuel poured in carb. Stihl case included which got me interested. Its not a knock off. I never pay this much for non running saws but figured worth it with the caze

Strongest in my arsenal. Heated handles is beautiful in the winter

I had a tree fall last year in my back timber and when the leaves are gone, it’s an eyesore. I would not like to do anything more with this than drop it and let it rot. In other words, it by no means needs to be a clean cut.

In assessing it, I quickly realized I’ve never brought down a branch that elevates up so quickly, and is under this much tension. Of course I’ll get rid of the smaller branch so I have more room to work.

It quickly gets to 20’ up in the air, the branch is 16” in diameter

Is it as simple as cutting the tension side and letting gravity do the work since the tree is not being cleared?

I have heard different stories about setting appropriate tension for chainsaw chains. What are the general rules or experiences to set up the chain tension for efficient cutting and to prolong the life of chains? Thank you.

Used this saw today for the first time and it cuts so nicely. Just absolutely rips. I’ve used a 450 rancher forever so this thing is a nice change up. Super light and eats logs. Definitely my new favorite.

Looking for some buying advice. Just got my own house and am needing to take care of some things around the yard.

Found these three on Facebook Marketplace all for around the same price ($150).

Which would be the best purchase? Probably would only use it a couple times per year.

I found my pops older Stihl ms362c in the garage. We have a sizable piece of property which always forced us to have more than one chainsaw in working order. After a bit of research looks like this was “the” chainsaw to get a decade ago. Hasn’t been started in quite a bit, possibly a decade. Any advice on getting back to working order? I know, wherever he his, it’d make him grin.

“I came, I saw, I fucked shit up, I left” -pop

RIP

This is a new MS 391. This bolt keeps coming out of the housing whenever I try to loosen the nut on the bar. It looks like it is screwed into plastic, so I cannot use Loctite.

I recently acquired a Pro Mac 650 and the piston has zero scoring. I'm trying to tune it up and want to run it a little on the rich side to keep it nice.

I've been trying to get a pronounced 4 stroke out of it at WOT, so that I can adjust it from there, but it doesn't seem to want to. I don't think it sounds lean, but I'm unscrewing the High screw and it doesn't seem to get richer, even 4 turns out.

I know that the 650 is basically a ported/tuned 610 with higher compression and I think the carb is the same. Is it possible that this carb just doesn't deliver enough fuel to make this saw run super rich?