Best firewood saw on the market?

[Real1shepherd]

My vote would be the Echo CS-7310 in the appropriate bar length. Great price compared to the other pro saws its size and an Echo entering into the pro arena. There's nothing that saw won't do for you in cord wood tasks.


Kevin

[grabber green]

I say cut firewood with a saw in at least  the 70cc to 80cc range .  I really favored a 046 or 460 stihl to fall and buck saw timber. never could understand why guys wanted a slower less powerful saw to cut firewood. way more cuts per tree when bucking firewood vs saw logs . Sure the small saw will be lighter but its going to take alot more time to buck up a tree.

[ehp]

the MS 400 is just over a grand Can. so less than that in the USA, very good firewood saw in my books 

[thecfarm]

Maybe a slower less powerful saw does not cause so much pain and discomfort to use it.  ;) And some may not have the the money for a big saw. I just bought a husky 450, 50cc, I have not started my big saw for about 3 months now. Shoulder feels great. I use to roll over in the night and the pain would wake me up.

[Spike60]

Firewood all looks the same when it's split and stacked, but the size it started out can be almost anything. Even "cutting on a log pile" can mean wildly different diameter logs. Timber prices are another variable as grade B logs can be worth more at the mill or in the firewood pile depending on the market. And some areas are just going to produce more small or "pulp" logs. I've seen log loads that don't need anything bigger than a 50cc saw, and others that will need 70cc or better.

The OP when this thread started had 3 of the best firewood saws you can get for most typical log loads. Most loggers don't deliver wood that the average guy, (or processor), can't handle. (If you ask for a load of big stuff that most guys won't want to mess with, you can usually get it at a discount.) Around here, most log loads will be in the 8" to 14" range; nothing that a 60cc saw can't handle with ease. And I don't think the additional power of a 70cc saw means much in that size wood.

[Real1shepherd]

That's what I can't understand.....he has saws that with the right B&C, will cut any firewood to speak of.

I'm not sure adding another saw here is the prudent way to go. My vote is still the new Echo pro saw with the appropriate B&C if he's trying to have one saw do everything. Unless prices have changed, you can get into one for $800 with the B&C.

Kevin

[Spike60]

Yeah, that was the context of my answer. With the 3 saws he has, and just starting out, plus only looking to do it part time, the last thing he needs is to invest in another saw. Just spend that money on the first log load and get going. He's more than got it covered on the saw side. 

[fossil]

All of us know that need is usually not a factor in getting a new saw on chainsaw threads.

Part of the fun.

We do usually have to have an excuse (self imposed or otherwise) at times though.

[Maine logger88]

For me a 372 or ms462 would be minimum 390 661 would be even better. I personally don't care for anything smaller than 70cc I'm sure 25 or 30 more years will change my mind on that lol but for now that is my answer. I tried running a 562 awhile back actually I had 3 of em but ended up going back to the bigger saws

[Tacotodd]

I like my 70cc class saws don't get me wrong, but as of late I've really come to appreciate my 50cc Echo. I choose that being a 1st! If I don't carry any other saw with me, people seem to be expecting me with that more than anything else. Yes it's only got a 16" bar, but 50cc will easily pull 16". My 372's are 20" & 28". I tend to keep those in reserve most of the time. If I cut down a big tree then the 28" comes out. Medium 20", small and Echo shines!

[DDW_OR]

gman98, sounds like you are at the verge of needing a Firewood Processor.

Live deck that can handle LONG logs
Conveyor to stack the finished firewood
maybe IBC metal frames to hold the Firewood
or a dump truck, or trailer to haul to customer site.

[weimedog]

For the price / performance category two saws come to mind. Husqvarna 555 and 565. A 565 can handle a 28 inch bar in hard wood for those who may deal with that from time to time. Anything in the 20 inch & down a 555. And it is a tough call. For the best all around saw for the money, the 565 got my bet.

[Spike60]

Preferences are determined by conditions, so there's no such thing as a wrong answer here. I'm with cfarm and Todd on running the lighter 50cc saws as well. They are FAR more capable than generally given credit for on these sites. Seems like guys are often hesitant to admit that in these discussions as they aren't as macho as the 70cc and 90cc saws are. Hey, I don't need to be macho, but I need to sign up for medicare by July.

Going up to Walt's place requires a different choice of weapons than working at home. At home, I'll run 50cc saws up to 12" wood. And in my smaller woods, I break down the entire top and pile the brush. No need to swing a 372 while cutting up the top. As can be seen on his videos, Walt never drops a small tree. The blocks often need to be halved or quartered in order to pick them up. And a lot of the top stays where it lands. So, 70cc saws get the bulk of the work up there.

Guys selling wood also have different parameters and "get 'er done" speed is more important. There again, 70cc is the rule with most of my customers cause we're talking production. When I'm cutting at home, it's as much recreation as work. If cutting off the log pile I'll often process just a couple logs at a time. Last 2 logs were 10"-11", and I did them with a Jonny 49SP. I'm not in a hurry; just having fun, but the wood shed is filling up.

[grabber green]

spike ,theres nothing wrong with using any size chainsaw that you have  to cut firewood  ,especially if your just doing it for fun or a hobby . You really don't even need a chainsaw. Axes and crosscut handsaws actually work pretty good. But the original poster ask about recomendations on a faster more powerful saw so he could make some money ,not just because he wanted to be macho.  I'm just glad there are still a few people that wan't to be out in the woods or around a sawmill, it seems like its a dying hobby and /or profession around here in my neck of the woods.

[weimedog]

I second Bob's commentary, there really isn't a wrong answer here. Of course he's also the one where we were going to have an easy hour or two of firewood cutting and it tuned into a 4 hr marathon of 4ft diameter wood! ( 565 pulling a 28inch setup was doing fine until I rocked a chain, then a 395 finished .. Bob's "Firewood" saw for the day) Point for me is I never know what I'm going to run into as my "firewood" can be anything from a blow down that can't be predicted to a pre determined set of tree's that CAN be. So for me the "lowest" common denominator concept works. Every year for the last 20 the answer changes based on another factor....what I WANT to run. Hobby fiddles with logic.. I guess the other concept that has taken over with me is we can over analyze anything based on everything from brand preference to hobby saws. A Stihl guy will argue for that, a Husqvarna guy something else. A person into "efficiency" based on their world yet again a third set of priorities. SO All I can do is say what's right for me and my world. Maybe "salt" that with some insight from the guys I support who do it for a living.  But at this point for me the take away is there are many ways to skin a cat! ONE of my favorite "Firewood" guys with a processor and all the related toys just ... happens...to like BIG old Husqvarna's. Ask him and the only answer will be 394's....had them for decades and that's it...best firewood saw in existence. Wants me to "freshen" up his favorite tool. For MY part I see an older dude....has me beat by ten years so I would think he HAS to be feeling the aches and pains. SO I lend him my 562HTSS with a 24 inch Bar & chain. He brought it back...still waiting to see the fall out Bob has literally 100's of folks who are similar. I consider myself one. At THIS point in my "saw life", one of three saws boil to the top for ME as the "best" firewood saw concepts. A 562 based saw with HTSS tweaks, 365/372 tweaked 48mm hobby saw....but you can't buy them for a reasonable price. SO the one I would recommend is the 565. Cheap. Enough Power. Available. Reliable. Less hassle with the Autotune. Less up front cost than just about any saw in it's class. And dealers are around for parts. The DEALER with a good inventory in stock is part of the equation that should be the deciding factor for most if there are a few saws of different brands on that "perfect" spec list. I have a really good one 15 minutes down the road, and another even better a couple hours away if I need something right now the first one has to order

[Spike60]

spike ,theres nothing wrong with using any size chainsaw that you have  to cut firewood  ,especially if your just doing it for fun or a hobby . You really don't even need a chainsaw. Axes and crosscut handsaws actually work pretty good. But the original poster ask about recomendations on a faster more powerful saw so he could make some money ,not just because he wanted to be macho.  I'm just glad there are still a few people that wan't to be out in the woods or around a sawmill, it seems like its a dying hobby and /or profession around here in my neck of the woods.

I'm with ya there GG. I did address the OP's situation in some earlier comments. But the thread moved in a direction of more personal preferences so I went along with that as well. Now if you want to add hand tools, that's cool too. I do sometimes use an axe to strip off the small limbs; say an inch or less. Sometimes it's nice to work in the woods without the noise of a chainsaw. Have some old crosscut saws, but my attempt to put an edge on one of them was a comical flop, so no crosscut action for me. 

[Dave12]

To me if you're bucking logs on the ground you need a 70+ cc saw with a 25+" bar.  Lots of power and less bending.  Unless you're at the stage in life of your physical ability doesn't allow you to hold the extra weight of a bigger saw.  If you're only cutting smaller stuff and you have equipment that will lift the logs up for you then a smaller lighter saw will work but I find once you get used to the speed and power of a bigger saw it's hard to go back.  I have a 462c and 362c.  I usually use the 462c but was cutting with the 362c and the difference was very noticeable.

[Old saw fixer]

@Dave12-  I agree with your thinking on bucking with a longer bar and a 462, but my back is on the other side of the argument!

[Dave12]

@Dave12-  I agree with your thinking on bucking with a longer bar and a 462, but my back is on the other side of the argument!

I watch guys on YouTube bucking logs on the ground with a 261 with a 18" bar and they're bent in half and taking a longer time getting through a log because of lower power output on the saw. It hurts my back watching them.  To me the perfect set up would be something that could get the log between knee and waist height where you could let your powerful heavier saw just melt through the wood....Lather, rinse, repeat.  ;D

[bulldozerjoe]

Been a stihl guy my whole life, got 021,210,029,029 super, and a 066. Just bought a husky 572.. love it.. man is that thing smooth