It's been on my mind for some time. I need a chainsaw, because I need to be cutting wood for winter. Heaven knows there's lots of wood to cut, but using a bucksaw on juniper is ... well, not a very inviting prospect.
My first year and a half out here, I worked at the local saw shop fixing chainsaws and generators. It was very educational, and one of the things it taught me was that if you heat with wood you need a good chainsaw. You can't buy them at Home Depot, and they don't come cheap.
Chainsaw manufacturers go in and out of business, even though the names may live on. McCulloch, for instance, used to be the saw the big boys use. You can still buy McCulloch saws, but now they're junk. Ditto Poulan and of course (Yuck) Homelite. Nowadays, if you really depend on a chainsaw you want a Stihl or a Husqvarna. Pricey when new, and around here used ones don't come up for sale often.
Last month when Claire and I made our trash/water/propane/gasoline run, MK at the saw shop had an older Husky 55 on the rack and it looked like it had really been babied. Oh, I wanted that saw but it was on consignment for $300. MK won't dicker on consignment goods, and though I had that much cash I needed it for cabin stuff. I fondled it and walked away. But this month we came back to the shop (which is also where you buy propane in the little town nearest where we live) and sonuvagun that saw was still there. So I asked MK if he'd consider a layaway. I've seen him do it before, and he knows me. He agreed, as long as I paid it off within three months.
We poured a little mix gas in it and that saw purred. I checked the automatic oiler - worked just fine. The bar's a little worn, but otherwise this saw might have come right out of the box. New it would have cost me eight or nine hundred dollars - impossible.
After I paid him $100 and we wrote up the agreement he said I should take the saw with me instead of waiting till I paid it off. "I know where you live," he said, "and I know your place isn't fireproof." Heh - what a kidder.
4 comments:
Husqvarna has the same reputation in the sewing machine industry too. If your chain saw gives as good as mine does you will be very pleased my machine is indeed a work horse, it can do delicate stitchery, quilting and then snap in a different needle and the motor just plows thru canvas and denim like butter. There is no stopping my Husqvarna and it has been run hard for over seven years now.
How about that! My Husqvarna will also plow through canvas and denim. No good at fancy stitching, though. Maybe there's an attachment for that.
Seriously, I didn't know Husky made sewing machines.
I was fortunate in that an old Air Force buddy has his own Stihl dealership and gave me good pricing on two chain saws, one, a very powerful Stihl 440 with a 28 inch bar and the other, a small, but still very powerful Stihl 200 arborist saw. The smaller one was built to be as light as possible with a short 13 inch plastic/metal sandwich construction. It's this small saw which sees the most use.
I don't heat with wood, but do have lots of trees which need tending, both saws are essential.
They started off making some of the best muskets available in 1689. I guess their commitment to quality has withstood the test of time.
I would dearly love a Husqvarna Mauser as well as a chainsaw and a sewing machine!
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