Dedicated firewood saw:50 vs. 70cc?

[leeave96]

No question a 30cc Echo.......

JUST KIDDING!!!!!!!!

60ish cc saw is very good, but as the back gets older, I am liking the lighter saws more and more.

For me, however, I enjoy sawing wood and I'm not in a hurry or a race to get the wood cut so a slower or lighter saw doesn't trouble me.

Bill

 

[wendell]

And let me ask you this wendell ? If it did take 10 cords a yr to heat your home , would you rather cut the wood or pay the gas man! I gotta go I gotta cut some wood !!!!!! LOL

I'd definitely cut the wood but I'm doing fine with 4 cords for 2700 sq ft. Guess I'm just a player.

 

[brncreeper]

For an average cutting size of 16" I'd go for the 70cc too.

 

[wendell]

I think the underlining question here is which 50cc or 70cc saw should it be?
Ill throw out a couple like......

346xp vs 260 vs 5100 for the 50cc

372xp vs ms 460 vs ms 441 for the 70cc


whats your guy's thoughts?

I think you meant 7300 for the 70 CC class!

 

[bwalker]

WHY do things keep on changing ??????????????
remember ?? 16 in ?? firewood ?? didnt mention not even cutting the tree down or NOT limbing !!
why dont you just change it to 20 in logs sitting on the dock and be done with it ??
hell,,get out the excavator and drop em on the processor !! LOT less work !!
Diff story now..
i cant keep up with the changing plot..

Nothing changed..... I mentioned I am cutting 8' firewood sticks and occasionally full length sticks pulled out with a 440 John Deere.
I typically cut 20 cords for my boiler and another 20 cords for friends, camp, sauna wood, etc.

 

[bwalker]

For an average cutting size of 16" I'd go for the 70cc too.

And all 16" firewood isnt created equal. Our short growing season makes Sugar maple extremely hard and even more so when frozen.

 

[Freyboy23]

Think you would like the 372xpw for cutting Firewood!! Great SAW!!!!!!!

 

[mowoodchopper]

I'd definitely cut the wood but I'm doing fine with 4 cords for 2700 sq ft. Guess I'm just a player.

If your a player you may not need much wood to stay warm!

 

[mowoodchopper]

And all 16" firewood isnt created equal. Our short growing season makes Sugar maple extremely hard and even more so when frozen.

#1 people think cottonwood is soft , but Ill show you some frozen cotton wood that will flat eat chains!

 

[procarbine2k1]

I never understood using a large saw for small wood on a daily basis. If you have a one saw plan, then yes I would stay in the 60cc range. I am lucky enough to have a few, so for most of my firewood needs I am using a 50-60cc saw, and grab one of the bigger saws for the bigger trees.
I will use my 029 super for most of my cutting needs, as well as one of my 031's (just because I love the 031's). I threw a 20" Pro-Lite on my Husky 61 that I also use quite a bit.
For the bigger stuff I will grab the 064, but that isn't too often. I find myself more likely to get that saw out, "just because" than out of necessity. But it sure is nice to have some displacement when you need it. To each there own, but I feel that for most needs a 50-60cc saw is more than enough to heat your home for the winter. Just my .02...

 

[bwalker]

Think you would like the 372xpw for cutting Firewood!! Great SAW!!!!!!!

I am running a Ed Heard ported 372 XPG and a Ed Heard ported 346xpg.

 

[Sparky8370]

I'm just a "play wood cutter" and one of the saws I bought for it is a 372xp. Hell, I'll probably only use 5 gallons of gas a year between all of the saws.

 

[bwalker]

I never understood using a large saw for small wood on a daily basis. If you have a one saw plan, then yes I would stay in the 60cc range. I am lucky enough to have a few, so for most of my firewood needs I am using a 50-60cc saw, and grab one of the bigger saws for the bigger trees.
I will use my 029 super for most of my cutting needs, as well as one of my 031's (just because I love the 031's). I threw a 20" Pro-Lite on my Husky 61 that I also use quite a bit.
For the bigger stuff I will grab the 064, but that isn't too often. I find myself more likely to get that saw out, "just because" than out of necessity. But it sure is nice to have some displacement when you need it. To each there own, but I feel that for most needs a 50-60cc saw is more than enough to heat your home for the winter. Just my .02...

I know alot of full time firewood cutters run 066's and 385/90's up here. You can simply cut more wood faster with a bigger saw and the saws take less of a beating. Cutting firewood off a 20 cord pile of 8' logs isnt real taxing on the body so the added weight of a bigger saw isnt a hindrance. Plus a big saw with a short bar is pretty handy. At least my 372 is.
And keep in mind climate plays a part in this. I live on the south shore of Lake Superior where winters are long. To heat my house for a full year I need at a min 14 full cord of wood and maybe more if I run the boiler through the summer for domestic hotwater or if we have a real cold winter. I wish I could get by on 4 cords!

 

[willsaw4beer]

And all 16" firewood isnt created equal.

I've noticed the amount of heat you get from wood seems directly proportionate to how nasty the wood is to process.
Ex. Ash and cherry, easy cut easy split but not much heat. Sugar maple/ red oak a bit harder but more heat. Nasty little understory trees like hophornbeams are nasty on chains and split like steel but sure do warm the house..

 

[howellhandmade]

I disagree with this.

I would say most homeowners cut 12'' and less for firewood with there box store saw of 50cc and less.

We are a small group of chainsaw addicts here!!!

There's something to what you say -- I only found this site when I thought my Poulan 2150 was dead and was looking for something better. Before that, I cut whatever fell down around my place with that saw, locust and sassafras up to 28". Now I feel like a wine enthusiast with a well-stocked cellar: what kind of saw do I feel like using today?

If I had a pile of limbed logs to cut, I'd want the 70cc saw. It's not the sort of fencing in the woods where a small saw shines; staying in one spot and having the saw in the wood most of the time isn't that tiring. The typical homeowner who cuts firewood but doesn't necessarily heat with it would be better off with 50cc. The guy who heats with wood and gets into bigger trees will sooner or later forced to buy a big saw.

Jack

 

[wendell]

I wish I could get by on 4 cords!

Up there I assume you are burning mostly pine which will make a big difference. If that's what I had I would probably be burning 8 but that still wouldn't get me over the mowoodchopper bar. (Although I did do 12 this year so I guess I'm a real woodcutter).

 

[bwalker]

I've noticed the amount of heat you get from wood seems directly proportionate to how nasty the wood is to process.
Ex. Ash and cherry, easy cut easy split but not much heat. Sugar maple/ red oak a bit harder but more heat. Nasty little understory trees like hophornbeams are nasty on chains and split like steel but sure do warm the house..

Red Oak is a joy to split when frozen.
I dont do much splitting. MOst gets thrown into the boiler unsplit and green.

 

[bwalker]

Up there I assume you are burning mostly pine which will make a big difference. If that's what I had I would probably be burning 8 but that still wouldn't get me over the mowoodchopper bar. (Although I did do 12 this year so I guess I'm a real woodcutter).

No pine. About 95% sugar maple.
I wouldnt want to think about how much pine it would take to feed my boiler...

 

[willsaw4beer]

As long as it's straight grained most any wood is easy splitting. Red oak is pretty easy, ash and cherry seem to almost split themselves. The frozen wood trick is a good one except it has to be cold for it to take effect.

 

[mowoodchopper]

Up there I assume you are burning mostly pine which will make a big difference. If that's what I had I would probably be burning 8 but that still wouldn't get me over the mowoodchopper bar. (Although I did do 12 this year so I guess I'm a real woodcutter).

LOL, you can blame it on willsaw4beer , he put me in charge of setting the standard!