Questions from a new guy - 034 and 455 Rancher

[Skinny]

Been reading here for a while, but first post. Amazing amount of knowledge on this site. I am very new to saws, I can handle them safely, and know my limits. I know nothing (or very little) about upgrading / modifying saws. I spent about 8 hrs yesterday searching and reading everything I could find on this site about 034's, 036's, chains, bars, muffler mods, etc. I think i am even more confused now than when I started.

So two years ago, I bought an acreage on the side of a mountain in south-eastern BC. Its about an acre of lawn/yard, and 7 of forest. We have a wood stove in the house that we use as our primary heat source (secondary if the insurance company is asking). To feed the stove, I bought a new 455 Rancher, which was my first saw, and in my opinion, ran pretty good. The 20" bar is pretty short for the trees around me. I recently bought a Granberg small mill to make myself some lumber, and the 455 tends to bog down pretty bad on anything over 16" diameter.

Yesterday I picked up 034, sight unseen, for what I think was a steal of a price. The thing starts easier than my 455, and cuts pretty decent. It looks like the bar is what came with it originally, and appears completely worn out. The sprocket is pretty worn too, the air filter was caked with dust, and the brake has been removed. The filter cleaned up nice, but the rest needs to be replaced.

My questions are, first, which saw should I use for the mill and which for cutting/bucking? If using the 034 for cutting, what is the max bar length I should run on that saw? Would dropping from a 7 tooth to a 6 tooth sprocket help? And while I am at it, would putting on a P&C from a 036 be worth it ($55 off Ebay)?

I am sure I will come up with more questions. Thanks in advance for any help you all can provide.

 

[weedkilla]

Your 034 will be a lovely saw when it's all fixed, and has some potential for extra power. It will be more powerful and lighter than the 455. Depending on the wood you are cutting anything from a 16"-20" bar is appropriate. Some people have run up to 24" bars, but that is very much pushing things.
The thing is, the 034 is just a better saw than the 455, but still a similar size. To run a longer bar than the 20" on your 455 you probably want at least a 70cc saw, and for mill use, a bigger saw again.
I'm sure you can get away with what you have got - somebody has made do with less I am sure. Skip chain, extra oilers, anything is possible.

It's a bit of a cliche around here - the guy starts with a homeowner saw and comes here for advice and all of a sudden he needs a 90cc saw and it should probably be ported. In this case it's pretty much true.
If you want to mill big timber, you want a big saw.

 

[Skinny]

Your 034 will be a lovely saw when it's all fixed, and has some potential for extra power. It will be more powerful and lighter than the 455. Depending on the wood you are cutting anything from a 16"-20" bar is appropriate. Some people have run up to 24" bars, but that is very much pushing things.
The thing is, the 034 is just a better saw than the 455, but still a similar size. To run a longer bar than the 20" on your 455 you probably want at least a 70cc saw, and for mill use, a bigger saw again.
I'm sure you can get away with what you have got - somebody has made do with less I am sure. Skip chain, extra oilers, anything is possible.

It's a bit of a cliche around here - the guy starts with a homeowner saw and comes here for advice and all of a sudden he needs a 90cc saw and it should probably be ported. In this case it's pretty much true.
If you want to mill big timber, you want a big saw.

Thanks for the response. I don't want to mill big timber, I am only making 5/4 slabs for building small furniture, shelves, step-stools, and similar. When I saw the 034 for sale, my first thought was just that it would be convenient to not have to bother taking the mill off a saw to cut firewood, but after some research and learning how much more potential it has than the 455, I started looking into options. I probably still wouldn't have bought it, except it was only $100, started first pull, idled smooth, and appeared to have all parts where they should be with no cracks/dents.

I still only consider myself a homeowner, with some firewood and small milling on the side. I don't ever expect to make money with a chainsaw (in fact I paid someone else to fall a tree for me just the other day), I just want to make sure what I have is optimized to its max potential. Being a used saw, parts are worn and need to be replaced. I would rather not replace and keep it average when I could replace and upgrade significantly for a minimal price increase. I just don't know what the worthwhile upgrades are on that saw.

 

[weedkilla]

There are some good threads on here, honestly I use google rather than the search function.

Copy and paste this into google -

034 036 cylinder site:www.arboristsite.com

Or some other variations - 034 bb, or 034 ported, etc.
But if it goes well, just replace what needs to be replaced and worry about increasing performance later.

I'd recommend repairing the chain brake on the 034, one day you will get the 455 stuck and want to cut it out with the 034. You might not want need a chain brake on the mill, but dealing with a stuck saw it makes sense.

 

[zogger]

There's three large displacement saws in the tradin post here on the first page, more suitable for milling duties.

 

[weedkilla]

There's three large displacement saws in the tradin post here on the first page, more suitable for milling duties.

And there most likely will be in 6 months time when the OP has decided that the 034 is a lovely firewood saw, and flogging it on a mill isn't really ideal. Or he will prefer using the 034 to the 455, and the 455 will get flogged on the mill and he will be back where he started.
End result, he owns a dead reliable, modern saw that is overweight and underpowered. An older model pro saw that is lighter than any of it's modern replacements, with perfectly acceptable power for the weight, and a chainsaw mill. Sounds like he is well on the way to becoming one of us.

 

[sld961]

You can put an 036 cylinder and piston on it, but you will have to do some grinding on the underside of the top cover.

I would look beyond the $55 eBay one though, it's probably not worth your time. I would get a better quality one.

 

[SawTroll]

Even though it is much older, the 034 is a pro quality saw, and should easily beat the "homeowner class" 455 regarding power and quality.
However, because it is both a Stihl and older, the AV and air filtration will be inferior. It still is the preferable saw though, if it is in order.

 

[Mattyo]

Last summer I rebuilt 8x (or thereabouts) 455 ranchers for the heck of it. They are a ubiquitous saw that is easy to find parts for and can easily be torn down and fixed if need be...they were a good intro into chainsaws.... But, no way I would use it for a mill. Unfortunately, even though you have minimal requirements for lumber products ...small pieces etc... that doesn't mean that the lumber comes in small pieces. I also have a sawmill,
http://www.woodlandmills.ca/

.... this is probably the true minimum of what you want for a hobby mill. Chainsaw mills will work, but you'd be best off spending around $1k for a chainsaw that'd work right. After playing w/ the woodland mills, no way would I recommend doing it w/ a chainsaw. Also, I have .5 acres (total) and my folks have 3 acres. the mill is a huge pile of fun, and frankly minimal for what you want to do IMHO. best of luck.

-Mattyo

 

[Skinny]

Thanks for all the responses. My mill is a Granberg Small Log, max 20" logs. I bought it because it was cheap-ish, so I could try a bit of milling to see if it was something I enjoyed and would continue doing. My plan all along was that if I enjoy it, I would upgrade to a bigger saw and mill, or a small bandsaw mill. My thinking lately has been to try building my own bandsaw since my neighbour just obtained a nice new welder he is happy to use.

I wasn't even thinking of buying a second saw at this time, but I was scanning a local Facebook buy-and-sell and came across this one. I bought it for the convenience of not having to mess with the mill, not for any massive performance gains. But I won't ignore those potential gains.

I bought the Rancher because it seemed to be the best saw I could get for the money my wife was willing to release back to me. Now that she sees the value of a decent saw (cheap heat, cheap lumber) funds are more easily accessible. She didn't even blink when I told her I was buying this Stihl. Progress!!!

Oh ya, I found time to open the 034 a bit more, and realized that a linkage in the chain brake had been unhooked. All parts present and accounted for, reattached, and works fine. I ordered a new bar, chain, and sprocket from Baileys, and it should be good to go. No other changes/upgrades til something blows up.

 

[Skinny]

Sounds like he is well on the way to becoming one of us.

Not that there's anything wrong with that...

I think saws will/are falling into my previous tendencies already. I need a new bicycle. Why not 4? How about snowmobiles? Two at minimum. Firearms? Not telling (and I'm not even American...). If it's worth having, it's worth having a bunch of. There are two calculations I use to determine how many I should have: C+1, where C is the current number owned, and S-1, where S is the number that would lead to divorce. When you aren't sure which calculation is best to use, you have probably hit the sweet spot.

 

[weedkilla]

I think there is only one thing that hasn't been said - you suck.

I'd love to stumble upon a 034 for $100 that was a runner.
It is close to perfect for a second saw for you, if perhaps a bit too close to the 455 in size. It will quickly show you what is important to you, be it air filtration, anti vibration, weight or power. Although the weight and power may be closeish, particularly if the 034 is running at less than it's best.
The 455 is viewed poorly as it's virtually the same weight as something like a stihl 044 and you could have a lot more power for the weight. It is smooth running, with good air filtration and can be had brand new at a reasonable price. It's just that many would find a second hand pro saw and fix it up for less.
The purchase of the 034 has shown you what can be achieved when you do this. It's also a saw that has potential for improving the power, just don't rush into it. I'm sure that you will still have that 034 long after you've forgotten about the 455. It is worth whatever money you spend on it - including having it sent away to a professional porter.
Enjoy your saws and stay safe.

 

[tallguys]

Glad I found this thread as I just came across a very clean 034 and wasn't sure if its considered a keeper or better to just flip it out.
Not much info on AS other than it's an oldie. Out of curiosity anyone know any specs? Acres mentions two, but not an 034 without suffixes.

 

[MasterMech]

Glad I found this thread as I just came across a very clean 034 and wasn't sure if its considered a keeper or better to just flip it out.
Not much info on AS other than it's an oldie. Out of curiosity anyone know any specs? Acres mentions two, but not an 034 without suffixes.

034 AV is the regular 46 mm version -- 56 cc?
034 AVS is the "Super" 48 mm version and is nearly identical to the 036. 62cc

 

[lefturnfreek]

$100, great running 034, and the only other thing to say is, YOU SUCK!!!!

You'll love that saw for a loooong time as I have shiet kicked my portedone for over 2 decades.