Stihl MS880 Magnum ?

[B_Turner]

I remember one AS member a while back posted that when he sees someone with an 880 or 3120, the first thing he wonders if they are as good at sharpening chains as they think they are (or should be).



Having said that I spent part of this morning cutting noodles with a 50 inch bar. And it wasn't my 066 I chose to use.

 

[csx7006]

I had a 088 magnum but it ws in very sad shape and the case was slogged out. I ending up scraping it

 

[Lindsay]

wow! you guys are helpful. But the aussie's on this site are spot on about the wood being hard. Around this neck of the woods I am cutting alot of Yellow Box and the 460 can't pull anything longer than 25" and i've ripped post's with a 66 but i think ill get a 88. im 6FT tall and around 100kg so ill buy a wieghts set as well.lol.
thanks for making the decision easier boys.

 

[MCW]

Mate we don't have yellow box here (Riverland, SA) but a guy I talk to regularly in NSW says its HARD AS!
Most of the stuff I cut is around the 800-900kg/m3 but Yellow Box is waaay harder than that (1090kg/m3 - see link at bottom). It never ceases to amaze me that there is actually dead timber on earth that WON'T FLOAT!
Like some of the guys have said here, an 880 may be overkill but I bet they've never cut Yellow Box. With a 36" bar though and semi-chisel skip I'd think a 660 would be ample.
My Dolmar 7900 pulls a 32" bar in dead RedGum with skip semi chisel no worries but I reckon she'd struggle in Yellow Box. The 3120XP is something else though and there is absolutely no comparison between 79cc and 119cc. I'm 6'3" and a relatively fit 116kg but I certainly get home with sore arms after a few hours on the 3120 with a lot of breaks. You certainly drag out your refueling and reoiling when using the big saws To be honest though I bought the 3120 so I can run a mill one day and a 395XP/660 would have done the job.
But then again mate there is Aussie hard wood, then there is AUSSIE HARD WOOD To be honest I've never cut the REALLY hard stuff!

http://www.dpi.vic.gov.au/DPI/nreni...02784E4-47E500E1B76B69DACA256E9E000AF6E8?open

 

[BobL]

Mate we don't have yellow box here (Riverland, SA) but a guy I talk to regularly in NSW says its HARD AS!
Most of the stuff I cut is around the 800-900kg/m3 but Yellow Box is waaay harder than that (1090kg/m3 - see link at bottom).

MCW, you are quoting wood densities which is not the same as hardness. Hardness is usually quoted as Janka Hardness in kiloNewtons OR Pounds force.

Yellow Box @ 12% moisture has a Hardness of 2940 lbs Force - that is definitely hard as!
By comparison;
Cedars are less than 900
Most Oaks are less than 1500 lbs
Hickory Pecan is 1810 lbs
Dogwood is about 2150 as is Aussie River Red Gum and Common Queensland Box Brush
Grey Box is 3244 Lbs which is more than Indian Rosewood

Worse still many Aussie trees (like Queensland Box) natural draw silica or sand up into their structure so their apparent hardness is even greater. Now I do not advocate using CS grunt as a substitute for a sharp chain, but if you start milling a slab with the sharpest possible chain, short of backing the bar out from a half finished slab and resharpening the chain, sheer grunt will get you to the end of the slab in the shortest possible time.

Here's a pic of my mate on the weekend putting his new 3120 into the bowels of an Aussie hardwood log.

Full thread here.

 

[harrygrey382]

yeah they're some hard woods them. Round our property me and my uncle go almost exclusively for grey gum (I think it's grey box) and red iron back. Yep we're blessed with some top woods. Jeese it burns hot though, you have to be careful with the stoves... And you sure spend a lot of time sharpening - the 20" on my 056 doesn't feel too small either (I hold a high opinion of my sharpening). Go the 880, you'll always be thinking what if otherwise...

 

[Lindsay]

Yeh my parents have a 1800 acre beef farm which is mainly yellow/grey box.I know nothing abot wood harness or anything but I would compare cutting grey box trying to cut a rock in half . But it burns for a long time so its worth it. The top half of the tree is good with the 460 but some of the lower half can be 2.5 - 3 foot round.

 

[MCW]

MCW, you are quoting wood densities which is not the same as hardness. Hardness is usually quoted as Janka Hardness in kiloNewtons OR Pounds force.
Full thread here.

Thanks for the correction Bob. Its been a long time since I was at uni studying science! Even then I don't think we studied that
Now that you mention it I've been cutting up a lot of trees lately that "seem" harder than Redgum (ie: harder on the saw and chains) but come out as 810kg/1000m3 density. I think you've answered that one!

 

[diesel&coffee]

MCW, you are quoting wood densities which is not the same as hardness. Hardness is usually quoted as Janka Hardness in kiloNewtons OR Pounds force.

Yellow Box @ 12% moisture has a Hardness of 2940 lbs Force - that is definitely hard as!
By comparison;
Cedars are less than 900
Most Oaks are less than 1500 lbs
Hickory Pecan is 1810 lbs
Dogwood is about 2150 as is Aussie River Red Gum and Common Queensland Box Brush
Grey Box is 3244 Lbs which is more than Indian Rosewood

Worse still many Aussie trees (like Queensland Box) natural draw silica or sand up into their structure so their apparent hardness is even greater. Now I do not advocate using CS grunt as a substitute for a sharp chain, but if you start milling a slab with the sharpest possible chain, short of backing the bar out from a half finished slab and resharpening the chain, sheer grunt will get you to the end of the slab in the shortest possible time.

Here's a pic of my mate on the weekend putting his new 3120 into the bowels of an Aussie hardwood log.

Full thread here.

man that sme hard wood here.. based on that info - a 066 with a 32" semi SKIP should work in OAK.. "NOT every day" but for the larger trunk area when you find a downed tree.. is this ok??

 

[diesel&coffee]

heres a link to the JanKa hardness table! I find it interesting that non of the aussi wood noted above is in the table?? NOT that I question this - I just find it interesting - as the wood of Austrilia is why up the table in hardness..

http://tinytimbers.com/janka.htm

insert: found a good list on aussi wood!

http://www.timberdirect.com.au/Australian_Timber_Species.htm

 

[Gumnuts]

man that sme hard wood here.. based on that info - a 066 with a 32" semi SKIP should work in OAK.. "NOT every day" but for the larger trunk area when you find a downed tree.. is this ok??

Yes ,should be.cool for ether ...was that for bucking or milling .Be kind to self ,have spare chain or 2.

 

[diesel&coffee]

that be cuttin up.. milling is down the road.. I would love to live where there where a "little" taller trees with long trunks.. I would beg to have old and downed trees on farms/ranches.. I would mill like no tomorrow in spare time until I had enough sheets of wood for covered wood storage, work shed, cabin flooring, etc, etc.. I know the shrinking/expanding issues - but thats just it.. I would not care and the way I would put togather the roofing and flooring it would not matter.. I mean I would have a tin roof with a oak/other sheets under it, etc.. On the floor it would be a littler harder but I'd find a way. I have the floor raised a little so I could clean under the raised flooring with air or something when the cracks open up .. dont care if they got a little bigger then first thought.. it's all good.. Just beautiful shelter from the storm!

 

[Lindsay]

Well boys. I finally caved and bought a new saw. After having a really bad run with 3 brand new Stihl saws that Stihl will not warrant. So I went to my local Husky dealer and got a brand spanken new 390XP. I have'nt wooded it yet but a soon as i do i will post pictures. Thanks to everyone for all thier help.

 

[MCW]

Good to hear mate. I don't think you'll be disappointed.

 

[BobL]

that be cuttin up.. milling is down the road.. I would love to live where there where a "little" taller trees with long trunks.. I would beg to have old and downed trees on farms/ranches.. I would mill like no tomorrow in spare time until I had enough sheets of wood for covered wood storage, work shed, cabin flooring, etc, etc.. I know the shrinking/expanding issues - but thats just it.. I would not care and the way I would put togather the roofing and flooring it would not matter.. I mean I would have a tin roof with a oak/other sheets under it, etc.. On the floor it would be a littler harder but I'd find a way. I have the floor raised a little so I could clean under the raised flooring with air or something when the cracks open up .. dont care if they got a little bigger then first thought.. it's all good.. Just beautiful shelter from the storm!

Sounds like you got the follow on complication on from CAD, . . . . CSMCMS Chain Saw Millers Constant Milling Syndrome!

 

[Tree Sling'r]

What does an 880 with a 36" bar do that a 660 won't?
FWIW, I am trying to justify one too.

I works your core. You squeeze your butt cheeks and abs so hard while carrying it, the results are perfect abs in 45 days.
It also throws chips 77ft father than a 660.

 

[diesel&coffee]

Sounds like you got the follow on complication on from CAD, . . . . CSMCMS Chain Saw Millers Constant Milling Syndrome!

:biggrinbounce2:

But it's all Laurie's doing down in Queanbeyan NSW ... I spent a year in New Zealand way back when - lived in the National parks/etc... Guess I need to come to Aust. and hang out with with the milling pros!! Wish I could drive home with a flatbed full of aussi slabs

 

[Cheese]

I works your core. You squeeze your butt cheeks and abs so hard while carrying it, the results are perfect abs in 45 days.
It also throws chips 77ft father than a 660.

Thanks, lost coffee on that one.

Back to the post, why a 390 after the big guns were discussed? It sounded like an 880/3120 project or at least a 395/660 deal and now none of those were added.

 

[MCW]

:biggrinbounce2:

But it's all Laurie's doing down in Queanbeyan NSW ... I spent a year in New Zealand way back when - lived in the National parks/etc... Guess I need to come to Aust. and hang out with with the milling pros!! Wish I could drive home with a flatbed full of aussi slabs

That damn Laurie fella. I drove to Queanbeyan for a few days to buy some stuff off him and help him sort 2000 bars he bought from GB. Slabbed a Redgum with him and ended up ordering a 60" GB mill for my 3120...

 

[Lindsay]

Thanks, lost coffee on that one.

Back to the post, why a 390 after the big guns were discussed? It sounded like an 880/3120 project or at least a 395/660 deal and now none of those were added.

Well my local Stihl dealer had a used MS880 come in and after handling it I just can't justify it for the price and the amount i would use it, plus it was a freaken heavy it was cool tho.
And after having a horror run with my ms460 i decided to trade it in on a bigger saw and i was'nt going to buy another Stihl so it was time to go to the dark side.
So the 390 wears a 24" bar so it means a bit more turning and burning to get things done.