stihl ms170 or echo sc306?

[radrob]

I went back to the stihl dealer today to get a chain for it with my quarter tip bar on it.The sprocket was farther back on the poulan. They asked if i wanted to switch over to the 1/4 pitch ,they had a sprocket in stock for $29. The other stihl dealer in town just blew me off when i asked about carving stuff. This way i can switch over to dime tip sometime soon.
I may have to wait till i wear out this chain though.. I couldnt belive it the 1/4 pitch chain cost me $49. Is that what they are going for? He did have to make one for it.
im going outside now to give it a try.
rob

[tcb16]

Hey Rob,
That was way high for the chain cost, heres a link where I get them from. You may want to consider grinding down the back side of the cutter tooth on the 1/4 pitch chain to let it plunge cut faster, it really makes a difference. PM me if you have any questions about it, I'd be happy to help.
Good luck,
Tim

[tcb16]

I forgot the link...Bailey's - Chainsaw Carving > Chainsaw Carving Bars & Chain

-tim

[Tom Stiglich]

Rob:
Like Tim said that is awfully high for a 1/4" chain. (more than double price ?). Listen to Robbins info he really knows what he is talking about. His work speaks louder than his words and he knows alot about chainsaws.Check his website. Colin has also been there. I have dealt both with Jamie and Baileys. I prefer Jamie because of his carving expertise. Jamie will also grind the back of the teeth for you if requested like Tim said. Good luck Tom

[Rwenzoski]

Hi Rob, $49 for a loop iof chain is what I would term highway robbery! Some of these shops that don't normally stock this sort of stuff I can see charging a little higher pirce but that is almost twice the price I have ever heard of or paid for a single loop of chain! If you contact Jamie & make yourself known to him he is pretty good to deal with, sometimes a little slow due to a lot of business & carving travelling but comes through in the end & knows his stuff. Normally the price for chain is from as low as $0.22 up to $0.45 per link times the number of drive links& I advise if your ordering to always order two at a time at least due to the fact that Murphy's Law will dictate that only chian you have will break when you need it the most, then your waiting. This saves on shipping & phone calls also. When you order from Jamie, as Tim has stated get the backs of the cutters ground off at $0.05 per DL! If you are running a dime tip bar this is not just better but a necessity due to the fact that if you don't it takes approximatley 10 times the pressure applied to make the saw plunge cut & the result is you will burn the stellite on the tip almost instantly & then damage will be caused to the tie straps on the chain, which in turn will damage the drive sprocket & again the bar. It is a downward spiral as the mechanincal failure then! You must keep all mechanical components of the sytem (bar, chain & spur sprocket) in good shape by keeping the mechanical damage dressed off of the tip & normally the lower radius of the bar where the chain comes back in contact with the bar after flying around the tip. The chain is run slightly slack (I normally adjust a 12" dime tip or similar so there is a half to a full drive link driver showing hanging out of the bottom of the rails) so what occurs is the centrifical force throws the chian out off of the tip & when it comes back around this slack will pound the bottom of the bar at the tip radius & hopefully the stellite extends back to & beyond this point or it tends to dig the Titanium alloy out where the stelitte & titanium are joined. I Agree with Tom also about the difference of dealing with Baileys & Jamie due to the fact that Jamie is a carver but if you are absolutely certain of what you want or need then Baileys may be the cnoice if shipping or cost is reduced due to being closer to you?
I am running, as well as a few friends, the new Stihl carving chain that the cutters when punched out are already sloped at the back of the cutters & Timm Barker in Missouri has it available down there. This chain doesn't need the rear of the cutters ground off then & Tim had previously told me that he thought the cutters were slightly harder steel than he has seen before & after running it for two carvings without the necessity yet for sharpening (which will show more evidence once I get there) seems to really hold the edge better than any I have tried. This chain is a little more expensive but comparable if you have to either get the cutters ground or the time invovled to do it yourself & do it properly? If you can get a hold of Canola oil this will reduce the wear & tear on your bar & chain I figure a factor of 10 taking into consideration that mechanical wear is kept to a minimum by the maintenance!
Tom, your name sounds familiar? Have we met possibly at Ridgway?
Thanks, Robbin
Check out the tool tips tutorials for dressing your bar etc.
index

[BearCountry]

Hello Guy's

I run only STIHL, never had problems, regular maintance and cleaning, as well as running canola oil in them.
The only problem I found is that they like fresh gas and will not run on old gas, I think it's the 10% Ethanol???

I run 2 of the 170's for the money they run for ever.
1- 009
1- 250
1- 260

Pull the spark arrestor's out as well.

Wade

[radrob]

thanks robbin your website is awesome! as are you! very informative.
im happy with the stihl so far.
want to try the redmax though.
already thinking of my next saw!!
rob

[Big Wood]

Well, after running my MS 170 with a 12 inch prunning bar and lovin it for 2years. Starts 4th pull everytime when cold, one when hot, even with countless hours on it. I've decided to buy another and fit it with the Stihl 1/4 pitch sprocket, new carving chain and 12 Stihl dime tip bar. Can't wait to try it and hope it bumps my skill level up a few notches. I wanted to get the Stihl 192, same saw, but a pound lighter. 100bucks more than the MS 170, I decided the pound wasn't worth the 100bucks. I considered the Redmax but you can't take a short drive down the road for parts and service for the Redmax. So I'm more than happy to get another Ms170.

Hey Radrob, how are you enjoying yours?
Jay

[dicktilley20]

Try the new Stihl 181, super little saw, lasts 30 minutes to a fill.

dick

[RL Blair]

New to the forum, but with 40 years experience carving I have never heard of a Redmax 3200 saw. Can someone tell me about this chainsaw?