I got the Bigfoot Head Cutter today and I need a chainsaw to go with it. What are you guys using?
I saw that the instructions say Stihl, but I have always like Husquvarnas. Will they work?
What size bar, type of chain, and any other things you can think of about it that I need to get started.
Believe it or not my wife bought it for me (B-day), suprised the crap out of me.
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Don't you love those kinds of surprises? My wife and kids did a dewalt saw a couple years ago and it still shocks me.
Have a good day
Cliffy
I just got a new lunch box as an early birthday gift. Something cheap, but so practical it makes the best kind of present. Glamorous
with Stihl I seem to recall that you don't get into special chain until you have .375 pitch ,
but I don't know JS about Husky, just guessing they are the same.
and WTF is a Bigfoot and what does it do?
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Bigfoot is a tool manufacturer, they make some pretty sweet framing saws.
I see, well congratulations then..:)I thought you got a sawmill.
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Not a saw mill, it's a table for a chainsaw to sit on like a cricular saw for cutting rafters.
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see, I thought you were talking about a beam cutter or something like that.........after looking at it, methinks it will only bolt up to a Stihl.....and since no one else is answering you plea for help:)
I'm guessing maybe a 390 is what you need.
I have a Farm Boss 029,
Stihl has cleverly switched the numbers around since I bought it so mine is now a 290 ...but the 390 has a 3/8 pitch and a larger variety of chain to choose from .
I think you can even get Carbide --Tipped chain from them for3/8.
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ok here I finally got into Stihls site, here is the 390
http://www.stihlusa.com/chainsaws/MS390.htmland here is the saw chains available
http://www.stihlusa.com/chainsaws/types.htmland if you act now you can get a chainsaw ringtone for your phone
http://www.stihlusa.com/information/info_ringtones.htmland you could enter to win a chopper
http://www.stihlusa.com/whatsnew/and you can buy it here Dobos Lawnmower S & S
 3732 West Michigan Ave
 Battle Creek, MI.  49017
 (269) 962-5749
 but you better hurry this offer ends May 31
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Edited 5/28/2007 8:44 am by maddog3
Thanks for the in depth research on Stihl's.
I have a retailer of chainsaw's around the corner from me. I went to school with his son, Pretty much known them most of my life. I'll try to get a new one cheap out of them.
have fun with your new toy.
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I will, I can't wait to use it.
The small Huskys are Poulons.
Took my little good deal Husky apart & what I found is all the pieces were identical to the Poulon. Glad I got it cheap, cuz I was pretty disappointed to find out my orange saw was really green inside.
My new Christmas Stihl is a real Stihl.
Joe H
Stihl
Honda
Skil
Senco
GMC
Makita
Remodeling contractor who once visited the Glass City.
huh?
Company names I've come to trust for good tools/equipment. I
m not very mechanically inclined so if a tool or vehicle needs constant attention, it's a poor fit for me. The poster before me seemed to be saying something similar about "Stihl". So I agreed, and extended the list.Sorry for any confusion.Remodeling contractor who once visited the Glass City.
husqvarna, poulan, and jonsered are all made by the same company last i checked.
i've logged, and done come log cabin work, and have used both, i prefer husqvarna myself, not for a good reason though. kind of like a ford man and a chevy man.
the extra money that your husky cost over your identical poulan was in the bar and chain. a small saw is very limited anyway no matter the make.
stilleto, i have never used a headcutter, though i hope to have an excuse to get one someday (or maybe the girlfriend will surprise me.lol). i have never seen a husky on a headcutter, but i bet it will fit. nothing a quick phone call to bigfoot won't solve. good luck and keep us posted.
Arne
Edited 5/28/2007 4:33 pm ET by arnemckinley
I don't see why a Husky wouldn't fit. I am going to check some prices this week at the local Saw Shack.
I have a Husky 395 w a 20" bar on my Headcutter. Works great, plenty of snoose. My little Stihl 028 was way underpowered.
I just cut a 10/12 roof with 2x12's & 20" bar was a 1/4" short even with the grip teeth removed. If you do much with that size material you might consider 24" bar but be careful thats a lot of bar sticking out. Get full chisel chain & don't let anyone sell you anti-kickback chain.
You are gonna love the thing
NB
Good post that answers most of my questions.
I was going to ask about the bar length because we use 2x12's for most rafters on houses. So the bar length advice was good.
Thanks alot.
I use the Stihl MS361 http://pic40.picturetrail.com/VOL293/2163851/11350387/164188144.jpg
We've got two of them, mine has the shorter, 20"? bar and my brothers has the longer bar, I can't remember the length on either of them now.
The longer bar works better for me. I'm not sure why, but I can cut a 12-12 on 2x12 and get a perfect cut with the longer bar, and the shorter bar is just a hair off, I think its because with the longer bar you are cutting right at the widest part of the bar.
Also, I used a chisel tooth chain and the cuts are almost as smooth as cutting with a circ saw.
http://pic40.picturetrail.com/VOL293/2163851/10043887/148955899.jpg
http://pic40.picturetrail.com/VOL293/2163851/10043887/148955852.jpg
I would stick with Stihl. I used to use a Husky and it didn't work as well. I'm sure it would if I bought the equivalent Husky to my Stihl.
I priced out the Husky 395 today and was shocked to say the least.
Then I tried it's little brother the 575 and once again too much, $800 out the door with a few chains and a 24" bar.
Time to look into the Stihl's. Maybe they are cheaper.
Thanks Tim I needed a little help getting this setup, I didn't want to buy a chainsaw that wasn't going to do the job.
Got to use the headcutter today, very easy to use and just as accurate as a circular saw.
I ended up buying a Husky 570 which was pretty much the twin to your Stihl. I can't remember exactly but it was either a little stronger or a little weaker.
But I was just cutting 2x10's off square. I now know that my cut table needs to be about 20" off the ground. In the picture it was 32" and I was reaching towards the end.
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Yeehaw! I dig the new saw. Thanks Tim
Pics look great!! Glad you like the setup.
The pictures turned out great, probably because I wasn't running the camera. I can get about 30% of the pictures I take to turn out good. Kevin on the other hand nailed it today.
You got any other tips or techniques on running it? It went smooth today, the saw wanted to lift up a little on that cut. Might be the cut table being to high and I had a hard time holding the saw tight to the stock.
Now that I have used it I am hooked, I have got to master this tool.
I picked up a Makita 64CC 20" bar saw the other day off Craigslist for $135.This is the same saw HomeDepot rents out and they sell their rentals for $250 - they retail new for $500 or so.Turns out the guy had bought it from Home Depot rental for $250 - used it for a few trees and then sold it to me for $135 with an extra new chain, bar oil and a sharpening kit.I'm just a camper user of Csaws, so this was a big leg up on the old McCollah 14" 32cc saw that I've had for years and it won't die.For $135 - I think that's a helluva deal - it's in great shape. I've bought a lot of Home Depot rental items thru the years - all have been in very decent shape and priced at great pricing.Just picked up a Honda 3000 watt 68lb generator for $575 ($1475.00 new) the other day and have picked up a 10' Van Mark brake and a MK tile saw in the past at amazing deal prices.JT
I was going to ask you what area of the state you are feeding your tool addiction at but I don't need to know where I can get MORE tools cheap. My garage is already bulging at the seams.
I have been on a spending spree as of late. I haven't added up the last two months yet but I feel like I have been bleeding money. It's been fun and I look like the new guy on the site with my new stuff.
But the ones I have bought lately are all worth every penny I paid for them. Some of the things I can't believe how much easier work has gotten.
I can't agree with you more. What makes me different than most is that when I get new tools, I sell of the old ones - can't stand to have tools sitting around that I'll not be using.Just picked up a Milwaukee deep cut band saw + blades + tires + metal case at a rummage sale for $100 - great timing - that day I was cutting iron balusters for a staircase.Set it up clamped vertical with a clamp on the switch and a power strip on the floor. Walk over, hit the switch, cut the the metal like butter and turn it off with my toe.Gotta love tools that make things go smooth.My multimaster is one of them along with the Festool omino I just picked up to help with the stair job.JTIf you are in MI - the very best tool store in the State has got to be Performance Line tools in Pontiac, MI - worth a drive for sure if you are anywhere near it.JT
I live in Michigan, Battle Creek to be precise. It's between Climax and I-69.
I sell off my old tools as well. My employees get them for next to nothing. It's a win win situation.
I am at least a couple hours from Pontiac so my wallet is safe for now. :)
I'm in Redford, right on the edge of Detroit.My grandparents lived in Climax, so I've traveled that way many times in my life. (grew up in Lansing.)JT
I can't remember now, but were you cutting with the top of the bar? I think you were. That keeps the Headcutter down on the stock pretty well.
Hmm, I don't usually notice that it wants to lift out of the material. I'll have to think about that one.
Timuhler,
I was going to ask stilletto but since you mentioned the top of the bar I will ask you. That just looks backwards to me as almost all times it is the bottom of the bar that I would be using to cut with. The chain being forced down into the wood as cut would seem to want to lift the motor head off the stack . Normally I rely on the cutters to pull the saw toward the wood. Why cut with the top?
"Poor is not the person who has too little, but the person who craves more."...Seneca
>>Why cut with the top?<<
Because it throws the chips and sawdust away from you. Otherwise you would take a beating with the stuff flying out of the saw.
stilletto,
OK. that makes sense. Thanks"Poor is not the person who has too little, but the person who craves more."...Seneca
I was also cutting Southern Yellow Pine, it was wet as well. So that might have made a difference.