Looking to buy a new chainsaw. I have a poulan 18" that I've had for over 10 years and works like a horse but I will be taking on some projects coming up that require a little more than the 18"er can handle. Specifically I will be cutting a couple of big mesquite trees ( 23" and 22" diameter), then quartersawing with a chainsaw mill. I hope to be doing this type of work again (possibly on more mesquite, Black Walnut, Osage and occasionally others. Trees I'm after will always be a minimum 20" diameter but rarely much bigger than 23"-24". (anything bigger I'll take to a mill). At most, this will be something I do 2 to 3 times a year max.

I have always heard that when buying a chainsaw over 20" you don't look at anything other than Stihl. But in researching, I have looked at a Husqvarna model that has captured my interest.

I think I have narrowed my choices down to either the Husqvarna rancher 465
http://dewinne-equipment.com/showrooms/Husqvarna/Power+Equipment/Chainsaws/465+Rancher/58f506a72adf1f50c15563a2/

or the Stihl MS 391
https://boerneoutdoorpower.stihldealer.net/products/chain-saws/farm-and-ranch-saws/ms391/

the Husqvarna has a 28" max blade vs. 25" max on the Stihl, which I thick may come in handy for me during the milling process, but I'd just don't know anything about Husqvarna.

Anyone with experience using Husqvarna or both have any thoughts?

Ask agrams. With his chainsaw mill, he used a Husqvarna 3120XP with a 6 foot bar, when he milled my pecan planks that were about 50 in wide and 8-9 ft long. I think he loves it, but you need to ask him.

Thanks to Harvey, I just bought the MS 271 Farm Boss from Stihl. Early returns were three post oaks cut up in one day. Never stalled and started every time I needed it.

Paging agrams

Husqvarna 550 XP If you looking for 20" blade. Great saw and I have one for all the normal stuff.

For big stuff I have Husqvarna 395 XP and 3120 XP

I run a Husqvarna Rancher 455 (I think). Love it. No issues. I have a smaller Stihl and it works fine too. Many run an Echo and think they are great.

I don't have any experience with Husky chainsaws, but I do have experience with a Husky blower, and it was not good.

The plastic they used for the fuel line literally melted in a few weeks and clogged up the carb.

When I contacted customer service, they blew me off and said "ethanol". I said yes, I understand, but It should not melt in a few weeks like that. At that time, we didn't have TruFuel, etc... and I could not get anything but ethanol gas.

I replaced the carb and fuel line at my own expense, but the blower was stolen a few weeks later.

Having it melt like that was one thing, but the worst part was the customer service; that experience turned me off Husky for good.

I don't buy anything but Echo and Stihl now.

I own a MS-391 and highly recommend it. But I would not make a move until you hear from Agrams or someone else who has experience with a chainsaw powered mill.

I won't dive in to the husky vs stihl debate, but I will say that I have been very happy with the Husky saws I own (2 x 3120xp, 1 x 395xp, 1 x 372xp). I would just advise you go with whomever has the best local shop with the ebst service. Your experience with the saw will be heavily skewed by if you have a good local shop to work on any issues. I will say there is a difference in their commercial/light weight lines (rancher/etc) and their professional (starting at their 372xp, which I think is one of the best balanced saws around for its power and weight)

As for the bar, you need at least 70cc to pull a 30"+ bar, and 90cc to pull 40/50". If you do a full compliment chain then you will bog down more or need a bigger powerhead. You can do longer bars with lower CC heads, but you need to run a skip tooth chain. Just remember your alaska mill will consume about 8" of your total bar length, so if you have a 36" bar/mill, you will only be able to cut about 28".

Get good at sharpening, both by hand, and with a good jig. I buy chain in a 100' spool and spin my own loops. I have both oregon, granberg and woodland pro ripping chains. I find the woodland pro to be the best bang for the buck.

if you have more specific questions, I will be happy to answer. My email is grams wood works at gmail dot com (no spaces) and also in my profile.

Ag00Ag, a few more things to consider:

Work to find a local sawmill that has access to a kiln and/or a bug house. You will need to spray the mesquite with timbor/boracare very soon after milling (I do it in between each cut) to keep the bugs out. I also suggest you get some anchorseal. Get the classic, not the new Anchorseal II.

Also, you said you are going to quarter saw the mesquite logs you have. True quartersawing is not great in yield, so I imagine you are mis-applying the phrase, but even if you aren't, mesquite is so geometrically stable that the benefit of quarterawing it is not that great. You will also want to look up how to stack and sticker the wood so it doesn't warp too much in drying. For mesquite this won't be as critical, but for other woods it is critical, especially in the plain and riftsawn cuts.

Fellas I met this OB legend a few weeks ago. Nicest guy in the world. Amazed that this is not his actual job. Dude knows more about his hobby than many folks know about their actual job. Who spools their own chainsaw chains? Agrams that's who. I thought I had it all figured out and was big time when I learned to sharpen my 18 inch Husq's chain and adjust the tension based on how how the chain was running. lol.

I have said it before, and I'll say it again...

I want to be agrams when I grow up.

Thanks for all the replies! I have both a Stihl and husqvarna dealer close by so I'm going to go check both out and see which feels better.

Agrams, thanks. I already know about stacking on stickers, Tim-bor, and sealing the end grain. These will be true quartersawn on a jig I'm building for the cuts. I know the yield is lower but I need as close to quarter as I can get as this wood will hopefully be used for acoustic guitar backs and sides. It will be air dried under cover for 2-3 years then finished in a solar kiln be fore re-sawing, Long term project!

I'm a sgihl fan, but as stated, I have a local shop that I like. I use a Pferd sharpener and sharpen my blades by hand every time i use them. Don't wait until dull, cleanup and touch up every time and she'll always be sharp. I only use pro grade chains for my tree clearing tasks. None of this anti kickback bs. It's sharp, fast, and efficient.

Ag00Ag, glad to hear you have a good understanding of things. If you are using it for guitar backs/sides which are much thinner, I would look at a way to cut the blanks thinner (closer to 1/4-1/2"). they will dry a lot quicker and give better yield. I resaw on my bandsaw green mesquite to 5/8" from log cuts so that I get good yield, then I can air dry that and use it for humidor/box sides.

As for quartersawing mesquite, I wouldn't presume you will get a full width quartersawn board from a log. Most all mesquite has a pith crack or ring shake. You are most likely going to end up doing a bookmatch width a few pieces on one side of the log.

If you want to look at expediting drying, look up denatured alcohol drying wood. Considering your guitar backs wont be longer than maybe 20-24", they are small enough you could possibly alcohol dry in 6 months or so to a stable moisture content. It is how I dry most all of my bowl blanks.

agrams, I actually want the drying process to go as slow as possible..which is why I will air dry for as long as I am. You are correct about book matching sides for the back.

One question I do have though, relative to initial blank size is thickness. I understand that thinner blanks will dry faster but as I said, I want to dry slow. ( being an amature/novice luthier I rely on literature and tradition...but as I understand it, the general consensus is that slower the drying, the better the tone.) I'm more concerned with minimal checks and movement while drying. I have read some references that suggest thicker blanks will be more stable and some that say around 1" is best. I will resaw on band saw eventually but i'm planning on cutting 6/8 blanks for drying and not resawing for a few years.

any thoughts ?

I am no luthier, so I won't pretend to know more about tones in wood from drying than those who focus on that specialty, but most of their cautions on slow drying are to reduce the checking and cracking as you said. That being said, the wood shrink factor on mesquite is so minimal and even (~2-2.5" radially and tangentially) that I would have little to no concerns on cracking. The reason they want to dry slow is to ensure even drying, which minimizes the cracking, warping and internal stresses in the wood, especially in woods with higher shrink percentages (such as oak which is 8/15% respectively). I mill and turn mesquite and dry both, and in both instances I don't think I have ever had an issue from shrink cracking. The other concern on slowing the rate is that you can surface harden the outside of the wood and lead to the micro-cracks on the surface. I am sure this is why most luthiers want to cut 1" thick then machine off each face, to remove the micro-cracks from the surface. You could mill a piece of mesquite, lay it flat in the sun with one side baking and one in the shade, and I still don't think you would see much (if any) warping.

If you really want to slow it down, paint the whole piece in paraffin/anchorseal and let it breathe all around it. When I turn more difficult woods that shrink a lot, I soak them in DNA for a day, paint the end grain in anchorseal, then wrap them in a paper bag packed in green sawdust, then stick them down in a low area (usually under my lathe covered in sawdust) and let them cook there for 3-6 months, and still get cracking in tough woods like oak. For mesquite, I just turn it green and stick it on the shelf to dry, no extra protection, and still get better results in drying.

Another thing you may be thinking about is if you are going to steam bend the wood around the contours of the guitar. air dried wood around 14-20% Moisture content works much better for than than kiln dried wood down to that 8-10% range.

I hope that helps some and I am not just rambling.

I have the Rancher after my Stihl was stolen. I preferred Stihl, it just seemed better built, always started on first or second pull, etc. While the Husqvarna is a great chainsaw, if I ever had to buy again, I think I'd go back to Stihl.

Keep in mind the Stihl I had was a smaller chainsaw, not the one you mentioned in this thread.

Thanks for all who offered advice. After careful consideration I have decided to go with the Husquvarna Rancher 465. It will be a few weeks yet before I get to "put it to the test" but will post my review when I get a chance.