new guy new saw

oldgunner · March 13, 2015, 04:03:07 PM

hello all, I am oldgunner. I just purchased a makita 6421and some PPE. I wanted to comment on how refreshing it is to see a forum that actually shares information. Over the years I have been a member of a lot of forums and the level of maturity and courtesy here is amazing. The ability to ask for help and receive sound advice without being bashed is priceless.

I look forward to getting involved with the forum and thanks for being here.

beenthere · March 13, 2015, 04:21:29 PM

Welcome to the Forestry Forum. We are glad you found it, and the thanks for a great forum go to the founder Jeff and those early admins he formed to make up a team.
We just work to try and emulate his ideas and intentions to keep a great forum going.. and respect Jeff's dedication to making it happen in spite of the trials and tribulations.

pabst79 · March 13, 2015, 06:33:05 PM

Welcome, I will be interested to hear how you like the Makita, never known anyone who had a chainsaw by them. I have owned and abused a lot of Makita grinders and drills, they have always been a very sturdy tool for me.

clww · March 13, 2015, 06:33:43 PM

Welcome to the Forestry Forum.

Lots of knowledge here.

thecfarm · March 13, 2015, 07:07:05 PM

oldgunner,welcome to the forum. Good for you that you brought safety stuff too.

oldgunner · March 13, 2015, 07:44:22 PM

Thank for the welcome. Safety and proper equipment is how I became an old gunner rather than a dead gunner.

Ianab · March 13, 2015, 07:56:15 PM

The current Makita saws are basically re-badged Dolmars. (Makita now owns Dolmar)

So they are pretty good saws.

JW IN VA · March 13, 2015, 08:09:37 PM

You have already done two things right.First you bought safety equipment then are asking questions to learn. :P Welcome.

Andyshine77 · March 13, 2015, 09:00:16 PM

Welcome!! I think you're going to like that new blue Dolmar. 8)

HolmenTree · March 13, 2015, 11:31:37 PM

Welcome old gunner. I always walk past the blue Makita saws sitting near the front door of our local Acklands Grainger store. Never bought one but pick one up every now and then just to get a feel of them ;D

hacknchop · March 13, 2015, 11:51:08 PM

My neighbor bought one couple yrs ago heats with OWB and makes maple syrup using a big boiler anyway cuts a pile of wood and that saw is as good as any I have used, oh and welcome to the forestry forum.

oldgunner · March 14, 2015, 10:06:44 AM

I did a lot of trolling before I pulled the trigger and I am glad I did. The idea for me was to buy one saw one time. I don't heat with wood, but every year we loose some trees to storms. I have been using a Sawzall to cut them up and it worked fine, but it was time for the right tool for the job. I like the idea of the bore kit to take it up to 80.cc if I ever want or need to. I know the saw is a little heavier than some others, but I won't be swinging it around for 10 hours a day 5 days a week. That is the nice thing about my situation, if I get tired I go rest and can finish it tomorrow.

So here are some questions
what is the best way to store the saw when I am not using and will not be using for extended time. Do I need to worry about gasket rot. Should I run some mix through it every now and then.
premix fuels... what do you think. I know they are expensive for what you get, but for the limited cutting I do, I think they are a great solution. Please open my eyes if they are closed here.

I have a list, but I'll start a new thread. Thank you so much for the help and education. You guys are awesome.

JohnG28 · March 14, 2015, 10:38:16 AM

Welcome to the forum! Hope the saw does you well! As for storage, considering you only plan to use the saw to cleanup storm trees I think the canned fuel might be a good idea. It's pricey but if only used occasionally then not so bad. Nice thing is that it is ethanol free and has a shelf life of a year or more. You won't get that with pump gas. If you do mix your own try to find ethanol free gas. Puregas.org will show places local to you that carry it, although may not be a complete list. If using the premix then I'd say use the 50:1 that is recommended, if mixing your own then I'd go closer to 40:1. Is this the same as a Dolmar 6100 anyone? If so may want to check out the thread below titled new saw, a guy had some real problems with a 6100 recently and would be issues to watch for.

oldgunner · March 14, 2015, 11:22:08 AM

Just read the thread. from my research it seems that all the brands have had stupid issues at various times. The good thing is that I am aware of those issues and if they show up, the saw goes back.I think I will stick with the premix for starters. If my use grows I'll move into mixing my own. Thanks for the input.

pabst79 · March 14, 2015, 11:50:20 AM

Out of curiosity what kind of warranty does Makita give?

Magicman · March 14, 2015, 01:47:49 PM

Welcome to the Forestry Forum, oldgunner. Be sure to share your adventures here.

fordf150 · March 14, 2015, 02:48:36 PM

Quote from: pabst79 on March 14, 2015, 11:50:20 AM
Out of curiosity what kind of warranty does Makita give?

1 yr warranty
http://www.makitatools.com/en-us/Modules/Company/Warranty.aspx#oneyearwarranty
Dolmar upped their warranty to 2 years commercial or consumer in the spring of 2013

JohnG28 · March 15, 2015, 12:11:14 AM

Quote from: oldgunner on March 14, 2015, 11:22:08 AM
Just read the thread. from my research it seems that all the brands have had stupid issues at various times. The good thing is that I am aware of those issues and if they show up, the saw goes back.I think I will stick with the premix for starters. If my use grows I'll move into mixing my own. Thanks for the input.

You're welcome. Sounds like you have done your homework fairly well though! :D There's a whole lot of good running saws out there for ever one or two with an issue. Hopefully yours will fall under the former! Now comes the question though, do you hope for a bad storm now?? :D

Straightgrain · March 15, 2015, 07:37:41 PM

Welcome,

There are strengths and weaknesses to any piece of equipment; let us know how it works out for you.

"Beating s dead horse" A major problem for aluminum carburetors is Ethanol; seek and use clear-fuel, airplane fuel, or stabilize off the shelf fuel with the blue (marine) stabilizer and you should avoid lacquer build-up in the jets.

Seeing they are a "gray-market" saw made by Dolmar; you should get years of use out of it as long as you follow the use, care, and maintenance in the owner's manual.

A couple small plastic wedges for your saw kit (to be placed into the kerfs) will go a long way to prevent the types of obtuse binding that often occurs when trees fall and rest upon things.

ed in idaho · March 15, 2015, 08:56:59 PM

if you can get by the price the pre-mix should be top notch. welcome aboard!

Ed

oldgunner · March 15, 2015, 11:05:28 PM

The storms are coming whether I want them or not. I have 4 or 5 trees to buck right now, so that's more than enough to get a good feel for the saw. I plan on heading to the coast in a couple of years and the ability to cut a clear path after a hurricane would be nice.
I like the shelf life and non ethanol of the premix. For now, it seems like a good option. Of course it also depends on how much I cut. If I move into heating with wood or something where I am cutting weekly then that changes everything.

I have been reading as much as I can about chain, tuning, bars, porting, and it is easy to see how adicting this can be. Again, thank you for the warm welcome and knowledge. I am compiling a list of questions for a new thread. happy sawing....

Andyshine77 · March 16, 2015, 11:52:26 PM

For reference I believe the OP has a 6421, which is built on the 6400,7300 and 7900 chassis. This chassis is well proven and has no known issues whatsoever.

I would agree with that amount of use, canned fuel makes sense. Fuel is still a solvent, so when you're not going to use the saw for a few weeks, I recommend draining the fuel tank and letting the saw run at idle until it stops.

WET BEHINDTHE EARS · March 17, 2015, 07:06:09 AM

Welcome to the site. I am a new guy myself and as you said earlier being able to ask questions without fear of being bashed is priceless. The guys around here do a excellent job of answering questions without making you feel like a dummy.