I like that you tied the tree up so you could safely cut it up whole thing, while keeping it out of the dirt! When the trunk of the tree is on the ground, using a long bar can really save your back. But when the trunk is up like you had it, my preferred set up is to use my Joncutter g2500 (25cc top handle) and 12"bar for limbing. It's light, making one handed use easy. I use my other hand to grab the branch I'm cutting, so that I can toss it out of my way, as soon as it's loose.
I use my McCulloch Mini saws for branching and brushing like you use your Joncutter saw. This particular job worked out best using the 24" bar on the saw, as the ground was covered in brush and tree debri that was slicker than slick, and I could reach out and cut branches and brush that was not real close to me with the long bar, and I didn't have to step on that slick, dangerous debri nearly as much. Thanks for watching and commenting.
Cutting up and branching that blowdown tree was a bit of a challenge. This was the first real job with the 034, and it performed very well, even with it's limitations. It was a rewarding day.
When those came out there were a lot of complaints of excessive compression. Stihl put out a service bulletin for putting a cylinder gasket on 'em, from the factory they were assembled w/o 1. Those were considered 'hot rod' saws.
The Stihl 034 is Wierdball saw, as it has some features of a pro saw and many cheapo substandard features as well. It was sold as a pro saw and many of the comments I received about this saw said that in pro use in certain circumstances they gave good service, but disliked because of the hard starting and common failures like the starter and clutch bearing. I doubt that a cylinder gasket would drop the compression much. This saw should have had a decomp valve and a purge valve for the fuel system, which would have made for a very good saw. This saw doesn't like hard cutting and the chain stall easily, but for branching, brushing and small diameter wood, it is indeed a HOT ROD ! I am on the lookout for an 034 Super, as it has a decomp valve and a bit more displacement, and hopefully some torque. Time will tell.
@mrobsoletesvintagehomestea9156 The 034S was the 036 in theory. Those had 2 starter pawls but the starter pulley ratio was still wrong. Our shop overstocked on the starter pawls & pulleys in those days. Stihl would sometimes have 3 variations of the same model with different cylinder sizes, it made things interesting! The 038, for instance, had 3 variations, 61cc, 67cc & 72cc. My recollection of the 034 was 034S, 036, 360, 361, etc. Some were redesigns that were better but cheaper made, it's all about $.
You are spot on about Stihl making small running changes on parts, and in many cases not interchangeable, how dumb. From the comments I have received the 034S became the 036. Some have mentioned that not all 036's had decomp valves, how strange ! Most comments say the 034S and the 036 had some torque, which the 034 lacks. I am spoiled ,as my first saw was a McCulloch, and is still in service after 40 plus years of use, and is easy to start, super reliable and needs only regular maintenance. I have had newer Husky's and Stihls, but they always had glitches and eventually complete failures when they weren't that old. The parts prices were stupid also. All my McCulloch's are still on the job and have never suffered any major failures. The Stihl's that I have in my collection were all donations from kind and generous people. Working on them gives one insight as to the engineering, both good and bad. Keeps me sharp as a mechanic !
I sharpened my axes last fall, and haven't used many of them yet, but my knives really need a good sharpening. I purchased a decent knife sharpening kit a while back, and will try it out soon. Should be interesting to see how well it works.
You don’t want to become a tent peg, that’s for sure. My first rule on hangers is get them on the ground, first. There, I can deal with them. I had a dead tree that broke down last year. I got it on the ground. I had to cut it loose with my pole saw and pull it down with my tractor. It was about 25” in diameter. Then, I cut the stump off and did the same thing to it. Then I cut it up, mostly with 16” saws. I cut as much as I could and then rolled them over with my peavy and finished the cut. That 034 will cut stuff up to 20”, easily. Stihl saws are always a load to start. My right shoulder will attest to that.
Your method of dropping and chopping a hanger is the best way for sure. The 034 will cut bigger wood, but you have to keep changing the down pressure on the bar. If the chain hits a knot or hard spot, the rpm's drop off very quickly, then the chain tries to stall. I am used to my old torquer saws that just hunker down and keep cutting in the same circumstances. The 034 is a weirdo saw for sure, but really performs in the right conditions. My 031 is the only easy starting saw in my small Stihl collection.
You put in some work on that job! You're right, that 034 handles rotten snags and downed logs with ease! A a 24" inch bar is tough to beat in that thick and uneven terrain. Long enough to buck and limb, small enough to still be manageable in the woods. Great vid!
The 24" bar was ideal for this job. If the 034 had some torque, it would be a great all around saw, instead of the narrow focus saw that it is. The more I use it though, the better I like it. Thanks for watching and the nice comment.
My favorite saws are my mid size ones that I call my Universal Saws. They have torque and horsepower both, and can be used for almost any type of cutting. The 034 is more of a specialized saw because of it's limitations, but is really good for it's narrow spectrum of use. Most of my saw cutting work over the years has been with my older Universal saws, so it has taken me a bit to adjust to the more modern saws like the 025 and 034 as I have acquired them. Like I say, there is room for good, bad, marginal and no good saws here on the Homestead !
I hear what you're saying. I'm typically reaching for my McCulloch, Pioneer or Homelite saws in most instances myself. The "grunt" as they say is lacking in a lot of the newer saws built today. As far as the collection goes, you're right, there's room for them all. I have a hard time letting anything mechanical go to the dump, especially chainsaws.
That saw might be a good candidate for .325 pich chain. Would be a little smoother cutting and the .325 should free up some power that Wierdball doesn’t have lol.
You are right about a .325 chain not sapping the hp from the saw as much. I personally don't like it, and only have a couple of saws that use it. The cutting teeth are fairly small, and cuts very smoothly, but I just like a more aggressive and faster cutting chain. I have a good selection of mid-sized saws, so if MR. CHEESEY is out of it's league, I just grab another saw that has some torque to do the heavier cutting. YEAH !!!!
The first job I did with the 034 was with an 18" bar, and it performed really well. The 24" bar is a bit much for it in some circumstances, but I run 24" bars on most of my mid size saws and just like the utility of them for a wide range of cutting jobs.
My 034 is probably leaving tomorrow but I will still have about 200 other saws. 50 or so run, the rest I am slowly going through to either sell or add to my display .
great saw, in america you work with big bars on small saws; in germany we use... a saw with 40cc-engine runs best with a bar of 40cm; a saw with 50ccengine runs max 50cm (20inch) for example: STIHL sells the ms 462 with only a 40cm bar (16inch) maximum bar 45cm (18inch) most professionals work with 16 inch bars for bucking trees big up to 80cm (32inch)
That is interesting about using such short bars for forestry work in your country. In the US, in the past, especially on the west coast, we had really huge trees, and equally big chainsaws to cut them down with. Trees are smaller now, but are big enough to require a big saw and bar combination to harvest them still. I went to a logging show a while back, and they had a 22 foot bar on display that was used here in the PNW. The longest bar I have on a saw is 60 inches on my STIHL 075, and I cut up a tree a while back that required almost the whole bar length to process it. That was hard work ! Thanks for watching.
You are right, but I really like longer bars on my mid size and larger saws so I don't have to bend over as much and can finish cutting a tree in half from one side. Maybe I am just lazy? The bigger bars are just my favorites.
yes sure, i got both, small and bigger size for bigger wood, but still remember.. if you make a bar bigger, you make the power you cut on the tree lower, @@mrobsoletesvintagehomestea9156
I try to match the power of the saw and bar length I need to drop a tree. I don't cut my trees off at the base, as I do a better job of aiming them if I do a higher cut. Later, I can go back and clean around the stump, then cut cookies from the top down till I am just above ground level. Cookies make great firewood when I don't need a hot fire. This system works great for me.
That’s the one thing I hate about some Stihl saws - no deco valve. 24” is too much for the 034. A 20”, .325 might work out better. The 18” .325 Stihl bar gives you 19.5” of bar.
That 034 will cut a lot bigger wood than that. It will easily cut 20” stuff. Does the 034 have the choke in the air filter or does it have a butterfly in the carb, Like the ms 250 and 025. I do not know this saw. My Ms 250 or 025 will do everything the 034 is doing. Ditto for the 260/026, but they have deco valves which makes starting a little easier.
The 034 struggles in wood over 12" inches. If you hit a knot or hard spot, the rpm's fall off very quickly, then the chain tries to stall, requiring constant changes on the bar pressure to keep it from happening. My other mid-size saws have enough torque that I don't have to do that. It is just a matter of learning the quirks of this saw. The choke is in the carb on this saw.
That 034 cuts good. I don’t like to see it dying when you let off the idle and set it down. That tells me that it is going into compressor stahl from being to rich. I want mine to idle 15 minutes without stopping but still rev up when I hit the throttle. It just sounds rich to me, probably L jet set to open.
The idle speed would be fine at times, and not so at other times. I adjusted the carb, but it didn't help. You are right about it being rich, but the cause is from carb icing. The air was very cold and the humidity very high. This saw doesn't have the warm air feature like the 025 does. My Partner S-55 saw does the same thing. Just another of it's weirdo glitches.
@@mrobsoletesvintagehomestea9156 anytime the temp is less than 40 Stihl recommends adding some carb heat to the intake. I have run my saws in freezing weather but seldom put them in the cold weather position. I will look up the 034 and see if it has a cold weather position. A lot of times they are well hidden.
@@mrobsoletesvintagehomestea9156 I looked it up. There should be a little plastic block off plate in the air filter cover, similar to my 026/260. Keep it in for temps below 40 and take it out for temps below 40. It is about 3/4” wide and about two inches long and colored black. It sits inside the air filter cover at the top. It just presses in and you can remove it by pressing it outward from behind it and you can store it in one of the slots in the cover. I usually order the right part and block it off with aluminum tape if it does not have the shutter in the cover. If you want the part number let me know and I will dig it up for you.
@@mrobsoletesvintagehomestea9156 the 036 has two things you must change. There is a square hole in the engine cover on the right rear side. Original engine covers had a bolster that you could rotate to open this hole to allow warm air to get to the carb via the air filter shutter. Replacement covers do not have this bolster, so you have to block it off for summer operation. I use aluminum tape, cut to fit. I would have to look at the 034 to figure out how it works in winter/ summer operation. The 025 has a shutter that fits in front of the air filter to keep warm air from the cylinder reaching the carb. One way for summer and flip it over for winter operation. Most folks loose the shutter from the air filter cover and it is my guess it is getting to much hot air from the cylinder, which is what is screwing up your carb settings. Aluminum tap will fix that until you can get the right shutter for it. I leave all of my saws in Summer operation and block off what I have to with aluminum tape.
@@mrobsoletesvintagehomestea9156 I went back and looked it up. It has the same winter/ summer setup as the 036. It has the bolster that fits in the engine cover. For summer operation the hole in the engine cover needs to be blocked off and the shutter installed in the air filter cover. For winter operation both of these openings are left open. I don’t think your carb is icing. I think it is getting to much hot air. That will really screw up the carb settings when the saw gets warm.
I like that you tied the tree up so you could safely cut it up whole thing, while keeping it out of the dirt! When the trunk of the tree is on the ground, using a long bar can really save your back. But when the trunk is up like you had it, my preferred set up is to use my Joncutter g2500 (25cc top handle) and 12"bar for limbing. It's light, making one handed use easy. I use my other hand to grab the branch I'm cutting, so that I can toss it out of my way, as soon as it's loose.
I use my McCulloch Mini saws for branching and brushing like you use your Joncutter saw. This particular job worked out best using the 24" bar on the saw, as the ground was covered in brush and tree debri that was slicker than slick, and I could reach out and cut branches and brush that was not real close to me with the long bar, and I didn't have to step on that slick, dangerous debri nearly as much. Thanks for watching and commenting.
Awesome 😀😊😀 Mr&Mrs Obsolete 😊❤️❤️❤️😊👍🏼
Cutting up and branching that blowdown tree was a bit of a challenge. This was the first real job with the 034, and it performed very well, even with it's limitations. It was a rewarding day.
When those came out there were a lot of complaints of excessive compression. Stihl put out a service bulletin for putting a cylinder gasket on 'em, from the factory they were assembled w/o 1. Those were considered 'hot rod' saws.
The Stihl 034 is Wierdball saw, as it has some features of a pro saw and many cheapo substandard features as well. It was sold as a pro saw and many of the comments I received about this saw said that in pro use in certain circumstances they gave good service, but disliked because of the hard starting and common failures like the starter and clutch bearing. I doubt that a cylinder gasket would drop the compression much. This saw should have had a decomp valve and a purge valve for the fuel system, which would have made for a very good saw. This saw doesn't like hard cutting and the chain stall easily, but for branching, brushing and small diameter wood, it is indeed a HOT ROD ! I am on the lookout for an 034 Super, as it has a decomp valve and a bit more displacement, and hopefully some torque. Time will tell.
@mrobsoletesvintagehomestea9156 The 034S was the 036 in theory. Those had 2 starter pawls but the starter pulley ratio was still wrong. Our shop overstocked on the starter pawls & pulleys in those days. Stihl would sometimes have 3 variations of the same model with different cylinder sizes, it made things interesting! The 038, for instance, had 3 variations, 61cc, 67cc & 72cc. My recollection of the 034 was 034S, 036, 360, 361, etc. Some were redesigns that were better but cheaper made, it's all about $.
You are spot on about Stihl making small running changes on parts, and in many cases not interchangeable, how dumb. From the comments I have received the 034S became the 036. Some have mentioned that not all 036's had decomp valves, how strange ! Most comments say the 034S and the 036 had some torque, which the 034 lacks. I am spoiled ,as my first saw was a McCulloch, and is still in service after 40 plus years of use, and is easy to start, super reliable and needs only regular maintenance. I have had newer Husky's and Stihls, but they always had glitches and eventually complete failures when they weren't that old. The parts prices were stupid also. All my McCulloch's are still on the job and have never suffered any major failures. The Stihl's that I have in my collection were all donations from kind and generous people. Working on them gives one insight as to the engineering, both good and bad. Keeps me sharp as a mechanic !
That makes sense!
I finally got my knives sharpened. It is nice outside but when the sun starts to go down it gets cold, fast. Will do my axes, tomorrow.
I sharpened my axes last fall, and haven't used many of them yet, but my knives really need a good sharpening. I purchased a decent knife sharpening kit a while back, and will try it out soon. Should be interesting to see how well it works.
Hey Mr O. Thanks for the vid
Thanks for watching.
You don’t want to become a tent peg, that’s for sure. My first rule on hangers is get them on the ground, first. There, I can deal with them. I had a dead tree that broke down last year. I got it on the ground. I had to cut it loose with my pole saw and pull it down with my tractor. It was about 25” in diameter. Then, I cut the stump off and did the same thing to it. Then I cut it up, mostly with 16” saws. I cut as much as I could and then rolled them over with my peavy and finished the cut. That 034 will cut stuff up to 20”, easily. Stihl saws are always a load to start. My right shoulder will attest to that.
Your method of dropping and chopping a hanger is the best way for sure. The 034 will cut bigger wood, but you have to keep changing the down pressure on the bar. If the chain hits a knot or hard spot, the rpm's drop off very quickly, then the chain tries to stall. I am used to my old torquer saws that just hunker down and keep cutting in the same circumstances. The 034 is a weirdo saw for sure, but really performs in the right conditions. My 031 is the only easy starting saw in my small Stihl collection.
You put in some work on that job! You're right, that 034 handles rotten snags and downed logs with ease! A a 24" inch bar is tough to beat in that thick and uneven terrain. Long enough to buck and limb, small enough to still be manageable in the woods. Great vid!
The 24" bar was ideal for this job. If the 034 had some torque, it would be a great all around saw, instead of the narrow focus saw that it is. The more I use it though, the better I like it. Thanks for watching and the nice comment.
I can understand your frustration with the 034. You do get used to that low end torque when running some of your other saws.
My favorite saws are my mid size ones that I call my Universal Saws. They have torque and horsepower both, and can be used for almost any type of cutting. The 034 is more of a specialized saw because of it's limitations, but is really good for it's narrow spectrum of use. Most of my saw cutting work over the years has been with my older Universal saws, so it has taken me a bit to adjust to the more modern saws like the 025 and 034 as I have acquired them. Like I say, there is room for good, bad, marginal and no good saws here on the Homestead !
I hear what you're saying. I'm typically reaching for my McCulloch, Pioneer or Homelite saws in most instances myself. The "grunt" as they say is lacking in a lot of the newer saws built today. As far as the collection goes, you're right, there's room for them all. I have a hard time letting anything mechanical go to the dump, especially chainsaws.
Great minds think alike !
THANK YOU FOR THE VIDEO
Thanks for watching.
That saw might be a good candidate for .325 pich chain.
Would be a little smoother cutting and the .325 should free up some power that Wierdball doesn’t have lol.
You are right about a .325 chain not sapping the hp from the saw as much. I personally don't like it, and only have a couple of saws that use it. The cutting teeth are fairly small, and cuts very smoothly, but I just like a more aggressive and faster cutting chain. I have a good selection of mid-sized saws, so if MR. CHEESEY is out of it's league, I just grab another saw that has some torque to do the heavier cutting. YEAH !!!!
Hey my friend! Nah nothing wrong with a wierd chainsaw. Its just unique. From what l seen does its job nicely. Cant ask for anything more.
The 034, used in the right circumstances, is a real performer.
24 is for sure pushing that saw they do great with a 20. Myself i don't put a 24 on anything less than 60cc saw! Good stuff see ya next week!
The first job I did with the 034 was with an 18" bar, and it performed really well. The 24" bar is a bit much for it in some circumstances, but I run 24" bars on most of my mid size saws and just like the utility of them for a wide range of cutting jobs.
Another great show as always... Thanks!👍
Thanks for watching
My 034 is probably leaving tomorrow but I will still have about 200 other saws. 50 or so run, the rest I am slowly going through to either sell or add to my display .
Now that's a nice size collection !
great saw, in america you work with big bars on small saws;
in germany we use... a saw with 40cc-engine runs best with a bar of 40cm; a saw with 50ccengine runs max 50cm (20inch) for example:
STIHL sells the ms 462 with only a 40cm bar (16inch) maximum bar 45cm (18inch)
most professionals work with 16 inch bars for bucking trees big up to 80cm (32inch)
That is interesting about using such short bars for forestry work in your country. In the US, in the past, especially on the west coast, we had really huge trees, and equally big chainsaws to cut them down with. Trees are smaller now, but are big enough to require a big saw and bar combination to harvest them still. I went to a logging show a while back, and they had a 22 foot bar on display that was used here in the PNW. The longest bar I have on a saw is 60 inches on my STIHL 075, and I cut up a tree a while back that required almost the whole bar length to process it. That was hard work ! Thanks for watching.
@@mrobsoletesvintagehomestea9156 you realy need a bar size only half of Diameter tree to buck the tree
You are right, but I really like longer bars on my mid size and larger saws so I don't have to bend over as much and can finish cutting a tree in half from one side. Maybe I am just lazy? The bigger bars are just my favorites.
yes sure, i got both, small and bigger size for bigger wood, but still remember..
if you make a bar bigger, you make the power you cut on the tree lower,
@@mrobsoletesvintagehomestea9156
I try to match the power of the saw and bar length I need to drop a tree. I don't cut my trees off at the base, as I do a better job of aiming them if I do a higher cut. Later, I can go back and clean around the stump, then cut cookies from the top down till I am just above ground level. Cookies make great firewood when I don't need a hot fire. This system works great for me.
That’s the one thing I hate about some Stihl saws - no deco valve. 24” is too much for the 034. A 20”, .325 might work out better. The 18” .325 Stihl bar gives you 19.5” of bar.
That 034 will cut a lot bigger wood than that. It will easily cut 20” stuff. Does the 034 have the choke in the air filter or does it have a butterfly in the carb, Like the ms 250 and 025. I do not know this saw. My Ms 250 or 025 will do everything the 034 is doing. Ditto for the 260/026, but they have deco valves which makes starting a little easier.
The 034 struggles in wood over 12" inches. If you hit a knot or hard spot, the rpm's fall off very quickly, then the chain tries to stall, requiring constant changes on the bar pressure to keep it from happening. My other mid-size saws have enough torque that I don't have to do that. It is just a matter of learning the quirks of this saw. The choke is in the carb on this saw.
That 034 cuts good. I don’t like to see it dying when you let off the idle and set it down. That tells me that it is going into compressor stahl from being to rich. I want mine to idle 15 minutes without stopping but still rev up when I hit the throttle. It just sounds rich to me, probably L jet set to open.
The idle speed would be fine at times, and not so at other times. I adjusted the carb, but it didn't help. You are right about it being rich, but the cause is from carb icing. The air was very cold and the humidity very high. This saw doesn't have the warm air feature like the 025 does. My Partner S-55 saw does the same thing. Just another of it's weirdo glitches.
@@mrobsoletesvintagehomestea9156 anytime the temp is less than 40 Stihl recommends adding some carb heat to the intake. I have run my saws in freezing weather but seldom put them in the cold weather position. I will look up the 034 and see if it has a cold weather position. A lot of times they are well hidden.
@@mrobsoletesvintagehomestea9156 I looked it up. There should be a little plastic block off plate in the air filter cover, similar to my 026/260. Keep it in for temps below 40 and take it out for temps below 40. It is about 3/4” wide and about two inches long and colored black. It sits inside the air filter cover at the top. It just presses in and you can remove it by pressing it outward from behind it and you can store it in one of the slots in the cover. I usually order the right part and block it off with aluminum tape if it does not have the shutter in the cover. If you want the part number let me know and I will dig it up for you.
@@mrobsoletesvintagehomestea9156 the 036 has two things you must change. There is a square hole in the engine cover on the right rear side. Original engine covers had a bolster that you could rotate to open this hole to allow warm air to get to the carb via the air filter shutter. Replacement covers do not have this bolster, so you have to block it off for summer operation. I use aluminum tape, cut to fit. I would have to look at the 034 to figure out how it works in winter/ summer operation. The 025 has a shutter that fits in front of the air filter to keep warm air from the cylinder reaching the carb. One way for summer and flip it over for winter operation. Most folks loose the shutter from the air filter cover and it is my guess it is getting to much hot air from the cylinder, which is what is screwing up your carb settings. Aluminum tap will fix that until you can get the right shutter for it. I leave all of my saws in Summer operation and block off what I have to with aluminum tape.
@@mrobsoletesvintagehomestea9156 I went back and looked it up. It has the same winter/ summer setup as the 036. It has the bolster that fits in the engine cover. For summer operation the hole in the engine cover needs to be blocked off and the shutter installed in the air filter cover. For winter operation both of these openings are left open. I don’t think your carb is icing. I think it is getting to much hot air. That will really screw up the carb settings when the saw gets warm.
You should put an About on your tag line, so readers know your email.
Good tip.
Not rhe strongest saw but it has its niche.
The 034 is a limited use saw for sure,but performs very well in certain applications. A WEIRDBALL saw indeed !