The Walden Effect: Farming, simple living, permaculture, and invention.

Wagon loads of walnut

Stihl chainsaw notes


We cut up another 2 wagon loads worth of that walnut tree today.

The Stihl MS-211 continues to impress me. One thing I've noticed is the exhaust is a lot less smelly, which is a nice change when you've got your nose within a few feet of the action. It also feels like the improved engine goes a bit further on a tank of fuel.

It's easier to start than the older 039, but not super easy, especially when you forget to clean out the air filter.



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About us: Anna Hess and Mark Hamilton spent over a decade living self-sufficiently in the mountains of Virginia before moving north to start over from scratch in the foothills of Ohio. They've experimented with permaculture, no-till gardening, trailersteading, home-based microbusinesses and much more, writing about their adventures in both blogs and books.



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I used to have an 039 as well. It was a beast, but what a trooper. I replaced mine with a MS 390. The choke system is my absolute favorite part of the entire setup. It's so much easier than my previous chainsaws.

Oh, and definitely keep cleaning that air filter. I destroyed my last one by running a dirty filter all the time. Eventually the engine will suck the dirt into the valves and it's a total loss at that point.

Comment by Danny Mon Jan 23 17:04:02 2012
The big saws are definitely workhorses, but I think Mark's glad to have a smaller saw for more day-to-day use. The big saws are so heavy! If you're just cutting up some downed wood, why hurt your back?
Comment by anna Mon Jan 23 17:25:04 2012

Have you thought about doing a series on maintaining chainsaws? Sharpening, cleaning, and adjusting? I would be really interested in that!

Comment by Eric in Japan Mon Jan 23 21:36:27 2012
I think that's a great idea too. I'll see if I can talk Mark into it --- I know I couldn't write it!
Comment by anna Tue Jan 24 08:24:32 2012





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