Stihl electric chainsaws are a favorite among ice carvers for their typical durability, not their price. But a Stihl is still a great chainsaw for ice sculpting, and usually a great value as well.
updated 8/11/23 with seo and formatting, plus more of my saw experiences
choosing a chainsaw for ice, a dilemma
One choice I had to make when I started carving was what kind of electric chainsaw to get. I started with a Shindaiwa 110 for $130 because that’s what Victor Rede, the chef who got me started, carved with. Shindaiwas are good saws, but I only got one more before I switched away from the brand.
The reason I switched was that I took a couple of courses from Mark Daukas. He advocated using a Craftsman chainsaw for ice and modifying it. Once it wore out, the idea was that you could get Sears to replace it. I don’t remember if I got any replaced, but I bought a lot of them, because they were pretty cheap and came already set up, right out of the box.
When I went to a competition, if I could only bring one saw on the plane, I would stop by Sears and buy a saw in case my main saw didn’t make it through the competition. If I didn’t need to use the new saw, then I would take it to get my money back before I left town. The Craftsmans, which were actually black Poulan saws (instead of green) worked well but would wear out a bit more quickly than others. They were also REALLY loud!
One time, when my Craftsman wore out at a bad time, I decided to try a little orange and white saw that I’d won at a local competition. I’d tried using this chainsaw for ice before, but with my inexperience at the time, I’d been flummoxed by the automatic oiler (which I didn’t need to be using). However, I got that worked out and I’ve pretty much stayed with that brand ever since, in one way or another: Stihl.
I’d thought the Stihl was a 70 or 80 dollar saw, like the Craftsman. Later, I found out that it cost a little more. I remember the exact price, because it surprised me so much: $312. It was an E14. Later, that saw was stolen, but I quickly replaced it with another Stihl.
Stihl has since changed its electric saw design, but it’s still an excellent chainsaw for ice. The best part is that they’re hard to wear out, for the most part. They don’t run as fast as other saws, but they don’t bog like others either. I have several E14s, a couple of E20s, and one of the new version of the E14, a 140. Some are partly disassembled because a switch or something has failed, but I really appreciate how well made they are, even though they cost so much more.
Unfortunately though, I was bedeviled by a trigger problem more than once that required replacement of my Stihl. I finally decided to try a different brand because of it. I couldn’t say how widespread the problem was or even exactly what it was, but twice was enough for me.
This is a Stihl E220, which is a good chainsaw for ice sculpting, but probably not ALL ice sculpting. It’s a bigger electric saw and works great with long bars, since it’s very powerful.
Currently, I’ve switched to mostly Makita saws which is another quality chainsaw for ice. (I still use one old Stihl regularly though.) Many carvers use Makita die grinders also, so the brand is well represented among ice carvers.
I had a Makita 5012B, an older saw, and I fitted it with a “dime bar” and custom sprocket for detail carving. The saw runs faster, but it also runs well. It seems to get a little hotter than other saws, as I once saw one catch fire! I haven’t had that experience, however, and I’ve found it to be a very good saw.
At the moment I’m using one of the Makitas that have an inline engine layout, the UC4051A, and found that to be a good saw as well, and pretty durable. It sometimes makes me nervous though, because it runs a little slower than the 5012B and I sometimes worry that it’s not getting enough power.
I also use the Makita battery electric saws. I love them for how light they are and they’re especially useful at set ups, like for an ice bar that needs tweaking. For a while, I was using them as my main saw, but I’ve since switched back to a corded Makita. But don’t let people tell you that you can’t just carve with a battery saw. The moment when that was possible/reasonable has already happened!
I have wiped out a Makita battery saw though. I was working a room temp job in California when one died on me. I think it was all the water. But it was about a 50 block job, so it wasn’t just a little water, lol.
At any rate, I know some people love Husqvarnas, and there are some other quality brands out there, but most carvers will tell you that Stihls and Makitas will work the best if you’re doing more than just a carving every once in a while. That really hasn’t changed all that much over the years.
links & stuff
This post is listed (or soon will be!) on the ice sculpting techniques page and the ice sculpting tools page. You could also find photos and info from this entry on the ice sculpting secrets Instagram account or the facebook page. You can comment there as well as below. And if it won’t LET you comment below, then definitely comment on fb and/or IG. Thanks!
a really old comment
The following comment was on the original blog entry. After some technical difficulties etc., the blog was reconstructed, and this was the only way to keep the original comments. Unfortunately, the hyperlinks from the original comments are gone in some cases.
darren.best
I started with a remmington since it was free then went to craftsmen for the same reason daukas did an sears never replaced one of mine but I felt $75 for a saw that lasted a little over a year was ok Im currently trying to decide over stihl vs makita . maybe try both . but some info for any other readers out there at the nationals this year I counted saws an stihl was clearly the leader from my observations
Thursday, March 29, 2007 – 07:37 PM
