A few bar questions

[Captain Bruce]

The background information is that I bought my first saw (Stihl ms361/25”) back in 2008, I was tired of every time someone wanted me to cut a tree they either only had a saw with like a 12” bar, or it was electric and they had no power. My knowledge base at the time was: mix the oil right/sharpen chains when they get dull. In case anyone is curious I use a harbor freight chain sharpener and just grind to the factory chain angle. My main use is homeowner/storm cleanup/any time I can find a reason to use.

I just learned a few weeks ago that the sprocket is a replacement item. It’s not too bad is it?

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A while back I thought my bar was pretty well worn, because I didn’t know at the time 3/8 chain came in different gauges. I tried looking up my bar because the information is worn off the side, and the 25” yellow dot rollomatic ES is offered in 50 and 63 gauge. Sorry to mix measurements, but if the bar is running 1.7-1.8 ish mm is it more likely that it’s the 63 (1.6mm) and I just never knew I needed to look for or ask for that gauge? Here is a picture of the only numbers I can find on the bar but I couldn’t find anything from them. Also, at least now, that bar only comes with a 11 or 12 tooth tip and mine has 13.

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If this bar is a 63 gauge should I just toss the last two 50 chains I have that are at 50% life, and get new 63 chains and a new sprocket now?



There is some damage to the tip, same on both sides, and top/bottom since I flipped the bar pretty regularly, what would cause this? I would like to try and prevent this in the future.
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[Captain Bruce]

You have had a machine, for 13 yrs, and never read the entire manual?? Never looked up the IPL for that newer model Stihl? That MS362 is a man-eater in amateur hands! and you come out to this forum for guidance. YIKES! Please get better acquainted with your chainsaw, including maintainence......for everyones relief. The MS362 is referred to as the Warrior elsewhere.

We are here to help. This forum has helped me countless times, and I'm a 30-yr. small engine guy......just know when you dive onto that keyboard,this is not FB. Now lets get that saw back to work, okay?

Simply go do YOUR homework first, and than bring on your questions. You are asking people to answer dumb questions....based on your efforts to educate yourself before asking......No disrespect, but its not yet a world where guys ask other guys to solve their problems, rather than figure it out themselves. The experts I've encountered, are true mechanics, engineers, and woodsman. Happy New Year!!

 

[irhunter]

.No disrespect, but

My observation is that whenever guys type "No disrespect," it is always right before, or right after, typing a bunch of disrespect.

One of the things I like about AS is the group's tolerance for new guys. How many times have guys, with 10,000 posts, politely pointed out the need for a pressure and vac test?

OP bought a nice saw, and never learned all the steps for bar maintenance. Many experienced cutters never do one maintenance item or another...ones which some other saw guy would view as critical.

Posted by a guy who has never read an entire Stihl manual.

Roy

 

[HarleyT]

My observation is that whenever guys type "No disrespect," it is always right before, or right after, typing a bunch of disrespect.

One of the things I like about AS is the group's tolerance for new guys. How many times have guys, with 10,000 posts, politely pointed out the need for a pressure and vac test?

OP bought a nice saw, and never learned all the steps for bar maintenance. Many experienced cutters never do one maintenance item or another...ones which some other saw guy would view as critical.

Posted by a guy who has never read an entire Stihl manual.

Roy

The worst of these forums are the arrogant guys that think that they know everything, and just come here to harass everyone. We have several.

 

[Stihl a grasshopper]

I suspect you have not been dressing the bar. At the end of each day of cutting I check the rails for roll-over wear which creates a "wire edge."

I have knocked this edge off whenever I noticed it. Probably only had to do so about 4 times.

Is your saw pumping out the full tank of oil for each tank of gas?

I adjusted the oiler output a few years ago all the way out iirc, I think it was using around 80% per tank. It’s tough to gauge it off fuel consumption after the MM because it uses a lot more now. I can verify.

 

[Stihl a grasshopper]

that bar can have the tip replaced, do that and get the rails dressed

I’m trying to get in the habit of being more conscious of my time usage/management. Unfortunately by the time I watch a few videos on how to, get lost on YouTube, order the correct parts, and replace the part, it winds up being more expensive than me just buying a new bar.

 

[pdqdl]

My observation is that whenever guys type "No disrespect," it is always right before, or right after, typing a bunch of disrespect.

One of the things I like about AS is the group's tolerance for new guys. How many times have guys, with 10,000 posts, politely pointed out the need for a pressure and vac test?

OP bought a nice saw, and never learned all the steps for bar maintenance. Many experienced cutters never do one maintenance item or another...ones which some other saw guy would view as critical.

Posted by a guy who has never read an entire Stihl manual.

Roy

All good points. Thank you.

Myself, I have been doing work with chainsaws since before the Bruce was born. I've run a small engine repair shop since before the Bruce was born, presuming his posted details are correct.

I don't think I have ever seen an owners manual for a new saw, and I've bought a whole lot of them. I certainly haven't ever read one. Being rude to a relatively new user over not reading some imaginary manual isn't good form.

Typically (in my old-timer experiences), you got a saw, bar, chain, a scrench, a bottle of 2-cycle in the brand of the saw purchased, and a receipt. Modern saws may come with them, but I have a fleet of 200-T saws purchased new, and I don't think I ever got anything but the receipt with those.

Let's all be a bit nicer to newcomers, please.

 

[Stihl a grasshopper]

A dime is .050, a penny is .058 and quarter is a little over .063 (about .068)
Who says Uncle Sam never did anything for you?

It’s about time!

 

[cookies]

I’m trying to get in the habit of being more conscious of my time usage/management. Unfortunately by the time I watch a few videos on how to, get lost on YouTube, order the correct parts, and replace the part, it winds up being more expensive than me just buying a new bar.

A competent small engine repair facility that's busy shouldn't need more than a hour to get that bar in shape with a new nose for under 60 bucks, this thread keeps reminding me to get a extra nose or two to have laying around.

 

[Stihl a grasshopper]

Happy New Year!!

Happy new year to you too! Thank you for taking the time to respond, you have assessed correctly that I never read a manual for the saw. Just mixed the gas at 50:1 or better, up the oil, tighten and sharpen the chain, flip the bar etc. I don’t remember if it came with one. It may have , and I may have intended to read it after the hurricane cleanup was done, I don’t remember. I also have never read an entire manual for any of my vehicles either… All I can say is that at this point of my life I like diving deeper into learning than I did then, and if I don’t know something, I feel like I should learn it… sometimes to the detriment of more important things. For instance I can tell you that Indole 3 butyric acid and naphthalene acetic acid are the best hormones for invivo propagation of bamboo. Maybe if I’m on Jeopardy or start a bamboo plantation one day that will prove useful information! Anyway, I like reading research papers / publications/ and manuals, if you have any that you feel would be beneficial for me to read that you would like to share I will read them. I respect and value your experience in the field because I am sure that you know many things that aren’t available in manuals. Until I get there, I’m still just a grasshopper!

 

[HarleyT]

I used to sell the "owner's manual" that came with a new saw, but most people were after an ipl or mechanic's manual, so I just burn them now.

 

[Stihl a grasshopper]

.Let's all be a bit nicer to newcomers, please.

My skin isn’t all that thin, I’ve had to supervise boilermakers before! I felt a tinge of pride the first time I saw someone write something about me in the portacan! Lol

 

[HarleyT]

Boilermakers??
I have drank a few of those!!

 

[CJ1]

Sounds like you are oiling good at 80% per full tank. It is making it in the oil slot and not running out between the bar and mount? We used to start with 50 gage bars and as they wore jumped to 58 gage chain. Yep we were poor just starting out. If you can afford it just replace the bar. We tried to replace tips and did not have much success keeping them tight, so we stopped doing that. If you don't have the $$ dress the bar, clean the groove and see if the next gage chain will fit, if not I have ground a bunch of bars straight. It is already in bad shape, that is how you learn. You may be surprised what you can do with a.grinder! Cj

 

[pdqdl]

I prefer these for dressing a bar:

"The Pferd Universal Edge Sharpener is used to maintain chainsaw guide bars by removing burrs."

Even though I have one of these:

 

[BrettS]

My observation is that whenever guys type "No disrespect," it is always right before, or right after, typing a bunch of disrespect.

Agreed

 

[BrettS]

The worst of these forums are the arrogant guys that think that they know everything, and just come here to harass everyone. We have several.

Such as ole "captain bruce" (or whoever he thinks he is) here. Seems like a **** of a guy to me...

 

[Ted Jenkins]

Are y

My observation is that whenever guys type "No disrespect," it is always right before, or right after, typing a bunch of disrespect.

One of the things I like about AS is the group's tolerance for new guys. How many times have guys, with 10,000 posts, politely pointed out the need for a pressure and vac test?

OP bought a nice saw, and never learned all the steps for bar maintenance. Many experienced cutters never do one maintenance item or another...ones which some other saw guy would view as critical.

Posted by a guy who has never read an entire Stihl manual.

Roy

Are you suggesting that there is a manual to read about my Stihl saws?? I never would have dreamt such a thing existed. I wondered what the pile of little booklets with Stihl Logos and models on the cover pages were about. Now I know . Thanks

 

[Franny K]

I used to sell the "owner's manual" that came with a new saw, but most people were after an ipl or mechanic's manual, so I just burn them now.

You buy new saws and part them out to people who know how to use the internet. Those folks likely can figure out how to download the owners manual from Stihl.

What happened to all your lines of signature? Did someone whisper five in your ear?

 

[TRTermite]

It’s about time!

I had to pay for that 36 cents