How little some know about chainsaws.

[Deleted member 150358]

I joined this forum when I started searching the web for answers to why my MS 390 seemed to be running hot and a lot of search results were linked here. Have not been a really active member but always looking for information.
Anyway back to the subject of this post I was talking to a friend who has had a outdoor furnace for at least 4 most likely 5 years and the subject came up of saws he’s asking me what I run and why I tell him Stihl because that’s what I’ve always run (grandfather was a logger mill owner and he always had stihl so I just followed his lead).
Brand doesn’t matter in this case.
He tells me that his newest saw is about to die on him and he thinks he is going to get a different brand the first lasted a little over 2 years and this one a little longer but that it’s in its last leg.
I questioned him on what would kill a saw in 2 years fuel, oil mix, maybe storing it outside every thing I could think of with my limited knowledge. He had the right answers for my questions of fuel and mix so we talked more I asked him what the saw was doing and he said runs strong until he puts it to wood then it dies takes forever to cut a block. I start thinking it’s running lean or having fuel delivery problem. This conversation went on for a while trying to figure it out and I told him to stop over later with the saw at my house and I would try to figure it out for him. I told him I was going home to sharpen a couple chains and that if he had any that needed sharpened to bring them I’d hit them while I was at it. At that point he lost all color in his face and looked like a deer in the headlights and he said you have to sharpen the chain!!! I felt really bad that he at that moment felt like a @$$ but at least he didn’t have to buy a new saw. He showed up later saw in hand it was to late for that chain and bar both scrap it’s a wonder it didn’t start a fire.
I told him to go to where he got the saw and get a new bar and chain or 3 and ask for the proper file and come back I would give him a lesson on sharpening a chain. Then I asked him what he did with the first saw and got the deer look again and he said dumpster please don’t tell my wife.
Not doing this to make fun of my friend.
He is a really smart guy in most situations just not a good wood butcher . Makes me glad I had a great teacher in my grandfather and I found this forum to help me with the mechanical side of saws.
Thanks for past and future help.
Shawn
Going to get my buddy to at least lurk here for a while to gain knowledge.

This was my dad in the early 70's. Before that all the wood was processed the old way. Cut and pile logs until enough dry logs were there. Then hire a 2 man crew and buzz saw along with all the 12yr and older "men" in the family. Get er done! His bil finally set him straight or he may have given up on the chainsaw. The saw was a mac 10-10 and was his only saw for over a decade. Eventually he became a Stihl guy in the 80's.

 

[Shawn.54]

First chain I sharpened with my new sharpener I stopped 2” clear of the dirt what I didn’t do is account for the point of a large stone that went 2.5 inches into the log between the crotch of the tree instant safety chain would only remove bark and polish the wood. Now if possible I use my cant hook to check for stones before cutting live and learn. 20 minutes to sharpen and 30 seconds of cutting and total loss of chain.
Shawn

 

[sb47]

It's sometimes painful to watch.It's like the blind leading the blind.

 

[Shawn.54]

There was a Mac on the farm that when you could get it running was a great saw. But it would fight that start to the end recoil rope came out and didn’t recoil one day it was swung around his head several times by the offending cord and released into the wild to never be seen again. Pap had a bit of a temper that keep us boys on our toes. The 045 was his favorite saw until it was crushed by a snag that fell across his tractor while he was skidding logs he swore the saw took the brunt of the tree’s force and saved him. The muffler smashed and the full wrap handle bent it was put away for over 25 years I pulled it out from under a bench and asked him if he wanted me to see if eBay could provide parts to get her running.

 

[Husky Man]

It's sometimes painful to watch.

I've seen worse, but Yep, Painful to watch


Doug

 

[Shawn.54]

Reminds me of my sons first go with the saw I thought he dirted the chain from the start: checked it out it was fine. Then it dawned on me that it was his technique pushing to hard and torquing it towards the right putting side pressure on the chain and bar. Took a few logs to get it right and to realize that sound of saw let him know how to adjust pressure.
Shawn

 

[Huskybill]

Ever watch a guy with a dull saw trying to cut? When he starts moving the running saw like he’s hand sawing I crack up.
When my dad retired he wanted to cut firewood with me. I told my kids to go slow with grandpa for the first two days. We went slow to limber him up. By Wednesday we poured it in my 2100 was kicking azz. I told the kids let’s go. He couldn’t believe the amount of work being done. Even my little son stacked wood in the rack body.
Now it’s thursday grandpas a no show, Friday again no show, by Sunday he’s still in his chair watching game shows. Sunday night everyone was there for supper even my two brothers. Grandpa told my brothers they don’t know what real work is. He mentioned us cutting firewood.

 

[boltonranger]

There was a Mac on the farm that when you could get it running was a great saw. But it would fight that start to the end recoil rope came out and didn’t recoil one day it was swung around his head several times by the offending cord and released into the wild to never be seen again. Pap had a bit of a temper that keep us boys on our toes. The 045 was his favorite saw until it was crushed by a snag that fell across his tractor while he was skidding logs he swore the saw took the brunt of the tree’s force and saved him. The muffler smashed and the full wrap handle bent it was put away for over 25 years I pulled it out from under a bench and asked him if he wanted me to see if eBay could provide parts to get her running.

You ought to be proud,
That came out real nice.

 

[B Brown]

It's sometimes painful to watch.

I'm thinking ''Gary'' might make ER Patient of the year if he keeps going .

 

[Cat 525]

If someone came up with a video game to play on a phone about operation of chainsaws alot more younger people would know about them! But that would probably alarm the tree huggers!

 

[sb47]

I'm thinking ''Gary'' might make ER Patient of the year if he keeps going .

In motocross there is a thing called "goon riding" (see video below) It's where you purposely ride in a goofy and unnatural way. I wounder how many videos are made to look stupid on purpose?

 

[Shawn.54]

You ought to be proud,
That came out real nice.

When I showed him the saw after I got it back together he made me bring it into the house and sit it on the kitchen table so he could look it over (I did set it on a newspaper to keep from scratching grandma’s table) there were tears in his eyes and he made plans for me to fell and buck a load of hemlock so he could watch it work again. Before passing he gave all his saws to family but I got the one that he liked the most.
Shawn

 

[Old2stroke]

I love ignorant saw owners. Got a really good Pioneer Farmsaw because the owner threw it away, saying it didn't have enough compression. Saw has an automatic compression release built into the starter.

 

[svk]

There was a Mac on the farm that when you could get it running was a great saw. But it would fight that start to the end recoil rope came out and didn’t recoil one day it was swung around his head several times by the offending cord and released into the wild to never be seen again. Pap had a bit of a temper that keep us boys on our toes. The 045 was his favorite saw until it was crushed by a snag that fell across his tractor while he was skidding logs he swore the saw took the brunt of the tree’s force and saved him. The muffler smashed and the full wrap handle bent it was put away for over 25 years I pulled it out from under a bench and asked him if he wanted me to see if eBay could provide parts to get her running.

That would be cool to resurrect

 

[svk]

I love ignorant saw owners. Got a really good Pioneer Farmsaw because the owner threw it away, saying it didn't have enough compression. Saw has an automatic compression release built into the starter.

I get about a half dozen saws given to me a year in "non-running" condition from friends who know I use and semi-collect saws.

Half of the time, a saw from Joe Homeowner that "doesn't run" starts right up with good mix and maybe a cleaned plug. And of course a sharpened chain.

I am more concerned when I get a saw from a shadetree mechanic who has a saw that "just needs......" Half the time those saws are complete junk and better off being parted out. One time I picked up a saw that "needed a coil" and it ended up needing piston, cylinder, bearings, chain brake, oil pump, and a few other things that I cannot remember. Ironically the coil (which happened to be an unlimited coil for small Husky) was fine.

 

[newforest]

Someone mentioned a casual saw user having trouble cutting Aspen. Recently I was felling that all day, every day, with about 15% other species mixed in. I found myself a little surprised that I often sharpened twice a day; seemed like the long fibers in the soft wood steadily dulled the chain, just cutting green wood.

 

[svk]

Someone mentioned a casual saw user having trouble cutting Aspen. Recently I was felling that all day, every day, with about 15% other species mixed in. I found myself a little surprised that I often sharpened twice a day; seemed like the long fibers in the soft wood steadily dulled the chain, just cutting green wood.

Interesting, wonder if there was more grit in those trees? I find aspen to be very forgiving. I can cut several cords without even needing to touch up if I keep the nose out of the dirt.

 

[Nathan Graff]

Interesting, wonder if there was more grit in those trees? I find aspen to be very forgiving. I can cut several cords without even needing to touch up if I keep the nose out of the dirt.

In this area, there's frequent dust storms lately... A friend of mine was removing trees for an ag dealership, and he said that just felling a tree was enough to cause him to have to sharpen his saw each time. Went through a bunch of chains due to that. Now, I have no idea if he actually knows how to use a saw or not.

 

[svk]

We (luckily) do not have dust storms up here.

I will tell you though when I am cutting in areas with silty soil, one "stump" cut will dull the chain faster than cutting the rest of the tree.

 

[boltonranger]

When I showed him the saw after I got it back together he made me bring it into the house and sit it on the kitchen table so he could look it over (I did set it on a newspaper to keep from scratching grandma’s table) there were tears in his eyes and he made plans for me to fell and buck a load of hemlock so he could watch it work again. Before passing he gave all his saws to family but I got the one that he liked the most.
Shawn

Great story Shawn.
Thank you for sharing.