Chain Saw Chat

greysides

Bonnie and Clyde, toast and jam, night and day. Some things just go together and if you're involved in Forestry you've probably an interest in chainsaws.

So whether you are a Stihl, Husqvarna, Jonsered, Efco, Tanaka or other brand owner this thread can be where owners or buyers can discuss and debate anything about saws from oils to chains, down to PPE.

If you have a chainsaw related query that you feel is too small for its own thread or you want to let people know of good deals, hints/advice or places to buy parts then post it here.

(Original concept courtesy of 'Mozart'.)

have2flushtwice

We had an old bushman saw, dont kno how we managed withouta chainsaw!

Sir Arthur Daley

I have came across good cheap chainsaw files there online, they are rockwood brand, used use stihl or bacho but found they dont last long. These rockwood ones have good lasting life. its a uk supplier on ebay but gets shipments to parcelmotel.

Pat McArdle

Completely agree about Stihl files. Haven't used Bahco but I'll take your word for it. I got a box of 12 Vallorbe files for about 15 quid delivered from Amazon about 2 years ago and they're a million times better than the Stihl ones. Once you tap the scarf out of it every few teeth and give it a rub of a wire brush every few chains they're like brand new.

Sir Arthur Daley

The bacho are better than the stihl in fairness, heard about that brand file. I need some 5/32" files so will google see can i get that brand. That was excellent value.

Nekarsulm

http://www.chainsawcollectors.se/

blue5000

A tip for a new file is to rub it in a lump of brass before you sharpen anything with it. This helps the teeth to last longer, also a flat file can be cleaned with a piece of hardwood, beech is good.

Sir Arthur Daley

blue5000 wrote: »

A tip for a new file is to rub it in a lump of brass before you sharpen anything with it. This helps the teeth to last longer, also a flat file can be cleaned with a piece of hardwood, beech is good.

What does the brass do do you know?

blue5000

It sort of clogs up the bottom of the teeth, giving them support, which helps the file last longer.

Sir Arthur Daley

Must try that tip, an old plumbing fitting be grand would it, Or a piece out of a door lock mechanism?

Oldtree

blue5000 have you tried to run a side by side test, one file with brass and one without? Does the filing take longer when you get to using an older brassed file?

CJhaughey

Old blunt files can be resurrected by leaving them in some vinegar for a day or two, the acid reacts with the steel and can give a renewed lease of life for a few more goes.
I use a golf ball as a file handle.
Keep any files you carry with you in the field in Drinking straws, Mcdonalds have them for free, it keeps them from getting blunted.

blue5000

Oldtree wrote: »

blue5000 have you tried to run a side by side test, one file with brass and one without? Does the filing take longer when you get to using an older brassed file?

Sorry no Oldtree. I'd be lucky to find a file never mind 2 when I go into the workshop.:o It's a tip I picked up in either an engineering book or website.

Sir Arthur, I use a big 2'' plumbing fitting.

Oldtree

Pro build V8 Chainsaw

Sir Arthur Daley

Landed home earlier to see lengths of 4x2 and threaded bar and nuts and a note from a neighbour to build him a rack for cutting firewood on the cheap. Any suggestions?

Oldtree

like a saw horse?





neighbour bought somthing like this below and swears by it, says teeth great for holding wood in place.



could also add a chain in the middle for extra grip. Don't forget to measure the neighbour

Sir Arthur Daley

Thanks for those Oldtree, the middle one is one that I could just manage to make. The height of it neednt be critical anything is being better than cutting on the ground.

Tokyo

Middle one above is pretty common round our parts - nailed together from any sort of beefy scrap timber. Considering the amount of nicks our one has, the metal saw horse would either be sent flying, or would make ribbons of the chain if you buzzed too close with the blade. The top one made from fenceposts looks nice though - almost too nice to use...

Oldtree

I would worry about the metal one too Mike, but the neighbour hasn't killed himself .... yet. I thought the idea of the teeth is a good one to incorporate into a wooden saw horse.

Sir Arthur Daley

I found these working drawings off a site, what ye think?

http://www.homehardware.ca/en/index/home-projects/project-ideas/home-at-home/fall-projects/brush-and-log-sawhorse.htm

Oldtree

looks sound

Tokyo

Sir Arthur Daley wrote: »

I found these working drawings off a site, what ye think?

http://www.homehardware.ca/en/index/home-projects/project-ideas/home-at-home/fall-projects/brush-and-log-sawhorse.htm

Looks good to me. To be honest, any I've made, I don't think I've ever run a measuring tape over them - just nailed them together at the height I wanted the log to sit, and trimmed everything up with the chainsaw. At the end of the day it's for rough work, so I wouldn't go nuts trying to make it perfect. Having said that though, make one out of decent timber to the specs you've just posted, and bolted instead of nailed, and you'll get years of use out of it.

Sir Arthur Daley

I gets very ocd in making things, measurements have to be right etc. Im odd like that.

Tokyo

Sir Arthur Daley wrote: »

I gets very ocd in making things, measurements have to be right etc. Im odd like that.

As quirks go, that's not a bad one to have. I'm looking forward to seeing photos of the finished project.

Sir Arthur Daley

I will post up a pic on completion.

blue5000

The middle one is good, has a way of supporting the log when it gets shorter than the saw horse, here's a flimsy one from stihl

http://www.stihl.com.au/STIHL-Products/Accessories/Chainsaw-Accessories/21053-1649/Wooden-Saw-Horse.aspx

Jonty

http://www.donedeal.ie/otherfarmmachinery-for-sale/log-holder-saw-horse-timber-grip/6034403

Anybody any experience with one of these?

BreadnBuddha

Ran a tank through the 543XPG and first impressions are good. Apparently it'll take about 7-10 tanks to get it running nice and free so I'll use it instead of the log saw this winter just to get some hours on it. Nicely balanced saw and very easy to work with for the time I used it so far. Looking forward to putting it to some real work in the late spring.

barryoc1

Jonty wrote: »

http://www.donedeal.ie/otherfarmmachinery-for-sale/log-holder-saw-horse-timber-grip/6034403

Anybody any experience with one of these?

I use one the whole time. Fine job. Very safe, especially for smaller stuff with a diameter of less than 100mm.

Reindeer

BreadnBuddha wrote: »

Ran a tank through the 543XPG and first impressions are good. Apparently it'll take about 7-10 tanks to get it running nice and free so I'll use it instead of the log saw this winter just to get some hours on it. Nicely balanced saw and very easy to work with for the time I used it so far. Looking forward to putting it to some real work in the late spring.

Here's my two saws currently. The 241 has a muffler mod and the 044 is ported all to hell and back:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MhhyXlodfBI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVTk3jGfAIM

Fiskar

Reindeer wrote: »

Here's my two saws currently. The 241 has a muffler mod and the 044 is ported all to hell and back:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MhhyXlodfBI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVTk3jGfAIM

Are you going to port the 241?

How much thirstier is the 241 with the muffler mod? Won't ask about the noise!

Reindeer

It runs surprisingly well with just a muffler mod, and it gets better every day. They are very choked up from the factory with one tiny outlet.

I was considering porting it, but she ran so well today, and her throttle response has gotten better. It is a touch thirstier, but it is commensurate with the power. I don't find it needing much more refueling. I do notice it has much more go.

It's noisy. But not all that bad. I don't really do tree surgery, so it doesn't bother me or any residents. I am more on the forestry and logging side.

greysides

I see the term porting a lot. Could someone explain it please.... Ladybird version, words of three syllables or less please.

Tokyo

greysides wrote: »

I see the term porting a lot. Could someone explain it please.... Ladybird version, words of three syllables or less please.

widening and smoothing the intake and exhaust port to increase airflow into the engine, and allow exhaust gasses to escape quicker. Reducing restrictions on airflow basically. Makes for a more powerful engine. I used to do it on diesel engines a while back.

Reindeer

mike_ie wrote: »

widening and smoothing the intake and exhaust port to increase airflow into the engine, and allow exhaust gasses to escape quicker. Reducing restrictions on airflow basically. Makes for a more powerful engine. I used to do it on diesel engines a while back.

It's more than that if you know what you're doing. The only smoothing that needs be done is with the exhaust port. Unlike with a 4 stroke, it doesn't matter as much if there is shear on the intake side or turbulence as the compression on a 2 stroke is far more dynamic than a 4 stroke, and it's perfectly fine for the oil to precipitate out of the mixture into the chassis.

What you are looking to do on a chainsaw is create a demand for more intake, increase the ability to move the charge from the chassis through the transfers, increase the transfer efficiency, improve the squish velocity if possible(generally by increasing compression or reshaping the combustion chamber), and create better exhaust timing and flow. The timing is just as important as the flow - in fact, they are one in the same. If need be, you adjust the ignition timing. If you want to push it further, there are options on some saws to upgrade to a larger carburetor or a larger venturi model.

To achieve more efficiency, you reshape ports and add or decrease timing. Thus - porting. It's really mostly borrowed from the 2 stroke motorbike racing crowd.

Tokyo

Reindeer wrote: »

It's more than that if you know what you're doing.

For sure. I was going for the simplified version

Reindeer

Here's an example. A bud of mine needed his Husky 365 top end repaired. I had an open port 365 cylinder laying around I told him he could have. Stock, this cylinder will not give the same response or power as a closed port "365 Special" one would. So, I went ahead and ported it for him.

To give you an idea of what is done visually,
Here is an image of a factory stock cylinder:

http://i647.photobucket.com/albums/uu193/Roanoker494/365/100_3443.jpg~original

Here it is on the first pass after I rough matched the lower transfers to the chassis for increased flow, and added more intake and exhaust timing and width.

http://m6.i.pbase.com/g9/22/22/2/155290626.udL2O8MX.jpg

http://m0.i.pbase.com/g9/22/22/2/155290630.lEnR3jEz.jpg

The result:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCth2B4z03w

greysides

Thanks both of you.

Not surprised Mike answered, they've been doing similar things to Defender engines for as long as they've been made.

Sounds like the basic engineering and principles are the same, close to the idea of a turbo.

Reindeer

greysides wrote: »

Thanks both of you.

Not surprised Mike answered, they've been doing similar things to Defender engines for as long as they've been made.

Sounds like the basic engineering and principles are the same, close to the idea of a turbo.

This vid gives you an idea how the motors work, and a hint at how important the timing can be:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LuCUmQ9FxMU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKQprWAHFTk

Aya xxv

Hi might be a silly q but is it cheaper to buy a reel of chain and make your own I'm running 2 stihls a181c for limbing, a 390 for felling most stuff and recently got a husqvarna 395 Xp a36" for monster stuff. But mainly have a 20" bar very willing but eats chains constant sharpening normally bring 5 or 6 chains with me for the day and sort them out in the evening. Tedious

Nekarsulm

Had 4 big Dales to knock today. All going well till I let the chain touch one of the wedges..............

Reindeer

I need a new pair of trousers. Anyone got any suggestions for a retailer in the Clonmel/Waterford area or on line for some PPE?

Obliged

kay 9

Reindeer wrote: »

I need a new pair of trousers. Anyone got any suggestions for a retailer in the Clonmel/Waterford area or on line for some PPE?

http://www.frjonesandson.co.uk/products-page/ppe-safety-and-workwear/ or https://honeybros.com/Category/PPE_and_Clothing

Reindeer

Ported:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vv9wuWKiXM

Didn't have to mod it much to get that result, too. I think the key to power is removing the baffle and using the right amount of timing. Unfortunately, that is also the key to dB's.

greysides

OK. NOw, I get the whole chain saw thing. I mean, once a man has a motorbike, a fast car, a Defender and a power boat........... what do you get the petrol-head who has everything for Christmas?


(says the man who drives around with a 3.0 litre engine where a 1.8 previously worked ok............)

Joking aside, it's nice to have enough horses to do a job in comfort and not feel like you're flogging the engine.

Tokyo

Reindeer wrote: »

Ported:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vv9wuWKiXM

Didn't have to mod it much to get that result, too. I think the key to power is removing the baffle and using the right amount of timing. Unfortunately, that is also the key to dB's.

Nice job - seems to be getting through that timber like butter. As for the dB's.. that's what ear defenders are for

Reindeer

greysides wrote: »

OK. NOw, I get the whole chain saw thing. I mean, once a man has a motorbike, a fast car, a Defender and a power boat........... what do you get the petrol-head who has everything for Christmas?


(says the man who drives around with a 3.0 litre engine where a 1.8 previously worked ok............)

Joking aside, it's nice to have enough horses to do a job in comfort and not feel like you're flogging the engine.

Well, let's be honest, ya probably don't want a toy like this in the hands of a first time user...

I'm not wearing PPE trousers, btw, because my last pair were recently destroyed by that monster 044. Awaiting a new pair here shortly.
Until then, I'm avoiding the 044.

Nekarsulm

Reindeer wrote: »

Well, let's be honest, ya probably don't want a toy like this in the hands of a first time user...

I'm not wearing PPE trousers, btw, because my last pair were recently destroyed by that monster 044. Awaiting a new pair here shortly.
Until then, I'm avoiding the 044.

Hi Reindeer, is your 044 a US import? You don't see many with a half wrap and outside dogs?

Whoever had mine before me, put the handle bolts in the wrong way round, and they have nibbled two little holes into the bottom of the oil tank.:mad:

Reindeer

Yeah, she's from a bud of mine in Tennessee. He ports saws for living, and is obviously quite good at it. It's from his personal stable. He put it up for sale, along with nearly a dozen others, when he wanted to get some christmas money. It's a bit more saw than I care for, as far as porting goes, but I couldn't turn it down at the price he asked.

kay 9

Reindeer wrote: »

Yeah, she's from a bud of mine in Tennessee. He ports saws for living, and is obviously quite good at it. It's from his personal stable. He put it up for sale, along with nearly a dozen others, when he wanted to get some christmas money. It's a bit more saw than I care for, as far as porting goes, but I couldn't turn it down at the price he asked.

Mastermind by any chance?

Reindeer

kay 9 wrote: »

Mastermind by any chance?

But, of course.

:")