Fed up of your chainsaw not starting?

[Justme]

is there truth to what I was told regarding chainsaws -that if you don't use them for a year or so they become unusable (seized up I imagine)?

I do have one lying around that I never use  .Do I just need to dump it ? (I know I could never get it going myself without a service but  would a service be pointless?)

Only if you leave it full of fuel.

Then the carb gums up.

Always use up all the fuel by running it dry before storage or use Aspen fuel.

[stannn]

geordief
It depends where its kept. If its in the damp then it could be very rusty which may or may not be fatal. The most likely problem with a long lay-up is that any fuel in the tank has 'lost its octane' and the 2-stroke oil is clogging the tiny ports in the carburretor. If the machine is generally in good condition then I would clean the carb as demonstrated in the quoted videos. It really is easy to do and you can use the tube on a WD40 can to blow out the jets/orifices. Do clean the spark plug and do dispose of the old fuel, replacing it with fresh. If the chain bar is badly worn then maybe think again. Homebase were selling off 14" mccullochs for £120 about a week ago but they soon went.
Stan

[wesnet]

Also check chain oil, especially if it has had bio oil in it. If the oil has dried up or gone very sticky do not try to start the saw until you have checked the pump is not stuck, this is usually done by carefully rotating the drive sprocket by hand, it should move with very little resistance. If there is Resistance get the saw serviced as it is very easy to strip the pump drive gear, not the end of the world but it can be a pain to replace.

John

[wesnet]

Bodidly

In my experience processors don't like small or bent wood, although having said that we regularly put it through our Jappa as we find the chainsaw in it is quite tolerant, what causes the most trouble is the ram as if the timber has been cut at an angle it tends to rise up or twist as it goes through the splitter. Our other one is a Posch (no not a porche) it has a large circular saw that certainly does not like small or bent wood as it tends to twist the saw, we wrote one off this winter and a £380 a time at takes a large chunk out of your profits and ruins your whole day. The best place to have look at what is available will be at the APF show in September. It's a very big forestry show and will be held this year at a site to the south of Birmingham not far off the M5 so is easy to get to from Devon see  http://www.apfexhibition.co.uk/ for more details.

John

[Bodidly]

Bodidly

In my experience processors don't like small or bent wood, although having said that we regularly put it through our Jappa as we find the chainsaw in it is quite tolerant, what causes the most trouble is the ram as if the timber has been cut at an angle it tends to rise up or twist as it goes through the splitter. Our other one is a Posch (no not a porche) it has a large circular saw that certainly does not like small or bent wood as it tends to twist the saw, we wrote one off this winter and a £380 a time at takes a large chunk out of your profits and ruins your whole day. The best place to have look at what is available will be at the APF show in September. It's a very big forestry show and will be held this year at a site to the south of Birmingham not far off the M5 so is easy to get to from Devon see  http://www.apfexhibition.co.uk/ for more details.

John

Thanks John. Both the Jappa and Posch are on my list to see. I have read quite a lot happy reviews from Posch owners.
  Beau

[wesnet]

Posch are certainly well built, I notice that they are introducing proportional control to the saw feed, ours has a fixed feed speed, which will certainly improve their tolerance to iffy wood. Most of the machines on the market were developed, originally, for use with softwoods not ropey beech thinking's so it's not a suprise that they are developing the machines for the UK market.

Good luck with the window shopping

John

[renewablejohn]

I have a Palax Combi which has a saw blade rather than chainsaw and handles most of the Arb timber I get from local tree surgeons upto 25cm diameter. Anything really bent is cut into rings and then dropped into the Palax splitter.

[martin W]

And here it is, the Bosch version.
Stan
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2cRnoijpqUM

thanks for the link, just seen the price

I'll stick with my aldi petrol one for now - if I was rich I would have bought a stihl

[stevetonkin]

Sthil or Husky are the ones and you can always get parts for them.

[derekmt]

all two stroke garden  engines

full choke pull to  first splutter
half choke to start
warm then run.

try this 3 times if it doesnt start clean  and warm plug  in oven

if it fails after another 3 goes clean carb.

 

[Ki Lo Watt]

And here it is, the Bosch version.
Stan
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2cRnoijpqUM

thanks for the link, just seen the price

I'll stick with my aldi petrol one for now - if I was rich I would have bought a stihl

Stihl and Husky certainly the way to go. However do not get thinking you need a huge saw if its just firewood your cutting. My first saw was a MS181 and its a brilliant little saw. If you can get hold of a MS260 that would be a good saw, just need to ensure its safe to use. Plenty of tips on the You Tube. The secret along with regular maintenance is learning how to sharpen/tension your chain correctly. Some of the budget models have additional "safety" features on the chain that stops kick back but also reduce the cut depth. Anyone thinking of using a chainsaw should invest in a CS30 course and the relevant PPE.

Battery saws are OK for the odd cut now and then but eventually the battery will die and that's the expensive bit no doubt.