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View Full Version : Any Chainsaw experts on here? Need some chainsaw knowledge



daBIGKAHUNA
11-07-2011, 04:50 PM
I have small Poulan chainsaw - Its a Farmhand 295 (20" I believe). I dont have a helluva lot of experience with chainsaws but this one is simple enough. My issue is with the cutting teeth. On this particular saw the teeth need to be sharpened every single time I pull it out to use it. Is this normal? If not is there a higher grade chain I can get for it that would need less attention? I have a few trees on out property I am about to start clearing out (upwards of 15, maybe one or two more) and would like to better performance and less maintenance for my saw. Any words of wisdom are greatly apprecieated.

fabiodriven
11-07-2011, 05:15 PM
From what I know about Poulins, there may be a chance the chain is so cheesy on those that it is dulling every time you use it just from cutting wood. But let's go over a couple of other things as well-

You must always be aware what you are cutting when you cut. If you touch a rock, a nail, or the ground just once for a half second, that is enough to take the edge off your entire chain.

I personally have found those round hand files useless. I used to bring my chains to the local tractor shop to have them sharpened on the machine. Then I bought my own machine. I was paying $6 a wack to have the chains sharpened and waiting days of turnaround time. Now it takes me 5 minutes to sharpen a chain. Done. The machine was like $40. It paid for itself in a very short time.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Chain-Saw-Blade-Grinder-Electric-Chainsaw-Sharpener-/300608131713?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item45fda41281

^^^This same exact machine lasted me about 3 years and still works to this day. It has one small issue which could be remedied easily enough. I just bought a professional sharpener this past weekend so I will be giving my old machine to my brother.

Have you taken down your rakers? The rakers are the little blank looking teeth with no cutting edge on them. You have to take a little off the top of those or else your rakers aren't going to allow the cutting teeth to contact the wood you are trying to cut.

If your saw seems to cut constantly to one side, almost like it's taking a turn, that means you have to file the bar down. To do that, take the bar off the saw and put it in a vice. Take a file and file the top of the bar until both sides are even. You can use a grinder to do that too if you like. If you do both sides of the bar you can flip the bar over when one side wears and then you'll have a fresh bar.

Good bar and chain oil is key. Do not use motor oil or gear oil. My Stihl is very picky about the bar oil you put in it.

Anything else?

3wheely
11-07-2011, 05:16 PM
They do need to be sharpened often depending on how much your cutting. I assume you are keeping the reservoir full of bar oil? If so does the chain have oil on it? Also you will have to adjust the chain often and not too loose or tight. Other than that I can't think of anything else.

ezmoney1979
11-07-2011, 05:39 PM
Got a pic of your chain? Dont listen to Fabio, a round file (or three corner) in the proper hands can make very short work of chain sharpening. (especially 20'' bar) It takes a lot of practice to do it right however. Also I have cut down thousands of trees and countless 100s of cords with motor oil doing the oiling for my chain. Also if you are taking your rakers down you have to be very careful and take the same amount off of each raker. And if you take them down too much your chain will be too aggresive(hungry) and be useless and potentially dangerous to the novice.

fabiodriven
11-07-2011, 06:09 PM
Dont listen to Fabio, a round file (or three corner) in the proper hands can make very short work of chain sharpening. (especially 20'' bar) It takes a lot of practice to do it right however.

I've been told that many times and I do believe it, but I could never get the knack of hand sharpening. I gave it hell, I just suck at it. :lol:

I'm sure you can get away with motor oil in your saw and most others EZ. My saw will not stand for it however. I have a 6 year old Stihl MS250 that I bought new. It wasn't enough saw for me right from the start, but I still haven't upgraded. The oil flow is not adjustable in this saw. It is a high end home owner saw, I really need commercial grade for what I do. It just barely oils the chain enough. I would have it blowing at least 30% more oil if it were up to me. I was cutting up a tree one day and I realized I had forgotten my bar oil. The nearest store was a Quick-E-Mart that only had 10w 30 motor oil. I filled up the res with the oil and within 15 minutes my chain seized up solid. After it cooled off for a minute it was OK, but that thing got hot!

Texaskev
11-07-2011, 06:13 PM
I have small Poulan chainsaw - Its a Farmhand 295 (20" I believe). I dont have a helluva lot of experience with chainsaws but this one is simple enough. My issue is with the cutting teeth. On this particular saw the teeth need to be sharpened every single time I pull it out to use it. Is this normal? If not is there a higher grade chain I can get for it that would need less attention? I have a few trees on out property I am about to start clearing out (upwards of 15, maybe one or two more) and would like to better performance and less maintenance for my saw. Any words of wisdom are greatly apprecieated.
I own a Poulan, and the worst thing about it, it has an automatic oiler for the chain. I don't know if your model does or not....I found that the chain was not getting enough oil, getting too hot, and you know the rest. Mine has to be cleaned after just a few minutes of cutting. The sawdust clogs up the oil exit badly. Just take the sprocket cover off and check for buildup....might be it, might not.

ezmoney1979
11-07-2011, 06:29 PM
I've been told that many times and I do believe it, but I could never get the knack of hand sharpening. I gave it hell, I just suck at it. :lol:

I'm sure you can get away with motor oil in your saw and most others EZ. My saw will not stand for it however. I have a 6 year old Stihl MS250 that I bought new. It wasn't enough saw for me right from the start, but I still haven't upgraded. The oil flow is not adjustable in this saw. It is a high end home owner saw, I really need commercial grade for what I do. It just barely oils the chain enough. I would have it blowing at least 30% more oil if it were up to me. I was cutting up a tree one day and I realized I had forgotten my bar oil. The nearest store was a Quick-E-Mart that only had 10w 30 motor oil. I filled up the res with the oil and within 15 minutes my chain seized up solid. After it cooled off for a minute it was OK, but that thing got hot!

Im not gonna lie, it took many hours as a youngster to finally get hand filing down. I think my old man got burned out on teaching me. It only looks easy lol.
Very true Fabio. You really need adjustable oiling, especially when working in various climates. Im guessing it gets much colder where you live. Sounds like you need to step up to a 440/460. People always think a big saw is more work but the sooner you can get the work done the better, to me. And with a 32"-36" bar you dont have to lean over cutting firewood.:beer

hoosierlogger
11-07-2011, 06:32 PM
I am a logger, and I can comment on this subject. The machine grinders suck!!! You can get a saw sharper by hand if you pay attention to what your angles and take your time. I hand file my saws with a file every day. I can tell you that the home owner chain is JUNK. You need to find a good saw shop that has chain in the 100' rolls that make them to your size. Get a full chisel skip tooth configuration if they have it. Skip tooth has less teeth to sharpen and it cuts faster on smaller saws. The full chisel has a square cutting corner not a rounded one like your Poulan comes with.

As for Bar oil Fabio is full of it on this one (never thought I would have said that) I use used hydraulic oil out of our log skidders, loaders, and tractors. True your bar will wear faster, but by the money you save will buy you a new bar when it wears out.

My saws have ran used oil for over 6 years and they have made me a LOT of money over the years.

4cylinders
11-07-2011, 08:18 PM
hey, what size chain does your saw use?
what numbers/brand name are stamped on it?
may have something better.

fabiodriven
11-07-2011, 08:27 PM
As for Bar oil Fabio is full of it on this one

Please read what I wrote a little more careful. You obviously run some high grade saws that probably put out plenty of bar oil and more than likely the oiler is adjustable. This guy's running a Poulin, and you know that oil pump is not adjustable just like my non-commercial Stihl isn't. As I stated above, my chain seized right up solid. No BS!

I'll stick with my chain sharpening machine. I've never been able to throw curls after I hit it with a file. After the machine does it, the curls start flying! That's what I'm looking for!

RIDE-RED 250r
11-07-2011, 08:30 PM
I'm no logger, but every year I cut ALOT of wood. I have 3 pro grade Husky's. I like to hand file. This simple little tool right here makes hand filing easy AND quick. No file attachments, or other such gizmos. Just place the gauge over the cutting link, keep your file square in the gauge and the rollers on the gauge will keep your up/down angle correct.
Check it out.... http://www.husqvarna.com/us/forest/accessories/product-accessories/filing-equipment/combination-gauges/


I used to try free-hand filing, but it IS very tricky to get it right. I found that these filing gauges work very well, and worth the 10 bucks I paid for them. Now, you do have to get the correct gauge for you specific chain pitch and tooth type.

I can sharpen the chain on my 24" bar in less than 10 minutes, even with a bad hit from a rock.

And yes, saws with adjustable oilers are superior. All 3 of mine have that feature.

hoosierlogger
11-07-2011, 08:42 PM
Please read what I wrote a little more careful. You obviously run some high grade saws that probably put out plenty of bar oil and more than likely the oiler is adjustable. This guy's running a Poulin, and you know that oil pump is not adjustable just like my non-commercial Stihl isn't. Ad I stated above, my chain seized right up solid. No BS!

I'll stick with my chain sharpening machine. I've never been able to throw curls after I hit it with a file. After the machine does it, the curls start flying! That's what I'm looking for!


Your bar oil and gas should run out at the same time. Does your still have a lot of oil left in the reservoir at the end of a tank of gas? If so your oil line might have some crap in it. I just cant see Stihl pushing something out the door that doesnt put out enough oil right from the factory.



Ride-red 250r, if you think it is tricky to freehand with a round file. You should try it with a square file. I have tried it three or four times and have wound up ruining alot of good chain.

fabiodriven
11-07-2011, 08:56 PM
Your bar oil and gas should run out at the same time. Does your still have a lot of oil left in the reservoir at the end of a tank of gas?

The oil and gas run out at the same time. Like I said, I've had the saw since new. I am in no way speculating here, I am speaking from experience, trust me. I wish I was making this up.

Dave Little
11-07-2011, 10:58 PM
is there a higher grade chain I can get for it that would need less attention?

Yes, you can go with a carbide tipped chain, but with only 46cc to work with, it may be a bit much for your saw.
I've used http://www.rapcoindustries.com before for custom chains for my saws and yes they do last quite a bit longer, but require more power to clear
the chips from the cut because the carbide bit that is brazed on closes up the space under the top plate of the cutting teeth. You'll notice they cut slower, but like all things it's a trade-off.
How much longer do they last? Maybe 4-5x but I was bucking huge unrollable logs in the dirt with a 95cc saw

They are pricey however, I paid $2 a drive link for them to build me an 82 drive link chain.
For sharpening, I shipped it back to them in Washington state and had a few chipped links replaced as well, took about a week. So, it's not for everybody, just sayin'

daBIGKAHUNA
11-08-2011, 02:36 AM
Damn what a great thread.... there is a lot of useable information here and I thank all you guys for chipping in. Just for the record - the oiler is working great. I check the bar and chain frequently and its soaked in oil. I am using Polan bran bar and chain oil. I am pretty much convinced that I'll be a helluva lot better off with a higher grade of chain. I am going to shop around and look at the carbide tip and full chisel skip tooth like was suggested.

Thing is I would love a big ass commercial grade saw but I cant justify spending the money on it. Once we get the areas on our little acre and a half cleared that need it I'll probably use the saw 2 or 3 times a year tops.

One ofthe question - I have a couple of big pine trees that need to come down and my saw wont take them down. Do you guys think that there are any loggers that would be willing to take them down if they were allowed to keep the trees to sell for profit? I have no idea if that is feasible but those trees ought to produce a lot of lumber.

hoosierlogger
11-08-2011, 06:18 AM
One ofthe question - I have a couple of big pine trees that need to come down and my saw wont take them down. Do you guys think that there are any loggers that would be willing to take them down if they were allowed to keep the trees to sell for profit? I have no idea if that is feasible but those trees ought to produce a lot of lumber.

Probably not unless they are HUGE and still in good shape. It is alot of hasle to move 2 trees. I get people all of the time asking me to cut a tree down for them in exchange for the log. thing is to move the logs you need a loader or big tractor, and a semi or big trailer on a pickup. then by the time you get the logs to the mill there isnt much profit to be made on them. Your best bet would be to find someone local with a portable sawmill and have the logs sawn into boards that you can use to build a shed or something.
They will charge you some for it, but it beats letting the wood lay there and rot.