Care and Feeding of the Chainsaw, by American Yeoman

So, you have a saw now. Maybe it’s brand new, maybe it’s one a relative dug out of the shed, maybe you bought it at a pawn shop or garage sale. How do we get it to perform it’s best and protect our investment and new tool for a long time?

Saws have two stroke engines. This means that you must mix oil directly with the gasoline in order to properly lubricate the engine. Failure to do so will run the saw “lean” and burn it up in a very short time. Read your owner’s manual, research online and find the recommended oil to fuel ratio for your particular saw. Typically, it will be 40-1 or 50-1 in modern saws. Always use a proper fuel oil mixture.

One of the very easiest things you can do to help your saw run trouble free and last a long time-NEVER, EVER run your saw on Ethanol. You can mix your own fuel- simply buy a good quality 2 stroke oil and add it to the appropriate amount of gasoline (usually it’s one bottle of oil to one gallon of fuel) or you can purchase pre mixed fuel. Pre mixed fuel is expensive but if you only have a little cutting to do it’s a good option- you will notice that EVERY pre mixed fuel uses a NON-Ethanol base. That should tell you something. Keep plenty of two stroke oil on hand, though a little goes a long way.

Personally, I empty the fuel out of my saw if I am going to store it for much longer than a few weeks. I just don’t want fuel sitting in the fuel system for very long. It’s easy to set the saw on the shelf, get distracted by life’s’ demands and then come back 6 months later to stale fuel and maybe a clogged carburetor. While rebuilding a carburetor is not terribly difficult it should be avoided if at all possible and buying a new one, if OEM, can sometimes cost more than the saw is worth. I dump out the fuel and attempt to start/run the saw several times before putting it up to try to pull as much fuel out of it as I can. Storing the saw dry if you aren’t using it regularly is cheap insurance.

The other important oil used in chain saws is bar and chain lube. This oil will be held in a separate tank from the fuel mixture, usually at the front of the saw. This lubricant is pumped into holes in the bar and prevents the chain from overheating and prematurely wearing out the bar. Bar oil is relatively inexpensive and commonly available at home improvement stores, even Walmart carries it. In a pinch, you can substitute standard 30 weight oil. I’ve seen people use used motor oil and other lubes including fryer oil! For me, given the cost of real bar oil, I’m not putting that stuff in my $800 saw and taking a chance that it clogs my oil pump.

The chain on your saw is critically important to it’s performance. Above all else, it must be sharp- chains are no different than any other cutting tool- they get dull from use. A sharp chain on a properly running saw will cut for you, you shouldn’t have to muscle it through the cut. If the chain hits a hard object- a rock, a nail in the wood or dirt it will dull quickly or sustain damage. Be mindful when you are cutting of avoiding things that unnecessarily dull the chain.

Keep the chain properly tensioned. There will be an adjustment screw on the saw near the rear of the bar. To properly tighten the chain do so when it’s cold, loosen the nuts holding the bar to the power head, take the pressure off the bar by lifting it slightly with one hand then turn the bar adjustment clockwise using a screw driver or Scrench to tighten the chain. A Scrench is a saw specific tool that’s used to loosen/tighten bar nuts, adjust chain tension, pull the spark plug and in some cases make opening the fuel and oil tanks easier- it’s a handy tool! Tighten the chain so that it is has enough slack to move on the bar by hand-pull it away from the power head to avoid cutting yourself! The chain should be tight to the bar, not hanging loosely, but not so tight that it’s really hard to hand pull. Tighten the bar nuts snugly- you don’t need to gorilla them- their studs can strip. You may need to tighten the chain as you cut- it can stretch a bit as it gets warm in use. Honestly, this is much easier to explain and comprehend with video, YouTube is your friend here.

Spare chains are a must, they wear down with use and while you can buy an entire roll of chain and make your own, most users are better off simply buying a few extras. Chains will last a long time if not abused. When one chain gets dull you can put on another one and keep cutting while you have the other sharpened. When you purchase a new chain make sure that it fits your saw- the length, width and number of drive teeth must match the saws bar and sprocket. There are also several different types of chains in terms of how aggressively they cut and certain safety features- another topic…Again, use your owner’s manual, research online or on most newer saw bars the proper chain information is actually printed on the bar itself and you can match that up to the information on the chains packaging.

In terms of sharpening chains, you have two options- taking the chain off the saw and having it sharpened- usually at a hardware store or power equipment dealer or doing it yourself. As with most things of this nature, I’m going to advocate for you to learn this skill! Typically, a sharpening service will charge you by the tooth- for a 20” chain in my area, you’re going to pay $6 or so and it will likely take 2-3 days to get it done. There are MANY tools to sharpen chains with and it’s never been easier honestly to do it yourself and get good results, saving time and money in the process. We’ll cover this more in a later installment.

It’s also not a bad idea to keep a spare bar around for your saw- if it’s a different length, that adds versatility- but will require different chains of course. You will often see saws with their bars installed upside down- the writing is upside down- that’s intentional. Every few times when you swap out/sharpen the chain, flip the bar over so that it wears more evenly. Bars can be damaged- pinched by the wood you are cutting for example, often they can be straightened out but not always. Bars are sometimes specific to a particular model of saw, within “families” of saws there is often some interchange but very little commonality exists between brands. Definitely buy a spare bar nut or two, they can vibrate loose and get lost during cutting.

For general maintenance- keep your saw clean- blow off all the accumulated bar oil, dirt and wood chips before putting it away. Crud packed around the cylinder can affect the saws cooling. Check and clean the air filter, change it if its clogged. Periodically check the oiler holes in the bar and make sure they are clear so they can deliver lube to the chain. If your saw has a sprocket with lube holes on the end of the bar grease them with each use. Check the fuel lines from time to time and periodically change out the filter in the fuel tank. When you pull the bar cover off to put on a new chain, check the wear on the drive sprocket. Check the spark plug once a season- it’s condition can tell you quite a bit about how well your saw is running.

The keys to getting long life and good performance out of your saw are to use good fuel and oil, change filters as needed, use the right, sharp, chains keeping them properly adjusted, store the saw empty of fuel until ready to use.

 

“Stuff” to keep your saw cutting-

  1. Good fuel
  2. 2 Stroke Oil
  3. Bar and Chain Lube
  4. Spare chains
  5. Spare fuel filter
  6. Spare air filter
  7. Extra bar nuts
  8. Spare bar?
  9. Chain sharpening system
  10. Extra spark plug
  11. New fuel line
  12. Scrench
  13. Bar Sprocket grease gun?
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About the Author: NC Scout

NC Scout is the nom de guerre of a former Infantry Scout and Sergeant in one of the Army’s best Reconnaissance Units. He has combat tours in both Iraq and Afghanistan. He teaches a series of courses focusing on small unit skills rarely if ever taught anywhere else in the prepping and survival field, including his RTO Course which focuses on small unit communications. In his free time he is an avid hunter, bushcrafter, writer, long range shooter, prepper, amateur radio operator and Libertarian activist. He can be contacted at [email protected] or via his blog at brushbeater.wordpress.com .

9 Comments

  1. wwes December 17, 2020 at 08:37

    One comment on bar oil- depending on your climate you may want to run a different weight bar oil in cold vs hot weather. You can run the same one, but it will oil better with the appropriate weight. And I don’t know about others, but Stihl pro model saws have adjustable oilers. They’re usually adjusted pretty well from the factory imho, but sometimes they need to be adjusted slightly.

  2. Anonymous December 17, 2020 at 08:38

    4.5

  3. Rooster December 17, 2020 at 08:50

    Good stuff. You can skip all the fuel dancing by adding Seafoam or an equivalent fuel stabilizer to the fuel mix. I add it to the 2cyl gas can before I fill with fuel and oil so it mixes well whilst filling; Actually I add it to everything that runs around here including the diesel stuff. I usually add a lil more than they recommend for good measure as I have cleaned too much “sugar” out of carburetors in the past. There is nothing more frustrating that pulling on a saw that wont run.
    One last tip I learned a few years ago was to give the “drag tooth” that sets in front of the cutter, a couple of passes every third or forth sharpening with a fine flat file. Especially if the saw is spittin fine shavings.
    R

  4. Jon December 17, 2020 at 08:56

    Excellent overview of saw spare parts and operated I got techniques.

    I recommend keeping a medium sized stiff bristle brush in your saw tool bag that holds your wrench, files, spare spark plug, wedges, and air filter. That way you have everything you need when you head to the woods.

    The brush we use is a standard Hobart type parts cleaning brush that you can buy at most farm&ranch stores, welding supply, or auto parts stores. It’s useful for cleaning the “gunk” out of the cooling fins and bar cover. All that bar oil mixes with wood chips and must be cleared out for best function. It’s easy to do when refueling the saw.

    Sharpening with a file is easily done. Just takes a little practice. We touch up the cutting teeth and rakers at every refuel. That way it doesn’t take long and the chains perform better. Taking a little time to touch up the cutting tool may actually shorten the job. Sharp saws are safer saws because you’re not muscling them.

    Wedges. You need some to prevent bar pinch. Especially when felling larger trees. Also helpful for bucking up deadfall or storm damage. Buy a couple at the farm store or make your own. You want felling wedges for this job. Small plastic or wood wedges about 10 degree angle, not large metal splitting wedges.

  5. Rooster December 17, 2020 at 09:01

    Speaking of WOOD…..one of my favs
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCE5IBRdaXE

    R

  6. Sanders December 17, 2020 at 09:06

    Good info! As someone who cuts an average of 10 cords+ every year for personal use in my wood stove, there isn’t much I can’t agree with in the article. I only run Stihl pre-mix in my Stihl chainsaw. Yeah, it is $30/gallon but my saw is quite fuel efficient and that gallon lasts for quite a while.

    However; no matter how good your chainsaw is (and mine are pretty dang good) the old rule of thumb, “Two is one, and one is none” definitely applies to your chainsaw when you are miles out into national forest land and cutting wood. It’s not a matter of if something will happen to your saw, but when. It makes it a lot more productive when you can grab up a spare and keep working instead of fiddling around with the other.

    • James December 17, 2020 at 11:36

      Sanders, a spare also great if you get your saw stuck in a pinch while cutting.

      I will say that has personally never happened to me!

  7. James December 17, 2020 at 09:39

    Excellent write up on chain saws.I will say use the PRI gas stabilizer and have never had a issue with ethonal in saws/dirt bikes ect.,one ounce will treat 16 gallons of gas.You can get non ethonal at local station by all means do but closest to me is 40 miles(stock up when in region)and thus at times run the ethonal with PRI and have never had a issue.

    As always,will add safety gear and a blowout kit near you while working a good idea,I even run the kevlar chaps,some folks just feel restricted by them and thus less safe,personal choices for us all.

    Again,a great write up and comments,happy sawing!

  8. Harry Nafe December 18, 2020 at 18:37

    Other thingies. Some starter rope. A handful of screws to fit your saw. Can or two of starting fluid-ether will clear an air filter quickly. Be sure to remove filter first. My old Stihl 031AV(1973) had only Amsoil 2-stroke mix at 80:1 and ran on original plug for 8 years. Good stuff. Still runs great. Still using Amsoil. And pay attention to the rakers.

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