Best Chain saw brand

skyrydr2 said:
If you ever worked on a Stihl then you would know what it takes to adjust the oil on the home owner specials... that are all plastic now...
You will need to most likely pull the clutch off to get to it. As it is behind the clutch and driven directly off the crank. Most of the better ones have a screw like adjuster but on the littlest ones .... nope your going to need to dis-assemble the oil pump and drill it out. But be warned... it has been calibrated so it runs out of oil at the same time as the fuel...
Check the filter in the tank first to be sure something is not wrong with it.or the feed line . I have seen the line kinked and restricted the oil flow. Not sure how it got kinked but it was ,may have been installed that way?
I have seen more issues with Stihl burning up bars and chains than any other brand of saw brands I have worked on , and they were all smaller than the O44 sized models (70 cc) never saw it on a pro saw.
I won't touch a Homelite chainsaw! They are total junk! As are the older poulans and ALL CRAFTSMAN branded stuff! They are instantly denied service unless its to have the chain sharpened!
Every one that I have seen with running issues has been failure at or around the crank seals/bearings. Renders crankcase junk, throw it in the trash can please.
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You mentioned drlling out the oil pump to get a better oil flow to the chain. I don't suppose you would know how much bigger the hole has to be? Would just a few thousands, say .010 or so be enough, or does it need to be more than that?
I've never had one of these pumps out before, does it have a restriction only on the output side, or does the intake side of the pump need to be opened up as well?
And would it be better to just buy a new pump and drill it out instead?
How difficult is it to get out? It looks fairly straight-forward, but I don't know. I haven't had to go that deep into one. The Poulan never needed anything but wear items.
What sucks about both of them is that the manuals have nothing about any kind of repair. They all want you to bring it in for service. I only care about voiding the warranty in case something happens to it. I don't want it blamed on anything I do, such as this pump modification.
Not having any service manual to refer to makes making a mistake possible, although I think that most of the issues would just be torque specs and clearances. But it would be nice to have an illustrated breakdown of the saw for reference.
Do you happen to know where I can find such a thing?
Thanks for your help, I do appreciate it.

Rick
 
I don't have any references you could go by, I am just very mechanically inclined and logical most of the time.
If it is still under warranty bring it to the dealer and tell him what's going on so he is aware of possible future issues from others.
Do you know how to sharpen the chain correctly? This is ABSOLUTELY CRITICAL!
If you run a dull chain or a poorly sharpened chain YOU WILL ABSOLUTELY DESTROY THE BAR!
I don't care who you are or what your cutting it will ruin the bar!
I have had bats on my pro saws for years before replacing them! Mostly due to the bearing in the tip failing not from wear of the chain.
If you burn the paint on the bar YOUR RUNNING A DULL CHAIN!
When its sharp it pulls itself away from the bar this why they sometimes get packed with fine sawdust in the groove and need to be cleaned out so oil can flow properly.
If you need to push on the saw to cut IT IS DULL OR NOT PROPERLY SHARPENED! END ALL BE ALL!
Fill the tanks with fuel and bar oil, start saw and rev it with the bar over cardboard, if you see a line of oil on the cardboard almost if not instantly then the oil pump is fine and adjusted correctly.
Make sure your saw is sharp!
It should pull itself through the wood with out bouncing off the rev limiter/governor.
Unless your using it in a chainsaw mill I would not advise messing with the oiling system!
If when you do the cardboard check and there is nothing, take it back to the dealer! If its out of warranty then you may want to mess with it, you need to remove the clutch assembly to do anything with the pump.
 
I have an electric chain sharpening tool that I got from Hazard Fraught Tools, which is what I have been using for years now. I've also got the usual files, but have never tried to sharpen a chain that way, yet.

But because of what you said about the pump not supplying enough oil, I have just started to store my chains in oil so that they're already preoiled before use. I can see the problem with this in that you don't know how much the pump is putting out, but I didn't want to run a dry chain waiting for the pump to supply enough oil either.

The saw did/does fling oil almost immediately after starting, and the salesman said that it was plenty, but I personally prefer a bit more than that. The Poulan put out more than this one does, and that's what I am basing this on.
I might add that the Poulan has the same bar that I started with.
 
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That's good that it is slinging oil, bad that you are using a grinder to sharpen the chain...all they do is make you keep on sharpening..... as it heats the cutting edge up and softens it! Especially on a Stihl saw chain, they make one of the best toothed saw chain there is! BUT you should be filing them sharp not grinding! God not the grinder LOL .

Practice practice practice! You will be way faster and do a better job than any grinder can!
Do you file the rakers ? They need to be done like every third sharpening unless you broke tips off, then they need to be done once the tooth is done.
 
That 251 you have may have a clogged filter in the oil tank or a kinked supply line if it is not running the tank empty or close to empty with each tank of fuel!
It is easy to remove the clutch but If your scared bring it to the shop.
I would not fool with it unless your not putting oil in the tank because it is not emptying. This is the trade off on a fuel efficient saw! They need to ration the bar oil as well.
 
Lily'sDad said:
I was at Menards yest. They were selling Johnsared. They were small, very cheap looking saws. Must have been bought out by somebody.
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Just like everything else, built by the cheapest bidder!
 
Lily'sDad said:
I was at Menards yest. They were selling Johnsared. They were small, very cheap looking saws. Must have been bought out by somebody.
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there’s a Husqvarna model saw carried at big box store locally Forget the model but likely built to lower standArds. Possibly Jonsered as well however both still manufacture quality pro saws
 
skyrydr2 said:
That 251 you have may have a clogged filter in the oil tank or a kinked supply line if it is not running the tank empty or close to empty with each tank of fuel!
It is easy to remove the clutch but If your scared bring it to the shop.
I would not fool with it unless your not putting oil in the tank because it is not emptying. This is the trade off on a fuel efficient saw! They need to ration the bar oil as well.
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It uses almost all of the oil for each tank of gas, so the pump is working, I just would like to see a little more oil on the chain. I don't have any problem stopping to fill the oil before the fuel runs out.
I have already had the clutch hub off of this one, but haven't pulled the clutch itself off yet. On the Poulan, it's got a lefthanded thread, but I'm not sure if the Stihl is also. Can you tell me?
I'm not sure what you mean by "rakers", is that the depth gage or tooth you're talking about? If so, no, I haven't been filing those. But I haven't had to sharpen any of the chains for the Poulan more than maybe 4 or 5 times so far. I just sharpened the Stihl chain a week ago with the electric sharpener. I can see your point about it getting the cutters too hot, but I try to barely touch them so as not to heat them too much. I do know about overheating metal, and the cutters are very small and easy to overheat if you're not careful.
I have never tried to sharpen one with a file yet, is it best done with the chain still on the saw, or do you take it off to sharpen yours? I would like to learn to do it with a file.
Thanks for your help again.

Rick
 
Rick, the clutch is left hand thread.
The "raker" is that nub directly in front of the cutting surface. Some call it a depth gage others a raker. It is technically a depth gage lol.
And this needs to be checked EVERY time the chain is sharpened as you want the correct cutting depth of each tooth.
The chain needs to cut into the wood with enough drag to remove wood and at the same time load the engine so it is working and not on the rev limiter with OUT PUSHING ON THE SAW! The saw needs to do the work not you LOL!
There are so many different ways to sharpen a chain it can become overwhelming, but you do need to learn and once you figure it out you will be soooo happy you did that yoy might cut wood for a living..... ah maybe not... LOL but you get my point , it just makes cutting with a chainsaw so much easier when the chain is sharp.
Oh a few stats for ya
A new chain properly filed cuts 18.5% faster than a factory edge!
And that same chain ground with a special grinder that does a square cut on it will cut 33% faster than a factory edge.
As for the depth gage, they sell them where ever chains and files are sold. And they sell a flat file to use with it, get that file as well.
Best files I have ever used are Pferd... or Simonds (good luck finding the Simonds files I don't think they are made in the US any more) Oregon files sold in the white and orangey red box are better than the box store files in clear packaging! Best to by your files from a saw shop that sells pro saws as he has no tolerance for junk stuff as his customers are tough characters!
 
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To many people that try to hand file a saw chain only file the very leading edge of the tooth and the file never touches the back. Then when it comes to the shop for sharpening, that wheel will touch the entire tooth ( with the angle set correctly) which heats the tooth up more than necessary. I would rather people not touch the chain with a file as 90% never do it right.
 
Take lighter cuts then with the grinder.
All I do is work on grinding equipment! And 95% of them are putting a sharp edge on something to cut wood! As I work for Simonds International! One of the oldest saw companies in the US. And the Division I work in only makes wood cutting products! And we look at the edge with 6.5 x magnification to be sure that it is sharp and not burnt or rolled! What we sell is SHARP! Booboos are always possible here that might need some glue to stop the leak!
 
Make sure you have the right file for the chain and you are using the right angle. I've never owned a chain grinder and had excellent luck with files. When the rakers needed grinding then I would take them in. Trying to cut with a dull chain only causes frustration and excess wear on the bar. Every time you fill with fuel and oil touch up the chain. Couple of strokes on each tooth is all it takes.
 
I am the opposite - Never touch my chains with a file. Light touch with the grinder and it is good to go. Chains don't get dull that quick if you keep them in wood and out of the dirt, snow, etc.. I have a few round saw chain file but they are used for other thing, not on a saw chain.
 
Stihl 026 I bought last winter finally dulled. Looked it over with a better eye and realized that I was using wrong file(5/32) when I should have been using a 3/16. Makes a world of difference.
 
HATE to say this, but I am now buying chains that are SO cheap on Amazon, that I throw them away and replace with a new one after they get dull!
They are not the best quality, but last a decent amount of time for my use.

Amazon.com: UpStart Components 6-Pack 16" Semi Chisel Saw Chain for STIHL MS 362 Chainsaws - (16 inch, 0.325" Pitch, 0.063" Gauge, 67 Drive Links, CSC-L67): Garden & Outdoor

Amazon.com: UpStart Components 6-Pack 16" Semi Chisel Saw Chain for STIHL MS 362 Chainsaws - (16 inch, 0.325" Pitch, 0.063" Gauge, 67 Drive Links, CSC-L67): Garden & Outdoor
www.amazon.com

I am [almost] disgusted with myself, but I only use chainsaws sporadically, and at $6.20/chain to $8.30/chain (depending on chainsaw), I simply can't justify the time and effort in sharpening the chains anymore.
I used to file them myself, never grind them.
Once I got too lazy, I used to bring them to a local chainsaw place that charged $5 for a sharpening, but the place burnt down and was never replaced. The only other place locally charges $10 for a sharpening.
 
I use a file on my chain saws. I saw a fella using a electric sharpiner once. All I saw was sparks flying. I figured that can’t be good for the blades.
Any way. Used my 110 volt chain saw to cut this up yesterday. About 14” around. Saw works great.

Noel
 

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