Chainsaw chain stopping mid-cut?

[Jotel me this]

My honest opinion let the saw break in, put full chisel chain on it, see if it’s performance better satisfies you after 5 to 10 tanks of fuel.

Are you really cutting stuff that big? Even an 18" bar can get through 36" stuff, coming from each side.

Thanks for the info. id like to cut about 2 to 3 cords per year. measuring the tree i just cut its 14" diameter. i do use the kick-back guard (i know... not manly) so that turns the 20" bar into a 16 3/4" usable cutting bar.

if i went down to a 18" im assuming it would become a 14.75" usable surface

if you think i could cut 14" diameter trees with 14.75" of bar.. then sure id be willing to buy the 18" bar

 

[Jotel me this]

Have to disagree with a lot of you. I own the exact same saw with a 20 inch bar and it cuts just fine with the stock chain. Yesterday I bucked a white oak tree the wind blew over May 2017. Used two tanks of gas then stopped because the stock chain was getting dull and reached the point where the trunk was bigger than the bar.
Today the 441 and 25 inch bar will have to come out to finish the job.

hello. seeing you have the same saw.. have you ever experienced the chain stopping for a second mid-cut, where you have to ever so slightly lift the saw to get the chain to spin again?

 

[maple1]

hello. seeing you have the same saw.. have you ever experienced the chain stopping for a second mid-cut, where you have to ever so slightly lift the saw to get the chain to spin again?

That can happen with any saw.

 

[bholler]

hello. seeing you have the same saw.. have you ever experienced the chain stopping for a second mid-cut, where you have to ever so slightly lift the saw to get the chain to spin again?

It can happen with any saw for sure. 50cc is fine just switch to 18" bar with a real chain on it

 

[TJ1]

hello. seeing you have the same saw.. have you ever experienced the chain stopping for a second mid-cut, where you have to ever so slightly lift the saw to get the chain to spin again?

Never.
I generally don't apply much pressure when cutting. I allow the sharp chain to do its job. The saw will use a tank of bar oil with every tank of gas. My 490 is stock, no air box mods, no screws adjusted.

 

[blades]

other than what has been mentioned -if the chain is over tightened on the bar that can cause difficulties. Safety chain cuts slow and most have a tendency to lean on units equipped with same. Except for specialty chains they are designed to cross cut. also note that new saws come tuned really lean to meet EPA emmission specs, as such they tend to be a bit weak when a full load is placed on them- being starved for fuel.

 

[jetsam]

I have a 30cc echo with an 18" bar on it (I think stock is 12" or 14").

Does it go slower? Yes. Can I bury it in oak and keep cutting speed? Yes, if I let the saw pick the cutting speed (which is very slow if you bury the bar).

Why do I bother? Because I don't use it that way... the long bar is for reach when limbing so I don't have to bend over so much. I have a bigger saw for bucking.

Point being that while you lose power as bar size increases, you get the benefit of reach, and you can still buck (slowly) with a saw whose bar is too long.

Remember: "Speed cuts." Keep the chain sharp and even, and keep it up to speed when it's in the cut, and you'll get through. Keeping it up to speed is a combination of having a good sharp chain, keeping the saw in its power band, and keeping the bar from getting pinched in the cut (bring your wedges/hatchet/Peavey so you can take pressure off the cut if it's pinching).

 

[Jotel me this]

thanks for all the responses. i think ill try out the 20" a little more and go from there. bucking the 14" diameter tree was difficult for me. yes i know many in here probably buck 90" beasts and haul them out under their engorged biceps.

i guess i dont really see the need to have to fell (chop...fall...fallen..?) trees bigger than 14" wide...so if i go down to the 18" bar ill be able to cut down pretty decent size trees and not be worn out while doing it.

 

[DodgyNomad]

Do check that the chain isn't too tight, and that the bar is oiling, and let the saw do the work. There could be a fair amount of improvement as the saw breaks in. Good luck.

 

[jetsam]

many in here probably buck 90" beasts and haul them out under their engorged biceps.

@tarzan chucks the 90" trees back across the river barehanded before bucking... don't feel too bad if you can barely lift them though.

 

[maple1]

thanks for all the responses. i think ill try out the 20" a little more and go from there. bucking the 14" diameter tree was difficult for me. yes i know many in here probably buck 90" beasts and haul them out under their engorged biceps.

i guess i dont really see the need to have to fell (chop...fall...fallen..?) trees bigger than 14" wide...so if i go down to the 18" bar ill be able to cut down pretty decent size trees and not be worn out while doing it.

Does your saw have felling spikes on it? If so it's pretty easy to throw more cut at the saw than you are realizing, and load it up.

 

[TJ1]

If you have not already done so stop at your local store and pick up a couple of plastic wedges and a 4 pound hammer. Sooner or later you will get the chain pinched and have a heck of a time removing it without the wedges. You might of had a slight pinch on the chain. Raising it up and cutting down again could of been enough to "fix" it for you that day.

 

[tadmaz]

I totally bound up my new MS261 when ripping/noodling some gigantic northern white cedar. We're talking 12" long strings. Even when turning the oiler up all the way, the strips would get stuck in the sprocket and also the tip of the bar wouldn't spin, had to manually oil that to get it to spin again.

 

[Zack R]

Does the chain move freely by hand when the saw is off? Are you using fresh fuel/oil mix? Have you tried on a different piece of wood to see what the results are?

Old fuel and or incorrect mixture can cause problems where the saw will run but have limited power. This happened to my MS211 when it was new and I was at my inlaws. I ran the old fuel they had onsite and eventually it just lost all power. Turns out the mix was heavy on the oil and it clogged the spark arrestor. After cleaning that out with a propane torch, draining the old fuel and replacing with fresh it was good to go.

 

[Soundchasm]

Echo 490. Brand new. Everything adjusted properly.
Ive used chainsaws in the past but not for a while so i dont remember if this is normal or not.

Im not pressing down too hard, just letting the chain do the work. Initially touching the chain (while running) to the log, the chain spins fine and cuts well.

Then randomly (a inch down or so) the chain will just stop. ill have to lift the saw up slightly and then it will start again.

again, havent used one in a while. i thought the engine is strong enough to simply blast through anything. is this a safety feature on chainsaws?

Thoughts and thanks.. ( i love this forum)

Man, you've gotten some great advice. I'll be checking out my own machines based on what I've read. Here's a new angle nobody's brought up yet.

Are you keeping the saw completely horizontal while you cut? I could see a saw stopping under those conditions. All the manuals seem to say "cut at a 45 degree angle". When I'm bucking something big (24"+), I like to start on the opposite side (of course) and cut until the saw is nearly vertical. Then pull the saw out and start again 4-5" back from the cut with the spike, and then rotate the saw back into the cut as if it were on a hinge.

Just keep repeating. That way, I'm always cutting at some kind of angle and the saw likes that A LOT better than dolefully trudging through a horizontal cut.

I reserve a horizontal cut only for the last two inches before going completely through, assuming that the log is on the ground. And of course, never touch the dirt, a rock or a nail or it's game-over.

Seriously, get yourself a hand file for your chain. But first buy a spare chain of any variety. Give filing a shot and see if the results change. If they don't, try the new chain. But you're going to need to learn how to sharpen the thing somehow, and it might as well be on your property at the end of a day before your next day of work, and not having to drive to drop off and pick up. Plus remove and reinstall.

My gold standard is to hand file after every day of hard work. Less effort, less fuel, better results, more satisfaction.

With a sharp chain and a machine that runs, I've had no problems cutting 30" oak rounds with a 40cc saw with a 16" bar, narrow kerf, all day long.

I think the LAST thing any saw wants to do is run 100% horizontal cuts.

I wondered if you were cutting Hackberry. That stuff is so darn stringy it's on my list of "This better be an emergency" before I take it. ;-) But I can't identify what you're cutting.

Best of luck. There is a solution. You will find it. It takes time.

 

[maple1]

I don't think it is really being horizontal that matters to anything. It's just that any time the saw is pivoting, it is taking less cut therefore not loading the engine as much. While pivoting, the teeth right next to the saw aren't cutting anything. Or very little. Also, I suppose, gravity will have the most downward effect on the weight of the saw, when it is horizontal. But that is easily controlled by the operator. Which it all comes back to anyway.

 

[TJ1]

[QUOTE="Soundchasm, post: 2297391, member: 18752"

With a sharp chain and a machine that runs, I've had no problems cutting 30" oak rounds with a 40cc saw with a 16" bar, narrow kerf, all day long.
[/QUOTE]

Now I feel bad. After one tank, maybe a tank and a half I need to resharpen the chain and I am only cutting rounds about 20-22 inches.

 

[Zack R]

Man, you've gotten some great advice. I'll be checking out my own machines based on what I've read. Here's a new angle nobody's brought up yet.

Are you keeping the saw completely horizontal while you cut? I could see a saw stopping under those conditions. All the manuals seem to say "cut at a 45 degree angle". When I'm bucking something big (24"+), I like to start on the opposite side (of course) and cut until the saw is nearly vertical. Then pull the saw out and start again 4-5" back from the cut with the spike, and then rotate the saw back into the cut as if it were on a hinge.

Just keep repeating. That way, I'm always cutting at some kind of angle and the saw likes that A LOT better than dolefully trudging through a horizontal cut.

I reserve a horizontal cut only for the last two inches before going completely through, assuming that the log is on the ground. And of course, never touch the dirt, a rock or a nail or it's game-over.

Seriously, get yourself a hand file for your chain. But first buy a spare chain of any variety. Give filing a shot and see if the results change. If they don't, try the new chain. But you're going to need to learn how to sharpen the thing somehow, and it might as well be on your property at the end of a day before your next day of work, and not having to drive to drop off and pick up. Plus remove and reinstall.

My gold standard is to hand file after every day of hard work. Less effort, less fuel, better results, more satisfaction.

With a sharp chain and a machine that runs, I've had no problems cutting 30" oak rounds with a 40cc saw with a 16" bar, narrow kerf, all day long.

I think the LAST thing any saw wants to do is run 100% horizontal cuts.

I wondered if you were cutting Hackberry. That stuff is so darn stringy it's on my list of "This better be an emergency" before I take it. ;-) But I can't identify what you're cutting.

Best of luck. There is a solution. You will find it. It takes time.

Some very good points however cutting at an angle doesn't change anything other than reducing the amount of material the saw is cutting at any one time. I'd wager the reason cutting at an angle works better in your situation is because the saw you are using (40cc) is smaller than ideal for the size of wood you are cutting (24"+). A more powerful saw will make that same cut horizontally without an issue.

On say a 24" log I also do as you mentioned and start on the opposite side, go nearly vertical but only into the log a little bit so that there's a nice "track" for the saw to follow. I then go horizontal for the rest of the cut using the felling dogs to pivot as I go.

 

[Soundchasm]

[QUOTE="Soundchasm, post: 2297391, member: 18752"

With a sharp chain and a machine that runs, I've had no problems cutting 30" oak rounds with a 40cc saw with a 16" bar, narrow kerf, all day long.


Now I feel bad. After one tank, maybe a tank and a half I need to resharpen the chain and I am only cutting rounds about 20-22 inches.

Well, "all day" is a bit of an exaggeration. ;-) I usually don't do more than a four hour shift if it's bucking, quartering with a wedge and then loading. That's plenty for me these days. But that little saw was simply a beast for years and years. In the photo below I might use four tanks in a day, and sharpen that evening before the next day.

This guy was 30", 75' long, and just a branch!!

 

[Zack R]

Well, "all day" is a bit of an exaggeration. ;-) I usually don't do more than a four hour shift if it's bucking, quartering with a wedge and then loading. That's plenty for me these days. But that little saw was simply a beast for years and years. In the photo below I might use four tanks in a day, and sharpen that evening before the next day.

This guy was 30", 75' long, and just a branch!!
View attachment 233166

If that's just a branch..... wow!

 

[blades]

I have bogged saws from 30cc past 80cc sometimes me sometimes what I am cutting-not counting getting pinched. I sharpen a lot of chains commercialy. Any week I likely have to straighten out out 2or 3.