Regular care & maintenance

[Stu]

my saw earns me money so i make sure its tip top, do the filter with a compressor twice a week, clean everything, grease it once a week, clean spark plug once a week, bar etc

[lowerforest]

Chainsaw maintenance is a big part of the NPTC CS30. Anybody considering doing this course will learn a lot about home servicing, basic fault finding and in-the-field repairs You also get to recognise when general service parts are approaching their sell-by date, and hopefully you can replace/repair at home yourself at minimal cost. And like Spud says, keeping it in trim will make it work better for longer, and help towards keeping you safe, too - and thats got to be a good thing.

 

Does anybody actually offer a chainsaw mechanics/maintenance course that isn't part of NPTC/Lantra etc?

[blazer]

A very simple service regime should be to clean the air filter, take the clutch cover off and clean the crap out, keep the chain very sharp.

 

Things like dressing the bar less often and then CHANGE THE SPROCKET - seen some disasters in my time - a worn sprocket will put wear on the chain, the sprocket bearing, the crank bearings etc

 

The rest of it comes with time - a well honed tool will work longer and cause the operator less fatigue!

 

I'm up with Spud on this one but maybe it's being an engineer (it's hard for me not to get the spanners out) plus running bikes for years, that I get satisfaction for a well running saw or bike.

 

in general I blow the air filter/clean bar/sharpen etc every few fill ups but give the saws a 'birthday' after a big session say a few days of hard work, it comes natural to me, but my son is not into engineering so can't relate to maintenance in the same way, I guess may tree guys are the same.

[lowerforest]

Spud - if you have a saw which only gets an outing on rare occasions, and spends most of its time locked in the toolstore, what's better - draining down fuel/oil and dry storing, or getting it out once a week, start it up and let it run/rev for a while?

[spudulike]

Spud - if you have a saw which only gets an outing on rare occasions, and spends most of its time locked in the toolstore, what's better - draining down fuel/oil and dry storing, or getting it out once a week, start it up and let it run/rev for a while?

IMO I would always drain it down and always use fresh mixed fuel on each outing. Saves running the risk of seizure.

[skyhuck]

I only ever sharpen my saws, fettle the bar when I fit a new chain and occasionally knock out the air filter.

 

I never clean them.

 

They very rarely let me down and I have never not finished a job on the day due to a saw paying up.

 

I think modern saws need very little maintenance and pulling them to bits may do more harm than good.

[Stephen Blair]

If it's been a wet day then all kit is cleaned and dried for the next day, even if it's just the moisture blown off the casings.

Once a week all saws stripped and cleaned, bars filed and everything checked.

I hate untidy kit, it will bite you on the backside when you least want it too. IME

[GardenKit]

Being from the techie side of the forum I obviously feel that saws should be serviced.

 

Cleaning is particularly important, as blocked engine fins and dirty flywheels can cause overheating. Air filters must be clean and IMO the clutch needle brg should be greased.

 

I would advise against cleaning the plug, any scratches on the insulator lead to tracking of the spark.

[shanks]

Basic maintainance is a must do.

 

Apart from having a saw that runs great, if you are looking inside every few days/week you'll be more likely to spot something going wrong in its early stages, and before it ruins your day.

[TimberCutterDartmoor]

Time is the issue. With full time production cutting, saws tend to receive reactive maintenance rather than proactive.