Stihl Ms 171 chains and Accessoriesa

[Baggies]

Hi,

 

I wonder if some kind person/people can help with some basic questions.

 

I have had the ms171 for a few years and only bought stihl chains and oil for it to date.(although that is questionable as though ebay).

 

I was given an electric sharpener (semi auto) but not had great success with it, so have mostly sharpened by hand, but have been finding the cutting time not great for my chains. Have sent them off to get sharpened a few times, but all in all the cost of running the saw is a little higher than I would like.

 

I use it mostly for cutting up logs for my wood burning stove as a money saver so it's very casual use. Have been searching for new chains and oil online. Just concerned about quality.

 

So here are my questions:

 

1. I have seen some brands of chain for ￡6 ( archer and Holtham eg 1, 2 Or 3 Saw Chains Select The Stihl Chainsaw Model & Bar Length | eBay) and this is much cheaper than the ￡12-￡20 for the stilh. I am not concerned if they last just as long, as let's face it, if don't figure out the chain saw sharpener, I will likely balls the chain up myself sooner anyway. My concern is about the safety of the chain. Could it break? More kickback?

 

2. Chain oil. I have been buying 1 ltr, and found now their is also 5l which is cheaper. However I have only used stihl to date. There are loads of brands out there. Can you buy any brand? Want value for money.

 

3. Reputable places to buy: anyone suggests good websites or ebay shops that you can trust?

 

4. Chain sharpening: I tend to keep 3-4 chains so happy to post them away to sharpen. If the chain cost ￡6 no point paying ￡8 to sharpen though, but what to other people do?

 

 

Final question. Do you only hand sharpen the chain on the saw? Or can you buy something to hold the chain. I tend to sharpen all at once (and change when cutting) Its a pain having to refit the chain for every sharpen.

 

Many thanks

[Stubby]

Do a basic home owner chainsaw course . That will teach you to sharpen up properly and save you in the long run . . The esiest way to get it right would be to use an oregon file plate . Every 3rd sharpen take the depth gauges down other wise you will only get dust if anything .

[Bob The Dog]

Hand sharpening is an art, and some people just can't do it very well. I use the Stihl sharpening kits which include a round file in a guide, flat file for the depth gauges and a depth gauge / groove cleaner. There are plenty of good vids on YouTube to assist with this. A cs30 (or whatever the module is now) will teach you maintenance, but that's gonna be expensive if all you're doing is cutting firewood. You will get some safety instruction too tho, so worth considering. Make sure your wood is clean prior to cutting as this will prolong the chain life. Small amounts of mud and stone will dull the chain in no time. I use Oregon chains and Oregon super saw oil and like both, tho there seems to be a big following of Rye oil on here at the mo. If you have an engineers vice, you can hold the chain by the drive links to sharpen it off the saw (I use the soft jaws too, so as not to cause any damage). As for Archer chains - I currently have one on a pole pruner, as it was cheap and wanted to see what it was like. It jumps about loads and doesn't stay sharp for long, so back to Oregon I think. I don't think they're any more likely to break than others tho. As far as reputable places to buy goes - I try to support my local dealer as much as possible, even tho he's a little more expensive. I also use http://www.chainsdirect.co.uk as they have an easy to use chain selector, and will post out the same day.

[Rob D]

On an MS171 could you just not stick to the Stihl bar oil? You could try other brands but that saw is not going to go through huge amounts of oil.

 

 

Ref chains I would get a couple of the cheaper brand chains and see how you find them.

 

 

Most pros tend to sharpen on the bar ie. do not take the chain off and replace when dull. By the time I have changed the chain on a saw I could have sharpended the chain leaving it on the bar.

 

 

Ref sharpening - there is no rights or wrongs. Keep researching and practising and you will get it in the end.

 

 

[TGB]

Rob didn't mention this fine establishment, so I will:

http://www.chainsawbars.co.uk/chains/

 

Certainly buying 5L is cheaper than 1L. Plenty of makes other than Stihl if you want a change. As said above, learn to hand sharpen on the bar, will save you time and may save you money.

 

You didn't say which bar size you have. I'm going to stick my neck on the block and say that greater than 14", will be slow going with a MS171.

[Baggies]

Do a basic home owner chainsaw course . That will teach you to sharpen up properly and save you in the long run . . The esiest way to get it right would be to use an oregon file plate . Every 3rd sharpen take the depth gauges down other wise you will only get dust if anything .

 

The course I have seen are around £300. Obviously cheap if your at risk of loosing and arm. Expensive if your cutting time is maybe 20-30 hours a year.

 

 

Have never seen a home owner course.

[Baggies]

On an MS171 could you just not stick to the Stihl bar oil? You could try other brands but that saw is not going to go through huge amounts of oil.

 

 

 

I could.. I had two issues with the saw that I was loosing oil.. One has been repaired (it was leaking from the bottom) and the other the cap when you thought it was on wasn't... Never had any issue with the petrol cap, just the oil, but several time I turned it upright to find the cap off and the oil leaking out.. I might by a new cap to see it it was the issue and the petrol was fine.

 

This has maybe given me the perception of going through oil. Generally every full petrol fill I need to fill 1/2 to 3/4 of oil.

 

I have seen the 5l of stihl for £12 to £20 and again trying to get best value for money without putting saw or me at risk.

[Baggies]

Rob didn't mention this fine establishment, so I will:

Chains

 

Certainly buying 5L is cheaper than 1L. Plenty of makes other than Stihl if you want a change. As said above, learn to hand sharpen on the bar, will save you time and may save you money.

 

You didn't say which bar size you have. I'm going to stick my neck on the block and say that greater than 14", will be slow going with a MS171.

 

I noticed his subtle link at the bottom and checked it out. My best result have been by hand. I have a stihl hand guide and depth gauge. Was getting really bad result and then I chain the file and the next one was great.

 

The bar is 14". noticed on chainsawbars there are 4 types of stih bar.what do you mean by slow going?

[Bob The Dog]

I could.. I had two issues with the saw that I was loosing oil.. One has been repaired (it was leaking from the bottom) and the other the cap when you thought it was on wasn't... Never had any issue with the petrol cap, just the oil, but several time I turned it upright to find the cap off and the oil leaking out.. I might by a new cap to see it it was the issue and the petrol was fine.

 

This has maybe given me the perception of going through oil. Generally every full petrol fill I need to fill 1/2 to 3/4 of oil.

 

I have seen the 5l of stihl for £12 to £20 and again trying to get best value for money without putting saw or me at risk.

 

You'll probably have the same type of caps that I have on the ms200t which turn, lock and then snap down. The oil filler cap on my Stihl can be awkward, and I do have to make sure it's closed properly. The saw does also leak a little from underneath too. Just one of those things I reckon. Probably the only way to overcome this is to empty the saw of oil once finished. Not so bad when using occasionally, but a PITA if using every day.

 

Generally, I would say your oil consumption is about right - or at least it's very similar to mine! A 5 litre tub will last for ages if just the occasional use, and so much cheaper to buy that way than in 1 litre containers. I generally pay about £16 for a 5 litre Oregon saw oil.

 

Re the 16" being slow going comment - this saw only has a small engine (30 ish cc's), and so if you try and use the entire length, or a good part of the bar, then the saw just won't have enough power to pull it through, making it cut slowly and strain the engine. I'd stick with 14" at the very max, and if you need to cut bigger stuff, either cut from both sides or buy a bigger saw (like a Husky of some sort!!!:😀)

[woodyguy]

It's a bit ironic but the smaller your chainsaw the more sharpening you will have to do.

So the less experienced and interested you are in chainsaws the more hands on you have to provide.

 

So look at Rob's excellent videos on his website on sharpening chains. Its pretty easy and if you're not getting better results with a guide then you're doing it wrong. Stick to Stihl chain, its good and for the price saving not worth looking elsewhere.

 

Cutting with very small chains blunts very quickly but you'll need a much bigger saw before you start using 3/8 chain which lasts better.