rxe

How have you tuned it? Before suspecting anything else, suspect the carb settings as these are generally mullered on every ebay saw. I haven't got the specs for an 038, but I'd suggest 2800 rpm idle and 12,000 wide open as a good starting point. Which side did the piston score on: exhaust or inlet? Exhaust side indicates lean condition, inlet would suggest ingestion of crud. My suggestion: - strip and rebuild the carb with a new pump and gaskets - check that the fuel line is intact, no holes, and the filter is unblocked. - check that the impulse is intact, no holes. - Set the carb up with a tach, if it doesn't respond properly, then suspect air leaks. Is is actually running properly? Sharp chain? 3 hours for one log seems....excessive. I think I'd have a 24" log in matchsticks after 3 hours cutting. To answer the specifics: 1) When the saw is sat on the floor for a while there is oil coming underneath from somewhere. Is this likely the chain oil tank/pump? Yes. Get some newspaper to leave under it, that's what everyone else does. 2) If the crank seals have gone how can i test this without specialist equipment? You can't. You'll need a carb adapter (not very expensive), a bung for the exhaust (make one) and a way of getting pressure and vacuum in - you can make all this, but it gets expensive. Pressure and vac test - best done at the dealer. 3) I have noticed after it has been running and i remove the fuel cap there is a pressure release. It feels like the tank is creating a vacuum, is this normal? No. Check the air vent in the tank. Looking the IPL, it seems to be a "bolt in a bit of tube job". Does it start after equalising the pressure in the tank? 4) Could a carb kit fix lean running? It could if the pump membrane is damaged or stiff, or the carb is full of crud. 5) Could it be the ignition coil? Unlikely if the saw has been running well, though they are the work of the devil and do sometime cut out when hot. Suspect the carb first though.

The best indicator of an air leak is a very fast idle. Have you needed to bring the idle speed down? Where is the impulse hose in an 028? (I've never worked on one....) is it clear? Is something odd (movement related) going on in the throttle linkage?

Most "knackered" two strokes will have a worn or scuffed piston. Some may have bore damage. A few might have tired bearings, and a tiny fraction will have mullered cases or similar. I think the design life of a Stihl "pro" saw is 2500 operational hours - most have done nothing like this before the piston expires because of bad fuel, bad filtration or bad tuning. So there is a very high chance that all you need is a piston and rings. A decent aftermarket (Episan and Meteor come to mind) is a good choice - there is a guy in Greece on eBay who sells these, and I've used him with no problem. He also sells Caber rings, which are top notch. You could get the average worn saw back on the road for about £40 if all it needs is a piston. What is the saw and what are the symptoms? Take the exhaust off and look at the condition of the piston - this will tell you a lot. How is the compression? Simple test: pick the saw up by the starter. If it doesn't turn over, compression is OK. If the starter pulls out and the saw stays on the ground...it is toast.

Remember that files wear out. It took me a while to realise this - but after about 10 or so sharpenings of a 20" bar, the file is toast. Grinders are good for getting everything back in line, and also for when the chain is really trashed. If you hit a stone, you'll be filing for a loooong time to get it sharp again.

Stick a sheet of paper between the coil and the flywheel. Turn so the magnets are pulling the coil close, loosen the coil bolts, then re-tighten. Remove paper. This is close enough to the right setting. And - the coil is made up of a laminated core. Are these rusty and starting to split apart? If the metal part of the coil is corroded, it will weaken the spark.

Well, if you need a shorter bar anyway, the only additional expense will be the sprocket rim - just swap the .404 7 pin on the 880 as standard for an 8 pin 3/8 and you're good to go. It would cost about £5 more. 880s come as standard with rim sprockets, and all you do is take the e-clip off and pull out the clutch drum, swap rims, grease the bearing and cut wood! 7 or a 8 depends on wood and bar length. An 880 will cut 24" planks of Oak with an 8 pin , no problem. >24", I'd go back to 7 pin.

How big are the beams you're going to cut? You probably won't need/want a 48" bar for milling and ripping chain is spendy. I'd get a 3/8 bar for the 880 (Cannon do them) in a suitable length (29" does pretty much everything I need). 3/8 is quicker - smaller kerf. Granberg ripping chain is extortionate, "woodland pro" as sold in the US works well and is a lot cheaper. Remember you need to touch up the chain every 2 or 3 runs depending on the wood. You really don't want a massively oversized bar when milling.

Someone at Timberwolf needs to seriously look at containment issues, the casing clearly isn't sufficient to handle a big failure. This just emphasises why they stick "wear face protection" stickers all over them - even when you're not actually chipping, they can throw chunks. A face shield probably wouldn't stop it, but it might deflect it enough...

An oil thread! I use the Sthil red stuff because: - I can get it pretty much everywhere (no need to make decisions and worry about oil) - It works. Haven't blown anything up, apart from stuff that was obviously my fault - It isn't expensive On the lifespan - in the US where there is loads of alcohol in the petrol, lifespan is a few weeks at best, it just absorbs water. Over here, much longer. Yes I drain stuff at the end of the year if I'm putting it away, but while I'm using machinery, I really don't worry about it.

It was probably put away full of fuel, and the carb is completely gummed up. Unless they have had the carb out and proven it to be corroded, it probably just needs a clean. Three things go wrong with these saws: - Carb gumming up - Reed breaking after very extended use (discount if it has hardly been used). - Choke failing to seal and thus being impossible to start. Take the top plate off (plastic, single screw) and you'll see the mouth of the carb in the filter. Throw a teaspoon of mix into the throat and see if she goes. This may be enough to knock the carb into life, if not, a few quid on a carb kit would be worthwhile. They're nice little saws and tough as old boots. Mine was given to my dad second hand, and is now mine - must be about 35 years old and works fine. I know nothing about carving, so can't comment!

+1 on the grease between filter and back plate. I noticed some dust getting through on my 460, and gave it a layer of high temp bearing grease all over the mating surface. Problem solved.

The choke should come off as soon as it coughs. Don't try and get it running on the choke, it will never do that. One cough, take the choke off, 2 more pulls at "fast idle" and it should be running. If it takes more than 5 pulls to get going, take it back, there is something badly wrong. Mine has been sitting in the garage for a month, and I'd be upset if it didn't start in less than 5 pulls.

I am the same guy. PM me an email address if you want it....!

If anyone has lost an 880 with a big (approx 4 ft) bar please let me know - even better if you have a serial number. I was offered one by someone who is currently being "questioned" - I can put you in touch with relevant officers.... There can't be many 880s out there with 4ft bars. Berks/SE probably.

I've got an 07S as a firewood saw, the 08 was similar, and I've used one a few times. All the points above about "heavy" and "vibration" are true, and I'd add the noise - we've got used to modern saws which are pretty quiet, the old saws are unbelievably loud. As a nice old piece of kit for a bit of firewood cutting it is great, but I certainly wouldn't want to do a day's work with it. An MS 460 is about half the weight and cuts twice as fast! On the positive side, burglars can't be bothered to take them, so in my recent break in, they left the 07S. Couldn't lift it probably.... If you want an old saw to sit on the shelf and look nice (and give you a workout at the weekend), then £100 is OK for one in top condition. Ratty ones go for £50 or so.

Like an idiot, I haven't noted the serial numbers. The dealer that sold me the 880 and HS81 is still in business and might have recorded them - the others were bought from a dealer long since gone. Yes, before you ask, I've spent a frantic weekend noting down the serial numbers of every bit of kit that I have left!

I've used a 3ft Alaskan with a number of saws, some thoughts. 1)There's no substitute for saw size - the bigger the better. Weight is not an issue - you aren't lugging the saw around, and while you are milling, the saw is fully supported. That said, lifting the mill and a heavy saw into position is something of a challenge! 2) My favourite milling saws are old Stihl 070s. You can get them for reasonable money, and at 105cc they are slow running torque monsters. With an 8 pin sprocket, they will run a 28" bar through Oak very nicely. These are a much cheaper way of getting into it than dropping close to a grand on an 880. The only down side of the old saws is that the chain adjuster is forward facing, and you need to loosen the mill mounts to get access. 3) I'd ditch the .404 chain and get 3/8". You can get Stihl large mount bars in 3/8 from Cannon and probably others. It makes a huge difference. I've heard of people running .325 on large saws, but that just frightens me! Stretch is a problem for the first run or two, then it settles down. 4) Milling chain is also vital - I've used Granberg (expensive) and Woodsman Pro (Oregon?) (cheap) and I can't see the difference. A quick touch with a file after every two runs is all it needs. Whatever you do...enjoy it...

Not a great first post, but here goes. Last week a bunch of scrotes broke into my garage and cleaned out quite a lot of the decent stuff. I'll list it below, just in case anyone is offered it. If anyone is living in the SL6 area - be warned, there is an absolute crimewave going on. Loads of people have been done, all after garden machinery, horse trailers and the like. So, what did I lose: Stihl MS880, 25" bar - very good condition, light use only. Nothing to really identify it, apart from the fact that 880s are pretty rare. Stihl 046, 18" bar - good used condition. It was running an 8 pin sprocket, which is non standard Stihl 024, 15" bar - good used Stihl HS81R-30 hedgecutter - good used Stihl TS400 cutoff saw - well used, pretty scratched up And most annoyingly, my milling 070 AV. Not a great looker, but totally rebuilt by me. It had a 3/8" Cannon Superbar at 28" long, which should make it pretty unique in the UK (getting a 3/8 bar in Stihl "large" mount was hard...). It was also set up with milling chain, which combined with the lack of a chain brake, may make it rather a challenge for the unsuspecting idiot they sell it to. I've attached a pic from the last milling expedition. I'm keeping an eye on ebay (the 070 and 880 will be pretty obvious), can anyone think where else I should be looking? I'm not so upset about the modern stuff: insurance + cash will fix that. The 070 really makes me mad - mainly because they'll probably chuck it it out as unsaleable. Off topic, they also got a 5kW generator and 2" trash pump, both of which were very new. Thanks for looking, and lock your stuff down.... rxe