lowerforest

Swampster - good to hear it works for you, and over an extended period of use. Which brand of veggie is your preferred choice? I've got both Tesco and Sainsbury's on the doorstep!

treemeup - I should have added that he also mentioned the (extra) requirement to check the oil level frequently at first, to ensure you can work out how much work/fuel you can do before the oil will need replenishing. The saws he/others were using were Stihl MS260's, and they certainly did throw the veggie oil around in comparison with the semi-synth stuff in my own saw (smelt like working next door to a chip shop!). Unfortunately, the saws were never working prolonged enough to see what would run out first - oil or fuel. The reasons cited for turning up the oilflow was that, with veggie, the chains/bars would not be as efficiently lubricated if the flow was left as standard set, and the oil was cheap enough to do this with anyway. The fact (as you pointed out) that the oil tank will empty quicker with increased oilflow is what is making me wonder whether it is more economical to use veggie oil. I'm reluctant to change unless I can get it confirmed that any saw's oil setting does not need any alteration if working OK with semi-synth/mineral oils beforehand.

hmm, I can't see how turning the oilflow down would be beneficial if the oil is less likely to stick to the chain. My advice came from an NPTC chainsaw course instructor - is he incorrect, then?

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?

for the 560xp/autotune saw users - does the owner's handbook offer advice about self-servicing, or does it advise a 'take it to your nearest Husky dealer' standard phraseology? I must admit I've tended to select my saws based on 1) recommendations from other (long-term) users and 2) making sure that it's not so technologically advanced that I'd feel daunted by the thought of taking it apart for a bit of home-TLC !

I've been advised that if I'm going to put veggie oil through my saws, then I need to turn the oilflow rate up to max, as the sawchain will throw much of the stuff out into the wild blue yonder, due to reduced viscosity. Assuming the veggie-users on here increase oilflow on their saws, does veggie still work out as a more-economical buy?

Stubby - I'm sure you'll get your chance! all this techno advance stuff (autotune etc) - is that a good thing? Sounds a bit like the advances with cars - they're so full of techno-gubbins nowadays, the era of home servicing has well and truly gone. Same fate for chainsaws, perhaps?

Here's a quick question - how many of you bother to undertake a bit of home maintenance on your saws? Not just the 'end of day' clean-up and sharpen, but a little more like the owners manuals sometimes suggest - regularly take sideplates/covers off, grease points, attend to service items - plug/sprocket/clutch/bearing/AV/filters check or replace, a bit of compressed air to get to those awkward bits you can't reach with a brush etc etc. I'm no expert mechanic, but I've tried to adhere to a routine (time permitting) and get my saws onto the bench for a bit of regular home TLC. If nothing else, they always look nice and clean when I take them back to work! And I'm pleased to say that its a rare thing for one to break down. What do others think/do? - worth the effort, or just leave things as they are (if it ain't broke, don't fix it) and wait for something to blow?

'How much are the small red sacks of seasoned logs normally sold for?' West London - £5 - £6.99 'Are the ones sold at petrol stations over priced for their quality?' Only if purchasers know what a 'quality' log should be like (dry, seasoned, good wood choice) - most punters just see/want a bag of wood which will (hopefully) burn.

that's good - grounds allowing plastic are getting rarer now. I bought a load of plastic a while back, and didn't get around to using them up before the ground I went to changed to fibre only. have sort of given it up now, and changed to rifle/volunteer pest control work as my gunsport of choice.

seems a fair price - does the clay shooting ground allow the use of plastic wads?

Hamadryad said "Cant believe this video has only been viewed 808 times!" just had a look at the link, then did a little more searching for vids re pollards, veterans, UK ancient trees - there are a few to be found (inc some with Ted G) but I was surprised by how few 'hits' many of the vids had recorded. Maybe tree-talk just doesn't make for popular viewing or interest, except for die-hard tree fanatics. However, it was nice to see a few 'old friends' in a few of the vids - both trees and people - and Ted's enthusiasm never wanes from one year to the next! Thanks for the link.

don't trust banks - never have. Would happily manage my money without one if it were possible. And as for internet banking - even worse than the shambolic farce-to-face High Street apologies I/we have to put up with. When it goes wrong, you're on your own - you try finding somebody to talk to that 1) knows what you're talking about; 2) doesn't automatically make you feel that YOU are the cause of the problem, and 3) isn't talking to you on a premium-rate phone number.

re the chain oil - i've found putting biodegradable oil through my Stihls results in the mouthwatering scent of a manky old backstreet chippy deep fat fryer when the oil spray hits the muffler! Also, with bio oil it was recommended to turn up the oil flow to compensate for the lack of viscosity/increased oil throw ahh, I love Tonna !

thanks for your comments, Spud - more for me to think about! I think I'll recommend the 254/262/266 - we've had them a loooooong time now, and they've been very faithful and reliable servants. I'll certainly be on the lookout for another good 2nd-hand one (a bit too early to comment on the 460, methinks!)

hi Spud - thanks for the reply. Looking at the list, including the saws mentioned by Sam and WoodEd, the 346/357 seem to be up front as a good choice. My mate and I do all our groundwork, or logging/crosscutting with 254, 262, 266, MS230, 024AV and a recent addition of an MS460. I don't have the luxury of being able to afford brand new saws, so any advice as to a good robust (secondhand) model to look out for is always welcome. Up to now, I've also been fortunate never to have had a saw self-destruct whilst in use, and it has been remarked to me (more than once!) that I don't work my saws to their max - maybe that's why they are still running without any major failures?? Do you reckon that running them almost flat out, as often advised (or tweaking them to extract even more performance) is likely to decrease their usable working life - a bit like the old 2-stroke 70s motorcycles I was discussing recently with Blazer? Or is using/running them on the 'gentler' side likely to have an adverse effect, too? (the decision to buy the 460 was taken after reading all the 460-related threads on here, BTW. It's going great guns, too - so thanks folks!)

I've only been reading these forums for a short while, but it appears that Spud is 'the man' people ask/go to on here when it comes to chainsaw repair/maintenance. So, (if he doesn't mind my asking!) my question for Spud is: Irrespective of their specific purpose (lopping, felling etc) which particular chainsaws, (new models or older ones) in your personal opinion, would you consider to be the most reliable and 'unbreakable' (ie - ones that are regularly used but not abused, with some home maintenance thrown in, un-modded etc) and would be on your 'best-buy' list? I ask purely out of interest, as I am surprised at just how many models are mentioned within the Chainsaws forum, leading me to think that very few models are without some kind of inherent fault! anybody else want to recommend their favourites?

"You would have thought with modern tech spending £500 should buy u the bees knees." very true, but even 2nd hand, the 460s are winging their way to new owners for close to this amount (or more in some cases), and then there's the inevitable 'must buy a service kit and spares' scenario to add on. Unless its a genuine bargain, and/or you know something of the history of the saw's usage, its a bit of a lottery to go out and buy 2nd hand - unfortunately, we're not all blessed with such in-depth knowledge on the subject as Spudulike or Blazer!

oops - sorry, skyhuck!

so, gensetsteve - what did you end up buying? (very pleased with my 460, btw - its the dog's sphericals!)

.....

"By the way I started to tune bikes since say 1965 - sort of picked up a bit of experience over the years" ahh, that takes me back! Bring back the RD Yamahas! Interesting stuff - its often the case that machinery sold overseas has marked differences to the same stuff sold in the UK - bikes, airguns, (chainsaws?) and the like, with increases in performance to match. Shame, really - would be nice to have a wider choice, different options (especially if you're not conversant with doing the mods yourself!) However .... think I'll stick to my bog-standard 460 for now!

"You won't like my MS460 then - I turned it into a MS460 GTi, " complete with go-faster stripes and chrome chain catcher? seriously, though, making modifications to 2-stroke engines fitted to other types of machinery (motorbikes, for example) usually ended up with a big grin factor for a blissful but brief period, followed by almost inevitable meltdown of the piston, rings, bore etc - is this not the case (or end result) with 2-stroke chainsaw mods, too?

Tom D said 'If there was a shortage of tree surgeons we would all be making more money, but there isn't. When people ring for a plumber in some areas they are so grateful to get one that they will give him the job whatever he charges. We rarely have that luxury.' How true that is! I'm sure we all have that thought at the back of our minds when we go and price up a job (don't wan't to be undercut by the local competition) so we tend to price slightly lower than maybe we should, or want to. Undercutting of estimates and prices goes on in every trade, but IMHO tree work, fencing and landscape gardening seem to be particularly prone to it, unfortunately. And potential customers seem to know this, too...

hi Gareth, and thanks for the welcome! I hope the 460's not too hungry for fuel! I've got both 20 and 25 inch bar/chain setups for it, so I might even be able to gracefully retire my dear old 254xp 18" (or at least give it some time off!) when its time to start on the smaller wood once again!