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coppicer

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Everything posted by coppicer

  1. Does that involve changing the sprocket as well?
  2. Come now, it's good to see anybody from a manufacturer making an effort to contribute.
  3. Thanks for that useful confirmation Rob. Good to know. Though I will soldier on with my grinder wheel sharpener and work to get it to do what I want, it does seem that the Grandberg allows a lot more flexibility when it comes to positioning the stone to shape the tooth. Looking back I kind of wish I had bitten the bullet and bought that instead of the Clarke but we live and learn.
  4. Thanks to everybody for their helpful comments, and Wonky in particular for the pictures, which I will compare to my own chains. I will probably order a new chain and use that as a kind of example to work towards. However I'm pleased to report that late afternoon I had another go at sharpening an old chain, based on advice from earlier in the thread. I then went over to the coppice and cut up some ash I had waiting. The saw was hugely improved, just night and day, which is really pleasing. It still chugs a bit in the cut when there's lots of wood, but that's a power issue rather than a sharpness issue I think. I didn't expect to get it perfectly sharp first time, and it's not, but I will try resuscitating another one of my old chains tomorrow based on this thread. With regard to the comments about using a hand file, I can see that it's a useful skill, but I doubt that an amateur / part-timer like myself sharpens chains often enough to get to a good level of consistency. I don't expect the electric sharpener to be any quicker than doing it manually (and in some ways it's less convenient of course, because you can't do it on site) but I do expect it to be more consistent tooth-to-tooth. Like stubby said, the best way to learn is to have somebody who knows how to do it to show you. But the help received so far has given the saw a new lease of life. When I get a bigger saw I plan to bar this one down from 16" to 14" or 12" and keep using it for "dirty" jobs, so I'll still need to be keeping it sharp.
  5. Could you clarify what you mean by "obtuse" here? Does it mean "the cutting edge of the top plate is not angled sharply enough"?
  6. Some teeth here. Phone doesn't have a macro feature, so hard to take close-up shots.
  7. I'm going to take a closer look at (and take some photos of) the teeth tomorrow as per Wonky's suggestion. Having said that, it didn't seem to do it this afternoon.
  8. Wasn't aware of this - learn something every day. However, the saw seems slow relative to what it used to be, sometimes leaves scorch marks in the cut on angled cuts as well. Poor technique, maybe.
  9. Went out to the shed yesterday and had another go with the Clarke sharpener, trying a slightly different angle. That definitely made an improvement so thanks to @Stubby for suggesting that. I think previously I wasn't getting the wheel down far enough into the curve of the tooth. And perhaps just need more practice with it. One thing I noticed yesterday was that the saw cuts OK when at 90 degrees to the wood, but relatively poorly at an angle, when making the sink cut. Is this something to do with the side plates of the chain? I was looking at the Grandberg sharpener the other day, and it looks as if the cylindrical stone used would make it inherently easier to get into the curve of the tooth than the grinding wheel of the Clarke sharpener. Maybe @Rob D has some thoughts on this, as a seller? Of course, if my problem with the Clarke is just technique, there's not much point investing in another sharpener. Too many toys already ?
  10. Pity! On the AV issue, I notice that Echo states vibration of 5.2m/s2 for the 501 and Stihl claims 3.5 m/s2 for the 261, so quite a difference in the nominal figures, though whether that means much in real operation I don't know.
  11. One more question. If were to get a 261, would that mean that I would be able to use the diagnostic functions and reset functions / error codes etc. (like you can on a car with OBD) or doesn't Stihl provide easy access?
  12. Thanks for this - take it you wouldn't recommend the 241 then. Are you still liking the 501 two months after that thread? Vibes not a problem?
  13. <cough> You've watched me using the saw then?
  14. I've just been out to the shed to have another check and the rakers do seem to be okay. I gave one or two of them another few strokes using the gauge from the Stihl 5605 007 1027 filing kit for picco chains.
  15. Thanks, always nice to get a personal recommendation, but want to use my local dealer as he's been solidly supportive over the past few years.
  16. Ah, not great for servicing then. Forewarned is forearmed and all that.
  17. Just noticed that there's an MS 291 as well, but heavier by nearly 1kg and with more vibration. Is it worth it to save a hundred quid? Probably not...
  18. Yes, think I saw that one, thanks for the link. To sum up: a) If I could get a 501SX for £400 like the OP in that thread I'd certainly go for it; been quoted £550-600 b) Was interested to see that one poster claimed Stihl AV is much better than Echo c) Lots of love for 550xp
  19. Difficult to search on here for chainsaws as it doesn't pick up model numbers. Searching for "261" gives "Found 0 results".
  20. Good point. I didn't on my previous sharpen as it was a relatively new chain, but I did on my most recent sharpen a few days ago and that seemed to help yesterday. It felt better, but still didn't pull that well.
  21. Since the autumn of 2014 I have been using a Stihl MS 181 for felling small trees (up to 15" or so) and ringing up windblown firewood on my property. I'm strictly an amateur but I like working outside and I like being self-sufficient in fuel for our wood burner. This year I have been working to clear an old paddock and return it to pasture. I have been giving the saw a lot more use - not daily, but averaging a few hours a week - and it has struggled. The 16" bar is arguably too large for the saw, but that's what it came with, and I didn't know any better at the time. But beyond that, despite having the carb replaced and taking more care with chain sharpening and bar maintenance, it seems to be cutting much more slowly. (I have also replaced the bar this year and gone through a couple of chains as well. That helped, but not for long.) Yesterday was a good example. The chain was reasonably sharp and generating smallish chips rather than dust, but it wasn't pulling into the cut like I remember it doing a couple of years ago. It generates more heat, and it feels hesitant, if that's the right word. It has become a slow old process, and I was standing at the saw horse getting annoyed rather than enjoying being outside and getting things done. I have reluctantly concluded that the saw's a bit old and tired, and that I'm just asking too much of it. I want to be spending more time cutting and less time trying to make the saw work better. After six years it no longer owes me anything, so I'm looking for something new this winter when funds allow. While I'd prefer not to spend loads of money, I still have a lot of cutting to do (by my standards). I want a quality saw that will allow me to get through work more quickly, and that will cope with regular use better than the MS 181. A 50-cc class saw with a 15-16" bar looks like the right combination of weight and power. My local dealer is decent and handles Stihl and Echo. The nearest Husqvarna dealer is a bit of a hike and I don't know them, so I'd prefer to avoid a Huskie. The two main contenders are the Stihl MS 261 and the Echo 501SX. Pricing is similar, so here are the advantages and disadvantages as I see them. MS 261 Pros - People seem to like the later ones - Parts availability is good on internet through places like L&S - Local dealer MS 261 Cons - M-Tronic worries me a bit (not sure if I'm disciplined enough to always keep chain sharp, etc.) 501SX Pros - People seem to like it - Light weight is mentioned frequently - No M-Tronic / auto tune means less complexity - Local dealer - Echo seems to have reputation for easy starting (though MS 181 has been fine in that respect) 501SX Cons - Parts less widely available on the internet than those of Stihl Which of the two would you recommend? Should I consider something else - go smaller (e.g. MS 241) or even larger? (e.g. Echo 620SX) What about Makita? (Our dealer has Makita tools, and I think saws as well.) I have thought about the MS 220 with a couple of AP 300S batteries, but at close on £900 the upfront cost of the kit with charger is a bit too high - about 50% more than the MS 261. The 14" bar is also maybe a tad short. Many thanks!
  22. Have actually fettled the Landy a couple of times - quite successfully, to my surprise. If I had a place to work on it inside in the dry over the winter there's a few things I'd like to get done on it... Was passing chainsaw shop today, found myself drawn in by some weird eddy of space-time. Apparently an MS-261 would be about £590. Must... stay... strong...
  23. Thanks for this spud, will study it, but got a lot of work booked for next few days, so won't be able to look at the saw again until maybe next weekend. Which is a problem, really need to get cracking on the wood now that birds are done nesting. This is the three-month window, as once we get into November/December the ground gets too wet for the Land Rover... ?
  24. Diaphragms, needle and sundry other bits replaced. I adjusted the metering arm, which was OK but possibly a fraction low, and reseated the fuel filter so it was no longer skewed. Then I did the thing with the idle screw that you mentioned to just fractionally open the brass plate. Reassembled. The saw will fire and idle better and longer than it used to, but dies if I rev it. Further messing around with screws has achieved nothing useful, so I reset them. Back to square one-ish. I was wondering if it could be something other than the carb, but the saw seems to rev fine on initial startup - there's nothing obviously wrong with it to my ears.

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