First chainsaw!

[tps3443]

Ahhhhh. Thanks everyone! I’m learning fast!

 

[Al Smith]

Most .325 Stihl bars use .063 .FWIW you can doctor the chain up but wait until you gain more knowledge .

 

[Al Smith]

Since I mentioned it I had to doctor a chain today.It was an 024 Stihl with the teeth almost gone from the chain .I opened way up on the gullet and hooked it hard .pot licker cut good then .The little 024 isn't a bad saw but it's only 42 cc's ,needs all the help it can get .If you hook them they cut like crazy but if you hit the dirt ,like cutting on the ground the sharp goes out on them in about one hit. BTW I have another chain coming .Stihl rs chisel .325 .063 .It took me about 3 or 4 years to wear this one out .Damned good chain .

 

[hacskaroly]

Most .325 Stihl bars use .063

Stihl has recently moved to shipping new saws with .325 .050 bars and chains. Best to double check what you have before going and buying new chains or swapping out from other saws.

Can I run a 0.325/0.50 chain on my current 20” bar?

If you run a smaller gauge chain in a larger gauge bar you run a greater risk of the chain hopping out, plus damaging the bar and chain. Might not be as big of a problem if you are running an .057 chain in an .063 bar, but the .050 in .063 is risky.

 

[Al Smith]

Typo ? Normally it's .058----However I did err assuming the 024 was .050 instead of .063 then wondered by it didn't cut worth a hoot . I discovered my mistake and replaced it with the correct chain which was 67 drive lengths and removed one driver and used that chain chain on a Partner 5000 plus .Which BTW is or was one of the fastest 3 cuber ever made and it's 40 plus years old .

 

[Al Smith]

Let me add another thing .On the little 024 Stihl which is only 42 cc I had the bright idea to try an 8 tooth rim which was one tooth too many .Not a good idea .After I doctored the chain and replaced the rim with a 7 tooth it really woke that thing up .But again you'll never know if you never try .You have to know the saw because some are revers ,like the little Stihl and some are torquers like the old Partner .

 

[tps3443]

Stihl has recently moved to shipping new saws with .325 .050 bars and chains. Best to double check what you have before going and buying new chains or swapping out from other saws.

Mine is new but still has the 0.63 chain. It was manufactured 11/2023, been chilling on the shelf in the dealer for a bit I suppose. I do think they push the Mtronic model a little more as well it seems, their Mtronic shelf model was like just built. Anyways, I pulled my exhaust today. I notice oil/gas mix leaking pretty good around the head coooing fins, and dropping under the exhaust, it’s all oil coming from where the exhaust mounts to the head. I went ahead and cleaned all that up, and sealed it with just a tiny layer of Permatex Copper 81878 in between the metal shim gasket from the factory. It should be sealed now. I went really super thin with it so it doesn’t squeeze out and potentially narrow the exhaust port. I mounted the top exhaust bolts first, then the bottom ones, then rechecked the all bolts. Cylinder looks amazing of course. Saw has only ran a few tanks in Motomix for now.

I have been more or less fondling/playing with the saw like a new toy.

 

[Al Smith]

Flog that thing like a rented mule .

 

[tps3443]

I was able to do some serious cutting today with the saw!

Lightning hit my neighbors tree in their front yard a last week. And split it completely in half. This was a very big maple tree I believe. Anyways, it was about 60ft tall. And it split in half and part of it was just hanging off and laying in the ground. After seeing it like this for about a week, I went over there and offered to cut it up for them.

I bucked while standing using the Stihl 261 and 20” bar, I worked my way from narrows end to the thick end. I got my blade pinched about 3 times, one time it was tough, really had my saw locked in lol. (Lack of experience on my behalf) then I began doing under cuts where the branches were leaning down with tension, this helped so much with the blade pinching. I did not hit the dirt one time, and cut everything up to a manageable size where it could be loaded and their trailer dumped in a pile and burned.

Now, I got to say it. I’m not use to working with a saw and limbing and bucking trees. And there were times I felt like I was gonna die . This is some serious work, so my hats off to all you tree guys!

I ran the saw hard. It took me about 2.5 tanks to finish this. Also, bar oil goes very fast!! I had the oil turned up all the way. I intentionally left the oiler down low to start, so I could find/see the need for more oil my self, and dial it up accordingly. So after about 15 minutes of cutting I had it turned all the way up.

I had my chain tension up on me once, I think this happen from not lifting up on the bar when I tightened it originally to the power head. So I quickly saw this after I began cutting, I loosened the chain. I like the chain with no slack on the bar, but kinda loose as well. (Not crazy loose)

Just wanted to share my experience. The saw ran great! It was some serious work cutting all of this up. I felt kinda dumb pinching my chain three times in a row, but I learned how to not do that anymore.

 

[Al Smith]

I'll just say nobody starts up right out of the chute to be Paul Bunyan .What everybody will do eventually .hit the dirt,pinch a saw and put a chain on backwards and oil the gas tank .Some will deny it though. I've went so far as to stick two saws in the same tree .Chit happens .

 

[tps3443]

Chain is still super sharp! I’m surprised it still has a decent edge on it. I had no idea chains get packed in sap like this.

Everything cleaned back up great though. Sealing the factory exhaust leak makes cleanup much easier though. Not sure how many of these saws have an exhaust leak from the factory, but mine did, but those exhaust fumes are oily and that oil will go everywhere around the cylinder head and it becomes a 1” layer of cake in the future from dirt and saw dust LOL. Mine is 100% sealed up now, no dirt or gunk around the exhaust, or under the exhaust.

 

[jcarlberg]

Hey everyone! New member here. I have been lurking for some weeks now. I finally bought some land and a new modular house, so me and my wife needed a chain saw. We are still a ways out from getting moved in, as our house isn’t even built yet lol.

Anyways, I did a lot of re-search on these saws. I went with a Stihl 261 (20” Bar) “Non-Mtronic” model. I knew I wanted a Stihl 261 FOR SURE at a minimum. I was considering a 362 or possibly 400. But that price got me

I walked in to my local Stihl store today”John Deere dealer”, and was literally spending like 15 minutes just debating if I wanted Mtronic or no Mtronic, I’d already debated this enough at home on the internet. I was getting excited with the idea of tuning my own saw! Like I did so many Nitro RC cars in my childhood. I was also thinking like, 10-20 years down the road. What if something stops working electrically, if I can opt without that possibility, I might go that route instead. But I love the idea of Mtronic too! I guess the best move is buying both? I don’t know. Anyways, I got this one for now. Sorry for the rambling everyone. I hope I made the right choice. I was worried about Mtronic letting me down, and also wanting a saw I can count on 100% of the time without problems. Plus, these things are crazy expensive. I’m just a regular guy, never owned/used a chainsaw before. This research of wanting something good and solid led me to all of you enthusiast on here lol.

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Congrats on the new place & new saw! You will love your 261. Sharpen frequently; flip your bar every couple of sharpenings. Saw should last you for decades if cared for properly!

 

[jcarlberg]

I'll just say nobody starts up right out of the chute to be Paul Bunyan .What everybody will do eventually .hit the dirt,pinch a saw and put a chain on backwards and oil the gas tank .Some will deny it though. I've went so far as to stick two saws in the same tree .Chit happens .

Didn't take me long to learn that patience really is a virtue. Truer words never spoken than when running a chainsaw. Hitting the dirt costs you time sharpening. Trying to power through when you can feel the tree giving and getting stuck rather than taking the extra (literally!) 10 seconds to do the proper cut costs you time (and maybe money) with a pinched bar. I am not a patient guy by nature but running saws has made me learn the importance of it!

 

[hacskaroly]

Didn't take me long to learn that patience really is a virtue. Truer words never spoken than when running a chainsaw. Hitting the dirt costs you time sharpening. Trying to power through when you can feel the tree giving and getting stuck rather than taking the extra (literally!) 10 seconds to do the proper cut costs you time (and maybe money) with a pinched bar. I am not a patient guy by nature but running saws has made me learn the importance of it!

It is definitely a learning process...lots of experience and wisdom in these forums! There are lots of areas here where you can learn from other people's mistakes and people can learn from yours too! Happened to me the other day, I saw that the chain on my saw was getting loose while cutting, I should have stopped and tightened it...but no, didn't and the chain hopped off. I spent a short bit after that filing down several drivers that got boogered and would not fit in the bar. 30 seconds to stop and tighten would have saved me 30 minutes of working on the saw!

 

[tps3443]

The next thing I am really worried about is avoiding injuring my self. I’ve been researching kick back, and that’s pretty crazy stuff that I feel uneducated in. Im going to buy some PPE next.

 

[hacskaroly]

Im going to buy some PPE next.

Injuries don't just happen during kickback. Don't skimp on chaps, $100 - $150 is a whole lot cheaper than an ambulance ride and hospital bill. I use a hard hat with attached face shield (plastic mesh) and ear muffs, safety glasses, gloves, and chaps. I like to protect what I have left and I really don't want to go to the hospital if I can help it.

I had a customer who came in to buy a pair of chaps...after he had already cut his leg 6 times by leaning his saw against his leg with the chain still running. I was thinking if the first time wasn't a clue enough.....

 

[Sloughfoot]

Chain is still super sharp! I’m surprised it still has a decent edge on it. I had no idea chains get packed in sap like this.

Everything cleaned back up great though. Sealing the factory exhaust leak makes cleanup much easier though. Not sure how many of these saws have an exhaust leak from the factory, but mine did, but those exhaust fumes are oily and that oil will go everywhere around the cylinder head and it becomes a 1” layer of cake in the future from dirt and saw dust LOL. Mine is 100% sealed up now, no dirt or gunk around the exhaust, or under the exhaust. View attachment 427455View attachment 427456View attachment 427452View attachment 427453View attachment 427454

That's cleaner than a duck fart. You run it through the dishwasher?

 

[tps3443]

Injuries don't just happen during kickback. Don't skimp on chaps, $100 - $150 is a whole lot cheaper than an ambulance ride and hospital bill. I use a hard hat with attached face shield (plastic mesh) and ear muffs, safety glasses, gloves, and chaps. I like to protect what I have left and I really don't want to go to the hospital if I can help it.

I had a customer who came in to buy a pair of chaps...after he had already cut his leg 6 times by leaning his saw against his leg with the chain still running. I was thinking if the first time wasn't a clue enough.....

These kick back videos have worried me. Now I’m looking back at this tree I cut up feeling very blessed. So I am ordering some gear. I’m about to start cutting a lot once I start clearing my lot.

That's cleaner than a duck fart. You run it through the dishwasher?

It was absolutely filthy. But I keep my stuff super clean and I’m just OCD like that. One of the biggest helps was sealing the factory exhaust leak. If I would have ran it in some wood with that leak, there would be saw dust caked everywhere in places we can’t reach without taking the saw apart. I just used a tooth brush, a paint brush, and some waterless car wash spray. Also, If you look at most peoples dirty saws, they have a gunk under the muffler and around the cylinder head, this tells me they all leak exhaust I think. And that oil is a dirt magnet. We’re already slinging bar oil everywhere, no need for two oil sources lol.

 

[tps3443]

Already planning for my next saw everyone lol. Let’s go all the way for an 881!

I’m kidding lol. Maybe a 462/661.

 

[Loony661]

These kick back videos have worried me. Now I’m looking back at this tree I cut up feeling very blessed. So I am ordering some gear. I’m about to start cutting a lot once I start clearing my lot.

The shorter the bar, the more violent the kickback. It takes time behind a saw to train your muscles for it, but never let your guard down.