dthieme
Well-Known OPE Member
Hey guys, another long post coming. I appreciate all the advice from everyone on my first post with the Echo CS-801p. I’ve decided to hold off on that saw for now while I’m waiting to hear back about a bigger carburetor. In the meantime, I’m hoping to learn more about porting by dabbling with some of my old saws.
I initially considered tackling the 371xp and 394xp’s that were gifted to me, but decided to hold off on those as well and start with one that has more personal value - a Stihl 056AV - my first “big saw”. The “Ole 56”, as I called her, was gifted to me after my dad retired her from firewood duty for being too unwieldy. Before then, I was mostly running a Stihl 261 that I got in 2010 as a junior in high school. I ran that heavy cinder block for 2 years during my winter breaks of college when my cousin and I would give our best attempt at logging. As fate would have it though, the saw fell victim to a bad ignition and ended up stuffed away in the back of my parents’ garage. Fast forward 10 years and I just bought my first house, and my first child is on the way. My parents have been cleaning out my “old junk” and the Ole 56 was one of the first items to be evicted. Besides the fact that I just picked it up from my parents’ this weekend, I wanted to start my porting journey with this saw simply because I have two additional parts saws to go with it.
My plan is to first try fixing the ignition and see if I can get it running. I did check the compression last night and for what it’s worth, it was around 152 psi. Through the bore scope, the cylinder looks to be in excellent shape. Not sure what condition the crank seals are in, but the bearings are buttery smooth. Assuming I can get it running, I’ll tear it back down and check the timing and squish on it. I don’t have any illusions of making it a regular use saw, but I also can’t stomach seeing it get junked so I figured it’s a good candidate for practice. The goal is a play saw for occasional firewood use that I might bring out for local vintage chainsaw competitions. If anyone has experience with this particular model or other Stihls of that vintage (045, 045S, etc.) I’d love to hear what you’ve done.
Also, beyond porting suggestions for this saw, does anyone have general suggestions for specific porting tools, learning resources, or other general two-stroke/maintenance tools for a hobbyist starting out? I was already recommended the angled handpiece from lucky dog so I’ll be looking into that. I’ve also seen a few nods to Scott Kunz videos on youtube so I’ll check him out. Are there any other measuring, marking, or machining tools that make life easier? How about leak-down testers, tachometers, seal drivers/pullers etc. As far as mandrels have you guys been machining your own? Is aluminum best or would nylon or a harder acetal plastic work? I don’t intend to make this a full-time job so I’m certainly not trying to go over the top spending money, but I would like to have the tools I need to succeed and enjoy the work. I have always been a saw fanatic and this is just another avenue for me to learn and grow in my obsession.
Lastly, on a side note, I did take a leap of faith recently and ordered a ported saw from a local guy I ran across on the forum by the name of @Stump Shot . I figured with never having run a modded saw, it would be best to start by running one built by someone who knows what they’re doing. Steve has been great to work with so far. He is excellent at communicating and seems to be very knowledgeable. Very excited to get that saw in my hands!
I initially considered tackling the 371xp and 394xp’s that were gifted to me, but decided to hold off on those as well and start with one that has more personal value - a Stihl 056AV - my first “big saw”. The “Ole 56”, as I called her, was gifted to me after my dad retired her from firewood duty for being too unwieldy. Before then, I was mostly running a Stihl 261 that I got in 2010 as a junior in high school. I ran that heavy cinder block for 2 years during my winter breaks of college when my cousin and I would give our best attempt at logging. As fate would have it though, the saw fell victim to a bad ignition and ended up stuffed away in the back of my parents’ garage. Fast forward 10 years and I just bought my first house, and my first child is on the way. My parents have been cleaning out my “old junk” and the Ole 56 was one of the first items to be evicted. Besides the fact that I just picked it up from my parents’ this weekend, I wanted to start my porting journey with this saw simply because I have two additional parts saws to go with it.
My plan is to first try fixing the ignition and see if I can get it running. I did check the compression last night and for what it’s worth, it was around 152 psi. Through the bore scope, the cylinder looks to be in excellent shape. Not sure what condition the crank seals are in, but the bearings are buttery smooth. Assuming I can get it running, I’ll tear it back down and check the timing and squish on it. I don’t have any illusions of making it a regular use saw, but I also can’t stomach seeing it get junked so I figured it’s a good candidate for practice. The goal is a play saw for occasional firewood use that I might bring out for local vintage chainsaw competitions. If anyone has experience with this particular model or other Stihls of that vintage (045, 045S, etc.) I’d love to hear what you’ve done.
Also, beyond porting suggestions for this saw, does anyone have general suggestions for specific porting tools, learning resources, or other general two-stroke/maintenance tools for a hobbyist starting out? I was already recommended the angled handpiece from lucky dog so I’ll be looking into that. I’ve also seen a few nods to Scott Kunz videos on youtube so I’ll check him out. Are there any other measuring, marking, or machining tools that make life easier? How about leak-down testers, tachometers, seal drivers/pullers etc. As far as mandrels have you guys been machining your own? Is aluminum best or would nylon or a harder acetal plastic work? I don’t intend to make this a full-time job so I’m certainly not trying to go over the top spending money, but I would like to have the tools I need to succeed and enjoy the work. I have always been a saw fanatic and this is just another avenue for me to learn and grow in my obsession.
Lastly, on a side note, I did take a leap of faith recently and ordered a ported saw from a local guy I ran across on the forum by the name of @Stump Shot . I figured with never having run a modded saw, it would be best to start by running one built by someone who knows what they’re doing. Steve has been great to work with so far. He is excellent at communicating and seems to be very knowledgeable. Very excited to get that saw in my hands!
