Do I need a tach, or do I just want a new toy?

[bwalker]

A tach is very useful. Most people can't tune a saw based on sound to save their lives.
I set mine by ear, then make some cuts and tweak it until I have the most power in the cut. I then record the no load peak RPM. From that point forward I have a repeatable point I can tune to based on ambient conditions.

 

[Backstage]

There not ment for tuning. They should be strictly used only for setting your idle speed.

Unless you’re working around some kind of binding problem (Fix that!) idle speed is just between where the chain is no longer moving and where it stops being reliable sitting there. A deaf man can set idle.

 

[Cricket]

Toy. There is a lot of latitude in what IS considered a properly tuned saw. Squeezing out the final 1% won't make a bit of difference in the long or short term. It might be fun, it might impress your friends, but in wood a sharp chain makes the difference that matters.

I'm mostly trying to get it to even start - and running rough from too rich or too lean don't always sound all that far off (though the cloud of smoke may be a hint...). I tend to try to get them to spec, and then play from there - but I like to know where my starting point is.

 

[Cricket]

Unless you’re working around some kind of binding problem (Fix that!) idle speed is just between where the chain is no longer moving and where it stops being reliable sitting there. A deaf man can set idle.

Toy. There is a lot of latitude in what IS considered a properly tuned saw. Squeezing out the final 1% won't make a bit of difference in the long or short term. It might be fun, it might impress your friends, but in wood a sharp chain makes the difference that matters.

Would seem to allow for getting a baseline setting, and identifying what issues are causing it to not be there, more quickly though?

This thing has been soaking wet, and the idle screw was out like six turns (I haven't touched it since I got it back - it's apparently managing to shake loose, because it ran fine when I got it back a year or so ago, from the fix-it folks). So I'm not assuming anything about where I'm starting from.

 

[Cricket]

A tach is very useful. Most people can't tune a saw based on sound to save their lives.
I set mine by ear, then make some cuts and tweak it until I have the most power in the cut. I then record the no load peak RPM. From that point forward I have a repeatable point I can tune to based on ambient conditions.

Yeah, I can do it from a decent but not perfect run - but this thing had a bath, and the idle screw was way, way out for some reason. :>"

 

[Cricket]

There not ment for tuning. They should be strictly used only for setting your idle speed.

True - but when they're as far off as this one is, I'd like one thing that I can measure. Mix set at factory idle speed, *then* play with it.

 

[Cricket]

You might need it if you work on multiple saws ,blowers ,trimmers etc. Just for that one saw I say no. But if you can afford it whats wrong with having a useful tool added to your shop. You decide.

Eh - I can get one listed on several ratings sites (but who do they work for?) for twenty-ish bucks. And I've got several small engines to work on - three or four saws (one may be a parts saw...), the wood splitter, etc.

Also... toy...

 

[Cricket]

Thats for sure I remeber dulling out my Stihl 461. My boy was cutting circles around me with his stihl 251. Until my 461 was resharpened of course

I hear someone's voice in my head - it's been so many years I forget whose - saying "Watch your chips."

 

[Cricket]

I have stopped sharpening as much as I use to. I can go thru a chain real fast while maintaining a optimally sharp chain. Sharp enough is what I go for now. Tweaking everything else is mostly for fun.

We have folks here that carry multiple types of chains, bar lengths, different size saws, and claim to pick and choose the perfect combination for the size and type of wood they are going to cut. They are the ones that buy tachs, and jolly good for them. Just not what I do.

I mostly scrounge wood - you can get a lot of mileage from a chain if you start the day on the hard stuff, and finish up on the soft.

 

[Cricket]

say what you will about using a tach or not. i have one and have used it for several small engines. it saved me on my golf that the governer is tweeked on. i was able to get the engine to the top rpm by bending the broken linkage until i could get replacement parts. tool

This is a point. There's "working on things", and "working on things that other people have worked on and you have no clue where they left everything".

Though given that the primer bulb is starting to feel crunchy, I may just say screw it and buy one of those "carb and everything" kits. And the toy.

 

[Cricket]

You know you WANT a Tiny-Tach…

JQ

Was I that transparent?

 

[Cricket]

best use for a tach is for setting the low jet / idle , I set the high by ear. I also use it for setting gas air compressors min/max rpms and lawn mowers max rpm since they require specific settings to protect the equipment. I find i fall back on it after rebuilding or replacing carbs on saws I do not own.

Works for me. Like, more info never hurts. You can play with it when you know where you're starting from (or sending it back to its owner, you can say it's set at factory spec, and *they* can play with it).

 

[Termite52]

Toy. There is a lot of latitude in what IS considered a properly tuned saw. Squeezing out the final 1% won't make a bit of difference in the long or short term. It might be fun, it might impress your friends, but in wood a sharp chain makes the difference that matters.

 

[Termite52]

You are so right about having a good sharp chain . It makes a world of difference when you latch onto a hardwood tree .

 

[Termite52]

You are so right about having a good sharp chain . It makes a world of difference when you latch onto a hardwood tree .

 

[Canyon Angler]

I got a tach when I thought I needed it to tune my saw to proper rpm. Used it ONCE. Now I go by ear.

A tach won't (always) prevent you from burning up a saw from leaning it out, but your ear (almost always) will.

 

[Old Line State]

I got a tach when I thought I needed it to tune my saw to proper rpm. Used it ONCE. Now I go by ear.

A tach won't (always) prevent you from burning up a saw from leaning it out, but your ear (almost always) will.

What is a good tach to get and where

 

[cookies]

https://sawzillaparts.com/proline-s...-husqvarna-echo-wireless-fastest-rate-25-sec/
I purchased it knowing I will use it 5-8 times a year, this version has a high refresh rate and works the best out of all I have tried so far out of about 5 I bought then returned.

 

[KASH]

Its not a question of do you need a tach or is just a lark.I think every one who owns many different pieces of equipment should have a tach.It is neat to see the top rpms of older saws and is great for setting govenors on garden tractors generators etc etc.I think the tiny tacs are really neat but I am sick of being ripped off and refuse to buy something that I have to throw away when the battery is dead.they do not care about the enviorment just money if they gave a rats a--- all batteries would be rechargeable.So in conclusion you deserve a tach you need a tach so buy it and have fun.
Kash

 

[Cliff R]

Never owned one but probably a good tool to have around.

With or without a tach ALL tuning is done based on results, not engine RPM's. I've been at this since the 1970's and have never owned a tach and no need for one. The best tuning method is to get the saw fully warmed up and set the "L" speed screw for best idle quality erring just a tad rich so it feeds adequate fuel to prevent stumble coming off idle, then move on to the "H" speed screw and start making cuts. There are plenty of threads and videos on the subject with details, etc.

As good as some of the videos are I'll add here that the "H" speed screw can be difficult with some saws especially if there are rev-limiting and/or timing retard features built into the coil as they mimic a correct "H" speed setting causing the saw to miss-fire or "four-stroke" at high RPM's. Doesn't really matter however because you should be setting the "H" speed screw a tad rich so the saw is both four-stroking and a tad down on power plus instantly four strokes in the cut when the load is removed, then cleans up nicely when the load is applied.

At this point I start going lean with the "H" speed screw paying close attention to four stroking at no-load/load removed and cleaning right up and pulling hard in the cut. This is when some coils throw you a curve ball so you have to know when to quit leaning it up and pay closer attention to how well it pulls in the cut. With non-limited coils it's easy because when you go too far the engine simply "runs-away" and RPM's go way beyond where they should and it does not four-stroke when the load is removed.
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With all saws tuned here I ALWAYS er just a tad rich vs lean. This lowers free rev RPM's just a tad, brings in more lubricant. lowers EGT's and for sure you will NOT smoke the P/C. To date I've never had a single P/C problem with any saw that I own or have owned and they are all flawless in the cut pulling really hard but instantly four-stroke if the load is removed, then quickly clean right back up when the load is applied. That is the key to success with these things and if you are using a tach it will be more for reference at that point and provide you with base settings if nothing else if you want to sneak a little more out of it or compare to posted literature or what others are finding with the same saw..........Cliff

PS: I saw generators mentioned here someplace. I tune them with a volt meter with load applied not with a tach. This is important because a portable generator will not have the ability to "clean" up the power like the voltage coming in from the power company. WAY back when I was on board ships and EOW in the engine room we had to "clean" up the power from ship service generators manually to insure the voltage supplied to all equipment was within specs, etc. Probably not a big deal if you are just running lights and such till the power comes back on but you could be a little hard on other items that prefer a more accurate power supply......FWIW....