Noodling questions

[wsg]

Was doing some noodling today with my 372xp. Noodling is kinda new to me, but just recently got some large (56") round stuff.


Is there something im missing when it starts making a lil buzzing sound other than chips loaded under the cover?

Also is there anything to help chips from clogging?

Need to turn the oiler up more for noodling?

 

[Andyshine77]

Always keep the oiler at max flow. Instead of keeping the bar parallel with the ground angle it back and forth, this will make the noodles smaller and less likely to clog.

 

[Teddy.Scout]

always keep the oiler at max flow. Instead of keeping the bar parallel with the ground angle it back and forth, this will make the noodles smaller and less likely to clog.

plus 1

 

[dingeryote]

If ya angle the cut a smidge accross grain, rather than dead nuts paralell with it, it shortens up the noodles and they don't clog as much.

Keep 3-4" between the powerhead and the round so the noodles can escape as well.

Check your recoil for an errant noodle keeping a pawl from retracting all the way.

Stay safe!
Dingeryote

 

[Oroles]

LOL
this brings out memories;
I remember once (I was still young and in Sankt Petersburg) there was a guy I had to help out with some roofing the shop.
he had in the back yard a huge piece of weird looking wood.
as it turned out, the wood was too big for it`s saw and he started cutting being dead drunk.
he crossed cut the log 16" apart cuts and then with an ax,splitter and a hammer he removed the bits, thus remaining the middle of the lokk with a weird creepy unnatural look.
In the morning his wife was woken up by it`s cursing. as he was sobering up, the knowledge of noodling came back to him and he was angry with how stupid he could be.
for 10 years we made fun of him. I had to say few words at his funeral; Guess what story have I told ???
even his suffering wife laughed.

 

[Swamp Yankee]

My technique

Let up on the saw frequently while in the noodle cut. Very short, frequent pauses allow the clutch housing to clear instead of pack solid. Not saying remove from the kerf, just a quick easing of force for a 1/2 second or so. It's a completely different touch on the saw than bucking takes some practice to acquire. I liken it to backing a tap up 1/4 turn when threading a hole

Some saw designs are prone to clogging the clutch cover and there's not much you can do for that. Keeping the rakers and the hook on the chain a bit less aggressive than when bucking will help pull a smaller noodle, but this really only makes sense if you have a big pile to get through.

Take Care

 

[Gologit]

If you're going to be doing a lot of noodling buy an old clutch cover. Cut it down to where there's just enough left to hold the bar in place and a lot of your clogging problems will stop. Will Mallof has a good picture of that in his book about chainsaw lumbermaking. Maybe some of the guys on here could post a picture of it or of something similar they've come up with.

 

[SawTroll]

Even to remove (temperarily) any rubber "chip guards" under the clutch cover can help.

The most important advice is to cut at a slight angle (up/down) though, like Andyshine said.

 

[promac850]

I've heard of the bar nut/washer trick, but it only works on saws with the bar adjustment screw on the body of the saw, not on the clutch cover. Not sure which set up the 372xp has. Complete removal of clutch cover would allow the noodles to made as long as you want them to be.

 

[mdavlee]

Husky does have a wider clutch cover. It does seem to help keep the noodles from clogging as bad.

 

[promac850]

Husky does have a wider clutch cover. It does seem to help keep the noodles from clogging as bad.

I'd hope so...

My 610 McCulloch would clog up no matter how small I make the noodles, so that's why I brought up the bar nut/washer trick I read in another noodling thread. My Craftsman/Roper 3.7 however, does not need any work to noodle, as they had to make the clutch cover about 2.5" wide to accomodate the Powersharp stone and lever assembly, which is long gone from my 3.7, so... that's a good noodler.

 

[mdavlee]

The 372 has the adjuster in the clutch cover. The 371 has it in the case.

 

[promac850]

The 372 has the adjuster in the clutch cover. The 371 has it in the case.

But aren't those two almost exactly the same? Personally, I'm not a fan of clutch cover bar adjustment screws, it's not as sturdy IMO. Especially with plasti covers. My 2 cents...

 

[mdavlee]

I actually like the husky in the cover better. It has a more positive feel than the 660 in the case tensioner. The 660 tensioner requires more torque on the bar nuts and a little tighter on the chain adjuster than I'm used to. Either one of them beats a front tensioner.

 

[SawTroll]

But aren't those two almost exactly the same? Personally, I'm not a fan of clutch cover bar adjustment screws, it's not as sturdy IMO. Especially with plasti covers. My 2 cents...

The 371 has a front chain adjuster. The 372 side adjuster works fine for a clutch cover mounted one, that really is an "afterthought". This actually is the most obvious difference between the 371xp and the 372xp, in addition to a reinforced case.

 

[galde]

The roller bar chain catcher (between double dogs) impedes noodle discharge. I prefer the old chipper chain for noodling. It helps to have the big round on top of a rest so there is space for the noodle pile to accumulate -- just keep kicking it sideways when it piles up close to the saw. The bar should be at least half a foot longer than the length of the round being split so the power head can be kept away from the round so the chips can fall away.

 

[promac850]

The 371 has a front chain adjuster. The 372 side adjuster works fine for a clutch cover mounted one, that really is an "afterthought". This actually is the most obvious difference between the 371xp and the 372xp, in addition to a reinforced case.

Thank you for clearing that up Sawtroll. I knew I could count on you.