General info on Bars, cutting, and normal wear and tear??

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JFalconian

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I recently purchased a Stihl MS 180c.
Can I add a bigger gauge bar as well as a longer bar?
Also is in necessary for longevity to only use non ethanol gas?
When I place the saw on sturdy ground and push the handle down while using my other hand should the bar give a tad up and down when I apply a good bit of pressure?
Lastly, once I score the tree enough to get the teeth(dogs) in the tree should I put a lot of pressure on the handle to force the top downward. Or should I just use a little pressure and let the saw do the work?
A friend of mine has told me (shown me) to use a lot of pressure when cutting logs on a already downed tree. He also has said to run the saw full power the majority of time bc if I don’t the top end of the motor will need rebuilding sooner if I don’t?
I’m in the Deep South and cut mostly Hard woods ( Oaks) and Pine trees.
Thanks for any input.
 
Its a small CC saw you can’t force it through the wood, you need to let the saw pull itself through. It will cut as long as the chain is sharp, it’s critical on these small saws to have a razor sharp chain or you will be putting it under a lot of stress.
14” is about the max these will run.
Make sure it’s oiling the chain correctly and invest in a few spare chains, keep these sharpened and change them regularly during long sessions. If you are cutting hardwoods regularly I would suggest getting a bigger saw 50cc or 60cc would be a better choice long term.
The MS180 are a good little saw for what they are but for prolonged hardwood cutting they would not be my first choice.
 
If someone is using their own force to push a saw through wood, they are likely used to running dull chains...

If you change the gauge of chain, you need to make sure the chain, bar and SPROCKET all match.

Non-ethanol gas probably not necessary, but cheap insurance. Good quality oil is more important. Stihl is good, but some don't like the smell. Red Armor is good. I use Amsoil Saber...

Yes on running it on full throttle. I was taught chainsaw engines really should have 2 speeds: idle and full throttle. Not that there is never a time to just give it a little squeeze...but that should not be the norm.
 
Changing GAUGE, shouldn’t matter for the SPROCKET, the Chain and Bar do need to match in Gauge though

With Chain PITCH, it is IMPORTANT that the Sprocket matches your Chain, this is True for Both the Drive Sprocket, and the Nose Sprocket on the Bar, if your Bar has a Sprocket Nose

Doug :cheers:
 
Its a small CC saw you can’t force it through the wood, you need to let the saw pull itself through. It will cut as long as the chain is sharp, it’s critical on these small saws to have a razor sharp chain or you will be putting it under a lot of stress.
14” is about the max these will run.
Make sure it’s oiling the chain correctly and invest in a few spare chains, keep these sharpened and change them regularly during long sessions. If you are cutting hardwoods regularly I would suggest getting a bigger saw 50cc or 60cc would be a better choice long term.
The MS180 are a good little saw for what they are but for prolonged hardwood cutting they would not be my first choice.
Thank you
 
I keep my chains really sharp. Nearly always i have to pull up on the saw just a little bit in the cut so it can get to it's highest speed when cutting big stuff.
 
I keep my chains really sharp. Nearly always i have to pull up on the saw just a little bit in the cut so it can get to it's highest speed when cutting big stuff.
I keep my chains really sharp. Nearly always i have to pull up on the saw just a little bit in the cut so it can get to it's highest speed when cutting big stuff.
Thanks for the info. The more and more I cut I find my self pulling up on the saw slightly during cut.
 
If someone is using their own force to push a saw through wood, they are likely used to running dull chains...

If you change the gauge of chain, you need to make sure the chain, bar and SPROCKET all match.

Non-ethanol gas probably not necessary, but cheap insurance. Good quality oil is more important. Stihl is good, but some don't like the smell. Red Armor is good. I use Amsoil Saber...

Yes on running it on full throttle. I was taught chainsaw engines really should have 2 speeds: idle and full throttle. Not that there is never a time to just give it a little squeeze...but that should not be the norm.
Great info. I appreciate the advice. I’ve
noticed even while cutting Strait up and down that my blade seems to be getting dull. But as I pass through the wood the blade spits out long crisp shavings. Is this bc of the wood itself, the pressure squeezing the bar and chain.....?
 
Changing GAUGE, shouldn’t matter for the SPROCKET, the Chain and Bar do need to match in Gauge though

With Chain PITCH, it is IMPORTANT that the Sprocket matches your Chain, this is True for Both the Drive Sprocket, and the Nose Sprocket on the Bar, if your Bar has a Sprocket Nose

Doug :cheers:
Thanks for info.
 
Its a small CC saw you can’t force it through the wood, you need to let the saw pull itself through. It will cut as long as the chain is sharp, it’s critical on these small saws to have a razor sharp chain or you will be putting it under a lot of stress.
14” is about the max these will run.
Make sure it’s oiling the chain correctly and invest in a few spare chains, keep these sharpened and change them regularly during long sessions. If you are cutting hardwoods regularly I would suggest getting a bigger saw 50cc or 60cc would be a better choice long term.
The MS180 are a good little saw for what they are but for prolonged hardwood cutting they would not be my first choice.
Is there a particular way you check to see if Chain is being oiled properly? Or simply by looking to see while it runs or by the gas and oil levels staying relatively the same?
 
Hold the saw down at a shallow angle pointing the bar towards a surface that you can observe and hold the saw at a low to moderate RPM, not WOT.
After a few seconds you should see oil droplets start to appear on the surface as it is flung off the chain at the nose.
It may take a while but you should see some oil, you can adjust most oilers to supply more if you think there isn't enough being pumped.
If there is no oil then you have to check that there is oil in the tank, the tank filter isn't blocked and the oiler is actually functional.

The type of sawdust the saw produces depends on which way you are cutting the grain.
If you are cross cutting a log at 90 deg to the tree trunk the chips will be relatively short as the fibres are being severed across their growth.
If you cut along a log vertically in the same plane as the log itself you will get longer shavings as you are cutting and pulling put long sections of wood fibre.(Noodles)
If you cut across the end of a log you are cutting end grain and will produce dust, not recommended with your saw, see the milling section for more on this...
 
10-4 I understand. Great info. I learned a lot from your reply. Thanks
So I shouldn’t use my saw for cutting directly against the grain.... I didt know that. What size saw should I get to cut logs against grain once one the ground? Thanks again.
 
This is a how long is a piece of string question, how big is the wood, what kind of wood is it, what do you want to achieve with this cut?
It generally is more efficient to cut lengthwise with the grain if you are just chopping a round section into quarters for easier movement.
The only real reason to cut across the end grain is if you are cutting the timber to be made into lumber and in this instance I would refer you to the milling section of this forum, you will learn much more about that kind of work in that subforum.
 
This is a how long is a piece of string question, how big is the wood, what kind of wood is it, what do you want to achieve with this cut?
It generally is more efficient to cut lengthwise with the grain if you are just chopping a round section into quarters for easier movement.
The only real reason to cut across the end grain is if you are cutting the timber to be made into lumber and in this instance I would refer you to the milling section of this forum, you will learn much more about that kind of work in that subforum.
Thanks for info
 
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