A buddy calls me today saying that he has some BIG rounds in his backyard, and do I have any big saws....... That is a pretty stupid question for someone who knows me. Fortunately, he arranged for me to rebuild and install a new tank handle on his cousin's 038. He even did the pickup and dropoff, so I never even met the owner of the saw. I said, "Your cousin has a pretty big saw here." The 038 was convieniently finished just the other day. I made him go measure the wood, and it was +/- 32" in the big spots. The biggest vacant 3003 mount Stihl bar I had here ready to go was a 28". I told him I'd bring the 038 back, but if he wanted to use the 28" bar, he'd need to return it with a new chain on it. The chain on there hadn't made one cut, and this guy does not cut much.
I get over there, and the wood is pretty big and all knotty. The 038 had only been test run, so I lit it up, and went about putting my chaps on. I figured I'd get some heat into it before I went twisting on the screws. Probably a bit of a tall order for an un-broken-in 038 Super pulling 28" full comp in big oak, but what the heck.
The first few cuts went very smoothly. The saw was getting dialed in nicely. Then my buddy wanted to try it...... Apparently he thought the 038 was for 38 horsepower. He went bearing down on it, bogging and stalling the chain repeatedly. After he bound it up to the point of disassembly for the third time, I was really glad I had not lent him the bar. He did not use the 038 anymore, and since he also did not break the saw, I figure it will last for the cousin.
The good news is that he hates Husky..... Well, sort of. I brought my fresh 365 with me to show him what a Husky does. It is set at .020", and runs pretty well for a saw I built to sell. His 034 was out of gas, and so was his can. So he HAD to run the 365, or just sit there and watch. Well, the poor 034 never did get any more gas. I could not get him to put that 365 down....