Bought my First Saw

[mkohler]

Hi all. I just bought my first house which came equipped with a 20 year old wood/oil furnace, not CSA approved, and with a burnt out firebox. Going to have it replaced this month, possibly with a Kerr (any input on that model would be appreciated, wrong forum, I know)....

Anyway to the chainsaw topic. I expect to go through 4-6 cord a year. I have been researching saws for about a month and finally made a purchase yesterday. Was looking for something in the $300 range (used, so I could get more bang for my buck) and deceded on the MS 310. Got one two years young with the original 20" bar. Looks like a clean saw but I haven't seen it in person yet as I bought it on ebay.

So my questions are, should I take it in to have a dealer look it over to make sure there is nothing majorly wrong with it (I don't have any experience with working on saws)? Is this a good saw for the price and what shoud I watch out for (not looking for "should have bought a husky/Jonsered/Dolmar, just an experienced opion of the saw, possible problems to watch out for, saw specific maintenance required)?

I'd like to do the muffler mod :greenchainsaw: after this years wood is taken care of, is it something that a person with limited mechanical experience could do? I've got a mechanic (diesel) friend with access to a shop who could probably help me out.

Anyway, sorry for the long post and thanks in advance.

I'll wait until I have more than one saw before I start listing them in my sig.

-Mark.

 

[cuttinstuff]

Mark, if you stay on AS it will not be long until you have more saws.
As far as the 310 is concerned I have no first hand knowledge of them, sorry, but there will be others coming with advise.
I would like to say congrats on the new saw and welcome to AS..

 

[Country1]

Same here...
No real info for you, but I wouldn't take it to a dealer unless you suspect a problem. Fire it up and do some cutting. Hopefully it will work great.
Just wanted to say Welcome and Congrats on the new saw.
Hope it's as nice as it was advertised on e-Bay.
I'm sure someone will be along soon to tell you more about Mod'n it.

 

[Ma Barker]

I'll respectfully disagree w/Country. If this is your first saw, you may not know what to suspect could be wrong to begin with.

If you're an inexperienced user & you don't know the previous owner or the status of the saw (I'm making assumptions here), it couldn't hurt to take it to a dealer & have them look it over & make sure the carb is in tune. Around here it would cost $15 - 20 US. That's a cheap insurance policy to keep you from cooking the piston/cylinder. Then be sure to use fresh mix, keep the air filter clean & the chain sharp & properly tensioned & you should be in business for a long time.

I had a 310 for a while & thought it was a well-made and capable saw. Never did any modding on it though.

Have fun with it!

Ma

 

[gink595]

The 310 will do fine for you, the first saw I bought was a 310, I had no complaints of it, other than curiosity about other saws which was the demise of the 310. A good friend and member here Maldeney has it now and he muff modded it and it really runs good. I'm sure if you have any questions he would help you out.

 

[smilin possum]

The 310 is a good all around saw for firewood or whatever else you will use it for. It's got good power and is pretty lite. Worked on one and did a muffler mod for the BIL and he was well pleased with the results. Don't get me wrong the stock saw was fine but the mod really made her sing. The only thing like the others said use fresh mix and keep her breathing free and it will serve you well. The muffler mod is pretty simple and it will wake the saw up nicely. I just took it and opened up the exhaust port and trimmed out some of the inside baffles. Left enough to give it a little back pressure. After the mod you will need to retune the carb, open up the high side till it four-strokes then run back in about an 1/8 of a turn till it smooths out. It does not take a lot of turn to make a difference. Give it a try or ask for help on here these guys wont steer you wrong. Welcome to the site and Saw Safe.

 

[mkohler]

Thanks for all the responses.

For the oils (2-cycle & chain), is there a specific brand that is superior or is it a level playing field?

Also, are there any other parts that need to be lubricated, with say a grease gun?

 

[ironman_gq]

Stihl ultra for the engine and whatever bar oil is the stickiest.

 

[wakes12002]

I just recently purchased my first saw and it's an MS390 which is one step above the 310 and I've been told they are good saws but of course not the professional series but they do what they are made to do and that's cut wood for a homeowner that is going to cut more wood then just maybe once or twice a year but not everyday. START CUTTING AND BE SAFE!

 

[TreePointer]

If this is your first saw and you never used one before, read the entire manual (download one if you need it).

http://www.stihlusa.com/information/info_product2.html

Next, watch all of the safety, operation, and maintenance videos:

http://stihldealer.net/videolibrary/OnePlayer.aspx?v=1&vt=1&vb=0&id=1

I know all this reading and video watching may seem tedious, but there are some little details that, if overlooked, can cause damage to the saw or you. You'll be amazed at how much you can learn from doing these two things, and it's likely you won't have to take it to the dealer for years because you can do all the regular maintenance yourself.

If you've never cleaned and inspected a saw before, I think for the first time it's a good idea take it to a friend (or dealer) who can give it a good cleaning, sharpening, and general inspection. Have them ensure the safety features are working properly (chain brake, antivibration system, etc.).

 

[warjohn]

Welcome and enjoy your saw

 

[mkohler]

If this is your first saw and you never used one before, read the entire manual (download one if you need it).

http://www.stihlusa.com/information/info_product2.html

Next, watch all of the safety, operation, and maintenance videos:

http://stihldealer.net/videolibrary/OnePlayer.aspx?v=1&vt=1&vb=0&id=1

I know all this reading and video watching may seem tedious, but there are some little details that, if overlooked, can cause damage to the saw or you. You'll be amazed at how much you can learn from doing these two things, and it's likely you won't have to take it to the dealer for years because you can do all the regular maintenance yourself.

If you've never cleaned and inspected a saw before, I think for the first time it's a good idea take it to a friend (or dealer) who can give it a good cleaning, sharpening, and general inspection. Have them ensure the safety features are working properly (chain brake, antivibration system, etc.).

Thanks for the links and the info.