Can a modded saw be quiet?

[B_Turner]

I know that folks like their modded saws, but I am kind of sensitive to noise and if anything wish saws were even quieter. Especially when I am blocking out big chunks for hours where the exhaust is aimed right at a flat surface and the sound bounces directly back at me. Much louder at my ear than when felling or bucking where the exhaust is more aimed away.

So I have always wondered if any significant mods can be done to a saw, without opeing up the muffler and making it noiser?

For example my brothers' modded Dolmar is so loud both he and I really hate running it(although it cuts like a terror). And I usually run both foam earplugs and NRR 29 Peltors when cutting for any length of time. Madsens says they have what they call a "power tune" on for example a 385xp that they claim gives around 15 percent boost and doesn't touch the muffler.

I would love more power as would anyone, but in reality when I have cut side by side with modded saws my stock saws usually keep up because my chains are usually much sharper than theirs. I think a really sharp chain gets you at least a 15 percent gain over round ground, depending on the wood. But power is good, too.

Any thoughts on a quiet modded saw?

 

[Haywire Haywood]

Well, my experience with 2 strokes is limited, but when I was messing around with my harley, in order to get more power you had to get more air/fuel going through the engine. A high flow intake and a more open muffler was the first thing that most folk did. More noise was a side benefit that most actually liked.

Seems that with a chainsaw you could quiet it down if you had room for a larger muffler that you could baffle without impeding flow but it isn't practical due to size constraints. Hmm.. a flex line going from the exhaust to say a backpack mounted car muffler would work.

Ian

 

[B_Turner]

Some years ago when I watched flattrack motorcycling, Honda had bikes that ran right up there with the Harleys. The Harleys you could literally hear for about 5 miles on race night and the Honda's could barely be heard over the dim. Different world, of course, but shows that for certain 4 strokes the exhaust can be tuned(designed) to be fairly quiet and make lots of power. That design cost lots of money, though.

I realized that with the current generation of chainsaws opening up the muffler helps the power (I have a hopped up 026) and in fact most guys like the extra sound.

 

[hamradio]

Yes, in my opinion, loud isn't always good. Now, with my four wheeler, I like to make the neighbors mad. Actually, I have quiet and loud tips (homemade) for the exhaust. I just put the loud on back on the other day. I think I'm going to put the quiet on for some trail riding today.

 

[geofore]

loud/quiet saws

A saw has to make some noise to warn people that you are there, using a saw and they should keep their distance, also to let you know the saw is running. Then at the other extreme there are people whos' ears hurt from the noise and they find it painful to run a loud saw even with ear plugs and muffs on. Quiet the saws down too much and no one you are there then you get even more idiots walking into the work area.

 

[B_Turner]

To be more clear, I am not expecting to have a modded saw even quieter than stock.

Just interested if there were mods that could be done to get significant benefit without adding extra volume along with extra power.

 

[Gypo Logger]

To be more clear, I am not expecting to have a modded saw even quieter than stock.

Just interested if there were mods that could be done to get significant benefit without adding extra volume along with extra power.

"If it's Too Loud, You're Too Old"

Just had to throw that in. Lol
We need to spend some quiet time with our saws, especialy when stealth logging. I liked my ATV muffled down, like when the natives were getting restless.:biggrinbounce2:
John

 

[manual]

B. Turner what kind of saw are you using?

 

[spacemule]

Get Gypo to mod your saw and it will be extremely quiet--heck!!--you might not even be able to hear it. :hmm3grin2orange:

 

[B_Turner]

B. Turner what kind of saw are you using?

Probably spend most of my time with my 395xp because its as smooth as a sewing machine. My 066 runs strong, but I don't use it as much as the 395 because I find it a bit buzzy in my hands to run for long periods. Sometimes even run the gel gloves with that one. I also run my 371 alot, my hot rod 026 with a 16 inch bar for trimming, my 220 MSE inside the shop and a couple of other saw of mine own. And now the bubblesaw - 7900.

I am mostly blocking out big stuff when I can find it, occasionally trees as big as 70 inches diameter on the tape (not estimated). I run my 36 inch bars alot (Oregon, Canon), and 42 inchers when the wood requires it. Lots of side grain cutting which gives volkswagen sized piles of noodles in a hurry. Also use my couple sizes of alaskan mills occasionally to get really true blocks or when cutting up big burls.

I have my eye out for a 3120 and a longer bar, but I have seldom come across wood that my 42inch bar can't reach halfway through (unfortunately).

I run square ground chisel chain most of the time that I can get REALLY sharp, and anyone that hasn't tried well sharpened square ground and likes modded saws is missing out. A really hot saw with a really sharp (You have to learn to do it yourself to get it perfect) chain is a whole different experience. But so far I stick to the stock saws because of the noise.

I think I posted it before, but I also am probably going to pick up a 441 once they get some more time on them because of the smoothness and most likely a 390xp just because I like Huskies and sometimes want something a touch lighter than my 395.

Since I am a full time woodturner, I don't chainsaw alot everyday. But when the wood is available I sometimes cut solid for many hours for several days at a time to field dress the tree to bring it home on my trailer. Also in terms of the extra noise of a modded saw, often I really don't want the extra attention as I am cutting up wood in an arrangement with a local tree company. They like me to get my job done quickly and "quietlly" as possible and get out because of the whole liability thing which has gotten a bit out of control in my general area.

 

[buck futter]

sure

I think you could internally mod it with the understanding that the power will be less, YOu also seem to be on track get a bigger saw and keep the chain sharp.

Well here is a couple of options from my point of view and comes from my experience/knowledge from tinkering with guns. The direction the gasses are expelled is criticle, it is no coincidence that long barrelled bolt actioned guns are the quietest.

There are a couple of principles used in making silencers which are of course illegal, one is to have the gasses expand into a large chamber and expell the energy in there so when it is finally expelled it is significantly attenuated. that idea is fairly simple. Now to take it a step farther imagine stacking a 5/16 washer and a spacer and another washer then spacer so on and so on this all takes place inside the can. the washers once again slow the exhaust gasses by redirecting and delaying the exhaust pulse over a longer time frame.

Now back to saws lets say you had a empty can muffler with an appropriate sized hole angled away from you and inside the can you had numerous plates of sheet metal that had spacers in between all having a hole aligned with the output hole.
I never have put this into practice but the priciple works in my well in my mind:jester:
One parting thought is a pipe is tuned to capatilize on resonant waves to maximize the charge in the motor. Couldn't a pipe be designed to alter the resonant waves not for peak power but for a minimum sound pressure level?


Your pal
buck

 

[Justsaws]

Step up to the next and last size available saws. All the modded saws I have seen(not many) have been louder. Modding saws is not my thing but without building a bigger muffler with larger baffles I do not see how most the mods being talked about in this forum would not increase noise. I like a quiet saw but I like torque better.

 

[Lakeside53]

"If it's Too Loud, You're Too Old"

Just had to throw that in. Lol
We need to spend some quiet time with our saws, especialy when stealth logging. I liked my ATV muffled down, like when the natives were getting restless.:biggrinbounce2:
John

I don't know about that - the older I get the quieter my saws seem.... Won't even need my ear muffs soon...:monkey:

The long hose into a bucket of water seems to be quite Stealthy...:hmm3grin2orange:

 

[B_Turner]

I don't know about that - the older I get the quieter my saws seem.... Won't even need my ear muffs soon...:monkey:

The long hose into a bucket of water seems to be quite Stealthy...:hmm3grin2orange:

Kind of like the idea cept I would probably end up cutting the hose eventually.

Most of my old logger friends are deaf as doorposts as you were a wuss to wear hearing protection up till recently. But not as deaf as the hard rock miners I worked with years ago in Metaline Falls, ID. Being in the same stone room with several huge machine mounted jackhammers makes chainsaws seem pretty quiet.

These days when I am at my studio and have only a small amount of cutting to do I use my Stihl 220MSE which can pull a 20 inch bar with a .325 chain if it is sharp. Less noise, no stink and can run it indoors. It is the only electric saw I've seen that isn't sort of a toy (including the price).

 

[klickitatsacket]

Yes you can make a modified saw quieter. The problem is that you will have a huge muffler on the front of your saw. The trick of a muffler is to slow the velocity of air down. A small muffler is restrictive and causes turbulance to slow the air down to quiet the sound. This turbulance creates a dam of back preasure. So to have it quiet but also allow flow you need a muffler that is long and has back and forth chambers to slow the velocity of the exhaust and a large opening to so that flow is not dammed up. To give you an idea of a muffler that would work: a small import muffler off of a 4 banger works really well. I ahve seen several rigs including this set up among others used by music wood cutters. One of the other tricks I have seen is a metal flex tube welded tot eh outlet and put into a 5 gallon bucket of water.

 

[buck futter]

One of the other tricks I have seen is a metal flex tube welded tot eh outlet and put into a 5 gallon bucket of water.

it must be a pain to take out in the bush.hahaha

 

[klickitatsacket]

pig pain but these guys are stealing trees that can be worth as much a $ 20K each.

 

[buck futter]

well I guess I could deal with the hassle for 20k, if I could live with myself afterwards. the trees must be huge, how do they get away with them? slip them under their shirt? I guess I have never thought of that but if you got a nice veneer tree around here you could make a nice coin in a hurry.

buck

 

[B_Turner]

Here in Washington State they passed a well meaning but poorly written law that some are working hard to modify.

Basically it makes it illegal to transport cedar, maple and other woods that are considered poachable without some pretty unrealistic bills of lading and permits that basically nobody can easily get. Not aimed at logging truck type of loads, but say to go to a friends house and bring home some maple in your pickup for firewood is illegal. It's pretty crazy and has many woodturners kind of freaked out.

Bottom line here is to cover your load so they need probable cause. I pull a #7000 gross utility trailer custom made for wood, and I sometimes get nervous when I see a stater eying me on the road. So far I've not been hassled. Bill

 

[John Ellison]

:biggrinbounce2: My brother and I were cutting cedar shake bolts in the off winter season on Weyerhaeuser ground above North Bend. This was in the mid 70s but you had to have a permit because of all the theft. Our parents had came from Indiana to visit and Dad went with us to get a load and see what we were doing.
We were loaded and all together in the truck, just outside N. Bend two cops pulled us over and before they even got out of their rigs three more came flying in all with lights going. I thought Dad was going to have the big one untill he and the cops realized that we had the proper permits. Alls well that ends well.