Compressed air vs. vacuum

[GrizG]

Out of curiosity... Has anyone ever run into a problem with fine wood dust (with bar oil) collecting between the brake band and the case to the point the brake band does not open up properly and the brake mechanism at the hand guard being very dirty? This despite blowing the saw out with compressed air regularly and otherwise keeping the saw clean.

The hand guard movement on my MS461 became difficult while engaging/disengaging the brake. As such, for the second time in six years, I pulled the saw apart and cleaned the brake mechanism under the plastic covers (the two covers under the clutch cover) and cleaned the space between the band and case. The plastic covers had clearly gotten hot because the band lacked sufficient clearance from the clutch drum and the trapped dust was "baked."

In addition to cleaning things up I opted to replace the two plastic covers and the handguard. The brake works properly now... Going forward, I'm going to start using a shop vacuum, with help from a thin brush, to suck the debris out of that area of the saw instead of forcing it deeper into the saw with compressed air.

I have not had this problem with my MS271 and MS261.

Anyone else run in to this issue with their saw(s)? Is the problem unique to the MS46x saws perhaps? Shop vacuum vs. compressed air??

Thoughts?

 

[Woodslasher]

Out of curiosity... Has anyone ever run into a problem with fine wood dust (with bar oil) collecting between the brake band and the case to the point the brake band does not open up properly and the brake mechanism at the hand guard being very dirty? This despite blowing the saw out with compressed air regularly and otherwise keeping the saw clean.

The hand guard movement on my MS461 became difficult while engaging/disengaging the brake. As such, for the second time in six years, I pulled the saw apart and cleaned the brake mechanism under the plastic covers (the two covers under the clutch cover) and cleaned the space between the band and case. The plastic covers had clearly gotten hot because the band lacked sufficient clearance from the clutch drum and the trapped dust was "baked."

In addition to cleaning things up I opted to replace the two plastic covers and the handguard. The brake works properly now... Going forward, I'm going to start using a shop vacuum, with help from a thin brush, to suck the debris out of that area of the saw instead of forcing it deeper into the saw with compressed air.

I have not had this problem with my MS271 and MS261.

Anyone else run in to this issue with their saw(s)? Is the problem unique to the MS46x saws perhaps? Shop vacuum vs. compressed air??

Thoughts?

My 461, my neighbor's 461, and every 461 that I've handled had a ****-ton of oily sawdust packed into every nook and cranny on it, so I suspect it is unique to the MS461's. Unfortunately, I have no idea what causes them to puke so much oil but I do know they will get filthy and oily pretty quickly.

 

[av8or3]

compressed air can be your friend or your enemy. It will lift large areas of loose paint as well as the sawdust

 

[GrizG]

These are the inside views of the large and small covers of the 461. The build up is solid and baked right into the plastic. You can see that the plastic has been hot... and the brake band is imprinted in the build up. The build up kept the brake band from opening fully and caused the handguard to work poorly. This happened despite regular compressed air applications... This is why I'm inclined to remove these covers and use a vacuum and brush in the future! Anyone else experience this?

 

[Harmon]

It just shows a guy is gettin after it...

Had this happen to many a climbing saw, the brake hardware is in the clutch cover (outboard clutch) and if you dont pull off the cover and clean it out from time to time the spring that keeps the brake handle from floppin around will break (brake?). Big fan of old toothbrush + can of mix and then compressed air.

Also the part where many find stihl ultra to smell like burning plastic could just be the smell of burning plastic. Ran my 201 for years without a spark screen before i realized i was just ruining things and poisoning myself.

 

[grizz55chev]

It just shows a guy is gettin after it...

Had this happen to many a climbing saw, the brake hardware is in the clutch cover (outboard clutch) and if you dont pull off the cover and clean it out from time to time the spring that keeps the brake handle from floppin around will break (brake?). Big fan of old toothbrush + can of mix and then compressed air.

Also the part where many find stihl ultra to smell like burning plastic could just be the smell of burning plastic. Ran my 201 for years without a spark screen before i realized i was just ruining things and poisoning myself.

There's a fix for that, .......

 

[Harmon]

I did find the spark screen for that saw a few years ago and put it back where it belongs. The muffler area plastics on that saw arent going to clean up too good, but she's still my #1