Diving in feet first...

[HuskerInVA]

Hi All

I'm jumping in feet first. About 1 month ago I bought my MS361 -- man I like this saw. THall set me up and he is The Man.

Since then I've been reading through current/past posts in the milling section and have been looking at all the trees I need to cleanup and I see boards and planks.

I just got my Granberg G555g Mini Mill and a loop of ripping chain from Baileys. I figure this is enough mill for my 361 w/ my 20" bar. 90% of what I will mill will be 12" or smaller. If the addiction sets in -- then I'll consider the true 36" mill and a larger ebay deal saw to power it.

I've read that I need to run saws richer. I see from the manual the H screw clockwise is leaner. So how rich should I run? Counter clockwise to the stop??

Anyone else out there with the mini mill have good pointers for a newbie??

Thanks.

 

[Semi-Hex]

I use a 361 also. I haven't changed the fuel mixture since I have to go back and forth between bucking and milling. Outside of Madrone, I do softwoods. My milling bar is 19" long and I haven't done any big stuff yet.

 

[OneStaple]

Husker - I'm just getting into milling as well. I have an old Stihl 051 on the way right now from ebay that I'm gonna put on a 36" Granberg Alaskan. Let us know how you like the mini mill and put some pics up once you start using it.

As for the fuel/air ratio setting with the H screw, you definitely don't want to turn that counter-clockwise all the way. From my understanding, that screw is usually only 1-1.5 turns out from being screwed all the way in (clockwise), which would be the setting for normal chainsaw use. They're fairly sensitive, so I'd guess you'd only want to turn it another quarter or maybe half turn counter-clockwise. I'm definitely no expert on this though, and there are tons of guys (as in, most everyone here) that know way more than me, so wait for one of them to chime in.

Have fun with the mill!

--Tyler

 

[woodshop]

I backed the HI screw out 1/4 turn (CCW) on my 395XP. It doesn't get quite as high rpm's flat out, but still has plenty of muscle when milling, and I have the peace of mind that I'm giving it just a tad richer fuel mix.

When I bought my MS361 few years ago my Stihl dealer did the same thing on that saw when he sold it to me. He said he had a new saw come back to him within a month that had a slightly scored piston and from then on he sold all his big saws with a little richer mixture.

I suspect one of the reasons some have not chimed in on this is that it is one of those controversial things like mix ratio that has conflicting opinions on both sides of the isle. If you posted that question or did a search on it over in the chainsaw section you would at least get more response from some of the dealers and mechanics over there that have more experience.

 

[Trigger-Time]

HuskerInVA, I bet you'r saw H screw is set as rich as it will go (mine was).
Unless the H screw limit cap is removed and reset. Those caps are
not to keep you from running the saw to lean but to keep you from
running it to rich (EPA rules).

 

[HuskerInVA]

Would running a higher oil ratio like 40:1 be equivalent to adjusting the H screw?

HuskerInVA, I bet you'r saw H screw is set as rich as it will go (mine was).
Unless the H screw limit cap is removed and reset. Those caps are
not to keep you from running the saw to lean but to keep you from
running it to rich (EPA rules).

 

[oneoldbanjo]

Adding extra oil will not correct a lean fuel mixture. A little extra oil won't hurt anything....but there is lots of discussion on the idea that when you start adding too much oil the mixture actually gets leaner and the saw runs hotter as the viscosity of the fuel increases as you add extra oil. If you start adding extra oil your H screw should be adjusted to work with the new mix (do a search on oil mix/oil in the chainsaw section and there are lots of threads on this).

In order to adjust the H screw you will need to take the limiter cap off, snip off the tab that restricts movement and reinstall the cap so that the new setting will hold. These screws do not have springs and need the cap to hold the setting steady. You will need to disassemble your saw enough that you can get a drywall screw started into the end of the plastic cap - then turn the cap until the tab lines up with the slot in the carb body and you can pull the cap off. Cut the tab off and reinstall the cap and adjust the carb (the mixture screws will have moved when you were taking off the limiter cap).

If you are not familiar with how to adjust the H screw - do a search in the Chainsaw section of this site - there are plenty of discussions and even some links to audio files of what it sounds like (The magical 4 cycle sound). I would think that the best thing to do is to take it to Thall .....and let them adjust the mixture up a bit. He can show you how to do it and what to listen for when adjusting the carb.

 

[Trigger-Time]

Would running a higher oil ratio like 40:1 be equivalent to adjusting the H screw?

If you are close to Thall, Have him help you......I think he would
be glad to.