Hot rod a saw or not?

[livemusic]

Can someone explain what people do to saws to make them faster, lighter or have more torque? Let's say that you want a general purpose farm / firewood saw. My ms290 weighs 13 lbs without bar/chain. Say that is the limit. Or, even lower... say, 12 lbs. Whatever, just general questions. In the Stihl pro line, I guess a 261 to 362 is appealing.

What about a lighter weight bar? Are there other weighs to make a saw lighter?

What do people do to enhance performance? Muffler mod and carb adjustment. Porting. What else?

Do you think it's dumb to buy a brand new pro saw and hot rod it? Or would you think it would be a better bang for the buck to find a used pro saw in really good condition to mod it?

Power to weight ratio is intriguing, just curious about how people look at this and wanting more info.

Another intriguing concept is a longer bar for better reach to be easier on the back but having the saw powerful enough to tackle a larger tree when it's necessary.

Thanks for input as to how people do this, or opinions about if it's wise/unwise to do it!

EDIT: Please disregard the fact I own ms290. Still interested in the general questions.

 

[computeruser]

All these questions, and more, can be answered by reading existing threads.

 

[gunnusmc03]

There's not a lot you can do to lower the weight of a saw. You can switch to reduced weight or shorter bars, but other than making something yourself there's not many options offered in regards to other reduced weight components.

Power can be bumped up by muffler modding, deleting base gaskets, and ultimately porting the saw. You can search for more info regarding these topics.

 

[mountainlake]

After using your MS290 a 261 or 362 will seem like a hot rod if it's tuned right. No matter what the paper specs say. Steve

 

[cus_deluxe]

my vote would be that at this moment it would probably be unwise to try any mods yourself. As @computeruser mentioned you can learn the answers the all of those questions by a reading on this site. there is a wealth of information oh here from a lot of guys who have been doing this for a long time. gunny touched on most of the really common mods. as with any other "hot rods" there are varying degrees of performance between stock and a "hot saw". good luck!

 

[livemusic]

If it's a smart move, it's appealing to just spend the money to buy a really good saw (new or used) and mod it in a proven way to improve performance for the best power to weight ratio and get it over with. If a saw last me 15-20 yrs, that should be enough for the rest of my life. Then again, if it lasts only ten, but it's great performance, buy another one!

I've read a ton on muffler mods and some on porting. No way would I do porting; somebody else would need to do that, if it's mertied. I could do minor stuff. But I wouldn't mind paying a pro to do something if it works, and I wouldn't mind buying a nice pro saw if it's a good move.

 

[gunnusmc03]

The fastest most effective mod that's often overlooked is a properly sharpened chain. If you want a saw to cut like a light saber start here.

 

[Jimbo209]

Mm your 290 and drop a bar size or 2. Read .325 vs 3/8 say 18" bar. For speed with a laminated. Rollo E bar or Oregon light
Might lose a bit of weight with chain swap???
Maybe try a 390 kit later on

 

[o8f150]

just put a 16" bar on with a 20 tooth sprocket on it and you will have a hot rod

 

[fearofpavement]

On that series of saw, you can put in a bigger engine with no weight increase. That will improve you power/weight ratio in and of itself.
Also, a muffler mod is very effective on this model. Increases power and removes a fraction of an ounce of weight...
Getting a longer bar would greatly increase the weight. (bars are heavy).

So to summarize:
upgrade the engine
mod the muffler
use the shortest bar suitable
sharpen the chain often

 

[livemusic]

On that series of saw, you can put in a bigger engine with no weight increase. That will improve you power/weight ratio in and of itself.
Also, a muffler mod is very effective on this model. Increases power and removes a fraction of an ounce of weight...
Getting a longer bar would greatly increase the weight. (bars are heavy).

So to summarize:
upgrade the engine
mod the muffler
use the shortest bar suitable
sharpen the chain often

When you say 'upgrade the engine,' do you mean put a 390 cylinder/piston kit in or more to it than that?

 

[computeruser]

When you say 'upgrade the engine,' do you mean put a 390 cylinder/piston kit in or more to it than that?

I'm thinking he's looking at a 390 swap. That, with an opened-up muffler and proper carb adjustment, would make that saw a lot more lively.

A 290/16"/.325" is not bad. It just isn't exciting. Add more bar length or 3/8" chain, and it gets boring real fast. A 390/16-18", 3/8", would be a decent setup for a lot of purposes.

 

[livemusic]

A 290/16"/.325" is not bad. It just isn't exciting. Add more bar length or 3/8" chain, and it gets boring real fast. A 390/16-18", 3/8", would be a decent setup for a lot of purposes.

The guy who I bought this from put a 20" Stihl bar with full chisel 3/8" chain on it. I don't have much chainsaw experience, lol. It cuts good except in 18" green water oak, it tended to bog down. I would like to put a 16" or 18" bar on it, not sure which. It cuts pretty good but could likely be better. Even thought it's been frustrating to get it running right, and expensive, I am kinda enjoying the challenge, lol.

I wonder about, whatever chain I were to try, 16" or 18", should I buy a lighter bar.

P.S. If I were to put a 390 cylinder/piston kit in, does that weigh any more? Anyone know of a brand or seller? Might be worth investigating.

 

[sunfish]

Sell the 290. If you want lighter, stronger, faster. There are much better saws to start with.

 

[mountainlake]

And the list of lighter, stronger , faster saws is real long. Steve

 

[Chris-PA]

Sell it?

You've posted on here enough now that it really is too late. Just buy more saws.

 

[Philip Wheelock]

Can someone explain what people do to saws to make them faster, lighter or have more torque? Let's say that you want a general purpose farm / firewood saw. My ms290 weighs 13 lbs without bar/chain. Say that is the limit. Or, even lower... say, 12 lbs. Whatever, just general questions. In the Stihl pro line, I guess a 261 to 362 is appealing...

MS290 specs list 3.8 hp; not enough to run a 20" x 3/8" b/c; the saw will bog with the bar buried in hardwood. A 16" x .325" combination is a better match; that's what I run on my MS261. Honestly, the MS290 is the essential definition of a farm/firewood saw, so if that's your intended use, I'd keep it and get the right size b/c for it, and keep the chain super sharp w/ depth gauges right on the money.
If you're looking for a hot rod, that's another story.

 

[Conquistador3]

I think it really depends on what you want from a saw and how much time you can devote to maintenance.

If you just need a saw to cut firewood a few times a year, clean up the occasional post snowfall/thunderstorm mess and for various odd jobs, a stock MS290 or a similar far saw will do just fine. The fact is one of the saws I own and probably my favorite is incidental. Just clean it up after every use, sharpen the chain regularly and carry out routine maintenance (including rotating the bar each time you sharpen the chain) and there's no reason it won't serve you faithfully for many years before it will need serious work, which means new clutch, new crankshaft bearings and/or some top end work. Being a two stroke there's not a whole lot that can go wrong.

However if you need "more" like cutting really a lot of firewood or felling larger trees, and fast, modifying a saw has its advantages.

Put it this way: a farm saw is the old Honda Civic that will get you to work every day for fifteen years with nothing more than regular maintenance and new tyres once in a while. It's unexciting, slow and dull but does exactly what's written on the tin, and reliably so.
A hot saw is like a souped up VW Golf GTI. It's fast and exciting but needs deeper pockets... for once the modding starts there's no turning back.

 

[fearofpavement]

When I referred to upgrading the engine, I meant to put a 390 piston and cylinder on it. I personally wouldn't do this to a 290 unless it already had issues. However, it does make it into a more powerful saw with no added weight. That coupled with a properly modded muffler, carb limiter trim and retune would make it into a very different saw. The 1127 series saws are very robust and will likely outlast you. If you do those things yourself you would invest less than $75.00. And then the 20" bar you have now will be appropriate for the power.

 

[Hinerman]

just put a 16" bar on with a 20 tooth sprocket on it and you will have a hot rod

LMAO....20 tooth sprocket FTW

I bet you use all 20 teeth when you hot rod your snacky too