Porting, or, trying to find a way to get great performing saws without spending through the roof

[eriklane]

I cut 10 cords a year or so. I'm simply not going to spend $500 to take a used saw and make it hotter...but, I want to get better performance.
For example, bought a husky 394 8 yrs ago for $350 and ran it for years, then put in rings and piston because it seemed tired...a year later I blew that baby up when a retainer clip came apart...bought a Farmer Tec jug from a guy nearby who used to run a saw shop. I'm about to fire it up...

Have a 372 and a 51. Bottom line is what can I do to help get top performance without breaking the bank. Muffler mods alone? I don't think any of my saws have 160 psi...so I always get good performance but never feel like I have a reallly great saw...
Just looking for some reasonable ideas.

 

[Brushwacker]

Learn how to keep your chains very sharp and your saws running cool and fine tuned and I would think you can be happy, I am any way. Use a big enough saw for the bar and wood your cutting One thing that bugs me is to work with an expensive high performance saw with an marginally sharp or less chain. Same goes with fine tuning. Muffler modded 372 with a sharp chain running like it should, I wouldn't feel handicapped until near 25" or so hard wood like hickory. I physically couldn't keep up myself with the speed most stock mid size (50ish cc) saws are cable of. Also any time I am using a saw it is at risk of destruction of an accident. Sometimes much more then others, so I prefer a lesser value saw for those riskier times. So I am with you on the extra hundreds for performance, mainly because my sawing profits aren't high enough to justify the expense.

 

[Dilly]

You can learn to measure squish on your saws and see if you can remove the base gasket for increase compression muffler mod or just learn to port saws yourself and go that route IMHO

 

[weimedog]

What Dilly said.... The average guy can use a soft solder to measure squish through the spark plug hole.... The base gaskets are usually in the .020 thickness range and stock saws usually have squish with that gasket in the 40-50 thou (.040 .050inch) range. So by first measuring squish to see if its... over .040 and if so removing the gasket & using something like three bond 1194 or Yama-bond from a Yamaha motorcycle dealer (Honda Bond same stuff) to make the base gasket you drop the squish by .020 (pick up compression), drop the intake port (a little more duration) both help make the saw run better. AND by doing an intelligent muffler mod, not going crazy; you get 60-70 percent of what you would sending your saw to a porting guy and have spent nothing but your time and a tube of grey gasket maker.

 

[big termite]

I am new and know this question was posted sometime back but thought I would reply. I have found the biggest thing to better power and fuel savings as well is to open the exhaust port as much as possible and then port match muffler gasket and the muffler to the new exhaust opening and add 1 more outlet to the exhaust if the original is at its max--nothing crazy on muffler outlet--I use a carbide bit to remove the bulk and then a oxide dremel stone to level some more and then a simple small dremel style polish wheel available cheap on ebay and then use some aluminum wheel polish paste to shine it up--I have a Husky 353,346xp and a 262xp and that has done great for me--the 353 does have the base gasket removed but the others still have the base gasket --with the base gasket removed on the 353 high rpm's dropped some but the powerband in the cut remains more steady and more torque and that is with a 18 inch bar buried in the cut--suprising what a 50cc saw can do in bigger wood with a little simple tweak--I also agree to learn how to sharpen a chain properly not that you don't already know and a good quality bar oil--I have had great luck with Jonsered allweather--- good to minus coldweather degrees and also make sure you have your oil pump screw adjusted to maximize the oil flow depending on your bar length--hope this helps!