Question about chainsaw usage

[aaronmeyer]

I am admittedly not a guy who uses many tools. However recently bought a home and decided it was time to learn to do things myself. I bought an Echo CS-490 to cut some of the smaller trees around my home.

When I used for the first time about a week ago it cut great...nice and smooth, fast, big saw dust.

I am on my third fill up of gas and chainsaw oil and now the chainsaw smokes when cutting, leaves burns inside the cut and general doesn't seem to cut well.

Those I have spoke to more knowledgeable of chainsaws said try to loosen or tighten the chain. I have tried both to no avail. The only other potential issue I have seen is that the chain is full.

Could it really go dull after only 3 refills of gas? Any other ideas why it's not cutting and leaving burns?

 

[thompsoncustom]

Sounds dull, can become dull in 10 secs of cutting or less if your into dirt,sand, or anything else you shouldn't be. if you want people on here to tell you it's dull for sure get some close ups of a tooth at this angle.

 

[pioneerguy600]

A few close up pics of your chain will clear up this issue, I bet it is beyond dull.

 

[Seachaser]

Sharpen after every tank. Fill oil and gas at the same time. Sharp chain is a happy saw.

 

[Old2stroke]

It's important to learn the difference between a dull chain and a sharp one and how to sharpen a chain. What seems to be harder to learn is how to keep it sharp as long as possible and it's real simple. Don't cut dirty wood and don't let the chain touch the ground, EVER !

 

[fields_mj]

I agree with everyone else. Sounds like a dull chain, but pics will help clarify for certain. I rarely go more than 2 tanks without sharpening, and often sharpen after every tank. If you don't know how to sharpen your chain (yet), you should at least have multiple chains for it. If you're paying someone else to sharpen your chains, common practice is to swap chains at every fill up, or every other fill up. As others have said, if you're cutting wood that has dirt in the bark, or if the tree is hollow and has dirt inside, your chain will go dull almost instantly. Its common for a new user to inadvertently let the chain touch the dirt while cutting through a log on the ground, which also instantly dulls the chain. Do that a few times and yes, you'll have to lean hard on the saw to get it to cut, and your chain will be smoking. By the way, you should NEVER lean on the saw like that. Good way to get hurt badly. The saw should always cut like its new (pulling itself into the wood and throwing big chips). If it's not, its time to stop and either sharpen the chain, or swap to a chain that is sharp.

 

[Chevboy0167]

This....

"The only other potential issue I have seen is that the chain is full."

Are you telling us it is NOT using bar oil? Or the chain is full of wood chips?

Does the bar oil level decrease after cutting and you have to add more bar oil to the tank?

 

[Sidecarflip]

Key word in his post is 'sawdust'. Dull chains make sawdust, sharp chains make wood chips.

 

[Hermio]

All good advice. I usually sharpen my chain after 2-3 tankfuls; more often if I hit too much dirt. I suggest buying the Pferd 2-in-1 sharpening system. Some will argue with that, but it does not require a lot of skill or experience to use, and it gives great results. Note that the kit is specific to the chain you are using; the angles, file size and depth of the rakers are all specific to the chain you are using.

 

[Colonel428]

My advice would be to buy a new chain for your 490 and install it on your saw. Husqvarna c83 (xcut) and Stihl 33rs are both sharp and aggressive out of the box. Sawsalvage.com sells their brand (Duke's) of chain in 3 packs for a very reasonable price. The Duke's chain is very similar to the Husqvarna xcut and cuts well out of the box.
Pay attention to how your saw cuts with the new chain. This is your "ideal" sharp. You'll be able to tell as your chain looses it's edge. There is no hard and fast rule as to when it's time to sharpen the chain - again, it's based on your particular saw and chain and its "ideal" sharp performance. It's a whole lot easier to know when it's time to sharpen the chain when you can remember how it cut when the chain was new and sharp.

 

[VirginiaIron]

I am admittedly not a guy who uses many tools. However recently bought a home and decided it was time to learn to do things myself. I bought an Echo CS-490 to cut some of the smaller trees around my home.

When I used for the first time about a week ago it cut great...nice and smooth, fast, big saw dust.

I am on my third fill up of gas and chainsaw oil and now the chainsaw smokes when cutting, leaves burns inside the cut and general doesn't seem to cut well.

Those I have spoke to more knowledgeable of chainsaws said try to loosen or tighten the chain. I have tried both to no avail. The only other potential issue I have seen is that the chain is full.

Could it really go dull after only 3 refills of gas? Any other ideas why it's not cutting and leaving burns?

Yes, when I first started cutting I dulled my chain in almost three cuts due to the amount of dirt on the log. Stay away from the dirt on the ground and any dirt in the bark. Carry a hatchet to chop a notch through the bark that contains dirt. Also, metal debris will dull your blade in a snap.

 

[singinwoodwackr]

Sharpen after every tank. Fill oil and gas at the same time. Sharp chain is a happy saw.

No, sharpen when dull.
Start with a brand new chain. Cut with it and remember how it feels, cuts…
When that stops, sharpen it. Pretty simple. Can take a couple tanks or a few seconds.

 

[aaronmeyer]

Thank u all, there are many of useful advice for me. I also see that it really goes dull after only 3 refills of gas.

smash karts​

 

[J D]

Thank u all, there are many of useful advice for me. I also see that it really goes dull after only 3 refills of gas.

smash karts​

It goes dull when it starts making sawdust instead of chips. That might be after 3 tanks if chain is well sharpened to start with, cutting conditions are ideal, & wood is clean & soft. More likely you need to sharpen every tank... & if you put the saw into the dirt you may have to sharpen 30 seconds after you put a brand new chain on.
Much better to sharpen a little bit & sharpen frequently than to push a saw with a dull chain causing excess wear & tear & then have to sharpen 3x more of the cutters to get them back to good

 

[J D]

I've cut logs where I had to sharpen twice per round due to the wood being old, hard, resinous, & dirty

 

[VirginiaIron]

A sharp saw will be easier on your back whether you are standing, squatting, or kneeling. I ran a file over my chain several times per tank with the the last 25"+ trunk I cut up.

 

[fields_mj]

I've cut logs where I had to sharpen twice per round due to the wood being old, hard, resinous, & dirty

I once had to sharpen a chain 5 time trying to drop a large locust. What I didn't know was that the tree was eat up with carpenter ants and the middle of tree was essentially solid dirt. I was sure I was something really wrong with my sharpening process. Once I got the tree on the ground, it all made sense to me.

 

[fields_mj]

No, sharpen when dull.
Start with a brand new chain. Cut with it and remember how it feels, cuts…
When that stops, sharpen it. Pretty simple. Can take a couple tanks or a few seconds.

This is true BUT, for a new user it's hard to remember what the chain felt like when it was new and sharp. Thus sharpening on a fixed schedule is a good idea until you get to the point where you can feel the difference in the way the saw cuts as it starts to get dull. If ever in doubt, switch to a new, or freshly sharpened chain. If the problem goes away, then you know what the issue was.

Also worth talking a very close look at your currently dull chain and comparing it to a new chain so you can start to SEE the differences.

 

[Chucksta]

For a new, occasional user, I'd recommend getting a Stihl "2 in 1 " sharpener. Quite simply, you can't screw it up, even if you tried. It's design forces you to hold the right angle, and it dresses the rakers ( depth gauges) at the same time.
3 strokes per tooth ( cutter ) after every tank of fuel, ( or sooner if you touch ground, or it goes from flakes to sawdust).
Just make sure that you get the one that is specific to your chain, ( 3/8th, 3/8thP, 325, 404, etc.). The way they are designed, it pulls the file into the proper alignment with the gullet. You could probably touch up a chain a hundred times, before you got back to the hash mark at the end of the cuter.
As I'm old and grey, I also don't mind the 5 minute break from cutting, to sharpen the saw blade.
Seriously, I've sharpened thousands of chains, and, I'd like to think, that on my best day, I could do better than the 2 in 1.. But, for speed, ease of use, virtually zero learning curve.. Of all the crap I've tried, the 2 in 1 was the only system that really worked.
Just make sure to get an actual Stihl one... not a Chinese knock off. It's worth the extra couple of bucks.

 

[sundance]

For a new, occasional user, I'd recommend getting a Stihl "2 in 1 " sharpener. Quite simply, you can't screw it up, even if you tried. It's design forces you to hold the right angle, and it dresses the rakers ( depth gauges) at the same time.
3 strokes per tooth ( cutter ) after every tank of fuel, ( or sooner if you touch ground, or it goes from flakes to sawdust).
Just make sure that you get the one that is specific to your chain, ( 3/8th, 3/8thP, 325, 404, etc.). The way they are designed, it pulls the file into the proper alignment with the gullet. You could probably touch up a chain a hundred times, before you got back to the hash mark at the end of the cuter.
As I'm old and grey, I also don't mind the 5 minute break from cutting, to sharpen the saw blade.
Seriously, I've sharpened thousands of chains, and, I'd like to think, that on my best day, I could do better than the 2 in 1.. But, for speed, ease of use, virtually zero learning curve.. Of all the crap I've tried, the 2 in 1 was the only system that really worked.
Just make sure to get an actual Stihl one... not a Chinese knock off. It's worth the extra couple of bucks.

Or Pferd (who I believe actually makes them for Stihl).