"Poulan Wood Shark. Ran fine the day I bought it. Ever since then when I have tried to use it, it starts and runs fine until it hits the wood. Then has no power and dies. Very frustrating."
You are lucky it even started after the first time it was used. I've had scores of those Walmart Poulan's dropped off here over the years, and it's ALWAYS the same exact thing. After verifying fuel exists in the tank, you can apply the choke and pull them 25-30 times and they woln't even think about starting.
Then I'll pull the air filter cover and prime them. One in 20 times this will get them going, the other 19 times we throw them down over the hill. I simply refuse to waste my valuable time pissing around with saws that weren't worth the price of the fuel it took to drive to Walmart to purchase them.
If you really want a "cheap" saw, for occassional use, get an Echo CS-310, 370, or 400. They start right up every single time in 2-3 pulls, and are great runners. The owner just has to be smart enough to remove the limiter caps when you first buy one and add some fuel via the "L" and "H" screws.......Cliff