Who does custom saw work in the NW USA?

[nmurph]

there is a lot of good builders on here,,, i had masterboob do mine and i can't be happier with his work,, it was a hard choice on picking a builder though

Yep, pickling a builder is hard: picking your nose is much easier.

Tree Sling'r is a top choice. If you can deal with prima donna's, Simonizer does excellent work:hmm3grin2orange:. Another VERY good choice would be Timber Wolf, but he's across the border. As mentioned, unless you are hand-delivering the saw, any of the good builders will do a similar and satisfactory job.

 

[Iron Head]

I'm from the Pacific NW and I got 3 saws enroute to a monkey in Tennessee right now.

 

[StihlyinEly]

I'm from the Pacific NW and I got 3 saws enroute to a monkey in Tennessee right now.

Yeah, based on Randy's avatar, porting is so easy a CHIMP can do it! :hmm3grin2orange: :hmm3grin2orange: :hmm3grin2orange:

 

[Mastermind]

Yeah, based on Randy's avatar, porting is so easy a CHIMP can do it! :hmm3grin2orange: :hmm3grin2orange: :hmm3grin2orange:

It ain't rocket surgery or nuttin. :msp_wink:

 

[GASoline71]

I'm from the Pacific NW and I got 3 saws enroute to a monkey in Tennessee right now.

You could have had that done locally in WA state... There are 2 places that do it right here in WA. One has a shop in Sedro-Wooley and in Longview, the other has a shop Centralia.

If I didn't send a saw to Jasha (Tree Sling'r)... I'd hit up one of the shops here in WA. Who better to port a logger/fallers saw then cats that deal with those kinds of saws for a living.

Just me though...

Gary

 

[StihlyinEly]

Who better to port a logger/fallers saw then cats that deal with those kinds of saws for a living.

Did I miss the part where the OP is a logger/faller instead of someone who just wants a saw ported? You don't have to be the Faller Stud of the World to want a solid ported saw.

Oil. It's what's for dinner, Gary.

 

[unatool]

I think you mean Tennessee Steve........

I've got your 288 down to the case......a freshening up is in order but the saw is it great shape.

I hope you can forgive me... Tennessee! Just south of Canada, eh?

good to hear the 288 is under the knife.

 

[GASoline71]

Did I miss the part where the OP is a logger/faller instead of someone who just wants a saw ported? You don't have to be the Faller Stud of the World to want a solid ported saw.

Oil. It's what's for dinner, Gary.

Seein' that he's from Eatonville, WA (even the HS mascot is a "Cruiser")... one of the the booming loggin' areas in WA State for quite some time... he'd be lookin' for a cat in the area to do it. I mean... it's a possibility he wants to send a saw back east to have ported to impress all the cats in the cul-de-sac with a super cool spiffy modded saw. But I digress.

Gary

 

[bcorradi]

Seein' that he's from Eatonville, WA (even the HS mascot is a "Cruiser")... one of the the booming loggin' areas in WA State for quite some time... he'd be lookin' for a cat in the area to do it. I mean... it's a possibility he wants to send a saw back east to have ported to impress all the cats in the cul-de-sac with a super cool spiffy modded saw. But I digress.

Gary

You need to travel more.

 

[GASoline71]

Nah... I'm good.

Gary

 

[edisto]

Did I miss the part where the OP is a logger/faller instead of someone who just wants a saw ported? You don't have to be the Faller Stud of the World to want a solid ported saw.

No...but if you are smart, you want the same guy porting it.

 

[Jacob J.]

The main problem with having guys in the northwest port a saw is that they're not keeping up with the newest trends in saw modifications that really get the big power.

For example: I bought a parts MS-460 that a local shop (Sandy, Or.) had ported. They are well-known among faller circles for modified saws. I rebuilt the saw and checked the timing numbers and found they had given the saw way too much exhaust timing to be a decent runner, and they hadn't touched the transfers. The obvious solution was to have the squish band machined and give the cylinder more compression area. I sent the cylinder to the Master-Mooberizer and he salvaged it for me and now its' a great runner even with the massive exhaust port. I asked the guys at that "local shop" about machining the squish band and they gave me the same glassy-eyed, blank stare that one would get when asking for a vegetarian hotdog at a baseball game.

So yeah, there's probably guys in the northwest doing some decent, shade-tree style porting jobs but they aren't up to snuff on the latest tricks and most of them aren't even using a degree wheel. They're just carving on the ports until they "have the right look."

 

[wyk]

Gary, et al are sort of makin their point. I'll give it a try.
If you go to You tube and look at the videos of people whom port saws, you will see quite a difference. Perhaps not in performance, at least not directly. The big difference is how they are testing the saws. When you see hotsaws or CCG testing their ported 70cc saws, it is almost invariably with them running a 30-32" bar buried in the types of woods we cut out here, running the same chains we do, with the same oilers, and bars. This means low rakers, high output oilers, and a requirement for as much torque as possible. If you do not have Douglas Fir in your area at all, it seems your experience with how a ported saw handles that type of tree would be sparse at best. If you do not have 36" DF logs laying around, how can you tell how well your ported chainsaw handles a 32 bar buried in it with low rakers and square ground skip chain? Porting isn't one size fits all. That's the point they are trying to make.

I would personally endorse Simon for a saw for use in the PNW as a falling saw because I've used a couple of them. But, then again, it's not my money

Stihl ms 361 - YouTube

Notice he calls it a 'little fir'. I measured a Fir while cruising yesterday at 71" DBH.

 

[wyk]

The main problem with having guys in the northwest port a saw is that they're not keeping up with the newest trends in saw modifications that really get the big power.

For example: I bought a parts MS-460 that a local shop (Sandy, Or.) had ported. They are well-known among faller circles for modified saws. I rebuilt the saw and checked the timing numbers and found they had given the saw way too much exhaust timing to be a decent runner, and they hadn't touched the transfers. The obvious solution was to have the squish band machined and give the cylinder more compression area. I sent the cylinder to the Master-Mooberizer and he salvaged it for me and now its' a great runner even with the massive exhaust port. I asked the guys at that "local shop" about machining the squish band and they gave me the same glassy-eyed, blank stare that one would get when asking for a vegetarian hotdog at a baseball game.

So yeah, there's probably guys in the northwest doing some decent, shade-tree style porting jobs but they aren't up to snuff on the latest tricks and most of them aren't even using a degree wheel. They're just carving on the ports until they "have the right look."

As with anywhere, you have a wide range of porters. And, correct me if I am mistaken, aren't you porting saws in the PNW?

 

[Jacob J.]

As with anywhere, you have a wide range of porters. And, correct me if I am mistaken, aren't you porting saws in the PNW?

I am not. Nor have I ever ported saws for joe blow saw guy. I've done some for me and a handful for local faller friends/cutters I used to work with. But that goes back to my original point- Our builders here (I.e. Mastermind, Stumpy, plus others who want to keep a fairly low profile) are doing things miles ahead of what I can do. I don't have a lathe and my long time machinist guy was injured and got out of the game three years ago. So I'm left with the option of doing things by hand with my drill press or sending cylinders off to our resident pros.

I used to see all the PNW guys at the dealer meetings. Those that have set themselves up to modify saws are mostly still at my level. A few are actually turning cylinder bases and there's a tiny handful who've tried a pop-up piston.

 

[Iron Head]

I am not. Nor have I ever ported saws for joe blow saw guy. I've done some for me and a handful for local faller friends/cutters I used to work with. But that goes back to my original point- Our builders here (I.e. Mastermind, Stumpy, plus others who want to keep a fairly low profile) are doing things miles ahead of what I can do. I don't have a lathe and my long time machinist guy was injured and got out of the game three years ago. So I'm left with the option of doing things by hand with my drill press or sending cylinders off to our resident pros.

I used to see all the PNW guys at the dealer meetings. Those that have set themselves up to modify saws are mostly still at my level. A few are actually turning cylinder bases and there's a tiny handful who've tried a pop-up piston.

What you think reasons for your assessment? I'm curios to know