Hello, I've been fortunate I guess in that I haven't had to do anything to my Stihl 034 chainsaw since I've had it-I think it's been over 20 years-other than change chains. Today, however, I was cutting some black locust, about two feet in diameter, with a new chain. It was cutting really easily and all of a sudden it stopped cutting like the middle of the log was made out of rock or steel. I thought I might have hit a nail or something metal that somehow, miraculously imbbedded itself in the center of the log. After the chain cooled I looked at it and it looked like I hit something. So, I put on another chain and eventually, the same thing happened. It wasn't the log and I sort of knew that. I think that the chain is hitting against something on the saw itself. All of a sudden, it stops cutting, despite the chain spinning and now the chain gets dulled quickly. What should I look for? Thanks very much, I'd appreciate any help.
I would suspect some hidden dirt also. I had a miserable time cutting some dirty logs a few years ago-cut, sharpen, change chains-it wasn't fun!
Picture (close up) of the chain(s) in question? If the the chain was hitting the saw, it's usually pretty obvious where once you pull the clutch cover.
They can get pretty mangled if you hit steel. If they're just dull it's probably dirt. With a black locust that size I'd be shocked if it *didn't* have a hollow in the middle. And locust is so darn hard you'd think it was steel if your chain is dull. Can you roll the log? I found some locust one time buried along my property line. Probably from when the town was digging the ditch between my property and the next. I couldn't pass it up but it was just murder on my chains.
Is it possible to over tighten the chain sprocket cover, so much so that it or something on it comes in contact with chain and dulled it? I used a socket wrench and think I may have underestimated the leverage I get vs the cheapo scrench.
Hardly. If the cover, bar, and chain are positioned correctly, (and if the chain spins normally it all should be fine) you will break the bar stud or pull it from its threads before you distort anything.
Try cutting with a sharp chain on another log or another section of the tree and see if the same thing happens - then you'll have an idea if it's the saw or the tree. Cheers!
Yea impossible to tighten too much to hit, but that can cause bearing damage on that side. Locust is a hard wood that trashes chains 10x faster than oak. I like the theory of a hollow spot the may have ants in thag made dirt or just some that got blown in then the tree grew around a very a in defect making it inclusive. Move up 18"s and try another cut. Yu should get through one cut easy, maybe dulling on the 10th one? Haha
Thanks everyone. The chain looks like I might have hit something.... I just turned the bar over, cleaned out everywhere oil flows, reset the chain tension screw-I think the chain sprocket cover and nuts were keeping the chain tight rather than tension screw. I will try again today and I will set aside the section of log I had trouble with and move on to other logs and see what happens. Locust is hard I suppose but I've cut quite alot of 2-3 foot logs without any issues. I give the folks who make a living selling firewood alot of credit. It's alot of work-transporting, cutting, seasoning, splitting, etc, for a moderate return. I suppose if you have a professional set up it would be okay but still alot of work and equipment. On the other hand, I kind of enjoy it as it's just for my family.
How far from the bottom of the tree did this happen? The close to the base, the more likely it is to have metal embedded in it. Of course clothes lines can be pretty far up. As others have mentioned, try another part of the tree. If you can split open the piece that was dulling the chain, you may find your culprit. There have been pics posted on this site of some pretty interesting stuff stuck in trees.
I was just splitting some oak that had a very pronounced blue stain. While splitting, I found two very old, very rusty nails. The tree had grown over the heads decades ago. Wonder what the reaction is that produces a blue color. edit: Just found this "Regarding the blue stain, are you talking about blue stain that you see in the logs right now or blue stain that appears after sawing? Blue stain in the logs right now means metal you get to cut while sawing the logs. Blue stain that develops on the lumber is a result of the tannic-acid-rich log moisture mixing with the iron of the saw blade. Cooling water enhances this, contributing more moisture to the chemical reaction. The resulting blue/black from this reaction is as deep into the wood relative to how much time the iron and tannic acid were present. The blue resulting from sawing should plane away in one pass. The blue from the nails or fencing in the logs will not plane away. It’s there - that vinegar smell."
Iron makes a blue stain in wood. It's how you can tell when you cut it down. Its a trick the small sawmill guys use to try and cut around metal. Often times those old nails are so degraded you can cut through them with a saw and it does little damage to the chain. Not good but won't stop you in the tracks.
The tensioner should not be holding the chain tight. It is the sprocket cover and nuts that retains the chain's tension and this is how it should be.
