Cleaning up a deadfall in the drive...first real head scratcher

Had the top of an old long dead tree drop in the drive the other day. The majority is actually standing off the side of the drive. Piece of cake right?


Saw just didn't do it right for me today. Bar and chain were super hot. Stopped after making a few cuts to see what the heck was going on.



Cleaned the oiler up good, it's definitely using oil. But I kept losing chain tension which was driving me nuts. Finally after a while I gave up on it. Will take a better look at it tomorrow. After two and half years of maintenance free operation, I might have to actually fix something on the MS251. I'm not sure how, but I'm thinking I may have pinched a bar, or gained a burr somewhere.

 

Check your drive sprocket & the drive links on the chain. May have something dinged up a bit.
Edit: Make sure the oil hole & bar groove are clean also.

 

Definitely thinking something bar related. A friend was thinking dull chain. But these are the chips that were flying. Chain didn't feel dull either. Maybe I guess.

 

Oddball super hard wood? Perhaps? It's out there.

 

Plugged oil hole in the bar is my bet.

 

+1
I don't know what "cleaned up the oiler good" means. I usually aim the bar at a tree and rev it up and look for a good spray of oil on the tree. Granted I have my oiler almost on max because I have cut some petrified oak that - needed it. I've never turned it back down. I've only had to clean the oil channel once, now I check it often. (I like to flip the bar over often)

 

Grease the sprocket. Maybe the chains on backwards?

 

Ive dinged up a drive links which will cause the chain to "bind" up and drag. Did the chain jump the bar while you were cutting today? Twice i had a chain jump this year and it caused burring/New chain quick solution, but it did manage to find the dinged drive links and file them off. Its a rather painstaking process but got it done. One chain i bent a link too bad and had to toss it.

 

Make sure you take a putty knife or similar and scrape out all the sawdust and oil that is stuck in the bar. I was amazed the first time I did this and now do it every time I sharpen a chain. Mine had bound up and was running hot just like yours. Oiler was fine. Did you end up figuring out what was wrong?

 

That was my initial thought too. Hot bar is either lack of oil or pushing hard from a dull chain.

 

Man...now you have me thinking. I've never done this, and never thought to do it. I guarantee after a couple years of cutting the inside of my bar is full of grime. I'll have to give it a check.

 

Sounds like that is the culprit right there. While you're checking make sure the oiler holes are not blocked. You can use a small pick tool to clean it out or blow really hard on it but then you risk bar oil and sawdust in your mouth. Also check for burrs on top and on the side the rails of the bar that the chain slides over. You can get those off with a stone or a file.

 

It can get especially gummed up if you are cutting a sappy tree like pine or spruce.

 

Also while you're at it you should take off the top cover and clean your air filter.

 

Take pictures of the crap you pull out!

 

I thought the same thing. I pinched a chain a couple of years ago in a massive Douglass Fir. Then it kept binding up and kicking off the bar. I thought I bent the bar, which would be a real bummer. But I threw a new chain on and back in business.

 

Haven't been on here in a while nor running the saw at that. Cleaned up a couple deadfalls the other day. New chain was the answer. Cuts great again.

 

maybe you need to file the rakers.

 

This is the perfect task for old worn out sawzall blades. I wrap the one end with electric tape. Also a couple seconds on the bench grinder and that little tab at the end can be made to fit any bar oil hole for easy clean out. I probably have a dirty dozen kicking around here in various locations. A few in the wood truck and always a few in my little saw tool box…

 

I use the AARP cards that come in the mail .