Not making fun of the guy as I'm sure he'll get it worked out with a better drive on the chain or sharper but I do feel his pain. We've all been there with stuff that doesn't work the first time.
Looks like the chain is throwing good chips, when it moves. Don't know enough about hydraulic motors to even guess.
It looks to me like he is lacking the speed. He really struggles with getting the cut started which is the hardest part of the cut; even cutting a dovetail has this issue. But it also stops when he hits anything tough. I think there is a fine line between enough speed and torque and with hydraulics; while it is easy to get torque, it gets pricey to have both speed and torque. Its just basic physics...a horsepower is a horsepower is a horsepower. The old steam powered tractors of 1900 era had only 12 HP but the silly things had 1 ton flywheels. My lawn tractor has twice the HP but stalls when it hits a thick clump of grass...its all about inertia in other words. As Jeff says he is also throwing a pretty good chip so I wonder if maybe his saw chain is too big for the speed he is running?
I asked what was wrong on YouTube and his reply was: "Yes, the cylinder for the clamp is bad. The way the machine works when the clamp grabs it sends the fluid to the saw. Instead of doing that, the fluid is going past and going back down the cylinder to the tank. The manufacturer is sending out a new piston."
Good to know. Like I said, I've been there with those "What the heck" moments. Seems no one checks their product anymore before shipping.
I would not have thought of that, but makes sense. I just love the fact that he is building his own equipment. Most of the stuff I try does not work the first time out either.
