New Chainsaw and a question on cutting logs

[Rob Cunningham]

I bought up my first chainsaw on Thursday (gloat). It's a Stihl MS 250 with an 18" bar. Not the biggest or best they make ,but it fit my budget and should be big enough for my needs.
I was cutting some logs for bowl blanks yesterday afternoon. I cut the log to length then cut through the center to get two halves. Was getting nice long chips and everything was going well until the chips got clogged in the housing around the chain. I had to shut off the saw and pull these long strands out to free up the chain. Is this a common occurrence or is there a way to prevent it? It only happened a few times but I wondered it I'm not doing something correctly. Thanks for any words of wisdom.

[Bill Bolen]

Rob that is pretty common. To slow it down I try to hold the face of the saw about 2" away from the log face once the cutting gets started. Seems to pile those long shavings upon the ground rather than jamming them into the saw...Bill..

[Steve Schlumpf]

Rob - any time you are ripping the log - you are cutting with the grain of the wood and it will come off in very long shavings. You can minimize the problem by holding your saw at an angle to the wood (30-45*) which reduces the length of the shaving.

[Steve Harder]

And keep the tip of your bar greased. When I'm pulling those long shavings also seems to be a time that the tip end of my saw doesn't get as much lubricant. Pull saw up out of cut and run at fast idle to let chain lube build up on chain every so often.

Check your manual, you may need to buy a little needle point greaser that fits small holes on the side of your bar at the end.

[Burt Alcantara]

What you're doing is normal.

[Steve Jenkins]

different subject. Be careful not to let the chain hit the ground. even clean dirt will dull it immediately.

[John Keeton]

Nice pick on the chainsaw. You can't go wrong with a Stihl.

I am sure you are practicing safety, but not enough can be said about that. Please keep your elbow stiff on your holding arm. Making binding cuts can be very dangerous, and the 250 is big enough to have some pretty bad kickback. Getting the nose buried in the wood is a recipe for disaster.

I had a friend that took a chainsaw in the face from a kickback. Fortunately, he did not lose an eye, but he had one nasty scar down his forehead and across the bridge of his nose - even after some corrective surgery.

[Reed Gray]

Some chain saws will clear those long shavings better than others. My little electric Husky is bad, the bigger Husky and Sthil are better. Run at max rpm, cut high enough off the ground so that the pile doesn't build up to the bottom of your saw, and saw through the fibers at an angle rather than perfectly parallel to the grain. I will start the cut parallel, and push the nose down through the far end as deep as I can go, then cut the front side down. Best way I have found yet to get a pretty flat surface on the blank.

robo hippy

[Frank Kobilsek]

Rob,

Trim the plastic cover that covers the drive sprocket and tightens the adjustment etc to allow for some clearence. Do not cut off the peg that protects you when the chain jumps off the bar. Do not cut away so much as to expose the drive sprocket. This helps a great deal.

Also if you have the log in a stand up off ground the shavings can fall away from the saw and avoid binding. A nice log stand will save your back too. (That is assuming you have a tool to lift the log into the stand.)

Follow the starting direction every time you start the saw. This model is easily flooded if you skip a step.

Be careful - and enjoy.

Frank

[Rob Cunningham]

Thanks for all the advice. I'll give the ideas a try next time I cut.

" Be careful not to let the chain hit the ground. even clean dirt will dull it immediately"
I had the logs up on some 6 x 6's. I need to build a cutting platform so I can work at a more comfortable height.

"I am sure you are practicing safety, but not enough can be said about that. Please keep your elbow stiff on your holding arm. Making binding cuts can be very dangerous, and the 250 is big enough to have some pretty bad kickback. Getting the nose buried in the wood is a recipe for disaster."
Thanks for the safety warnings John. I have a lot of respect for any saw and the damage it could do. All the wood I am cutting is smaller in diameter than the length of the bar.

[Christopher Zona]

Rob,

Trim the plastic cover that covers the drive sprocket....
Frank

I would not recommend altering the safety features on the saw, they are there for a reason.

Might I suggest that you place your log on cutting surface other than the ground. I normally cut a "coin" from a log that is about six inches thick or so. A good section might come from the end cut of a log that would not be suitable for turning. Think of a piece of log that you would use to place wood on for splitting.

[Nathan Hawkes]

Nice gloat, Rob! Steve's suggestion about the angle is the key to keeping the chain cover clear. My big husky (394XP) can usually clear just about anything, but sometimes it'll get clogged too. Don't ever try to clear it with the engine running!! Also, as Christopher said, don't repeat, don't remove the chain catcher! You'll suffer some pretty severe chain-slap, or worse a serious injury if it flies off the sprocket without this in place. Enjoy the saw!! Also, as someone stated about kickback, this is pretty easy to happen with a small saw doing ripping cuts. I use a large saw often to cut blanks, and it happens very little, as it pushes through most of the time when the chain is pinched, and although its possible to have really really bad kickbacks with it, the most severe kickbacks I've had were with smaller saws. Be careful!

[Dan Forman]

If you don't have them already, I would recommend a pair of chainsaw chaps to protect your legs in case of an "event".

Dan

[Bernie Weishapl]

If you don't have them already, I would recommend a pair of chainsaw chaps to protect your legs in case of an "event".

Dan

Hearing protection, steel toed shoes for sure, and and eye protection.

[lynn smith]

start the cut on the end of the piece of wood instead of on the side.
Just have to create a different jig to hold the piece of wood.
Shavings will be minimum.
You will also be less likely to hit the dirt with the chain.
Hope this helps
happy cutting

[Jim Sebring]

I have an older Stihl 028 with a 20" bar. When I finish a rip cut (or any cut, for that matter) the first thing I do is roll my left wrist (i'm right-handed) forward to engage the chain brake. that positively locks the chain from moving - kinda like putting the safety on on a rifle. One can then safely set the saw on the ground without worrying about dinging the chain or your bod with a creeping chain.

The purpose of the kevlar chaps is to jam up and stall the chain in the event it wants to eat a leg. They won't keep you from getting cut. Works kinda like how a Saw Stop table saw cartridge firing prevents serious damage to ones fingers.

[william scott]

The chain catch, FYI, is a very small hook on the bottom of the saw, just below the sprocket cover. The other thing I found with my Stihl is that the darn sprocket cover bolts wouldn't stay on well when new. It took a while for 'em to stay tight and I learned to take extras and a little telescoping pocket magnet with me when I was out cutting firewood. There's nothing like loosing the bolts in the shavings and then you can't find them!

Also, look up Baileys in a search engine. They are a online seller of all sorts of logging/firewood cutting supplies. If you need to cut little limbs of 2 to 4 inches around, they have something called a Chain Saw Buddy that you will want to get. It mounts onto the bar, and looks like a set of skis with a couple of uprights. The chain pulls the limb into the uprights, which hold the limb in place and the chain cuts the limb. I use mine quite a bit on the small stuff that seems to come home with me from time to time.

[Michael Mills]

Just my opinion but I would not hold the saw away from the wood; the "Bumper Spikes" are there for a reason. From the web site for your saw…"Bumper Spikes provide better control, making cutting easier." If only the blade is in contact with the wood what is holding the wood in place? I would keep the spikes on the wood, this does not mean that you can not cut at an angle also, tilt the blade into the wood.
Mine also gets clogged and I just shut it off and pull out the wood with a pair of needle nose pliers.
I cut mine in the shop and use my workbench. See picture.
If you don’t have a workbench make a simple U shaped holder. Maybe a 2X8 for the bottom and 2X6 for the sides. If it is too wide for the log, drop in one or two additional 2X4 on the inside. A couple of sheets of plywood for the bottom will work also, anything to keep the saw out of the dirt.
Mike

[Steve Kubien]

I am with Steve about angling the saw so it is not parallel to the ground. You get shorter shavings and it seems easier on my saw too.

I would also echo the comments about NOT altering any part of the saw. You do not know more than the saw's manufacturer and that's ok. We don't need you to prove it by ending up in the emergency room.

Kindest regards,
Steve

[Jim Sebring]

The chain brake on Sthil saws is activated by pressing the big paddle in front of the top handle. It locks the centrifugal clutch instantly. It is not affiliated with the chain catch hook.

[Rob Cunningham]

I am with Steve about angling the saw so it is not parallel to the ground. You get shorter shavings and it seems easier on my saw too.

I would also echo the comments about NOT altering any part of the saw. You do not know more than the saw's manufacturer and that's ok. We don't need you to prove it by ending up in the emergency room.

Kindest regards,
Steve

I don't plan to alter anything the saw.