"Wilson Lamb" wrote in message
.net...
Well, letting the smoke out is never a good thing to do.
You should touch up the chain every time you fill the tank. More if you
work.

I think Wilson may be holding some kind of smoke in his lungs too long.

Wilson
"Jonathan Goodish" wrote in message
...
I am a relatively new chain saw owner who has Googled extensively and
read the owner's manual several times. I have a good degree of common
sense, and try to take care, but I am destined to make stupid mistakes
anyway.

After about 2 hours of use on the new saw going through cherry and ash,
I started into some oak about 12" in diameter with a 20" bar on a Husky
346XP (fast saw). I worked through this for about an hour and noticed
that the the oak seemed to be getting progressively harder to cut,
requiring more pressure on the saw as I moved toward the base of the
tree (tree had been felled already). Eventually, the bar and chain
began to smoke, and I probably made 7 or 8 cuts until the bar and chain
were smoking so badly it became obvious that something was seriously
wrong... the bar oil on the bar was bubbling from the heat. I removed
the bar from the log and ran the saw for about 30 seconds to oil the bar
and allow the smoke to dissipate from the bar and chain.

I inspected the bar and noticed that the paint had disappeared along the
edges of the bar, the Husky lettering in the center of the bar was
completely gone, and there were a couple of spots in the center of the
bar where the paint had disappeared. I suspect that the paint had
simply burned off at these locations.

Obviously, the chain was dull. Why that wasn't obvious when I had to
force the saw to cut is beyond me. That's the bad news.

The good news is that I inspected the bar and didn't see any obvious
signs of damage. I didn't notice any "bluing" of the bar metal where
the paint is gone, and I didn't notice any burring or flaring of the bar
rails. I did flip the bar over and put a new Oregon chain on it, and
the saw now cuts like a champ. I am not sure why the original Husky
chain became so dull after only 3 hours on the saw, as I took care to
keep it out of the dirt and certainly didn't hit anything other than
wood during operation.


My question: What signs of damage to the saw, bar, or chain should I be
looking for at this point? I suspect that the paint burning off of the
bar is premature wear at this point, but I'm not sure if that is a
indicator of damage. Does it sound like I got lucky this time, or could
something have been damaged that is not yet obvious?


Thanks,
JKG

First off.....check that you have chain oil in your new saw. One hole for
the gas ....one hole for the chain oil.
If you did do this, check that the oil can get to your bar. There is a
little hole on the side of your bar that lets the oil in.
You have to take the side cover off to see it. Periodically you HAVE TO
clean this little hole and the groove in your bar. Chainsaws do not have
'blades' . Chains and bars.....no blades. Occasionally, after extensive use,
you can feel a bit of chain wear on your bar.......simply run a flat file
down the side of the bar and remove the bur. You are a 'long' ways away from
developing that problem. Remember that you have to lubricate the tip of your
bar.....if it has a wee hole to do so.....grease not oil in this hole. Last
two points, when you are holding your saw keep your thumb locked around the
handle...not over the handle, like a young girl; when it bucks back in your
face you will appreciate this advice....and keep your head to the LEFT, away
from being in line with the bar when...not if...it bucks back at you.

Now, did anyone tell you which side of a log you should stand on when
bucking ......just might break your legs if you choose wrong.

BTW.......filing a chain so it is 'razor' sharp don't mean squat........if
your rakers are high.

Good luck lad........nothing feels so good as knocking
down your first big 'stick'

Drop me a line if you wish................Ken