I have an electric chain saw (120 VAC) and was using it for awhile
until it suddenly gave up the ghost. I tried different cords,
different outlets etc. and the problem seems to be the motor.
I suspect that the motor has burned out - and here's the question -
when an electric motor burns out, what typically breaks on the motor
and can it be fixed by someone who is pretty handy?
I disassembled the chainsaw and checked to make sure that the switch in
the handle is working OK and it is - but the motor is definitely not
working.
Any suggestions certainly would be helpful. Thanks in advance.
Doug

Doug wrote:
I have an electric chain saw (120 VAC) and was using it for awhile
until it suddenly gave up the ghost.

Don't know much about them. Have two of them, but haven't used either
of them for several years.....but just a question. The gas models
have a "safety chainbrake" in the event of kickback the theory is that
the brake will be operated and will stop chain rotation before it takes
off half your shoulder.

Does your electric have a chainbrake. And, if so, has it been
accidentially activated....

wrote:
Doug wrote:
I have an electric chain saw (120 VAC) and was using it for awhile
until it suddenly gave up the ghost.

Don't know much about them. Have two of them, but haven't used either
of them for several years.....but just a question. The gas models
have a "safety chainbrake" in the event of kickback the theory is that
the brake will be operated and will stop chain rotation before it takes
off half your shoulder.

Does your electric have a chainbrake. And, if so, has it been
accidentially activated....

I don't think it's a chainbrake issue since the motor turns freely by
hand, but thanks for the suggestion.
Doug

wrote:
Doug wrote:
I don't think it's a chainbrake issue since the motor turns freely by
hand, but thanks for the suggestion.
Doug


Well, I would think in the electric, they might just "kill switch" the
motor somehow....don't know, just a random thought.

Once, in a moment of insanity (since I never loan my saws out), a
neighbor borrowed one of my saws, called me the next day and said he
was sorry, he had broken it, but he'd take it in and have it fixed.

Called me a few days later, a bit embarrased. He'd been trying to use
it while the chainbrake was on. Guys at the shop had a bit of a
chuckle over that.

Most likely a bad switch, easily jumped oiut to check and look for a
overheat swictch breaker...

Probably not worth spending much money to fix. I buy my electric
chansaws at garage sales flea market. 10 bucks can get you a nice one.
I I try and buy several of the exact same model for easy parts
interchangeability.

When chainsawing stuff I want to cut and NOT spend time messing with
saw.

With more than one hitting a nail in a tree means I just swap saws and
keep going, no next hour getting a chain.

I LOVE REDUNDANCY, plus I am always cutting with a sharp chain!

rep/ Burnt out,and used Chain Saws.
The spares and repairs of these power tools is where the profits realy
are for the makers
you seem to know what you are doing.The flea market is a good place for
bargains,but
just a word to the wise here.I was helping my cousin cut some branches
of some fir trees
and he had just got a "bargain" of a Chainsaw.After we had felled the
branches we set to
cutting them for easy disposal,in the meantime we both had noticed the
saws tendency
to not respond to switch off.I was handing him the biggest pieces when
the saw stuck so
he pulled it out and it seemed off.I can see this still so clearly i
asked him to pass me the saw to have a look at,wel he passed it to me
handles first as he was holding the chain.The saw hadn't been switched
off at all it started and it cost him three fingers anda
deep leison in his right leg.
Turns out it wasn't such a good buy after all.

On 2 Jun 2006 09:17:22 -0700, wrote:


Doug wrote:
I don't think it's a chainbrake issue since the motor turns freely by
hand, but thanks for the suggestion.
Doug


Well, I would think in the electric, they might just "kill switch" the
motor somehow....don't know, just a random thought.

Once, in a moment of insanity (since I never loan my saws out), a
neighbor borrowed one of my saws,

???? Never? well hardly ever. (That's a line from some musical.
"Carousel"?)

called me the next day and said he
was sorry, he had broken it, but he'd take it in and have it fixed.

Called me a few days later, a bit embarrased. He'd been trying to use
it while the chainbrake was on. Guys at the shop had a bit of a
chuckle over that.

On 2 Jun 2006 08:19:22 -0700, "Doug" wrote:

I have an electric chain saw (120 VAC) and was using it for awhile
until it suddenly gave up the ghost. I tried different cords,
different outlets etc. and the problem seems to be the motor.
I suspect that the motor has burned out - and here's the question -
when an electric motor burns out, what typically breaks on the motor
and can it be fixed by someone who is pretty handy?
I disassembled the chainsaw and checked to make sure that the switch in
the handle is working OK and it is - but the motor is definitely not
working.
Any suggestions certainly would be helpful. Thanks in advance.
Doug

What's it smell like? Ozone just means arcing, but if it's not the
swtich and its brushless, there'll be no arcing.

Burnt smell means something is burnt. Probably not repairable at a
reasonable price.

mm wrote:
On 2 Jun 2006 08:19:22 -0700, "Doug" wrote:

I have an electric chain saw (120 VAC) and was using it for awhile
until it suddenly gave up the ghost. I tried different cords,
different outlets etc. and the problem seems to be the motor.
I suspect that the motor has burned out - and here's the question -
when an electric motor burns out, what typically breaks on the motor
and can it be fixed by someone who is pretty handy?
I disassembled the chainsaw and checked to make sure that the switch in
the handle is working OK and it is - but the motor is definitely not
working.
Any suggestions certainly would be helpful. Thanks in advance.
Doug

What's it smell like? Ozone just means arcing, but if it's not the
swtich and its brushless, there'll be no arcing.

Burnt smell means something is burnt. Probably not repairable at a
reasonable price.

There doesn't seem to be any burnt smell at all - the motor turns
freely by hand but just won't work when I plug it in. I tried
jumpering the wires to bypass the switch - same problem - nothing
happened.
Doug

Doug wrote:
mm wrote:
On 2 Jun 2006 08:19:22 -0700, "Doug" wrote:

I have an electric chain saw (120 VAC) and was using it for awhile
until it suddenly gave up the ghost. I tried different cords,
different outlets etc. and the problem seems to be the motor.
I suspect that the motor has burned out - and here's the question -
when an electric motor burns out, what typically breaks on the motor
and can it be fixed by someone who is pretty handy?
I disassembled the chainsaw and checked to make sure that the switch in
the handle is working OK and it is - but the motor is definitely not
working.
Any suggestions certainly would be helpful. Thanks in advance.
Doug

What's it smell like? Ozone just means arcing, but if it's not the
swtich and its brushless, there'll be no arcing.

Burnt smell means something is burnt. Probably not repairable at a
reasonable price.

There doesn't seem to be any burnt smell at all - the motor turns
freely by hand but just won't work when I plug it in. I tried
jumpering the wires to bypass the switch - same problem - nothing
happened.
Doug

is it a brush type motor? sounds like a worn or lose brush

Doug wrote:
mm wrote:
On 2 Jun 2006 08:19:22 -0700, "Doug" wrote:

I have an electric chain saw (120 VAC) and was using it for awhile
until it suddenly gave up the ghost. I tried different cords,
different outlets etc. and the problem seems to be the motor.
I suspect that the motor has burned out - and here's the question -
when an electric motor burns out, what typically breaks on the motor
and can it be fixed by someone who is pretty handy?
I disassembled the chainsaw and checked to make sure that the switch in
the handle is working OK and it is - but the motor is definitely not
working.
Any suggestions certainly would be helpful. Thanks in advance.
Doug

What's it smell like? Ozone just means arcing, but if it's not the
swtich and its brushless, there'll be no arcing.

Burnt smell means something is burnt. Probably not repairable at a
reasonable price.

There doesn't seem to be any burnt smell at all - the motor turns
freely by hand but just won't work when I plug it in. I tried
jumpering the wires to bypass the switch - same problem - nothing
happened.
Doug

is it a brush type motor? sounds like a worn or lose brush

Doug wrote:

mm wrote:

On 2 Jun 2006 08:19:22 -0700, "Doug" wrote:


I have an electric chain saw (120 VAC) and was using it for awhile
until it suddenly gave up the ghost. I tried different cords,
different outlets etc. and the problem seems to be the motor.
I suspect that the motor has burned out - and here's the question -
when an electric motor burns out, what typically breaks on the motor
and can it be fixed by someone who is pretty handy?
I disassembled the chainsaw and checked to make sure that the switch in
the handle is working OK and it is - but the motor is definitely not
working.
Any suggestions certainly would be helpful. Thanks in advance.
Doug

What's it smell like? Ozone just means arcing, but if it's not the
swtich and its brushless, there'll be no arcing.

Burnt smell means something is burnt. Probably not repairable at a
reasonable price.


There doesn't seem to be any burnt smell at all - the motor turns
freely by hand but just won't work when I plug it in. I tried
jumpering the wires to bypass the switch - same problem - nothing
happened.
Doug

If you're sure you've exonerated the cord and switch, as well as any
anti kickback switch (If there's one of those on your saw.), I'd cast my
vote for worn out or "stuck" motor brush(es).

I personally have never seen an electric chain saw without a "universal"
motor, with brushes.

Pull the brushes and see if they've worn too short or if there's sticky
gunk keeping them from sliding in and being spring loaded against the
motor's commutator.

Failing that, eyeball and push-pull all connections of lead wires
wherever they end up to make sure there isn't a broken wire concealed by
unbroken insulation.

HTH,

Jeff

--
Jeffry Wisnia
(W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)
"Life is like a sewer -- what you get out of it depends on what you put
into it."

Jeff Wisnia wrote:
Doug wrote:

mm wrote:

On 2 Jun 2006 08:19:22 -0700, "Doug" wrote:


I have an electric chain saw (120 VAC) and was using it for awhile
until it suddenly gave up the ghost. I tried different cords,
different outlets etc. and the problem seems to be the motor.
I suspect that the motor has burned out - and here's the question -
when an electric motor burns out, what typically breaks on the motor
and can it be fixed by someone who is pretty handy?
I disassembled the chainsaw and checked to make sure that the switch in
the handle is working OK and it is - but the motor is definitely not
working.
Any suggestions certainly would be helpful. Thanks in advance.
Doug

What's it smell like? Ozone just means arcing, but if it's not the
swtich and its brushless, there'll be no arcing.

Burnt smell means something is burnt. Probably not repairable at a
reasonable price.


There doesn't seem to be any burnt smell at all - the motor turns
freely by hand but just won't work when I plug it in. I tried
jumpering the wires to bypass the switch - same problem - nothing
happened.
Doug

If you're sure you've exonerated the cord and switch, as well as any
anti kickback switch (If there's one of those on your saw.), I'd cast my
vote for worn out or "stuck" motor brush(es).

I personally have never seen an electric chain saw without a "universal"
motor, with brushes.

Pull the brushes and see if they've worn too short or if there's sticky
gunk keeping them from sliding in and being spring loaded against the
motor's commutator.

Failing that, eyeball and push-pull all connections of lead wires
wherever they end up to make sure there isn't a broken wire concealed by
unbroken insulation.

HTH,

Jeff

--
Jeffry Wisnia
(W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)
"Life is like a sewer -- what you get out of it depends on what you put
into it."

SAFETY WARNING!

REMOVE CHAIN BEFORE MESSING WITH SAW PLUGGED IN

Jeff Wisnia wrote:
Doug wrote:

mm wrote:

On 2 Jun 2006 08:19:22 -0700, "Doug" wrote:


I have an electric chain saw (120 VAC) and was using it for awhile
until it suddenly gave up the ghost. I tried different cords,
different outlets etc. and the problem seems to be the motor.
I suspect that the motor has burned out - and here's the question -
when an electric motor burns out, what typically breaks on the motor
and can it be fixed by someone who is pretty handy?
I disassembled the chainsaw and checked to make sure that the switch in
the handle is working OK and it is - but the motor is definitely not
working.
Any suggestions certainly would be helpful. Thanks in advance.
Doug

What's it smell like? Ozone just means arcing, but if it's not the
swtich and its brushless, there'll be no arcing.

Burnt smell means something is burnt. Probably not repairable at a
reasonable price.


There doesn't seem to be any burnt smell at all - the motor turns
freely by hand but just won't work when I plug it in. I tried
jumpering the wires to bypass the switch - same problem - nothing
happened.
Doug

If you're sure you've exonerated the cord and switch, as well as any
anti kickback switch (If there's one of those on your saw.), I'd cast my
vote for worn out or "stuck" motor brush(es).

I personally have never seen an electric chain saw without a "universal"
motor, with brushes.

Pull the brushes and see if they've worn too short or if there's sticky
gunk keeping them from sliding in and being spring loaded against the
motor's commutator.

Failing that, eyeball and push-pull all connections of lead wires
wherever they end up to make sure there isn't a broken wire concealed by
unbroken insulation.

HTH,

Jeff

--
Jeffry Wisnia

Thanks for the suggestion - I haven't checked the brushes yet so I'll
remove the motor and check them out. I hope it's something as simple
as that and that I can find a replacement set of brushes fairly easily.
Thanks again.

Doug

Doug wrote:
Jeff Wisnia wrote:
Doug wrote:

mm wrote:

On 2 Jun 2006 08:19:22 -0700, "Doug" wrote:


I have an electric chain saw (120 VAC) and was using it for awhile
until it suddenly gave up the ghost. I tried different cords,
different outlets etc. and the problem seems to be the motor.
I suspect that the motor has burned out - and here's the question -
when an electric motor burns out, what typically breaks on the motor
and can it be fixed by someone who is pretty handy?
I disassembled the chainsaw and checked to make sure that the switch in
the handle is working OK and it is - but the motor is definitely not
working.
Any suggestions certainly would be helpful. Thanks in advance.
Doug

What's it smell like? Ozone just means arcing, but if it's not the
swtich and its brushless, there'll be no arcing.

Burnt smell means something is burnt. Probably not repairable at a
reasonable price.


There doesn't seem to be any burnt smell at all - the motor turns
freely by hand but just won't work when I plug it in. I tried
jumpering the wires to bypass the switch - same problem - nothing
happened.
Doug

If you're sure you've exonerated the cord and switch, as well as any
anti kickback switch (If there's one of those on your saw.), I'd cast my
vote for worn out or "stuck" motor brush(es).

I personally have never seen an electric chain saw without a "universal"
motor, with brushes.

Pull the brushes and see if they've worn too short or if there's sticky
gunk keeping them from sliding in and being spring loaded against the
motor's commutator.

Failing that, eyeball and push-pull all connections of lead wires
wherever they end up to make sure there isn't a broken wire concealed by
unbroken insulation.

HTH,

Jeff

--
Jeffry Wisnia

Thanks for the suggestion - I haven't checked the brushes yet so I'll
remove the motor and check them out. I hope it's something as simple
as that and that I can find a replacement set of brushes fairly easily.
Thanks again.

Doug

PROBLEM SOLVED!!!
After disassembling the chain saw I discovered a broken wire that ran
from the switch to the motor. I replaced the wire and all is well.
Thanks to everyone for their suggestions and patience.
Doug

"Doug" wrote in message
oups.com...

Doug wrote:
Jeff Wisnia wrote:
Doug wrote:

mm wrote:

On 2 Jun 2006 08:19:22 -0700, "Doug" wrote:


I have an electric chain saw (120 VAC) and was using it for awhile
until it suddenly gave up the ghost. I tried different cords,
different outlets etc. and the problem seems to be the motor.
I suspect that the motor has burned out - and here's the question -
when an electric motor burns out, what typically breaks on the motor
and can it be fixed by someone who is pretty handy?
I disassembled the chainsaw and checked to make sure that the switch
in
the handle is working OK and it is - but the motor is definitely not
working.
Any suggestions certainly would be helpful. Thanks in advance.
Doug

What's it smell like? Ozone just means arcing, but if it's not the
swtich and its brushless, there'll be no arcing.

Burnt smell means something is burnt. Probably not repairable at a
reasonable price.


There doesn't seem to be any burnt smell at all - the motor turns
freely by hand but just won't work when I plug it in. I tried
jumpering the wires to bypass the switch - same problem - nothing
happened.
Doug

If you're sure you've exonerated the cord and switch, as well as any
anti kickback switch (If there's one of those on your saw.), I'd cast
my
vote for worn out or "stuck" motor brush(es).

I personally have never seen an electric chain saw without a
"universal"
motor, with brushes.

Pull the brushes and see if they've worn too short or if there's sticky
gunk keeping them from sliding in and being spring loaded against the
motor's commutator.

Failing that, eyeball and push-pull all connections of lead wires
wherever they end up to make sure there isn't a broken wire concealed
by
unbroken insulation.

HTH,

Jeff

--
Jeffry Wisnia

Thanks for the suggestion - I haven't checked the brushes yet so I'll
remove the motor and check them out. I hope it's something as simple
as that and that I can find a replacement set of brushes fairly easily.
Thanks again.

Doug

PROBLEM SOLVED!!!
After disassembling the chain saw I discovered a broken wire that ran
from the switch to the motor. I replaced the wire and all is well.
Thanks to everyone for their suggestions and patience.
Doug


Glad you got your problem fixed. Mine has quit a couple of time and I fixed
it each time by taking it apart and cleaning. Never was sure of the exact
cause but I suspect it was a stuck brush.