New member/small introduction

[Scruboak]

Good morning

My name is Troy and i live in the Eau Claire WI area.  Grew up about an hour or so east of here on a small dairy farm and we did a lot of woodcutting as our home/shop was heated with wood only going thru around 30-35 cords/year. In the summer months we would cut pulp wood between hay crops and also did some logging during winter months

I grew up with a pair of Stihl o-41's and a Johnsreds 910 & 920 if memory serves me. We also tapped 2500 or so trees for syrup in the spring and used the Stihls with auger bits to tap.  I left the farm after college and became a pilot and have been flying corp jets for the past 16 years now

My wife and i just recently (2 years ago) purchaced the home we are in now and this is the first home we have owned with woodburning fire place. For last year i just bought 4 cords of oak/maple but have the urge to make my own!!  I found and purchaced a nice clean used MS 290 from a local pawn shop and have used it a little bit so far.   I have been searching this forum for a while for any info good or bad on the MS290 and so far all i have found is some chain/bar oiling issues so not too many issues with this model of saw!!

Any info good or bad you guys can give a sort of rookie about operating this saw would be greatly appreciated!!  Thanks!!! Scrub

[ely]

welcome to the neighborhood, that saw should give you good service. if you grew up cutting wood it seems you may not be a rookie.

[thecfarm]

Scruboak,welcome to the forum. How are you getting the wood out?

[Scruboak]

Well i have a neighbor across the street who has 80 acres i can cleen up tops that has good enough looging roads that i can run my old dodge right into the woods. I have to do a little walking for some but i need the exercise!

I also just recieved a permit to cut any laying wood on airport property outside the fence. Lots of oak ad pine mix and more stuff laying on the ground than i would have ever thought!!  Easy access also

[John Mc]

Welcome, Scruboak. Sounds like you've got a nice arrangement for firewood.

We have a few pilots on here. I'm a pilot myself, but don't fly professionally. I did use to do some flight instruction, but not active in that at present.

[Scruboak]

Another question i have is can i find out how old my saw is with serial number search?

[Andyshine77]

Message me the serial number and I'll look it up on Stihl's E-service.

[Scruboak]

PM sent Andy. Thanks!

Also,,when i got this saw at the pawn shop i took it to the local ACE hardware store who has a full service Sthil dealership also. Ive chatted up the owner before and they seem like pretty straight guys...he looked at it and said i did pretty good with the purchace but showed me something interesting with the chain in that it was a "safety" chain or anti kick chain?  It has double rakers side by side?  i dont think ive ever used anything like that??  Is this a chain they ship them with from the factory or something?? 

I bought myself a 3pack of round files as that is one thing i remember my dad and grandfather taught me is how to file a chain!  I dont ever remember taking a flat file to the rakers but pop may have done that in the shop before work too and i just never noticed?!?!

[fishpharmer]

Welcome to FF Scruboak 8)

[Andyshine77]

PM sent Andy. Thanks!

Also,,when i got this saw at the pawn shop i took it to the local ACE hardware store who has a full service Sthil dealership also. Ive chatted up the owner before and they seem like pretty straight guys...he looked at it and said i did pretty good with the purchace but showed me something interesting with the chain in that it was a "safety" chain or anti kick chain?  It has double rakers side by side?  i dont think ive ever used anything like that??  Is this a chain they ship them with from the factory or something?? 

I bought myself a 3pack of round files as that is one thing i remember my dad and grandfather taught me is how to file a chain!  I dont ever remember taking a flat file to the rakers but pop may have done that in the shop before work too and i just never noticed?!?!

Nothing really wrong with the chain, it will cut slower and not bore cut much at all.

http://youtu.be/4x-vx2Kn5UI

[Ianab]

I think by law all "consumer" grade saws have to be sold with a low kickback chain which has the double rakers. This reduces the risk of the chain "grabbing" as it goes around the tip of the bar and then kicking back..  Depending on the design it may not be as aggressive, or as good for bore cutting.  But keep it sharp and it will cut just fine.

You can go and buy a new loop of chain with regular chisel as long as you feel confident using it. (and have some safety chaps etc)

[John Mc]

Nice video.

What makes the saw "cut in circles" if the left handed cutters get to be different lengths from the right-handed ones, is that the cutters on one side are now taking a different sized "bite" out of the wood than those on the other, since their relationship to the depth gauge is different.  As the author mentioned, I do think that the Carlton file-o-plate guide - or one that works similarly - gives better results when setting depth gauges (Shown below: the depth gauge guide on the roller file guides, as well as the one sold by Husqvarna work the same way as the Carlton guide). These guides customize the depth gauge to their associated chain tooth, rather than averaging it between two teeth. The result is that the chain is much less sensitive to having teeth of different length. (I do still try to keep them close, but I do that by eye, rather than counting strokes or measuring, and even if the teeth get unmatched a bit from left to right side, the saw still cuts straight.)

Here's the depth gauge jig on the roller-style sharpening guide shown in-use. The different slots for soft wood or hard wood just change the height of the depth gauge slightly (you can take a little bigger bite in soft wood).


 

And here is the Husky-style depth gauge guide (which is what I use, mainly because it's the style I happen to own. You get the same results as with the other tow mentioned)


 

[beenthere]

Here's the depth gauge jig on the roller-style sharpening guide shown in-use.

John
On your pic showing the use of the depth gauge on the roller jig, I take it that the small notch is there to fit back over the raker, not to be pushed up tight against the forward tooth as shown. That way, the raker is held firm when filing it.  Maybe I've got it wrong too, but that roller jig is the best way to file "by hand" IMO.

[Andyshine77]

The roller guides work really well. You do have to open the slot to fit Stihl chain. I also didn't find the husky depth gauge to fit properly on Stihl chain. The Carlton guide seems to be pretty much universal.

The bar slot being the correct width, and having the bar rails square, has a lot to do with the saw cutting true. Obviously if the tooth lengths get drastically unequal you'll have problems. However if each tooth is a little different in length, as long as you keep the tooth sharp and the depth gauge set properly, the chain will cut really well.

There are no regulations, when it comes to what chain should be used on any particular saw. Although most manufactures recommend the use of safety chain for non professional use, whatever that means.   

[CX3]

Ian, your post might make someone think unless they have full chisel chain there is no need for safety chaps.  I know that is not what you meant, but safety chaps are a must any time a saw is being used. 

[Scruboak]

Back when i was on the farm and we cut pulp or logged in spare time we never had any safety equipment!! This was mid 80's the only thing we had was a pair of Carhartt insulated bibs that in the end wound up with more than one tear around the knee area!!   My how times have changed (for the good)

[mad murdock]

Welcome aboard scrub oak!  Eau Claire, eh?  I was born and raised near Eagle a River, and learnt how to fly there at EGV. I too logged in the late 70's thru early mid 80's then later in the 86-89 part time and then for a stint in 91-92 before I moved out west via Alaska for good. Ended up in NW Oregon.
Sounds like you have a sweet arrangement for getting firewood off yer neighbors piece. Work smart, work safe. Even with all the safety do-dads a guy can get real messed up in a hurry.  Hope winter treats you well there this year. Sounds like another cold snap had been hanging on in the Northwoods for a while  now.