The old chain saw ...

[6miths]

Agree on the premium no ethanol for any small engines. Switched years ago and made life much easier. Just bought a new Stihl MS-170 to bring the total to 3. Partly bought it because I was in too much of a hurry to sharpen the chain on the other saw at the house. Third is at cottage. I took me a moment or two to appreciate that there was no nose/tip guard on the new saw. I guess everyone has been taking them off so they said no point and we can save a buck in manufacturing. Much better for ice sculpturing - a bit more dangerous for the uninitiated. All chain saws can be dangerous obviously. The old-timer that taught me when I was a teenager made a point of repeatedly showing me the scar on his thumb. Must admit that I once fell out of tree with a saw in my hand. Fortunately, not running and gave it a toss so as to not land on it or vice versa. A nice damp creek bank cushioned my landing.

 

[kgtest]

Good point on bad gas and sticking with low to no ethanol for small engines. Also...run thr engine out of gas before long storage periods. If you are gonna cut a tree in a month no need.

 

[Ronstar]

I don’t know if it helps, but I pour the gas out of the chain saw back into the gas can after every use. And refresh the gas can with new gas/oil mixture frequently

 

[ls99]

Chainsaw is a magic machine.
Amazing how much work a little bit of gas and a bunch of sharp bits of metal moving get done. I have churned trough probably 5 different chainsaws in the past thirty years.
They do demand the user pay attention.

 

[Ronstar]

They do demand the user pay attention.

I was with a friend when he put the chainsaw into his kneecap. He should have been paying better attention.

 

[bjorn2bwild]

During my college years, I worked the counter at a large equipment rental outfit. A predictably dangerous combination was a step ladder and a chainsaw.
After writing my first contract with this pairing, the boss leaned over to me and asked, how long?
I said three hours. He shook his head and commented, his wife will be making the return tomorrow along with an apology for being late and a story involving the emergency room.
He was correct.

 

[copyright1997reloaded]

Safety first: Always wear chaps. Always wear a safety helmet. Take breaks. When you are getting tired, STOP. Never ever operate a chain saw after drinking. And so on.

I burn about 4.5-5 (full) cords a year in my wood stove. I have a pair of Husqvarna 450 rancher chainsaws and have cut at least 25 cords with them, with very minimal repair needed (new cord, tune up). I use *ONLY* ethanol free gas or very occasionally TruFuel. I have never had an issue with the carbs on these.

Most of my cutting has been felling trees + bucking them up, but I have done a truck load of log length (about 7.5 cords) with them. They have been beasts, start up easily, run well. I have various length bars from 14" to 20". I usually use either 18"s or one 16" and one at 20". I do not use low kickback chains, there is just an enormous cutting difference with full chisel which allows the cut to be quicker and as a result less time holding the saw while running.

My typical routine when doing the log length work was to do one tank of gas of work, then stop. If I wanted to do more, do some splitting (which while you can still get hurt is safer than using a chain saw). By stopping after a tank's worth, you limit your at once cutting time AND you leave the saw tank empty.

I do have other saws, including a Greenworks 16" 40V electric. I got it because I have some other Greenworks stuff, and jumped on a deal where the saw w/battery + charger was about the same price as a battery alone. It works decently, and I've used to to cut up smaller things when I don't feel like dragging the gas out etc.

Just remember that an electric chainsaw can do just as much damage to your leg as a gas one....maybe more as they have a lot of torque.

 

[Idnar7]

Somewhat related we were splitting wood with a splitter. One log got stuck my brother tried to move it with his hand. Big mistake. His glove was the only thing keeping his little finger near his hand. As like all accidents you don't see it coming. Within 20 minutes to an emergency room and they were able to save his finger, though no mobility.

 

[robnplunder]

Must admit that I once fell out of tree with a saw in my hand. Fortunately, not running and gave it a toss so as to not land on it or vice versa. A nice damp creek bank cushioned my landing.

I was cutting branches standing on a ladder with a circular saw. The pole saw I bought last week probably saved me a major accident down the road. Recently, I've DIY'd a few things to safely use circular saw (solid table, saw guides, etc).. When it comes to DIY projects, I am finally wising up.

 

[ncbill]

I switched to ethanol-free gas for all of my small engines. Now they start easily and reliably. Used to use stabilizer and had never-ending troubles.

You can buy the ethanol free gas at big box stores for around $8/quart. Or buy Sunoco racing fuel for about $11/gallon from an auto parts store or a gas station that sells racing fuel.

Initially I did not like the price but after several trouble-free years I would not go back to gas with ethanol. My local small engine repair guy says ethanol keeps him in business.

I also drain carburetors if the engine will not be used for 6 months. This helps as well.

Gas stations that sell ethanol-free gasoline:

https://www.pure-gas.org

My local one sells premium ethanol-free, currently $3.79/gallon.

I still add stabilizer.

 

[Jerry1]

Gas stations that sell ethanol-free gasoline:

https://www.pure-gas.org

My local one sells premium ethanol-free, currently $3.79/gallon.

I still add stabilizer.

I’ve used that and found two stations near me that sell ethanol-free gas. They’re not close, but it’s worth the trip and one is near my golf course so I just have to remember to take my tank on those days.

I only use stabilizer when I need gas and don’t want to get the ethanol-free stuff. It’s rare, but my lawn tractor uses a lot of gas so I don’t mind running some ethanol through it during the season. However, as we get into the fall, I make sure to run down the gas and use only the ethanol-free stuff so it’s good for winter storage.

I’ve also noticed that my lawn tractor runs about 25% longer on a tank of ethanol-free gas than it does the ethanol gas. It doesn’t fully compensate for the cost difference, but it does minimize the difference.

Edit: Just looked at the Pure Gas site and found a station even closer to me. Yay! Thanks for posting. I had seen that site before, but never thought to look at it again since I moved. Probably still use the one by my golf course, but in a pinch, the one I found is only about 4-5 miles away. Sweet.

 

[bjorn2bwild]

There are no convenient sources for ethanol-free fuel in my area of California.
PS - possible casualties - fuel hoses on one genset, fuel pump diaphragm on the other, plastic gas tank cracked at the low point on the mower.

What I do -
at the end of the season I run the tank dry, then add a small amount of Coleman white gas and run dry again. Then drain the fuel bowl. The white gas is stable for years so no additive is needed.
The 29 year old mower (B&S Quantum) is still going strong with no apparent harm.

This video takes a look ------