WHY Not a No "Bling" Relatively Quiet Saw to work with?

[weimedog]

Stock in every way chainsaw can be the best solution. We get so much hype to modify, add big spikes and full wrap handles to have a saw in the "proper" configuration. Ported, muffler modded and all that stuff. USUALLY it's about selling things. Be it a personality or a service. While all that has a place, and can be a LOT of fun. Sometimes a block and tackle saw job needs a basic saw solution. A lesson I learn every couple of years after wandering into modded saws, then clone saws, and even "west coast" configurations as we explore every facet of the hobby. BUT sometimes a work saw is really what's required.


Husqvarna 585 Working Review, Afternoon With A 585 part1, What, A Standard No Full Wrap Handle? - YouTube

[Spike60]

Be careful going against the grain here good buddy. Ported saws not only cut faster, but firewood cut with a ported saw is believed to put out more btu's. The full wrap crowd, many of which have full wrap handles devoid of fingerprints on the clutch side, swear that both the handle and the west coast spikes, play a critical roll in intimidating a tree into falling exactly where intended. Plus, chick's like guys with long bars. ;)

[sawguy21]

 :D Ported saws have their place for serious competition and bragging rights but just bling for the average tree hack. We don't see many 'west coast' full wrap handles anymore, the big timber is pretty much gone.

[barbender]

 I've never modified a saw. Well, I did put a big bore kit in one, but that was just because it was less than 1/3 the price of an OEM P&C. 

 I bought a barely used Stihl 500i. The guy had put some big west coast felling dogs on it. For what I do, all they do is get in my way and cost me about 2.5" of bar length. I'm sure they have their place for thick barked big timber. That's not what I'm cutting😊

 I did run a ported Husky 385 once. It was a great running and cutting saw. I still never felt the need to send mine in though 🤷

[Farmer_Nate]

Porting and big dogs is a lot of fun.
I like to let everybody for miles know when I am cutting wood.

[ladylake]

 I wear ear muffs 100% of the time when running anything loud..  Steve

[DHansen]

If the tool does what you want it to and when you need it to, that is what really matters.  All the other stuff like brand, color, bar length, cutters, modifications are all personal choice.  But sticking with basics and OEM makes reliable repairs easier in the long run.  Reliability matters.  Modifications can be helpful and needed when the OEM parts are not available or have a common failure. 

[donbj]

That was a good post. I have never and have no desire to port or otherwise modify a saw. As a collector mainly I like to keep my saws stock and original. If I need more bar or power I grab a bigger saw. I have cut a lot of wood in my day, not professionally but "experienced amateur" and have always been satisfied with the saws I have had and use. I just can't see myself taking a grinder to a sweet running 2100 or any of the old classics especially.

Nothing at all against those that do hop them up, some guys have a lot of fun and enjoyment with that. Just not for me. That all said, it's the guys that do experiment and modify that drive the improvements and innovative new products.

[Southside]

Don't forget the added HP boost one gets from mixing #6 oil in the gas.   :D

[donbj]

Don't forget the added HP boost one gets from mixing #6 oil in the gas.   :D

Is that the caveman"s STP?

[Spike60]

Don nailed it as usual. Especially from a collector's perspective. Grinding and hacking on irreplaceable parts on real clean, well preserved saws is a sin.

Sure I've monkeyed around with plenty of 372's and such. Especially when building saws from the parts pile. But I've got plenty of mint examples of older saws that I'd never dream of modding. And like Walt and Dave have said, they get the job done fine just as they are.

[B.C.C. Lapp]

I run saws almost every day of most weeks.  All my saws are stock.   I figure the engineers at Stihl know best how hot they should run for the best power and efficiency. I've worked with some guys that have their saws ported and tweaked.  More power to them if they think they need that.   I never have any trouble keeping up with those guys in the woods so I figure my saws are fine as issued.

I will say the only thing I do that some guys snicker at is that I run the 91 octane fuel and use a good ethanol treatment additive.   I worked with a guy for a year that ran 87 octane and no ethanol treatment.   I admit he never seemed to have any carb trouble. Was he just lucky? Fibbing?  :D I dont know  but I still spend the money on better fuel. 
 

[donbj]

"Grinding and hacking on irreplaceable parts on real clean, well preserved saws is a sin. "


That very thought was in my mind as I posted.😂 I come across youtube videos of guys coming across some of these old classics and they want to port them to "improve" them. I cringe.

[DHansen]

I did take a very clean 261 Husqvarna that had no problem.  Removed the dish piston and installed a dome piston and thin base gasket.  So I am guilty of doing some modifications to improve hp.  On that saw I still think it was worth doing.  But the 262XP sticker from Spike made the most difference in how well the saw cut.

[donbj]

You sinner!
I'll modify this post to make it perform better. Putting that 262XP sticker on that was just as bad😆

[Spike60]

The 261-262 conversions are an approved upgrade. Not desacrating a classic, but actually creating one.

[donbj]

As long as we're heading in the right direction😀

[DHansen]

I have watched lots of Walt's videos, I was surprised when he used the word "bling" in the topic line.  

[WLzM1A]

  Agreed.  I have both

[donbj]

Maybe should have taken a bit more bling with me this day about 3 weeks ago. Took the 2065 and 262 out looking for some firewood. Came across this and couldn't pass it up. 22" bar on the 2065 there. Cabled it and fell it across the road. Got'er done though.


 

 

[lxskllr]

I think porting is most interesting working aloft, and getting more out of small saws. Weight matters more, and being able to go up a bar size with negligible weight gain is appealing. I'm still debating a muffler mod on my 2511 cause it's pretty quiet stock. I can make a couple quick cuts, and not feel like my ears are bleeding. I'll probably mod it after inspecting the combustion process this winter. I can always buy another muffler. If I were doing this professionally, it's highly likely I'd get a ported 2511.

[weimedog]

Most with the 585 so far, 3 with a 572 HTSS. The 572 got tossed for a g395 for 8 maybe ten, the rest of the 28 or so logs cut with the 585. I think this was 22 or 3 of the 28 and there are still a few left in the woods

[Skeans1]

I'll be the odd one out here then I prefer a wrap of some sort well cutting plus the bigger dawgs in the thick bark we get into where standard 5 points just won't bite. Normally I can draw the line at 70 years old or so after that the bark is getting too thick unless it's hardwood.

[donbj]

I don't think you're the odd one out. There is a definite place and need for both of those. There are lots of cutters out there that want that stuff more for the sake of having it than needing it. I think it relates to anything with an engine, some guys just have to modify, hop it up, race it, get every last ounce of power and performance out of it they can. Just the nature of horsepower and its affect on mankind :D

[Ianab]

I think it relates to anything with an engine, some guys just have to modify, hop it up, race it, get every last ounce of power and performance out of it they can. Just the nature of horsepower and its affect on mankind

Guilty as charged in my younger days. :D

Any engine maker has to work within constraints. Fuel economy / Emissions / Noise / Reliability / Cost / Power etc. So you CAN certainly modify an engine to boost some of those things, but usually at the cost of others. If you don't care about the noise, then modifying the muffler usually makes a bit more power. Saws don't get emission or noise tested after they are sold, so that's not usually a problem if the cat-converter "accidentally falls out" etc. 

Now I just tend to buy a car or saw that has enough HP. Toyota actually make Corollas with 270+ hp stock. But they are a bit high on the "cost" side of the equation, and not great on the fuel economy. But totally different from tweaking a 70's GM straight 6 from 110hp to ~140. 

[donbj]

110 to 140. Back then that was big. Now every cylinder puts that out😂

[barbender]

 If I ever "hopped up" something it would probably be a saw, but it's unlikely. I prefer to just buy enough saw in the first place. I know some guys will say that if you mod it you have more saw for the same weight. I don't deny that, I just don't need another hobby to learn the ins and outs of. 

 If it's a saw that really "wakes up" from a few mods, that just tells me the OEM didn't develop it enough. I want a saw that mods don't really help😊

 When I'm used diesel pickup shopping, I ride right around the ones that have tuners on them or have been otherwise modified, unless it is one that was part of a emission/delete tune. Those engines already put out a borderline unhealthy amount of horsepower for their size IMO, and aside from that the tuners are messing with timing, and the fuel rail pressure. I suspect a majority of diesel engine failures are due to people screwing with them🤷

[DHansen]

I think with any combustion engine, 2 or 4 stroke, gas or diesel, there can be good modifications for the application.  But a poorly done modification is the fault of the person doing the job.  And this can be valve timing, carburation, exhaust flow or computer programming.  And the person using the product that has been modified can also be part of the problem a modification fails.  Some people are just better off sticking with stock if they don't understand the modification.  I have seen diesel fuel system need extensive fuel system work after a DEF system delete and the person that borrowed the truck added DEF fluid to the fuel tank.  Or oil injection systems deleted and the user forgot to mix the 2 stroke oil into the fuel.  For some users, simple and stock will work better.  And then we have the ones who will squeeze every last bit of HP from an engine.  And we all like HP.  

[barbender]

Stock isn't going to make a difference for a dummy dumping DEF in the fuel tank, just sayin'😊

[DHansen]

Twice I have seen DEF fluid destroy the high pressure fuel pump.  Then the metal fragments from the high pressure fuel pump push into the high pressure lines and plug the injectors.  Once on a 2021 Chev 6.6  and once on a Cummings.  2.5 gallons of DEF into a 26-30 gall fuel tank.  Stopped both vehicles dead within 15-30 minutes.  And a very expensive mistake.  Who knows what these folks are thinking when adding the fluid to the fuel tank.  Maybe he didn't understand the delete kit.

[barbender]

 VERY expensive mistake!

 We had a new hire add DEF to the oil fill on a new Cat skidder. And then run it after he realized his mistake, which ended up being about a $50,000 mistake. Basically turned the oil into glue, plugging the oil galleys and trashing the entire engine. Something about DEF triggers the stupid button, I guess.

[weimedog]

Kind of the "rest" of the story. A few take aways after a couple of days with the 585. It starts easy for a big saw. Idles like a lawn mower. Good solid power for the 28 inch B&C in the hard wood I'm cutting. 1/2 wrap lets me cut closer. The 585 is the best saw option I own for these tree's. And that's a LOT of saw options to pick from.

Husqvarna 585 Field Test & Review Part 2, "Raw" usually cut out stuff. - YouTube

[sawguy21]

I used to see saws with west coast handles that were bent so badly the bar cover was difficult at best to remove.