Just Purchased My First Saw

The shop should have given you a quick run down on starting procedures. Hopefully it's just really flooded and they can show you how to fire it up in a quick visit.

A good shop should have also started and ran it in front of you.

Now that you have pulled your guts out just relax. This is a very easy to understand video by Stihl that may help when you are ready to give it a fresh try.



I know I never noticed that long burble on my own saw and have been very frustrated at times by not realizing that the thing is flooding until it is way flooded. The burble in that video is far longer than any I have ever experienced but I did learn to just go to warm start position fairly early in the process to avoid flooding.

As has been stated sometimes that first burp can be hard to hear especially if you don't know what your listening for. If you don't hear it by the 4th pull go ahead and switch to half choke and it should fire with the next 2 or 3 pulls.

Get the proper PPE! If it saves you 1 trip to the ER its paid for its self and it could save your life.

MacinJosh said:

Could someone also tell me how to disable the constant email notifications? I've scoured the settings and even clicked on the link in the emails and nothing is working. Thanks.

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Its under preferences




Just uncheck the box.

Congrats! That's a nice little mower... you gonna keep it, or sell it on craigslist?

+1 on just bringing it back to the dealer at this point, have them walk you through the startup routine.

Actually, you could just leave the spark plug out overnight, then put it back in the morning and give it one more go.. just be sure to put the saw in a place where nothing can fall into the cylinder, or drape a rag over it.

I cannot say for certain, but it is not outside the realm of possibilities that you have a bad plug or even a dead saw,,,just sayin.

MacinJosh said:

If there is an on/off switch....I am blind. The manual also didn't indicate one.

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There has to be an on/off switch. How else would you turn it off when you are done? Might be part of the choke. Look in the manual.

Midway43 said:

There has to be an on/off switch. How else would you turn it off when you are done? Might be part of the choke. Look in the manual.

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The on/off switch is built into the choke switch. It has 4 positions: off, run, half choke, and full choke

On the PPE, here's my advice, sure to generate some flames:

1. Eye protection. Obviously the most absolutely necessary piece of PPE. Don't even think of running a saw without it.
2. Ear protection: Too cheap and easy to ignore. Just do it.
3. Boots: Steel toes or cutting boots are a must. Foot-contact injuries are more common than you might think.
4. Chaps: Most already own the three items above, so chaps are (or should be) the first piece of chainsaw-specific PPE any sawyer should buy. Leg contact injuries are 5x-10x more common than head contact injuries. In fact, if you watch pros, many wear chaps all day, but only don their helmet for felling.
5. Felling helmet. If you're felling trees, this is a must. If you're just bucking on the ground, it becomes debatable, but it is a convenient way to get your eye, hearing, and head protection in one package.

Joful said:

On the PPE, here's my advice, sure to generate some flames:

1. Eye protection. Obviously the most absolutely necessary piece of PPE. Don't even think of running a saw without it.
2. Ear protection: Too cheap and easy to ignore. Just do it.
3. Boots: Steel toes or cutting boots are a must. Foot-contact injuries are more common than you might think.
4. Chaps: Most already own the three items above, so chaps are (or should be) the first piece of chainsaw-specific PPE any sawyer should buy. Leg contact injuries are 5x-10x more common than head contact injuries. In fact, if you watch pros, many wear chaps all day, but only don their helmet for felling.
5. Felling helmet. If you're felling trees, this is a must. If you're just bucking on the ground, it becomes debatable, but it is a convenient way to get your eye, hearing, and head protection in one package.

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Agree 101%! Get a bucket (aka hardhat) and at least wear it when felling. The nice thing about the built in eye protection is it never fogs, unlike glasses and goggles!
Also something I rarely ever seen mentioned is a First Aid kit. If you are away from the house, or in the woods it may save a life...and a first aid course is also strongly encouraged. It is one thing to have the kit, and another to how to use it properly or effectively. I am lucky enough to get training at work on a regular basis.

For safety, I would add - make sure you have a cell phone handy if you are working alone.

If you have not already gone to the dealer, make sure you stand beside the guy when he fires it up. Better yet, maybe you should show him what you did to start it and then he can show you what is wrong and what to do when you flood it.

I sympathize with you. I've had lots of stubborn 2 stroke equipment. I've got a bigger Stihl weed whacker that I replaced with a battery one. Such a PITA. Sometimes it feels like voodoo science.

Try your local big box store. I have seen that combination for at least $30 less at Farm & Fleet and at Lowes.

MacinJosh said:

This is exactly where I was leaning. I wasn't going to do any actual cutting without PPE. I just wanted to start the darn thing and warm it up and then recheck the tension. Manual said a new saw will need tightening more often until broken in.

Found this on Amazon. Thoughts?

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004FR0E1E...TF8&colid=2QBKRHG8FXGWD&coliid=I2N6TY0H18XTM5

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Never tried those chaps, but I do have that helmet ($25 at Lowes), and it works well enough for the weekend warrior in me. For chaps, I decided I wanted the full skidder chaps with bib and full length leg zippers, which are great for winter. Still gotta find something less warm for summer.

https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/stacking-on-pallets.142355/ heres a link to a current discussion on the use of pallets. I use them and think they are great, stable and better than dunage. I top cover with tarps but rubber roofing, tin etc can be used.

Edit: there are lots of discussions on whether to top cover but I think it comes down to where you live and how much snow you get. I have to top cover as we get frequent thunder storms in the summer and lots of snow in the winter.

MacinJosh said:

Also, can someone send me a link to any threads on here where I can see guys' setups outside? Does everyone just use palettes? Anyone cover theirs with a tin roof to keep the wood dry?

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I'd say most serious burners, at least those here, eventually end up building a wood shed: https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/show-us-yours-wood-shed.88203/

MacinJosh said:

I'm a chain saw noob so I read through the entire manual and watched some YouTube videos. Went outside to give it a go and I can't get the damn thing started for the life of me. Plenty of gas. Bar oil is fine. I put the choke all the way down and pull until my tongue is hanging out. Even tried to put it in the second choke level just below the run level and it won't start for nothing. I have no idea what I'm doing wrong but I'm frustrated and not impressed at all.

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Don't you just love it?? I got used to similar hassles with my MS250, until I learned how to properly start the saw. I was also flooding the thing, which was very easy to do.

I'd recommend that you try the following:
With an un-flooded cold saw, engage the choke fully. Engage the chain brake.
While standing with your right foot inside the handle, holding it to the ground, pull the starter cord 3 or 4 times. NO MORE. If you hear a "pop" as if it's trying to start, that's fine. If you don't, that's fine too.
Flip the choke to half choke position.
Pull the starter cord until it starts. This may take 1-6 pulls.
Once the saw starts, flip the throttle/choke to the run position, disengage the chain brake.

None of the above will work if your saw is already flooded. It's not a good sign that my Stihl saw manual tells the user how to clear a flooded saw. That suggests that the problem is relatively common.

Once you get it up & running, I'm sure you'll enjoy your new saw. Try not to get too awful frustrated in the meantime!

Joful said:

I'd say most serious burners, at least those here, eventually end up building a wood shed: https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/show-us-yours-wood-shed.88203/

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If you have the space I would agree, wood sheds are the way to go. On my .14 acre lot between the attached garage, garden shed, 14 x 14 dog kennel (which doubles as wood storage), garden and trampoline, the fence line is all I have. That and Im pretty sure I would exceed my maximum lot coverage.