Chainsaw Sparks

  • Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.

    We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.

    We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil.
Status
Not open for further replies.
Berner

Berner

Feeling the Heat
Feb 1, 2012
388
Eastern, MA
Late afternoon yesterday I made out for a craigslist scrounge. I was excited to see that what I thought would be a small run turned out to be 4 trailer loads. The downside of this was that it was getting dark. Not that I'm proud of this but I ended up doing some chainsawing in the dark. Not smart, very dangerous, won't do this again but what really surprised me was that occasionally I would get sparks coming off the chain. Is this something that is common but can't be seen in the regular daylight? I noticed that it occurred mostly when the saw was binding a bit.

Chain too loose is all I can think of.
 
I would venture to say u are correct with the chain being loose. That is pretty common and would not be seen in daylight.
 
  • Like
Reactions: CTYank
Was the wood skidded at all? I have seen it in day light but only with dirty wood.
 
BigFir said:
Was the wood skidded at all? I have seen it in day light but only with dirty wood.
Click to expand...

It looked clean. The owner had them cut down by a bucket truck. He then stacked them in piles. It was a small lot so they wood wasn't moved far. Why would dirty wood cause sparks?
 
rocks inbedded in the bark will cause sparks.
 
Berner said:
Why would dirty wood cause sparks?
Click to expand...
All sorts of grit can be in the bark of wood. It can even be wind borne stuff that blows it there. If it was the tiny little, single glint of a spark, it could have come from grit in the wood.

(and I fixed the title for ya.;))
 
  • Like
Reactions: CentralVAWoodHeat
I will tighten it up. Proper tension is when you can pull the bottom down off the bar the size of one chain correct? Do this when it's cold, check when warm, and then check again when hot?

Also how hot do your chainsaw bars get during operation? I feel like my bar is too hot to grab for a one count. Especially when the bar is buried in the big stuff.
 
I have seen sparks many times. It's always caused by something in the wood. Dirt, metal, etc. Sparks mean metal on metal of some kind and I always stop to investigate.
 
Also how hot do your chainsaw bars get during operation? I feel like my bar is too hot to grab for a one count. Especially when the bar is buried in the big stuff.[/QUOTE said:
A bar can get real hot. As long as it's getting oil you should be fine. If it's cold outside and you're using a real heavy bar oil like Poulan in the green jug, your bar may not get as much oil as it needs. Also, Husky saws, especially xp's spin a little faster and that heats a bar up when it's buried in big wood.

What I do occasionally when I'm cutting is put the tip of my bar a few inches away from what I'm cutting and rev up the saw and see if it's throwing a good amount of oil on the log.

Too hot to grab for a one count is in my opinion not too hot.
Click to expand...
 

Yes I check to make sure that it's spitting bar oil. I use the Home Depot jug but maybe it's time to upgrade that decision.

I'm not too worried as long as too hot to grab for a one count is the norm.
 
I don't make a habit of cutting in low light, but I almost always see sparks I do. I'm of the camp that thinks there are always a few sparks from metal-on-metal (chain on bar) when cutting, but we don't see them until it's dark outside. I never worried about it.
 
Both my saws spark in low light. I don't think it has to be dirty.
 
  • Like
Reactions: DougA and TreePointer
Loose chain will do it every time, dont forget to file your bar down afterwards.

bob
 
Roundgunner said:
Both my saws spark in low light. I don't think it has to be dirty.
Click to expand...
Mine too! They're not big sparks like hitting barbed wire in a tree, just light ones but only seen when it's dark enough.
 
I tried mowing one of our fields along our road once at night and saw more sparks than I cared to see. Funny how little bits of gravel will do things at night that you don't notice during the day. Same is probably going on with your saw.
 
Some sparks will come from exhaust too, even with a spark-arrester and a well-exercised saw.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

D
Chimney Fires White Paper - Read This!
Replies
14
Views
2K
The Hearth Room - Wood Stoves and Fireplaces
begreen
begreen
S
Things I've Learned, 9 Months In (Beginner Stuff)
Replies
14
Views
5K
The Hearth Room - Wood Stoves and Fireplaces
Ashful
Ashful
I
Stihl Farm Boss MS271 just stopped
Replies
52
Views
10K
The Gear
DodgyNomad
DodgyNomad
I
Chainsaw Problems
Replies
35
Views
3K
The Gear
D8Chumley
D8Chumley
webfish
  • Locked
Wood Fuel CHAINSAW WISDOM
Replies
0
Views
3K
Articles
webfish
webfish
Top Bottom
Back