Chain saw runs great - won't cut

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Kenster

Kenster

Minister of Fire
Jan 10, 2010
1,705
Texas- West of Houston
I have a 16 inch Craftsman. Runs well. Starts after just a few pulls even when it's cold. I used it about a week or so ago to buck a 14 inch hickory I had taken down when the top had been removed by a storm, thanks to internal ant damage. It ran fine then though I could tell the chain was getting a little dull.
Today I went out to tackle a couple of big, heavy logs recently acquired from my neighbor. I cleaned the saw up really good. I had a pack of new Oregon blades so decided to slap one of those on instead of taking the time to sharpen the chain that was on there. Filled up the gas and oil reservoir and it quickly fired up.
When I put the chain to the log it did virtually nothing! Revved up to max rpm it barely managed to rub a dent in the wood. Wasn't cutting at all. Not a speck of sawdust. There was a bit of smoke and it looked like the chain was burning the wood. I tried it on some other rounds that I knew were not rock hard. It did the same thing with them. I assume it was getting oil. The oil level in the reservoir had gone down some and there was oil around the sprocket. I tried it with different amounts of slack in the chain. Nothing. I even put the old chain back on to see if the new one was bad. No change.
I don't get it.

What might be the problem?
Thanks.

Ken. Bellville, Texas Halfway between Cat Spring and Raccoon Bend
 
Fix the chain. You put it on backwards when you changed the bar.
 
If the chain is turning on the bar & nothing is happening.
Could the chain be on backwards?
Even a dull chain should cut into the wood.
Picture?
 
Start it up in reverse and give it a whirl. %-P Rick
 
flhpi said:
Fix the chain. You put it on backwards when you changed the bar.
Click to expand...

Okay, I'll bite.... how is that possible? How can a chain be put on more than one way? The "points" are pointed in the same direction as the chain is turning. And when I put the old chain back on, I know that I had not turned it inside out, or whatever it would take to be "backwards."

I'm not arguing with you. I just don't see how you could put one on backwards as long as you put the "pointed links facing in the direction of chain travel. But I'm open to education.
 
Kenster said:
flhpi said:
Fix the chain. You put it on backwards when you changed the bar.
Click to expand...

Okay, I'll bite.... how is that possible? How can a chain be put on more than one way? The "points" are pointed in the same direction as the chain is turning. And when I put the old chain back on, I know that I had not turned it inside out, or whatever it would take to be "backwards."

I'm not arguing with you. I just don't see how you could put one on backwards as long as you put the "pointed links facing in the direction of chain travel. But I'm open to education.
Click to expand...

it will run in both directions.
 
Oldmainer said:
Me thinks yer puttin' us on dude...must be a slow day down there in long horn country...:)
Click to expand...

Oldmainer, would that that was true. However... as humiliating as it is, I will confess that I went out and discovered that there is, indeed, a wrong way to put on chain, and, of course being me, that's the way I did it. And you know what? Right there on the sprocket cover is an engraved diagram of just how the chain should look when it's installed correctly.
I also will admit that I am probably the first person ever to make such a mistake. My bride of 36 years has long known that I am an idiot. Now all you guys do, too!

Thanks for not being too hard on me.

Kenster
 
Kenster said:
Oldmainer said:
Me thinks yer puttin' us on dude...must be a slow day down there in long horn country...:)
Click to expand...

Oldmainer, would that that was true. However... as humiliating as it is, I will confess that I went out and discovered that there is, indeed, a wrong way to put on chain, and, of course being me, that's the way I did it. And you know what? Right there on the sprocket cover is an engraved diagram of just how the chain should look when it's installed correctly.
I also will admit that I am probably the first person ever to make such a mistake. My bride of 36 years has long known that I am an idiot. Now all you guys do, too!

Thanks for not being too hard on me.

Kenster
Click to expand...

its happen to everyone of us at some point!
 
Usually I notice I've put the chain on backwards after EVERYTHING is assembled and cleaned, and the saw is the last thing to be put away. I hate that!
 
its happen to everyone of us at some point!
Click to expand...


Been there, done that.

I said to myself damn! A drill bit will work in reverse, not well however.


KC
 
BTDT
Last time it happened to me, I flipped the bar over without thinking to flip the chain back. I got everything back together before I noticed it. Doh!
 
Kenster said:
I also will admit that I am probably the first person ever to make such a mistake.
Click to expand...
Nope. My father made the same mistake decades ago.
 
After you do it once, you will never do it again. I guess you can tell I have done it.
 
lol, I did it just a few days ago. I had to come down the ladder to figure out what the problem was. I had left the saw disassembled after cleaning it. I put it all back together and then sharpened the chain. When I realized the chain was on backwards, I also then realized that something seemed strange when I was sharpening the chain but I couldn't figure it out at the time.
 
smokinjay said:
Kenster said:
Oldmainer said:
Me thinks yer puttin' us on dude...must be a slow day down there in long horn country...:)
Click to expand...

Oldmainer, would that that was true. However... as humiliating as it is, I will confess that I went out and discovered that there is, indeed, a wrong way to put on chain, and, of course being me, that's the way I did it. And you know what? Right there on the sprocket cover is an engraved diagram of just how the chain should look when it's installed correctly.
I also will admit that I am probably the first person ever to make such a mistake. My bride of 36 years has long known that I am an idiot. Now all you guys do, too!

Thanks for not being too hard on me.

Kenster
Click to expand...

its happen to everyone of us at some point!
Click to expand...

I've never done it.................. and thats my story and I'm sticking to it
leaddog
 
Of course none of us have ever done it :red: How do you think we ALL recognized the problem so fast??? Some of us have even never done it while working on someone ELSE's saw.... :red: :red: :red:

Gooserider
 
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