As others have said, "dress" the bar every once in a while - file off the burrs and make sure the rails are even both sides. Also, its a good idea to always scrape the bar channel FROM the nose sprocket TOWARDS the open end, that way you aren't filling the nose sprocket with crud (and blow it all out with an airline if you are in the worksop). The little flat end of the raker depth gauge that comes with any sharpening kit is specifically designed for this, there are even little measurement lines on it to check the depth of the channel. Personally I do this every time I sharpen the chain, and then flip bar at the same time. Only takes an extra minute or two to clean down with a small brush, flip the bar and reinstall once you get proficient 👍

I'm an "EAST COAST" guy, living in Upstate New York State, and I resent the notion that the bar on my chainsaw could only be 6 inches long! I'll have you know that I've got a matched set of 8" and 10" bars for my 12cc Rubbermaid saw!

All of what you have stated PLUS: 1,. For myself, I decided not to try to run all the fuel out because of the possibility of getting a lean run and damaging the engine. Instead, I run all the time and store with 92+ octane, alcohol free fuel with Stabilizer. This has worked perfectly for 30+ years. 2. I also clean and degrease the recoil side of the saw AND degrease the cylinder head to ensure even cooling with no 'Hot spots' on it. 3. I grease the needle bearing on the power side, and frequently replace the sprocket drive. 4. air filters are cleaned with a grease cutting water based liquid, rinsed and air dried. No pressurized air is used to avoid compacting debris into the filter pores. Meanwhile, your experience and expertise are sincerely appreciated!

As a NYr, dad gave me a different set of skills, and as I transition from military service, you are like the dad I really need, as mive into a new chapter in life, as I want to be a homesteader. . You are a Father to 10s of 1,000s that need your wisdom, thank you & God bless you always.

Piece of advice after working in an auto shop for years. Brake clean is a good general purpose solvent. CARB clean is a hazard to use and should be avoided when possible. It melts many kinds of plastic and tends to be even more flammable. Use carb when you have to, but this is a job for brake clean.

Great video! I bought my first saw when I was 19. It’s a STIHL 064 with a 98 link chain. I believe it’s a 30” bar. I’m 53 now, and just used it yesterday at my Dad’s. It still runs like a screaming machine.

I'm running a 1978 Homelite chainsaw i rescued from a scrap yard last year, replaced all the fuel lines and the thing runs beautifully. Saws can last decades if you look after them!

You're so right about the left-hand reel. It never made sense to me why anyone would cast and then switch hands to reel. That's what my friends do (not casting with their left hand). What a bunch of wasted effort and time. I'm glad my midwestern dad taught me the PNW way.

As my dad did logging with a team of horses in the late 1930s 40s . He taught me to mix a bit of kerosene with my bar oil when cutting pine. Makes a big difference in performance with the sap and pitch. Thank you for the video. Blessings Ed from ct. Over here on the east coast.

Pro Tip for Airfilters: if you blow them clean with air, make sure to blow from the inside out, otherwise you're just pushing the dirt into the mesh and make it worse.

The air filter should be cleaned with air from the inside i.e. in the opposite direction to the airflow otherwise you will compact any dust and dirt into the filter. Also, its a good idea to clean the spark arrestor in the exhaust because if it gets clogged the engine will not pull and will eventually die. These are also the signs of a blocked carb or a bad coil and they always happen when you are out and about desperately cutting a batch of wood.

Very valuable information. Thanks. As for running them dry for storage, I used to do the same, but decided to go the opposite after it was explained that the tiny little channels in certain eares of carburetors get varnish buildup from the residual mixed gas on the surfaces, and after as few as one storage cycle, or at least a few will shlghtly shange those dimensions. He explained that as long as the residual gas from a primed carburetor does not completely dry up, it will be flushed out with a fresh mix in the next season, leaving no varnish on the surfaces. I know it is a long winded explanation, but I did follow his advise and got far better reliability from all my 2 strokes; saws, trimmers, outboards, etc.

Good point on E85. The alcohol is corrosive inside the fuel system and engine. So I only use the non-ethanol gas. Large stations often have a special pump with it (here in SC anyway).

When cleaning air filters with compressed air, always blow from the inside outward or you will force debris into the filter.

Thanks so much for this video. Several years ago I researched and got lots of info on sharpening a chainsaw. What a change in my confidence and it sure makes you look like you have the saw everybody wishes they had. Thank you also for the little tips on storage!

Nice video. I totally agree with buying the pro saw! I currently have a 361 and a 201tc. I usually just use a simple green to clean mine up though and avoid the carb cleaner as it can eat paint.

A good tip for saw bars. Remove from saw lay the bar flat on something flat file the bur or lip that can form from running the chain to tight. It will make you think the saw is dull and you can file it as you want and it still will not cut properly. It's good to keep an eye on it

Right there with you on keeping a saw ready to go. I live out in the middle of nowhere, just a group of houses surrounded by farmland for miles on all sides. Had a tree come down during a wind storm and block the only road in or out. Out of the whole neighborhood, my saw was the only one running right and able to clear the blockage.

As an East Coast faller, we use the tools appropriate for the job and that ranges from 16"-32" bars with full wrap handles believe it or not. It doesn't matter if we use a 36" bar or a 6" bar like you say, the trees will still kill you

My "east coast" MS461 wears 25" or 36" bars depending on what I'm cutting... When I do maintenance on my bars I inspect them for wear on the edges and file them as needed to remove burrs and to even up the wear surfaces. That burr can be very sharp so avoid running your finger over the bar edges! Also make sure the roller nose is turning free... clean and lube with bar oil as needed. I used a lot of gasoline to clean parts in my life but when working at a bench indoors a safe cleaner that I found works well is Simple Green. When you clean the air filter put the switch in the start position to close the choke before removing the air filter. That keeps debris out of the carburetor. Regarding the spare roller bearing for the clutch drum. I grease my spare and carry it in a little zip-lock parts bag.

You guys on the west coast, be careful with your big chainsaws...at least make sure your husbands are out there with you in case something goes wrong.

Keep making these kind of contents sir! No more conspiracy nonsense just wholesome man stuff

Good to see someone giving quality advice. Not a KZfaq but a small engine mechanic doing Saw's most the time. Good video! Keep up the good work.

The trees never complain about my 20in bar - they all fall for it!

The tip to clean the grooves in the bar is excellent. Mine caused the oil to stop getting to the chain. The Stihl wrench end can be used for this purpose.

Funny. My dad cleaned parts with gas too. Thank you for the memory.

Hey DIY, If you're going clean your chain in a pan of your choice of cleaner, here's something that might help keep the junk off your chain whilst cleaning it..put a smaller square baker's cooling rack (dollar store cheap buy) that has CM or more clearance from the surface and place it inside your cleaning pan..use a small square one not too big or you'll have fill it with a lot of your cleaner, Also you can just get one of those disposable foil casserole type foil pans and just dispose of the pan and the dirty fluid can go inside an recovery bottle or container.. I've had pretty good results with the dirt and junk settling to the bottom of the pan and minimal grit back into the bar and track areas..

That is useful info Wranglestar!

im on the East Coast and I use an 18" bar, but I tell my wife its a 20"!

Right on, some good tips. No matter how much you know, there's always someone who can teach you something new. Silicon sprays work real well and will not damage plastics or rubber. They also work real well on sliding patio door rails.

East coaster here… that was the best laugh I’ve had in a long time! 😂

your saw chain should always be SOS snug to the bar oiled and sharp. the best thing we ever bought for our saws was the sthil 2 in 1 file guide it sharpens the cutter edge and does the depth gauge/raker at the same time no faffing round with different guides and files do it regularly its to 2 passes with the file guide and its razor sharp note it requires special files that are indexed so you can turn them to get fresh cutting edges normal files wont fit the holder. these guides are available for all the common chain pitches. another point purchase a cutter chain to suit what timber your cutting and the type of cutting is it clean standing timber or is it dirty, is it already felled and have the ants carried sand or dirt into it does it have heavy tough bark etc all affects the choice of chain. and always have a spare chain and spark plug in a toolbox with the saw spanner and files so you can grab the saw, its tools, fuel n oil and go do a job. nothing worse than not having the tools to adjust the chain when its loose if it comes off it could injure you badly it could even be fatal.

This guy immediately reminds me of my grandpa. He took great care of everything and it lasted an eternity. He died with stuff that should have been junk years ago!!

Always file any burr off of the edge of the bar while you have the chain off. Also hold the tip of the bar up while tightening up the chain. Thanks for the tips and another great video

it is super facinating watching your chainsaw related videos despite the fact that ive never owned a chainsaw, i dont need a chainsaw in my area yet its fun to watch

I don't suggest cleaning your airfilter with compressed air. At the higher pressures (used for cleaning the rest of the saw) you could actually blow holes in the paper pleat. However if your going to do it, always blow your airfilter from the inside, through the media, outwards.

3:23 "sometimes you just have to take big risks in life." Absolutely sir!

Well, I'm an eastern guy an run a 24" bar on a Husky 562xp with a full wrap handle, and fish bass with a spinning reel while casting with my right hand. I also clean my air filters correctly. However, I don't much have to worry abut sap, as I cut big red oaks, hickory, cherry and rock maple. None of that wimpy western soft wood.

I store mine with True Fuel and Fog it.Bought my used 260 many years ago and hope it is always going to serve me.

11 minutes into your video you became a man after my own heart. I am an Amsoil dealer and I love their products. I've been using their engine oils since 1977 and never ever had any problems with my engines in my vehicles. I use the Amsoil chain and bar oil and it is amazing. I mix using their 100 to 1 and the engine purrs like a kitten. I haven't tried their mud slinger yet but I will now that you reminded me of it. I start my cutting about 9 am and cut until the dogs hunt me down to get home and feed them. I run the saw about 7 hours a day, three days a week.

In NY, while you west coast guys are dying your hair purple, i use the 6" bar to trim my nose hairs.

“Safety Sally” 🤣 The “Karens” before Covid and social distancing.

FYI ...This guy wouldn't have known this because he's only had it for one season, but if you have the new filler caps, the o-rings on them wear out if you use your saw often and will leak both gas and oil. Highly recommend checking them out and replacing them every other season if used often.

For the maintainance of the Chainsaws blade i got some awesome bike chain oil recommended, which is specially made to transport the dirt away from the chain. [Edit: The Oil is called "Finish Line Cross Country Bike Chain Oil, long Term Lubricant". I just took it out of my toolbox to look it up again. Not sure if it is also available in the US or Canada, i am sure other Companies offer similar Products. ] Of course one has to be careful when applying it, so the entire chain will not get covered in it. Thank you, @Wranglerstar for your awesome sharings. I miss those times when i could do such things bymself.

Didn't know they made such smalls bars like that 32" hmmm interesting.

We clean our saws every time the chain needs to be sharpened, when we remove air filter put in choke so the air intake is closed..

cleaning with diesel is great too....then i save the old spunt diesel to mix with dirty old oil for fire starting etc... and i save old jugs, and oil bottles to put old dirty flamable liquids in😎 Godspeed brother😇.

As carpenters / rough framers in MI, we use left handed porter cable frame saws - very light and powerful and can see the blade when cutting.

"Sometimes you have to take big risks in life."

I've found that using a Dremel, with 7/32" stones is superb to filing. Could be rotary grinding vs perpendicular? I'm in N. MN, and things have to work out here too. I'm using a 455 Husqy w/a 24" bar. Same reason...less leaning over when limbing.. Just draw your correct degree angle (or a strip of tape) across the dremel for your parallel line. You're smart...you'd figure it out.

I used to be a small engine mechanic. set up for long term storage: empty the fuel run the engine dry. Now here's the kicker. Every month or so pull the engine thru. This keeps the diaphragms in the carb from sticking.

Just did this whole procedure on my Husky and Stihl last night. Used brake cleaner instead though. Was hoping for some new info, but good video for those who don’t know. Unfortunately, people usually learn these things the hard way.

Never blow into the air filter, you imbed the particles into the paper. Always blow from the inside out. \

0:40 When we evacuated the first thing i grabbed was my ms460 and ms066, true words were never spoken. Only one narrow canyon road between us and the valley.

"sometimes you gotta take big risks in life" made me laugh, i love sarcasm

Hey, I have a MS260. Hasn't been into a dealer in about 17 years as I'm not sure who (experience level of person) will work on it so I service it myself. Love the machine, power and reliability. Thrilled to know you have the same wolf in sheep clothing.

“Safety Sally “ would have died from a heart attack if she was ever with me more than 15 minutes when I was growing up. Great information video. I even learned a few things about end of season cleaning and I have been using a saw for over 40 years. Cleaning a chain was definitely something I never really thought about.

when you clean your bar rail/grove ALWAYS go from tip to tail! You don't want to get that junk up in the sprocket if it's avoidable

Good video, like the flip the bar trick. Never did that. By the way, blow in the opposite direction of air flow when cleaning a filter, you're just causing the dirt to embed in the filter. Cheers from British Columbia, where my 18" chainsaw is used for cutting weeds.

I didn't scroll through all of the comments to see if anyone else mentioned it but another thing you should check is the exhaust system to see if there is carbon buildup. If that builds up over time it can choke the saw down

NEVER blow out an air filter by blowing parallel to normal air flow. Blow counter flow, less chance of driving accumulated dirt INTO the filter.

Never thought about flipping the bar over when sharpening. Great point. Thanks for the tip.

great content! Awesomness.

Great video. Most of the tips are basic chainsaw maintenance. If people don't know these things, should they really be using a chainsaw? Especially which way to install the chain. Nevertheless a good video on chainsaw maintenance and cleaning. Good points on having a few consumable spares in your kit. We've all been there when a basic item fails and we've forgot to check our spare parts kit and a new pull cord isn't in there. Keep up the good work

I keep my MS 271 with the 18" bar by the back door and cover it with my hair piece. The heated bar makes it comfy to put on just before I go out in the cold. Greetings from Virginia!

Man, I grew up using gas to clean everything. In a medal pan. Without a grounding strap

Great job!

Best information I’ve seen on KZfaq on a Stihl chainsaw, I thought I was cleaning mine right but I was wrong. Thanks, great info.

I winterize my chainsaw by using it close to everyday. Fall, writer and spring are the tines I use it most. Fall-winter being the definite most.

I use an 18 inch bar, I was taught that I can take down up to a 36 inch diameter tree. As a homeowner that would be a huge tree. I have a friend who is a logger and the biggest bar he uses is a 24. I guess I want to see the 82 inch diameter trees that he is taking down all the time making the giant bar necessary. Personally I like not having to mortgage my house every time I need a new chain!

Extra bar nut is important, they tend to vibrate off and you seldom find it again. The spark plugs seem to last a long damn time ( years)unless your using really crappy 2 stroke oil/ gas. If your saw starts sounding weak and slow, often the air filter is getting clogged up with saw dust.and we just crank the oiler up all the way on the big saws. After putting your chain on use the scrench to roll the chain forward a few times and then tighten the chain. I never use ethanol .If we put a few saws away for the winter we dump the gas out, put a few ounces of trufuel and run it until its empty. Never had a problem starting come spring for 25 years.

as a technician i use silicon spray lubricant on basically everything and its amazing. it really freshens up plastics.

LOL.... it’s not the size of your bar, but how you work your chain

Love the East Coast West Coast stuff though I am on the East Coast I have a sense of humor and can take a joke keep it up great work

Always love your videos, I'm on the east coast in Appalachia and trust me when I say most of the trees around my house we need at least a 24" bar and I have a 36" on our bigger tree dont get me wrong. We dont have any tree as big as some of them west coast trees but I had a big black oak and a big hickory that a 32 wouldnt have been fun to use on

thank you thank you

Here in the upper midwest, I do my heavy cutting with plenty of snow on the ground then let it lay till spring. No dust, no leaves, chain doesn't touch the ground AND most important, I sweat very little with all that protective gear on.

There's always a little gas left in the carb. If you leave it in there, it will turn to varnish. A better way is to fill the tank with stabilized fuel, and run the engine for about 5 min. to get that stabilized fuel into the carb.

A lot of good advice right there. I like to use some brake cleaner behind the clutch housing. We get a lot of debris behind that clutch. It makes the saw 🔥 hot

a pleasure to listen to a practical, knowledgeable and zero-bullshitter kind of guy. Good video !

HAHA I actually laughed out loud, "6" bar"

Here in the Mid-west we reel with our left, punch with our right, cut trees with dozers and know yippees live on both sides of us.

"A man needs to know how to sharpen his own chainsaw".............you're absolutely right.

I have been using an MS 462 for a number of years and have already worked with an MS 500 and would advise all beginners against these saws. Because they are just too aggressive and you need a certain degree of excitement and sensitivity.

I live in the eastern part of the country, here we use 24" bar and a two man crosscut saw We cut wood with the crosscut and our chainsaw with the 24" bar we use them to butcher our deer and bears with, we use the 14" bar and chain to fillet our fish with.

I glued a magnet to my chainsaw so I wouldn't leave my bar nuts sitting somewhere. It's a nice addition to a saw if you don't have captured bar nuts that don't come off.

East coast here .. switched my ms180 from a 16" to a 14" bar but a thicker guage chain wife says it feels way better with the hardwood we have here

Bought the Shindaiwa 488 (long ago-not worried about dealer assist), it's the japanese cousin to the Stihl 260 Pro. For most people, American loggers love Stihl/Huskys, if you were a japanese logger-Shindaiwa would be the go-to brand. Learning your maintenance is REALLY important. Cleaning with gasoline-well, I would do it outside. A little wind makes it evaporate quicker. And most women share a common opinion-they REALLY don't like a guy coming in the house smelling like a fuel pump. 🤣 (Experience)

I have another pro tip... Blow the chainsaw off outside so you don’t get oil and wood chips all over the place.

If you want to know how to do it correctly watch Buckin Billy Ray.

I'm a midwest coast subscriber (Hoosier) and the one thing I've learned about my 20" Poulan Pro is if you can get it to cut, just keep that chain filed down and whatever you do don't take it apart and mess with it! All I needed was a squirt of starter fluid but stupid me decided to take the chain and bar off for a wee bit of maintenance. There design make it harder than Chinese arithmetic to get it back together after it's unscrewed. Now I'm off to buy a new chain for the perfectly good one that just flew off and was ruined, and watching fun videos like this one. Yay! Great vid too btw 👍

Glad to someone else takes the time to time cleans their saws. I just got a old 057 stihl with a 25 and a 32 bars

I’ve had the same saw since 2002 and I’ve changed the spark plug once. Other than that I have 4 chains that I rotate thru so I don’t have to sharpen it in the field most days. I cut about 10 cord a year plus misc cutting especially in the backcountry clearing a path for my truck. Funny thing is that it’s a poulan 18” Wild Thing lol It’s green and purple and starts on the first or 2nd pull every time lol. I clean it every so often and only use non ethanol gas that’s it.

Chainsaw is always doing something . Stihl ms250c 18" has been a good saw . I use an air compressor to clean my saw but it gets everywhere

I love your little jabs, “you East Coast guys have a littler bars, they’re the same thing except this one is just a little more masculine.” That’s funny I love that kind of humor. Thanks for the great video.

Great video ! I use an old " jigsaw blade" to clean my bars, the bottom round end of that blade fits perfectly in the bar groove. Good reminders from the comments below re: burs on the bar, I will take a look at mine.

Loved this video. Very informative from a guy who actually uses the saw. As a (east coast) carpenter I know how a tool can be almost like an extension of your body. Well done, thank you.

who puts their saws away in the winter? cut all year long except most days in the summer

Thanks for sharing. A great service to fellow, and in my case amateur chainsaw users

Hello, awesome information I watch your channel often and have a 260 Stihl like yours. I’m having difficulty finding a 25” bar that’s compatible with my 260, could you provide more information about the bar, chain and sprocket you use for your MS 260.