Chainsaw Issues and a Bright Side

This breaks my heart, but we are having chainsaw issues, and they might be serious. I was just getting into cutting wood, too, and Joe’s was saying there is a two week wait on maintenance. Bummer. The goal is to cut the wood before it gets too hot, because running a chainsaw on a hot day with all the protective gear is a complete drag, to say the least, not to mention a bit precarious. For once I had my act together before this situation arose.

Now the problem I’m having with the saw is that when the saw is warmed up, when I release the trigger, the chain keeps moving, even though it should be idling. It’s a bit daunting when the chain is still moving when it’s not supposed to be. I asked about it previously and the guy at Joe’s, whom I trust, said it was probably the idle that needed adjusting.

When I started using the saw again, the problem cropped up, and I tried to look in the manual how to set the idle. It was, as always, not completely clear what they were trying to say, so I figured I’d bring the manual in and ask the guys at Joe’s to clarify. When I spoke with them, they said the problem sounded more serious because an idle adjustment problem would make the chain keep running even when the saw was cold. He said not to use it anymore and bring it in, in a rather ominous tone. I almost told him that they were the ones who told me it was the idle, but no sense in pissing them off.

I was bummed that I didn’t have the saw with me then and there, because I was initially going to bring it in so they could demonstrate how to adjust the idle. Now I needed to make another trip into brutal W. Leb, which is never a fun proposition, but you do what you have to do. I’m hoping the problem isn’t too serious (i.e., expensive), but all indicators seem to point to a serious problem. They are thinking an air leak, and maybe a $100 in repairs. They kept asking me how old the saw was, and it’s not that old, so I don’t know what to think.

On the bright note, and I’m not good at finding a bright note, the fact that I can’t cut wood means that I have more time to move the blocks that I’ve already cut and start splitting. Usually after I cut the tree length down, I have this massive pile of wood blocks that seem impossible to move and brings me down. I’ve done about 1/4 of the pile, so it’s a good start. Anything to chip away at the proverbial stone. Hopefully they can fix the saw, and before it gets too hot. Splitting isn’t so bad on hot days, it’s the cutting that’s hard.

Until then, thanks for reading.