chain saw chains

[micky]

20 years ago I bought a small electric chain saw at a yard sale. Needed part of the case replaced. Not expensive. Didnt' work, realized the chain was on backwards! Worked fine. Used occasionally.

Then 5 years later I saw an even smaller one at a yard sale (Yeah I said I rarely see tools but getting two of these was an exception.) Cracked case, held together with a hose clamp and the wrong screws. It sparked inside when I plugged it in, cleaned that up.

Now 15 years after I bought the second one, the first one has a problem so I'm finally going to use the second one.

Doesn't cut. Chain on backwards. Reverse chain, cuts fine. (This sort of fooled me because I assumed I tested the saw after I fixed it up, but I guess I only tested if it ran, not if it cut.)

How can they both have the chain on backwards? Is that why these things were for sale? Or did my second saw catch it from my first?

[Thomas]

Maybe you are simply holding them backwards.

[micky]

Hmmm. Maybe I could point the bar towards me.

[Dean Hoffman]

They're left handed saws.

[Marilyn Manson]

Actually they're for putting branches back together.

[micky]

I'll try that tomorrow.

Now I don't believe that. Are you being serious?

[Marilyn Manson]

Did you know that the word ?gullible? isn?t in the dictionary?

[Jim Joyce]

On the latest episode of Modern Marvels, the Power Tools episode, they mentioned that chain saws that are used under water are set up to run the blade in the opposite direction, compared to land-use saws, in order to carry the debris away from the user.

[micky]

Okay! I'll try that.

Hmm. How come it didn't cut at all when running in the wrong direction? Neither saw did or I wouldn't have noticed it. But they both cut pretty darn fast in the other direction. Does the wood know what direction it should be cut in?

Actually, I'd never heard of underwater chain saws, but by golly, they have them.

These pages don't go into details like chain direction.

[Marilyn Manson]

Well, there are times when using a "reversed rotary saw blade" is a good idea.

e.g. cutting gutters on a CMS, cutting Plexiglas and vinyl siding on a TS or CS, etc.

I've never tried a chain saw with a reversed blade, except when I'm trying to put a branch back together. ;-)

[hah]

[snip]

However 'gullible' should mean "capable of being gulled". Look up 'gull' in the dictionary, and it appears that 'gullible' means "capable of being filled with sea birds". :-)

[Marilyn Manson]

"no"?

I think you need to pull that dictionary out again.

[micky]

You're right. I was think as if the motor changed direction too.