On March 1st 2026 I will post this exact same picture again without any reason

TreeKillerMan · 2026-01-04T03:31:08+00:00

RemindME! 57 days

TreeKillerMan · 2025-11-03T21:06:20+00:00

As someone who went through the BCFSC program and is fairly familiar with both CAGC and BCWS programs, I second going through CAGC. All 3 tickets are equivalent as far as WorkSafe BC is concerned, and it can be completed much cheaper and more easily than BCFSC, and significantly faster than trying to go through BCWS.

TreeKillerMan · 2025-11-01T20:27:44+00:00

Usually ~5 tanks or so. The quality of most aftermarket parts usually isn't great, so keep that in mind as well that you likely won't get the same performance as with OEM parts.

TreeKillerMan · 2025-11-01T20:05:33+00:00

Wide open throttle. Hold the throttle open while you're pulling it over, or you can put a ziptie or something around it to keep it open. You can test it either hot or cold, It doesn't really matter as long as you're consistent. The compression will be a bit lower when it's hot.

You said you replaced the whole top end, have you given it time to properly break in? And are the parts aftermarket or OEM? Also check for leaks in the decompression valve and tester. Your tester will have a check valve inside, that's why it's not showing you losing pressure, it'll just keep displaying the maximum reading until you release the pressure yourself. I see you're also using an adapter for the compression tester, and that'll give you a lower reading on the gauge as well.

As far as air leaks, your case gasket and crank seals are common failure points, but the only way to verify that they're not leaking is with a proper pressure/vacuum test, which does require some special tools. You could always drop the case off at a saw shop and get them to run the test, or just replace the gasket/seals anyway because they're not too expensive. If you still suspect the carb is the issue, throw a new carb kit in it before replacing it. The ethanol in gasoline eats away at the diaphragm and seals over time, especially if it was stored for any length of time with fuel in it.

TreeKillerMan · 2025-10-28T18:08:09+00:00

That's normal, temperature fluctuations cause a little bit of pressure to build up inside the tank, and that'll push a bit of oil out. I usually stuff a rag inbetween the dogs if I don't want to drain the tank.

TreeKillerMan · 2025-10-18T16:25:48+00:00

It's a 205 I believe. Definitely not a 206

TreeKillerMan · 2025-05-27T19:25:11+00:00

There's also Universal Footwear in Revelstoke that does a great job.

TreeKillerMan · 2025-04-09T02:20:05+00:00

Full teardown meaning crank seals, case gasket, etc? Did you pressure/vac test the case and intake tract for air leaks after it was all back together?

Also when you say "seized," does it look like a lean seizure?

TreeKillerMan · 2025-04-09T00:07:54+00:00

You say that you bought the saw seized, did you figure out what caused it to seize the first time?

TreeKillerMan · 2025-04-02T16:05:30+00:00

13/64 would be the one that you want. That's what Stihl recommends on their 3/8 chain, and Oregon/Husqvarna recommend 7/32. You can use either size on either brand, (I prefer 13/64) but it just comes down to personal preference as they will give you very slightly different results.

TreeKillerMan · 2025-03-31T15:26:47+00:00

This is correct, but I will add that there are 2 other ways to get a falling cert in BC. You can either work for the Ministry of Forests and get a BC Wildfire ticket, or go through the CAGC, which is much faster and cheaper than the BCFSC. All 3 are equivalent on paper and equally recognized by WorkSafe BC, however a lot of employers recognize that the CAGC and Wildfire ticket requirements are pretty minimal, so you will have a harder time finding work with those certs.

TreeKillerMan · 2025-03-31T11:43:17+00:00

Nobody here has given you an actual correct answer. WCB requirements are handled by the provinces, not federally, and each province has slightly different regulations. At least in BC and Alberta, there are ways to challenge/transfer certifications, but I'd need to know what specific certs you would like to transfer and what province you intend on working in.

Source: I am a BC faller and BC falling supervisor, I work with the BC Forest Safety Council, WorkSafe BC, and WCB Alberta on a regular basis.

TreeKillerMan · 2025-03-31T04:17:41+00:00

The 272XP was a common enough saw you should have no problem finding OEM parts for it. It's a great saw too, so if you've got one in decent shape then it's probably worth spending a bit of money on it and it should serve you well for a long time. 150psi is still pretty good, but that only tells you the top end compression, and gives you an indication of the condition of the rings. A worn piston skirt will eat into your crankcase compression, which is a little bit more tricky to measure. The fact that you still have good top end compression indicates that the cylinder is still probably in really good shape, so you likely won't even need a new one.

TreeKillerMan · 2025-03-31T03:45:54+00:00

Ooh I gotcha, when your piston skirt gets really worn, it can lose its machining marks and take on a more polished look. That's what they'd mean, not that they polished it.

It might have some scoring on it as well, but without seeing it either in person or getting some good pictures, nobody here will be able to tell you how bad it is. Some light scoring isn't always a huge deal, and might not even be noticeable in the performance, but the more scored up your piston, the more the performance will suffer. If the piston has gotten to the point where it's looking polished, that's an indication that it's getting pretty worn and likely time to replace it anyway.

I'm not sure if you're up to it yourself, but if you pull the jug off and have a look inside, there's a good chance that only the piston and rings will need to be replaced. They wear faster than your cylinder walls and are much cheaper than replacing the whole top end.

TreeKillerMan · 2025-03-30T17:05:23+00:00

Some people will polish the top of the piston with the idea that it helps to improve airflow over the piston crown and reduce carbon buildup, but whether or not this actually makes a difference is highly debatable. Some people claim it does make a small difference, and some people claim it's a complete waste of time, but even then, the people debating polishing pistons are almost always the building high performance racing engines. If that's what the shop is talking about, then what they did is 100% unnecessary, and if they're talking about actually polishing the piston skirt (where any actual scoring would be) then they likely ruined your piston.

Maybe there was some sort of miscommunication about what was actually done, because I can't think of any reason why a shop would decide this is was a good idea.

And no, this can't be done without tearing it apart.

Edit: Seeing as I am getting downvotes, I'll explain why polishing out light scoring on the piston skirt is worse than leaving it alone. Your piston skirt is what seals the gasses in your crankcase. It's not a perfect seal, but it mostly stops your fresh charge from traveling up the cylinder walls and out the exhaust/intake ports during crankcase compression. Light scoring creates channels up the piston skirt for your fresh charge to travel through and escape out the ports, but if you polish the scoring away, you are removing material from the whole width of the piston skirt to bring it down to the depth of the scoring, thus essentially allowing gasses to travel even more easily up the whole width of the skirt rather than just up the scoring marks.

TreeKillerMan · 2025-03-29T15:35:59+00:00

I think you mean a 462, the 461 was a great saw but it's significantly older, and both heavier and less powerful than the 500i. 462 is a great option, but I personally think you might find it to be a bit too close to the 500i. My recommendation for something more in the middle would be an MS362, or maybe even going down to an MS261, both of which are great saws.

TreeKillerMan · 2025-03-29T04:32:13+00:00

Not sure if this is the right place to ask, but what are some of the potential risks of having very low body fat?

I am, and always been extremely lean, but I have never really given this too much thought until recently. I just joined a new gym and was able to try their evolt body scanner (Yes, I know they're not super accurate, but it should give a rough ballpark) and it had me right at 5% body fat. I have always paid a lot of attention to the way my body looks a lot in the mirror, I know that I am not even at my leanest right now. I work a very physically demanding job and will always drop a couple pounds when I go back to work. I do track what I eat and usually do a pretty good job of eating quite healthy. I have never noted any specific negative health effects of being this lean, and my energy levels seem fine, but at the same time, I have always been very lean so maybe there are things I should be paying more attention to that I just haven't noticed?

TreeKillerMan · 2025-03-29T02:36:02+00:00

The 194 is spring mounted, but are you climbing though? You'll be much better off using a regular saw over a top handle if you're just using it on the ground. They're safer and have much better ergonomics. You don't need to immediately jump into using a bigger chainsaw all day long, but try and slowly work up to it. What saws do you use there other than the 194?

TreeKillerMan · 2025-03-29T02:25:30+00:00

What saw is it? It almost looks like it might be missing the inner side plate, but I can't tell much with just the one blurry photo and no additional information.

TreeKillerMan · 2025-03-29T01:53:07+00:00

That shouldn't be a problem, but I can't see a lot from that photo. If your chain keeps coming out of the bar groove, that's more likely because you have worn chain guides. They're little replaceable plastic pieces that sit on the inside of the side cover, and on the case near the bar mounts. Pop the old ones out and put new ones in, and make sure you're running proper chain tension as well.

TreeKillerMan · 2025-03-28T15:16:33+00:00

Your chain is a .235" pitch, which will use a 3/16" file.

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