Stihl 021 Bog

  Today we look at a Stihl 021 with the complaint that it just bogs and has not power. 

 This is a common complaint and in this video we reveal one of the reasons this happens.

Later.

Hot Hot Hot

  Ya its hot. I remember when I was a kid the summers always seemed really hot but as a kid it didn't really matter. I was doing kid stuff and if I got hot I found a way to cool off. As an adult working in a shop with the doors open and exposed to the full humidity of Wisconsins summer heat, it bothers me a bit. Theres a Shrek joke going around the shop. It has something to do with which swamp hes in or which swamp is in his pants. To make things worse, the showroom is air conditioned and there is a twentyish degree difference in temperature. The windows on the double doors separating the rooms is covered in fog that reminds us how well the other half lives.

 Paperwork is a problem. Work orders that were once a crisp dry sheet are now more like a used napkin. That makes them difficult to write on.

 The floor in my work area has become a bit like a skating rink. There is water covering the entire floor and mixed with normal shop grease it is quite slippery. I suppose I should take a few minutes to oil down some of my tools because this is the time of year when they can rust. 

Still, I'll take this heat over the cold every time.

Later.

Grease Gun Privileges...Denied

  This week in Over The Bench we'll look at why I removed grease gun privileges from one of my customers. Sometimes you think you're doing all the right things but in fact you're creating problems.

Check it out: https://youtu.be/yfJlllCnlfM

Later.

Backed Up With Saw Repairs

   For those of you that aren't from around these parts you may not know that we had a storm last week. They say it wasn't a tornado but when you have trees down, buildings lost and crops flattened I guess it doesn't matter what you call it. The fact is that many people suffered a lot of loss.

 The power was out at work all day. It came back on at 5pm as we were closing shop. We kept the store open on generator power and helped a lot of people with chainsaws and generators. We sold a lot of chains and also canned fuel because the gas stations were closed due to power outage. 

 Saw repairs were the big demand. Most people would get a five minute assessment of their saw problem and if we could get it going in a reasonable amount of time then we did. Some people didn't get their saws fixed. If we asked when was the last time it ran and the response was something like "the tornado of  '86", then we explained it wasn't happening today. Sure I could rush through a 1/2 hour tune up/carb rebuild but in that same half hour I could potentially help ten other people get back to work.

 The saws keep coming in and we've added an additional staging area for incoming repairs. Yes I'm way behind but I'll catch up fast. I enjoy a challenge. 

 A coworker asked about a puddle forming under my toolbox. I saw it earlier but it didn't register that there might be a problem, I mean the roof leaked in a few spots so seeing the floor wet wasn't unusual. Closer examination revealed that my mini fridge was defrosting due to the power outage. This is a situation I had never considered and I'll have to get a drip pan in case this happens again. 

 It seems petty to even mention the fridge and my loss of two pudding cups and some applesauce but I don't say it as though I suffered a loss. I mention it because its toolbox related and something I didn't plan for. It just goes to show you that no matter how much you over analyze a situation there still can be things that escape you.

 

Later.

Over The Bench-Husky 36 Tune Up

   A look at a fuel system overhaul on an old Husky 36 chainsaw.

Check it out: https://youtu.be/fHoalOxIubE

Later.

Sunday Joyride

  Blogs and Vlogs and Videos, Oh my! 

 Lately I've been thinking about the content I offer on this blog. I've talked about this in the recent past and have been struggling to find a groove. Written blog or video? I've decided it just doesn't matter and you'll get what you get. It is what it is. Today you get another video. If theres gonna be any pattern at all it might be that the "over the bench" videos appear on Saturdays and other types of videos fill in on Wednesdays. For now I have content to offer in video format and that will be my first choice when available.

Check it out: https://youtu.be/LAivLwk7fXs

Later.

Over The Bench-Pressure/Vacuum Testing Chainsaws

   Its all right there in the title. I show you the procedure I use for testing the "air tightness" of chainsaw crankcases. This is one of those tests that would answer a lot of the mystery questions people have about why their saw runs weird. Fast idle? Big bog? Maybe it won't start at all. If you don't perform this test then you're just guessing.

check it out: https://youtu.be/wcGSrAsAhtM

Larer.