Chainsaw Repair

Chain - Grinders - Filing - Wood Milling - Tools - Welding - Machinist - Mowers - Tillers => Welding Shop => Topic started by: Cut4fun . on October 10, 2011, 05:50:47 pm

Title: Welding cylinders to fix them
Post by: Cut4fun . on October 10, 2011, 05:50:47 pm
I had a friend that repaired aluminum cylinder heads on cars, etc and figured someone must have tried fixing broken chainsaw cylinders.

Come across this video showing a common repair on broken cylinders.  8)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HdMK9lRGH-M
Title: Re: Welding cylinders to fix them
Post by: nmurph on October 11, 2011, 08:12:27 am
I work at a technical college and have the benefit of a world-class welder (he teaches Certified Welding Inspectors their craft and also was a welder inside nuclear containment vessels) as one of our instructors. I asked him about welding on saws....the bottom line is that he welded a fin back on a 346NE. The piece was missing when I got the saw. I had another cylinder that was beyond repair. I cut the fin on and fitted it to the missing stub. When it was cleaned it up, you could hardly tell where he had been. He has also TIG'd a CB mount and repaired a crankcase fracture on 346's.  On the CC and CB repairs, you will need Mg rod and I couldn't find it locally in small amounts. It was $150/lb with a 3# minimum. I did find someone on Ebay selling it for $2.50/3ft length. The shipping was $13.50, one stick or multiples, so I bought a handful.
Title: Re: Welding cylinders to fix them
Post by: Al Smith on October 11, 2011, 12:18:08 pm
I've never done it mainly because I don't have a heli-arc rig .

On my avatar picture that 2100 Homelite has had a lot of welding done to the starter .My buddy who owns a welding shop did it .

Evidently the decomp wasn't working and some gorilla type on the west coast nearly jerked the starter off it .However it was must have been strong as a bull .
Title: Re: Welding cylinders to fix them
Post by: farmboy on October 12, 2011, 08:49:11 am
7-8 yrs. ago I dought Hobart Mig Handler 250.  Also bought the aluminum welder that uses 1# spool in the gun, gas tank that goes with it.  Still haven't used the alum welder.  Don't have a tig do you think the alum. welder will do cyls?
Shep
Title: Re: Welding cylinders to fix them
Post by: Al Smith on October 12, 2011, 10:26:14 am
From what little I know about it, it's more the alloy of the metal .With TIG in my opinion you  have better control than with a wire welder also .

Now I've never claimed to be a good heli arc welder on aluminum mainly because I never had any reason to be .However using TIG on steel I've done stuff that would be very difficult to do with a wire welder .Such as welding a bandsaw loop back together .

Within the last six months I had a welder at work weld the cases of an 038 mag because of a hole in the oil tank .It took him about 4 different types of filler rod until he found the correct alloy to use .So on that unless a person knew going in what the alloy make up is it would be hit and miss .

Rambling on .On cast iron there are so many types,the way it's cast etc that none of it reacts quite the same .John-Deere for example is very easy to weld .Caterpillar and old Ford are very difficult .--and so it goes . However I'd much imagine that certain components of chainsaws would also present a challange .
Title: Re: Welding cylinders to fix them
Post by: StumpysCustoms on January 07, 2012, 12:08:24 am
I have fixed a few cyl before after taking a lil to much material out when porting. First one was a 088 :-\ on the intake runner.  I haven't welded any fins back on yet,  but certainly doable.
Title: Re: Welding cylinders to fix them
Post by: doreadeal on December 04, 2013, 06:10:20 pm
I havent had the need to do it but yes it can be done. Cylinders arnt a heat treated aluminum, so you don't have to worry about that.
Title: Re: Welding cylinders to fix them
Post by: Cut4fun . on December 28, 2021, 10:55:51 am
https://youtu.be/iNwRRtXhw0g
Title: Re: Welding cylinders to fix them
Post by: Cut4fun on January 31, 2022, 09:20:58 am
Shaun Carr = I've been welding plug threads up on rare or expensive chainsaw cylinders for a long time. I've tried to capture and share some of the tricks I've learned over the years. There is a lot more to it than just welding since you have to handwork the chamber back.

https://youtu.be/coITcuFSPxQ
Title: Re: Welding cylinders to fix them
Post by: 3000 FPS on February 02, 2022, 10:20:52 am
Shaun is a pro that is for sure.