Author Topic: Where to start a woods port?  (Read 3232 times)

0 Members and 53 Guests are viewing this topic.

Offline 05_sprcrw

  • 4 cube
  • **
  • Posts: 65
  • Karma: 3

  • Total Badges: 17
    Badges: (View All)
    Level 4 Third year Anniversary Search Mobile User Windows User Karma Good
Where to start a woods port?
« on: May 23, 2011, 07:42:57 am »
I am wanting to woods port my 394xp nothing over the top just a nice simple port to give it a little more life.  How do I begin to take measurements so I know where and how much material to remove.

Right now my plan is to taper the bottoms of the transfers towards the bottom of the cylinder, clean up the piston, and widen the exhaust and intake a generous amount, don't want to change timing so floors and roofs would stay where they are.

I know that I don't want to lower the floor of the exhaust at all or raise the roof of the intake either.  This will be the first time I have ever ported so all pointers and tips no matter how basic would help a lot. Thanks! 

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

Like Like x 1 View List

Offline man of stihl

  • Nitro Hotsaw
  • *******
  • Posts: 1219
  • Karma: 71
  • NW PA
  • Location: nw pennsylvania

  • Total Badges: 31
    Badges: (View All)
    Level 6 Fourth year Anniversary Spammer 25 Posts in one day Karma Good 1000 Posts Third year Anniversary
Re: Where to start a woods port?
« Reply #1 on: May 23, 2011, 06:11:09 pm »
I am very much a beginner also. But what i do when i have a saw opened up is i will put the piston into the cylinder (without the ring). Take a pencil, draw around the exhaust port. Take the piston back out and see where your lines are. That tells me how much i can grind out of the port. you need to stay away from the piston skirt edges about 2mm on each side. I make sure i champfer the port where i ground so i don't snag a ring. I don't do anything with the transfers but clean them up. I also tighten my squish by removing the base gasket. Then depending where my compression is i may take the gasket thickness off the roof of the exhaust and the same off the bottom of the intake. Then of coarse port matching the exhaust port and muffler. Than lastly a muff mod. This definitely wakes the saw up but i am by no means an expert. Just my 2 cents.
Ron

Offline Al Smith

  • Moderator
  • Nitro Hotsaw
  • *******
  • Posts: 2779
  • Karma: 181

  • Total Badges: 34
    Badges: (View All)
    Tenth year Anniversary Nineth year Anniversary Eighth year Anniversary Level 6 Seventh year Anniversary Sixth year Anniversary
Re: Where to start a woods port?
« Reply #2 on: May 24, 2011, 07:18:00 am »
If you are going to experiment it might not be a bad idea to first tinker with a lesser expensive saw first .

Now if all you do is rework the muffler and some port polish ,maybe widen just a tad ,you will see results .You haven't really changed the porting scheme any just allowed it to "breathe " better .

The port time area opened really doesn't need much correction unless you can raise the compression which will allow a higher exhaust opening .Now if you do that the time area opened for the tranfers will need some correction ,the intake etc . As the speed increases the time allowed for each portion of the cycle decreases and thus the port sizes will need to be altered to compensate for this . It's complicated but simple in principal .

Offline 05_sprcrw

  • 4 cube
  • **
  • Posts: 65
  • Karma: 3

  • Total Badges: 17
    Badges: (View All)
    Level 4 Third year Anniversary Search Mobile User Windows User Karma Good
Re: Where to start a woods port?
« Reply #3 on: May 24, 2011, 07:46:14 am »
Thanks guys, I have already lowered the jug and have .02" of squish now it has plenty of compression it will support the saws weight and slowly drop down as the piston cycles when I hold the starter chord and let the saw go (with a 28" bar and chain full of fuel and bar oil so fairly heavy).

So I would want to raise the exhaust port the  .034" (thickness of my gasket) and lower the intake the same as well. I thought I read some where that if I left the exhaust port lower like that it would move the power band a little lower and keep more torque in the motor? I definitely want it to have more pull then super speed, I will be using it almost exclusively in hard woods like elm, ash and lots of oak.

I don't want to do too much up front just polish it up and maybe widen the intake and exhaust ports. Would I benefit from opening up the bottom of the tranfers and tapering them to the bottom of the jug? I have read of guys doing this/ suggesting it be done. I am a beginner to porting but I was planning on only using files to do the work so I won't take to much material at any one time. I understand it will be a much slower and tedious process but figured it is safer that way.  So I have no problems setting a fairly ambitious but safe goal for me to port this cylinder.   I will definitely do a muffler mod, and match the exhaust opening to the ported cylinder, do I need to do that with the intake as well?

Offline Al Smith

  • Moderator
  • Nitro Hotsaw
  • *******
  • Posts: 2779
  • Karma: 181

  • Total Badges: 34
    Badges: (View All)
    Tenth year Anniversary Nineth year Anniversary Eighth year Anniversary Level 6 Seventh year Anniversary Sixth year Anniversary
Re: Where to start a woods port?
« Reply #4 on: May 24, 2011, 08:09:24 am »
Because of the angle involved with the position of the rod and piston it's not just as simple as raising the ex port the thickness of the gasket .You'll either have to use trig to figure it or use a degree wheel .Both actually .

You might have to do it a couple of times but just don't carve too much off at a time because once it's gone, it's gone . If you are going to raise it don't go bonkers . Just take it back up to about stock and go from there .

One thing you have to keep in mind is that WOT rpms' out of the wood is just noise .Sounds impressive but does nothing else .It's in the wood that counts .What it can sustain when under load is what gets-er-done .

Offline 05_sprcrw

  • 4 cube
  • **
  • Posts: 65
  • Karma: 3

  • Total Badges: 17
    Badges: (View All)
    Level 4 Third year Anniversary Search Mobile User Windows User Karma Good
Re: Where to start a woods port?
« Reply #5 on: May 25, 2011, 07:31:30 am »
Thanks I have been doing some more research and have decided that I am going to leave the roof of the exhaust where it is at.  I have the general idea of what to do now its just a matter of keep reading and re reading to make sure I have a firm grasp.  I am going to order a new piston  and clean the under side of it up and get it ready for the ported cylinder. Then I will also have the muffler modded, thought about having a small metal plate that I can swap out for a spark arrester screen on one of the openings so I can make it quieter if I am cutting in residential areas.  Other then re-tuning the saw would it ill affect it in any way doing that?

Offline Al Smith

  • Moderator
  • Nitro Hotsaw
  • *******
  • Posts: 2779
  • Karma: 181

  • Total Badges: 34
    Badges: (View All)
    Tenth year Anniversary Nineth year Anniversary Eighth year Anniversary Level 6 Seventh year Anniversary Sixth year Anniversary
Re: Where to start a woods port?
« Reply #6 on: May 25, 2011, 07:40:48 am »
Do what you want but were it I ,I'd just let the thing beller with an opened up exhaust . It can't be any more annoying than some kid with a big speaker in his car trunk going boom, ka boom ,boom . Lawdy rattles the windows and shakes the fillings out of your teeth and that's supposed to be cool . ::)

Offline 05_sprcrw

  • 4 cube
  • **
  • Posts: 65
  • Karma: 3

  • Total Badges: 17
    Badges: (View All)
    Level 4 Third year Anniversary Search Mobile User Windows User Karma Good
Re: Where to start a woods port?
« Reply #7 on: May 25, 2011, 05:14:53 pm »
Do what you want but were it I ,I'd just let the thing beller with an opened up exhaust . It can't be any more annoying than some kid with a big speaker in his car trunk going boom, ka boom ,boom . Lawdy rattles the windows and shakes the fillings out of your teeth and that's supposed to be cool . ::)

Fair enough lol I was thinking the same thing but figured if it were worth the time I would keep a plate on hand.

What about opening up the top of the transfers towards the intake side of the cylinder? I have herd a lot of guys doing this but I am still trying to figure out why it is beneficial? I am really trying to understand the concept behind it, I know it obviously works but what is the driving theory behind it?

Offline Al Smith

  • Moderator
  • Nitro Hotsaw
  • *******
  • Posts: 2779
  • Karma: 181

  • Total Badges: 34
    Badges: (View All)
    Tenth year Anniversary Nineth year Anniversary Eighth year Anniversary Level 6 Seventh year Anniversary Sixth year Anniversary
Re: Where to start a woods port?
« Reply #8 on: May 25, 2011, 06:25:51 pm »
The transfers themselves are designed to "sweep" the area above the intake as that is the most difficult to purge of exhaust gasses .

In addition to that ,directing the flow away from the exhaust helps prevent a condition called "short circuiting " this is when too much of the transfered fuel and air mix is blown right out the open exhaust port .

A slight widening of the upper transfers is one way to achieve a better condition of transfer among several methods .Don't get too carried away though, bigger is not always better .

Offline 05_sprcrw

  • 4 cube
  • **
  • Posts: 65
  • Karma: 3

  • Total Badges: 17
    Badges: (View All)
    Level 4 Third year Anniversary Search Mobile User Windows User Karma Good
Re: Where to start a woods port?
« Reply #9 on: May 26, 2011, 07:52:10 am »
Thanks, I have a Meteor piston ordered and once that comes in the saw is going on the work bench to start this port.

 

Related Topics

  Subject / Started by Replies Last post
9 Replies
1012 Views
Last post January 31, 2012, 09:28:50 pm
by Al Smith
100 Replies
5985 Views
Last post February 24, 2013, 12:54:05 pm
by jmester
8 Replies
968 Views
Last post April 17, 2013, 07:51:59 pm
by Al Smith
4 Replies
681 Views
Last post July 02, 2013, 09:47:32 pm
by farmboy
1 Replies
419 Views
Last post October 19, 2013, 11:59:12 pm
by stihls066
8 Replies
669 Views
Last post November 14, 2013, 12:31:50 am
by 3000 FPS
9 Replies
885 Views
Last post December 15, 2014, 05:11:31 pm
by 1manband
29 Replies
1477 Views
Last post September 28, 2015, 12:21:17 pm
by aclarke
0 Replies
805 Views
Last post April 07, 2016, 01:41:04 pm
by Cut4fun .
4 Replies
922 Views
Last post April 18, 2018, 01:10:06 am
by 660magnum