Chain Saws:

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*General appearance. Does the saw appear to have been wellmaintainedor does it look like a survivor of World War II? Check for cracks in the case, bent hand-hold bars and chain brakes, missing bolts and screws, and other obvious signs of hard use and neglect. A clean saw doesn't necessarily mean a good saw ...but a saw that's gurney on the outside probably isn't in any better shape on the inside. * Wear. Make a thorough visual inspection of the chain, the guide bar, and the drive sprocket. Grasp the chain between your thumb and forefinger and wiggle it back and forth across the bar. There should be some play in the links, but not an excessive amount. This test, along with a close look at the tie straps in the chain and a visual check for bar wear, will give you a pretty good idea of how much life is left in these two high-wear components.

The cutting teeth on the chain should be uniformly filed. That is, the left-facing teeth should be the same size, and filed at the same angles, as the right-facing teeth. If the cutters (the actual cutting "teeth" of the chain) are filed way back, then you'll need to buy a new chain soon. And don't forget to check the drive teeth (these projections are on the opposite side of the chain from the cutters and run inside the groove in the guide bar); chipped, broken, or worn drive teeth will wear the bar and sprocket out in a hurry.

Remove the bar and chain from the saw and look at the drive sprocket. If the sprocket is showing signs of age and abuse, you should discount the value of the saw accordingly. The chain, bar, and sprocket usually wear together, and therefore must usually be replaced together ...you can spend a bundle of bucks for the trio. A new bar, chain, and sprocket, on the other hand, should be good for two to three years of average firewood cutting for the nonprofessional, if they're properly used and maintained.

*Automatic chain-and-bar oiler. A manual oiler is thumb-operated. and you need only to pump it a few times to determine whether it's working. But most newer saws are equipped with automatic oilers, which are usually handy, trouble-free devices. In fact, dirt or sawdust in the oiler is the cause of most automatic oiler problems. But if the oiler isn't working-or if it goes on the blink while you're cutting-it could ruin a chain and bar before you know it. Therefore, the automatic oiler is worth the little trouble it takes to check it out before buying a used saw. Like so ...

With the bar and chain still off the saw from the previous inspection of the sprocket, start the tool up. (Don't worry, this won't hurt a thing.) With the saw at an idle, a steady drip of oil should be visible, increasing to a pulsating stream as you increase the saw's RPM. Intermittent air bubbles in the oil flow indicate a leak in the oiling system and point to the possibility of an impending pump failure. If the saw doesn't pump oil, or doesn't pump enough oil, use a small screwdriver to turn the oiler adjusting screw counterclockwise. If things are working properly, the flow of oil will increase in proportion to the extent you turn the adjusting screw.

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