by Bruce Brengle | Jul 28, 2015 | SAW NEWS |
We have prepared a slideshow demonstration of How To Make a Small Engine Cylinder. Today we are at the Hyway manufacturing facility where we engineer and manufacture aftermarket small engine parts for outdoor power equipment. We specialize in Nikasil cylinders for small engines. Nikasil is short for Nickel Silicon Carbide plating. Harder than steel, Silicon Carbide (a very hard ceramic) is dissolved in nickel and then electroplated onto the cylinder bore. This is the process used by Formula One race car engine cylinders. They undergo extreme usage, so you know it’s a process that is good for small engines. A Nikasil plated cylinder has much better heat conductivity and engine tolerances can be set much tighter for better performance. These cylinders are also much more durable and do not have to be re-worked nearly as often. 9 Steps: How To Make a Small Engine Cylinder The core is placed into the middle of the mould. The molten alumninum is poured into the mould all around that core. Let the small engine cylinder cool and solidify. Remove from the mould (still hot). Get the sandy core out of all the hollow places. CNC the holes. Bore out the core. Electroplate with Nikasil. Inspect the newly made small engine cylinder for perfection. See the "How to Make a Small Engine Cylinder" video on the HL Supply YouTube...
by Jim Folsom | Sep 24, 2014 | SAW NEWS |
Lean seizure is the most common problem with chain saws. In these photos of replacement cylinder kits that lasted less than a month, you can see the excessive scoring on the exhaust side. The rings are practically melted into the piston. Running lean causes the saw to overheat which melts the piston. Several things can cause this problem. It could be a bad carburetor, bad fuel mix, crank seals could be leaking, intake boot leak, cylinder gasket leak, carb needs to be adjusted, etc. Things that often are blamed but are NOT the cause of this often include, port chamfers, bad plating, machining errors, faulty rings, failed wrist pin clips, or cheap materials. If a poorly shaped exhaust port was to blame then there would be a rounded or chipped edge on the rings. Whatever killed the original cylinder was not that the cylinder and piston went bad. So replacing the cylinder and piston kit did not fix the issue. Imagine your house has a leak in the plumbing and water is getting into one of the rooms, so you shop vac all the water and put damp rid in the room thinking that will fix the problem, but you did nothing to stop the leak. Then you blame your shop vac for not getting the problem fixed. Sounds silly doesn’t it? But that is what many people do when they keep putting new cylinders and pistons on their saws, they blow up again and they call the parts company and demand they send them another cylinder and piston kit for...
by Jim Folsom | Sep 18, 2014 | SAW NEWS |
This past weekend, Hall of Fame PGA golfer Greg Norman nearly made a fatal mistake. Cutting limbs down at his Florida home, he nearly severed his left hand with a chainsaw. He narrowly missed the main artery in his wrist. Had he cut it he may have bled to death before he could get to the hospital. The 59-year old Norman, who was once of the game’s greatest players having won two British Open Championships and finishing second in all four of the “majors”, is still an exceptionally fit and coordinated individual. Yet even he nearly died at his home doing a seemingly easy chore with a chainsaw. That should give some indication of how dangerous these machines can be. Please be sure to take every safety precaution when using chainsaws. Wear your safety goggles and gloves. Carry a first aid kit with you at all times as there will not always be cell reception or easy access where you may be cutting. But most of all, never take a chainsaw for granted. If it is running, it can cut you very badly. Asked about the incident on the Today Show, Norman said that “at least I can still play...
by Jim Folsom | Sep 12, 2014 | SAW NEWS |
In the 21st century, more and more people are shopping online. With good reason. There are many advantages to shopping on the internet. For instance, in many cases when buying online the consumer can avoid state sales tax. In most cases, if the seller is in a different state than the buyer, there is no sales tax. Also, there is no need to get up, shower, get dressed and drive to the store. You don’t have to drive all over town looking for what you need, in many cases not finding it, and wasting hours looking. On the net, you point and click, taking seconds to search different stores, many which are in other countries. You can shop all over the world without leaving your house. All you need is a credit card. However, there are some advantages to going to the store as opposed to buying online. One is that you take your purchase home with you that day instead of waiting for it to arrive via the US Postal Service, UPS or Fed Ex. A savvy internet shopper knows to order something a few days before he or she will need the item to give it time to arrive. A very savvy online shopper knows not to choose the cheapest shipping option when for a couple dollars more they can get priority service. For those of you new to online shopping here are some tips: If you choose standard mail, do not expect your package to arrive in a couple of days. Expect it to be a week or longer. If you choose priority mail and it...
by Jim Folsom | Sep 4, 2014 | SAW NEWS |
Have you ever pulled up to a job site, gathered your equipment, put the right mixtures in your saw and cranked it a couple times to only find your starter rope and handle is sitting in the palm of your hand? What happened? You just had a starter recoil malfunction and now you’re “on a job, without a recoil.” That’s not a good position be in. You realize that you need to replace your starter pulley, but now you are faced with many inconveniences. There is the time it takes to receive the product. Depending on how the post office feels that day, it could be anywhere from a week to a month. What if you are somewhere without internet or phone service? You can’t even order a part and get overnight delivery if you wanted to. In other words, your day is over. You’ve wasted time, gas and money to get to the job and now you may as well just pack it up and go home. Chalk it up as a wasted day. Changing a starter recoil pulley might be much easier than you actually think. Maybe there is a cheaper solution to this problem. What if you were able to do it yourself as long as you were a little prepared? This is when a good “Save-a-Saw” repair kit would come in handy. Perhaps you could take a lesson from scuba divers. After all, they too are out in the middle of nowhere when they do their thing. Scuba divers put a lot of preparation and expense into going on a dive expedition. One of the...
by Jim Folsom | Aug 27, 2014 | SAW NEWS |
You know that when the footballs start flying and school buses start running that cooler weather cannot be far behind. Now would be a good time to do some preventative maintenance on your fireplaces, wood-burning stoves, etc. Some easy steps now could save you from a catastrophe later. Did you know that over a third of Americans use fireplaces, furnaces or stoves as their primary home heating source? Most of those homes are probably in the coldest climates as well. About 35% of home fires are cause by “heating fires”. Most of those are preventable. For instance, how many of us have the chimney cleaned at least once a year? I admit, I have gone three or four between cleanings. A lot of these homes with fireplaces are rentals, so the tenants are likely not going to call a chimney sweep. Landlords are probably not thinking about it, (out of sight, out of mind). This could lead to disaster as many fires are due to a buildup of creosote. Creosote is the black, oily substance that builds up in the chimney. If it becomes thick, it can ignite, causing a chimney fire, which could spread to the rest of the house by catching the roof on fire. Also, do not burn paper, cardboard and other trash in the fire place. These objects do not burn hot enough and can cause even more creosote build-up. Creosote is caused by a low temperature burn. Do not leave a fireplace unattended with a fire or hot coals in it. Don’t leave the house or got to bed unless the fire is completely...
