How To Port A Chainsaw?

Porting a chainsaw is essential if you want it to work at its best capacity and increase its lifespan. So it’s important that you do that at least once.

As for what it means exactly to port this tool; it’s simply that the volume of air the saw is able to pump increases with porting. This makes the tool much more performant. 

There are some steps you should follow when you port your chainsaw and things to look out for. And since it can be a bit tricky to do this for the first time, we’re here to help you.

This article provides you with all the things you need to know to port your chainsaw properly, as well as an extra FAQ section about this process. So let’s get into this!

The Importance Of Porting Your Chainsaw

It’s essential you port your chainsaw at least once, as it can massively increase its performance. Not only that, but it can also increase the work progress rate, so it increases productivity.  Porting a chainsaw can even extend its lifespan. 

When you port this tool, you also check all of its components. You can, for example, check the erosion component, which can increase the pressure of other components and ruin your whole chainsaw. So you can easily prevent that.

People are usually amazed by the difference it makes. The engine speed of your chainsaw can increase anywhere from 20 to 40%, which makes a huge difference. This won’t damage your engine’s health, so you don’t even have to worry about that.

So instead of getting frustrated at your chainsaw and buying a new one, you can simply port your tool. 

Just remember that you can’t port all kinds of chainsaws, especially if they don’t have a gas-operated engine.

How To Get Ready To Port Your Chainsaw

Before you port your chainsaw, you need to prepare for it. 

First, you need to get a manual or motorized screwdriver and a screw holder. You also need something to wipe any oil from the cylinder, like a rag. You may also need a torchlight if there’s not much light where you plan to port your chainsaw. A caliper can help measure the inner fitness of the engine.

Now that you have the necessary tools to port your chainsaw, you need protective equipment and gear. We advise you to wear protective glasses, an apron, as well as resistant gloves to protect you and help you get a better grip.

Finally, you can prepare the chainsaw once you have the tools and are protected from any potential accidents and dirt. 

To do this, simply remove both the chain and the chain bar from your tool. Then, unscrew all the components from the cover and carefully remove the engine from the box. You can proceed to detach the cylinder carefully, making sure there’s no gas or oil inside it.

Be patient and don’t force anything. Finally, you can remove any oil and dirt from the cylinder. You’re now ready to port your chainsaw!

How Do You Port Your Chainsaw?

And now, for the part you’ve been waiting for: porting your chainsaw. Here’s how to do it properly, without damaging the parts and improving the engine’s overall power. 

Once you isolate the port cylinder from the chainsaw, you need to open the cylinder wall at the width and location you want to. You can take measurements for future reference and mark the desired spot with a pencil or a marker pen. 

Ideally, we advise you to take the measurements of the upper hole of the chainsaw’ engine by using the calipers you’ve prepared. Then, mark the spot you want to port with a marker pen.

You can now port your chainsaw. Use a drill machine with a file part or even with a manual file. Then, file the cylinder port. Ideally, try not to file too much material away from either the top or the bottom, whatever you choose.

Otherwise, the timing can be off, and your chainsaw won’t be any more performant than what you started with. So avoid any unnecessary corrosion. 

Try to find another cylinder that was changed and has the dimensions you want to use now. This can serve as a guide.

To avoid any gas from escaping, only go as far as where the piston allows you to go. Otherwise, you might as well throw your chainsaw away and buy a new one. 

Then, take any air turbulence you can find and make the inlet side of the intake port a bit bigger than the outlet side of the intake. This creates more restrictions on the cylinder wall. 

So file away anything that’s unnecessary, such as port work and unnecessary ridges. Continue this process until the intake wall is smooth. Do the same thing with the exhaust port of the cylinder, making sure that the side opening is bigger than the outside port opening. Finally, smoothen the wall out.

And that’s it. You’re done porting your chainsaw! As you can see, it can be hard to follow at first, but the process is worth it.

Keep In Mind During Porting

When you port your chainsaw, make sure you wipe all the oil from the engine. Otherwise, it’s really hard to engrave slippery metal, and you’ll get dirt everywhere. It needs to be clear so you can port.

If you don’t know how the engine of your chainsaw works, please don’t attempt to port a chainsaw. In this case, it’s better to take it to your supplier or a repair shop. If it’s more expensive to port your chainsaw than to buy a new one, then we advise you to invest in a new one.

Otherwise, if you port your chainsaw and don’t know what you’re doing or how the engine works, you can damage your tool even more. And sometimes, you can’t use your chainsaw again.

Also, if you did port your chainsaw and you know what you’re doing, but there’s no progress in its overall performance, that means you should also port the muffler of your chainsaw. 

Additional Information

Here are some additional questions you might have about this process and their answers.

Why Do You Port Your Chainsaw?

You port your chainsaw to increase its lifespan as well as its performance. Over the years, the performant cylinder you bought doesn’t work very well. Instead of throwing it away, you can revive it and give it a new life by porting your chainsaw.

What Is A Woods Ported Chainsaw?

Woods porting is just a method to port your chainsaw. It also means you have to change the cylinder’s head, as well as adjust the time of the port. 

However, there is no such thing as a wood ported chainsaw as the engine in a chainsaw is made from metal. 

Is Port Harmful To A Chainsaw?

No. A lot of people think port can be harmful to a chainsaw, but it’s not the case if you do it right and in a professional manner.

What is harmful is to follow the wrong method of porting or not follow all the instructions carefully. So read our recommendations above to find out how to port your chainsaw without harming it.

You want increased productivity and achieve an overall better performance, as well as increase the lifespan of your chainsaw. You don’t want to damage the engine.

Does Your Chainsaw Need More Fuel After Porting?

Yes, your chainsaw does need more fuel after porting. 

That’s mainly because the engine of your chainsaw is more powerful afterward and is more active. That means it’s working faster, so it logically needs more fuel.

So as you can see, your chainsaw needs more fuel after you port it, but it needs it in order to be faster and more performant. The more power it has, the more fuel it needs.

FAQs

Here is a quick FAQ section that can give you more information on how to port a chainsaw and sums up some of the information above.

What Does It Mean To Port A Chainsaw?

Porting a chainsaw means you change the size and the shape of the port exhausts, both the intake and transfer ones, of your chainsaw’s engines. 

Doing this increases the volume of air the saw is able to pump. This makes your chainsaw much more performant and can also increase its lifespan. In fact, the engine can be 20 to 40% more performant if you port it right and you know your way around these things.

How Much Does It Cost To Port A Chainsaw?

That depends entirely on if you port your chainsaw yourself or let a professional do it. Of course, it costs more to have someone else alter your engine than to do it yourself.

That’s means you don’t need to take your chainsaw for repair or even buy a new engine, which can cost more. It’s not too much, though, to let someone else repair it.

It’s usually around 40 dollars to cut the cylinder. However, it can cost a lot more to do the rest, as it takes around four hours to port a chainsaw. Depending on how old your tool is and what needs changing, the price can range from 100 to 300 dollars. 

This can be really worth it if you’re not an engines expert and you have never ported a chainsaw before. It’s better to be safe than sorry!

There’s no shame in letting someone do the job for you if you’re busy or less knowledgeable. It’s best to let a professional change the parts than you doing it yourself and permanently damaging your engine and having to buy a new chainsaw. 

What Is Woods Porting?

Woods porting is simply when you need only to make a few changes to your chainsaw’s engine. For example, this could be replacing or resetting the carb, or simply changing the cylinder head, or fully replacing it. 

This gives your chainsaw more power and can increase the engine’s performance by 20%. The response time, power curves, and torque will be much better. This also allows for more gas flow, which is helpful to get a higher compression ratio.

How Do I Get More Power Out Of My Chainsaw?

If you want to get even more power out of your chainsaw, and porting it didn’t make much of a difference, consider porting the muffler as well.

A muffler is simply a device in your chainsaw that’s used to reduce the exterior noise of your tool. But it’s not only good for that. A muffler also pushes the amount of air the chainsaw produces away from you, which is much better for your lungs. 

Modifying the muffler can significantly give your chainsaw more power. If you drill small holes into it, it can allow more air to escape, which opens up your engine. This allows your engine to cool down and to have room to “breathe” and releases more of the gases.

 As you can guess, this can really improve the performance of your chainsaw, especially if you port it well. Also, this won’t cost you a lot of money if you decide to do this yourself. Plus, the lifespan of your chainsaw can also increase as it can cool down more easily now. 

Unfortunately, this method also comes with its disadvantages. For example, if you modify your muffler, it won’t be as quiet as it used to be. The more powerful a chainsaw is, the louder it will get. Also, the warranty of your tool will be void after you modify it. So make sure these changes are worth it!

Final Thoughts

As you can see, porting a chainsaw takes a bit of skill and practice. 

However, if you do it right, you can increase the power of your tool by 20 to 40%, as well as increase its lifespan. It won’t damage your engine, and it’s a cheap process as well. 

It’s definitely worth it if done well.