refreshing a chainsaw

anyone have opinion as to either run a chainsaw till it won't go anymore or to preemptively replace the piston, rings and cylinder.

If it is becoming hard to start, especially when warm, then yes, give it a new piston/rings and cylinder.

I’ve cut wood commercially on and off for 35 years and I have never rebuilt one.

A chainsaw is so cheap compared to what it does, whether justifying its cost via the price of a load of logs or what a homeowner saves in oil or gas savings, that $800 chainsaw really owes you nothing by the time it’s worn out.

The last saw I bought a 365 Husqvarna the dealer told me it was a throw away saw. To use it for a year, trade it in for $300, and buy another saw. It just made the most sense.

If you need to replace the lower end (crank bearing) it is because you are using your saw when it is dull. A dull saw heats up the chain which heats up the bar which bolts to the bar super close to the crank bearing. This is what kills chainsaws. By keeping your saw always sharp you not only are more productive but also extending the our saws life by years and years. It is also very unsafe to operate a dull saw. Nothing good comes from a dull chainsaw.

I guess I should explain more
I have a very old Stihl 044 rebuilt with the least expensive farmertec parts. it is a now a beast but I'm still trying to get it to idle well
the saw in question is a ms461 its a beast too but a wimp when compared side to side with the big bore 044. I got it used no idea how many hours on it or its history. it cuts but the clutch is worn out
new one on the way. running a saw like this with worn out clutch can quickly lead to destroyed seals and then main bearings. for about $200 or less(the cost of having maybe 1/2 cord of firewood delivered) I can replace all the important rubber bits, seals, hoses, intake boot and put a new hyway cylinder and piston with caber rings.
I never knew the beauty of running a saw like these until recently compared to smaller homeowner/farmer grade saws
obviously I dont have $1600-$1700 burning a hole in my pocket to but a new saw like this

Hey Bruce;
Those big bore saws are animals.
They were my saws of choice, cutting tall timber.
However, as I age, I am no longer an animal... those things are HEAVY!
I now run a Huski 550XP with a 24" bar.   A little lite weight screamer, it does all I need.
I should mention my wood is now a long load of tops brought home by a log truck.
I stand in my field and cut rounds from a deck...  
Much easier for an old guy.

thomas rubino wrote:
Those big bore saws are animals.
They were my saws of choice, cutting tall timber.
However, as I age, I am no longer an animal... those things are HEAVY!
I now run a Huski 550XP with a 24" bar.   A little lite weight screamer, it does all I need.
I should mention my wood is now a long load brought home by a log truck.
I stand in my field and cut rounds from a deck...  
Much easier for an old guy.

I still cut commercially, and honestly there are so many variables, 1st and foremost, Can you easily start the saw, before or after the rebuild?  if the answer is NO, then I tend to call it Problem #1.   If something wears you out before the work starts, it simply isn't fun.

2nd)  The carbs for most saws made in the last 20 years have now become so cheap, (and so easy to replace) that if you value your time, I would replace the carb to eliminate that part of the starting equation.  But, before you do this, you have nothing to loose to full flush the fuel tank and check the suction line. You can't believe how much stuff goes into the tank if your sloppy on the refills ( and those are at least 1 per hour if running hard)

3rd),  keeping the bar oil compartment clean is a must ( this has nothing to do with starting but everything to do with keeping your  chain as cool as possible.

4th, again nothing to do with starting, but everything to do with having fun with cutting, is keeping your chain sharp. I encounter self proclaimed experts almost every day.  often showing me there bag of 10 chains per saw for the day. Changing a chain every hour or so.  Simply no need.  I have two main saws, each with the chain on the bar,  Each starts sharp in the morning, and 4 hours later hinting at a slightly reduced amount of chips being produced.  If your kicking out dust, something is wrong.  if you see the chain getting hot, something is wrong,  if you see sparks coming off the chain, it could be said that the operator might  need tweaking, not the saw.   Nothing wrong with machine sharpening, but I probably get 6-8 times the life by hand sharpening.

Our saws today are so capable, that it is often us ( the operators) that are the problem.

Now to answer the very original question,  Should we do major preventive maintenance or just buy a new saw?  It still surprises me how high worn out saws sell for,  but also how cheap some nearly brand new saws but still used, sell for.  if your saving X amount of heating cost per unit of wood, then how fast you cut and split this wood, would basically be this same value.   Or basically if you can save $150 for heating cost, and can cut and split that in 1 hour, that is what your time is worth.  

let the chips fly.