Tuning up my Stihl MS661 | How to Tune a Chainsaw! 

This is by far one of the best breakdown videos on RU-vid. Super informative, great job Jacob and Gordy!

Before anyone tries to say "chains don't stretch, they wear", he literally referred to the wear in the pins as causing the "stretch". It's just semantics, tomayto tomahto.

Gordy is a nice guy and knows his stuff, thank you Jake!

Another Master Class. Gordy touched on all the wear parts that get forgotten. Jacob, damn fine job editing. Gordy stole the show and managed to get some comedic relief in. As Jacob's saw is being taken apart, it's like he's at the doctors office having to explain what happened in the last 4 years. I enjoyed every minute of the video. Thanks to both of you!!!

You are so lucky to have created a relationship with Gordy. What a wonderful source of saw knowledge! More Gordy videos!

I’m a licensed mechanic turned arborist. This video is incredibly helpful and very well done! Thanks fellas

I love how Jacob is like every other arborist and doesn’t maintenance his saw just cleans it. Thank you very much for the informative video

There's a tonne of really useful information in this video - many thanks to Jake & Gordy for making it. For UK people (of which I am) some of this maintenance (sprocket, needle bearing etc) is covered in the first of the NPTC chainsaw certifications - "002003 - City & Guilds NPTC Level 2 Award in Chainsaw Maintenance and Cross Cutting" (used to be CS30). Whilst the certification doesn't give you experience (only experience will), it does give you a base level of knowledge and awareness so that you can keep your kit in good condition.

Definitely on board to see a bar tuneup from Gordy. He did a great job breaking down what he was doing. I like knowing the "why behind the what" so this was definitely a great video for me

Great info, so much easier to understand if its explained in a way based on functionality and how parts can be damaged and how to prevent parts from being damaged if you take care of them. Thanks alot! :)

Another great Gordy teaching class. Keep these types of videos coming.

this could not have been timed better, I walked in the door with a second hand, slightly damaged 661 the day this was posted. Great great video, hugely helpful and totally demystified the inside of the saw for me. Huge thanks

More excellent content, thanks! For anyone looking to get hold of one of the stainless steel 'pliers' Gordy used for the tricky small stuff, they're properly called an 'Artery Forceps'. They're designed to be used to hold/manipulate/clamp off blood vessels during medical procedures/surgery. They're widely available off the Internet for cheap, in several sizes and shapes.

You guys are awesome to watch and learn from. I have learned so many things from both of you. I could watch these kind of videos for hours! Thank you both very much!!

Hello, my name is Sal. I just want to say that I went through the whole video with you guys and this is just like a school class. It really help me that was a good teaching right there. Thank you so much for the channel and your body that did the chainsaw service . God bless you guys.

Just found this somewhat older video and man it i love s loaded full of knowledge and maintenance tips I hadn’t really thought about before. Love when you and Gordy join forces.

Love when you guys collaborate. The pace of the video is so chill. Gordy's shop seems like such a comfortable place to be.

Awesome job Gordy explaining as you go in detail and thanks Jacob for recording this.

Outstanding preparation and presentation by both of you. The clarity and sequencing is simply 1st class.

Very helpful to see others go through a saw and give comments and tips. Thanks!

What an informative and useful video. Thank you Jacob and Gody for taking the time to share your knowledge. I learn a few things.

This is by far the best and most informative chainsaw video I have watched yet. Appreciate it guy's. Stay safe

Great video. Good points that often get overlooked by many people. And about the bar oil, every drop gets thrown on the ground anyway. Just usually not all in one spot.

I watched every single second of this. Outstanding. Thank you.

Great info, Perfect timing. Now I've got a few things to tune up on the arsenal. Was not aware of the particularities of the clutch drum/sprocket interface. Two 201tcs a 250 and old but semi faithful 460 are gonna get some love next week. Thanks Gordy and Jake. - an environmentalist who made it through the whole vid.

This video is absolutely awesome. Gives me the confidence to work on my 461 instead of just taking to the shop. Thank you guys very much

Good Lord I need to rip into my 026...25 years old and never tore it apart...changed the clutch but thats it!

Excellent stuff. I’m looking forward to applying much of this info to my Stihl MS260 that’s been running more sluggish lately. Thank you.

The attention to detail is amazing. Nice job 👍

I really enjoyed this video! I love doing my own maintenance and really enjoyed learning the in-depth maintenance of a chainsaw! I have a mid 90s Jonsered 670 Champ that I’ve taken care of like that and it still serves me today after cutting timber with it for several years! I just have purchased a new Stihl, 500 I an am looking forward to giving some loving as well! Thanks again for a great video!

Gordy is a great teacher. You see that , arborsite. He grease's his needles. Simple maintenance saves saws

Wonderfully explained in great detail but not over abundance of useless info....i understand most all that was gone over but i enjoyed the video completely....very good.

There is a special greasegun for greasing the rollerbearing in the clutch, I think it is made by Oregon. There is a greasepoint in the end of the crankshaft.😉

Mate I learned so much from this. Thank you. Recently upgraded to a 500 from a 291 and that cowbell thing happened on the old saw. The chain had worn channels in the sprocket

Two great channels working together, great video y'all.

Awesome video guys! Appreciate taking the time to explain everything in detail.

Excellent description of all the terrible things I have done or failed to do to my saws over the years.

Great information, I've had my 026 pro since 2015 traded my uncle and always clean any saws, immediately I found my uncle neglected bad fins on jug filled up with dust and dirt, knew it's bad packing from years, glad about fins behind pull start . I need to rebuild it, give a lot of life. I've been continuously using about 3 year's ran beside a friend's husky 395 my little beast kept up with him to. Mine has great perfect start protocol, choke 3 pulls and bark, move choke up 1 level pull and run, when it doesn't start easy, there's a problem. Thank you guys 😉

Very informative, complete, and explained in a way that is easily understood. Thank you both!

That was a really interesting video. Thanks Jacob and Gordy, good job 👍🏻

This is a great video, super helpful breakdown. My friend and I are getting (2) 261s where someone straight gassed em. We're expecting a full rebuild, so this was helpful to see and hear some maintenance tips

Good information, thanks Gordy and Jacob!

Gordy is a Pro. Thanks for the seasoned techniques and detailed descriptions of my ms661

Powerful video. Thanks Jake and Gordie

Thanks Jake, & Gordy. Dude's shop is SICK. Sorry for your guys' incredible loss of Jed. God Bless.

This was great very informative and I'm gonna feel much more confident abput fixing & maintaining my saws.

Great video and awesome tips. I am not a pro but a saw enthusiast and have many WCS products which are the best of the best. Thanks for sharing the tips and your knowledge with us.

Great job fellas. like the way gordy explains everything .

Wow! This was fantastic. Thank you guys for sharing your knowedge.

Great video. I’d love to see how Gordy goes about setting the high/low idle screws on the carb. Thanks!

Wow! Really nice content. Thanks to both of you.

Really good video. Gave me a good refresher on servicing saws. The clutch bearing, great reminder. And also applies to trimmers/weedeaters.

Amazing video. Thanks Jacob and Gordy!

So much knowledge shared in this video and I appreciate it! Thank you sir.

wow thanks so much for this video, i leaned so much stuff. Gordy really knows his stuff, cool to learn from someone who knows what they're doing.

This video was outstanding. Looking forward to watching more. Thanks again.

Great video man, Gordy knows his stuff. I have rebuilt a couple blown up saws and was working a ms360 before deployed and was planning on buying a new cylinder. Now I'm gonna try that honing tool you guys used.

Thanks guys! Great tutorial!

What a great video got the same saw done by Gorty and I didn’t know about 90% of what is shown on this video! Saw is still running like a hot rod. Great video fellas🤙🏻🤟🏻

Great detailed info, thanks for the great edited overview. Love my ms660 👍✅

Most informative video I’ve seen in a long time. Thank you

Really great info! Very helpful to see how the pro's do it. Thanks!

So much great information. Thanks!

It was fun to watch the rebuild, and now I will impatiently wait for the next video where you run the saw

Yes, please do a video on bar maintanance and refubishing! Great video as well! Keep up the great content.

Thanks….great video on the ‘mysteries’ inside!👍👍

Great video Jacob! Very interesting stuff and Gordy has such a nice shop.

Its nice to see you guys work together the stabs at arborists are to funny

Great video…. Gordy’s parts are awesome, I have them on three of my Stihl’s. Awesome quality! Thanks for such an informative video! Class act

Excellent howto and loads if useful tips. Really enjoyed you both talking about this.

Nice tutorial Gordy. Great job!

Great teaching video guys!!!

Best chain saw maintenance video to date!

What a great explanation on why to take care of your saw, you could save someone a lot of money

Norway here. I use this system a lot, but use mostly netted types. My bags are filled in bag stand that widens the bag and give the right tension

When Gordy isn't looking, replace that plug with a new decompression valve. Repeated pull-starts, especially when not using the decompression valve, will speed up the onset of periostitis/arthritis. That's something that really isn't noticed until it's too late when you're an old fart like me. It's usually not debilitating, but rather a chronic annoyance. Impact exercises are often to blame, and the pull cord on a good compression engine can cause significant stress on joints over time. Personally I have a bad habit of yanking that pull cord like I'm trying to break it, and the first pull on a cold start is usually the toughest. Sometimes if I think to do it, I pull it to do just one turn over, then let it wind back in to do the first full pull. An old logger/log truck driver taught me that one. Honestly, I love the decompression valve now that I'm old enough to notice the difference.

Awesome content. Gordy is so good at explaining stuff

Thanks Gordy and Jake.

Great stuff , learned alot, you two work well together, look forward to more like this! 🙂

Great video. I have a buddy who’s an arborist and he sent this to me. I’ve been studying small engine work for about 18 months and working on chainsaws, among other things, and I learned a few things from this video. I wouldn’t have called it tuning though - it’s a servicing job.

Good reminder, thanks Jacob and Gordy! Gonna give my 362 some love.

Excellent video, Very informative!

Well, I learned some stuff! Thanks guys. I really appreciate the lesson.

Great content and presentation, very practical and informative…thanks

Oh buddy I always hated it when a customer would bring in a saw all dirty!!! But one thing I would always say so that I wouldn’t get all made about it is it gives me an idea of how a person has treated there saw over the years and this also gives me an idea of what all to look for wear on!!! This has absolutely helped out by a person bringing in a saw that isn’t clean but I will also charge them for my cleaning time!!! Awesome video buddy and remember keep up all the hard work buddy!!!!

Super Video, nice harmony and respect between you guys. One thing (cant read through all the comments maybe somebody allready mentioned it) I learned -what may sound a little smartarsy: The piston clips should be put in with the open side pointing upwards- to prevent velocity of piston movement up and down to compress the clip so that it could be possible to work its way out the groove it is sitting in. If the open side of the clip points up it just gets pressed in tighter because the piston doesn´t move forward and backwards. God bless you Americans

That was an awesome informative video! Thanks guys.

Gordy is an expert at explaining the function of everything on a saw

Great video guys. A great video to learn from. Looking forward to the bar video.

Love this content, big hug from 🇵🇹

Worn parts like this can also play havoc with how your saw cuts,eg curving in a cut.etc.while I have the clutch off I will degrease under neath and blow it out.great video Jacob and Gordy.

What a video, what a video! I just recently started using a chainsaw for work and have become obsessed. I've found your channels in the process of digging for more knowledge. Your videos are so very entertaining on top of being a fantastic source of education - just wanted to express some appreciation and cheer you on!

Good video, thanks for the info. The only thing that I was surprised with was not cleaning the air filter.

Gordy sure knows his stuff good video from both of you!

Hey guys, you can grease the clutch bearing through the end of the crankshaft. That little hole in the end is a needle point grease opening. Oregon makes a grease gun for this purpose. Part number is 54-201. Hope this helps anyone whose never known this, I am not sure if it works on all saws, but do it to every new vuild that I can. ETA; This information does not apply to Stihl saws.. I was humbled by another on this thread. And just wanted to share that

Thank you, great tips.

Great video. Thank you Gordy & Jake.

Jake, I want to express to you my gratitude for what you do. Sincerely, Rob Simons. P.s. Gordy too

Maybe mentioned, but I only skimmed through comments... (Around 18:40), use a little dielectric grease, windex, or soapy water on the plug wire to ease pulling it through the boot.

He’s a great teacher