How to Port a Chainsaw Muffler – Advanced Guide

Almost every woodworker wants to “upgrade” their chainsaw so that it can deliver more power and ensure better reliability. A simple yet lifesaving solution can be porting your chainsaw. The idea porting came from car engine modification but the basic idea is almost the same. However, modding or porting a chainsaw is different in a practical scenario. Today, we will try to help you by answering a very common question – How to port a chainsaw muffler?

What is a Muffler and Why Should You Consider Porting It?

Those of you who have quite some knowledge about internal combustion engines, don’t need an introduction of a muffler. But there are some who still don’t know what a muffler is and what purpose it serves.

A muffler is like a silencer that tries to suppress the noise coming from the engine exhaust. You could actually remove the muffler from the engine and still, the engine would work just fine.

However, your chainsaw will create a lot of noise that might seem like a nuisance at times. Even some of the chainsaw manufacturers like Stihl suggest not removing the muffler as it is a standard part of the saw and decreases the backpressure of the saw as well.

But if you are not satisfied with the power outcome from your saw, you might consider porting it.

If you still want to port it, we have some ideas for you.

How to Port a Chainsaw Muffler?

Every model of chainsaw has a different construction. So, there is no universal way of porting your muffler. For each chainsaw, you will have to apply a different approach.

But the common idea is to create holes so that more emitted gas can exhaust. So, how do you do it?

You can start making two or three small holes sizing about 3/8” and check the performance. The basic idea is to make small changes and see if the changes meet your requirements.

Opening up the internal baffle might help in some cases too. But not every model has a baffle and the muffler remains as a hollow space!

You could port the muffler even without making additional holes. You can just widen up the existing hole by 5/8” to ¾” as it would still look like a stock variation but would be much efficient.

After widening up the existing hole, you could try cutting slits on the side of the muffler. The slit cuts shouldn’t be more than 1” tall and don’t try making more than two to three slits like these. Then, pry open these slits with a screwdriver and that should do the trick.

Always, always make sure you are tuning up the carburetor as well to ensure a better flow of the muffler after the port job.

Final Words

We want to give you some warnings though. You shouldn’t make the random holes in the muffler as it would ruin the muffler without making any improvement. You could end up wrecking up your chainsaw.

If you think you don’t have the skills to port your chainsaw, you might consider seeking professional help. Although they would charge quite high, you would save your chainsaw from ruining. So, that’s the answer to how to port a chainsaw muffler. We hope you got the help you were seeking.

Related Posts