Who’s the best guy to send a chainsaw to for porting in the US?
There are a few “scammers, crooks, and hacks” out there (as described by others), so it’s best to go with reliable recommended guys.
When you search in the 100K+ member Stihl Chainsaw Fans FB group or the 50K+ member Chainsaw Repairs FB group the same names come up again and again as the best.
Search the groups and ask questions yourself because we haven’t personally used them, but these are the most recommended chainsaw porting services in the groups.
Best Chainsaw Porting Services
Three of the most highly recommended chainsaw porting services are (in no particular order):
- Gary Buxton – Buxton Work Saws | Facebook | YouTube
- Jason Egan – Egan Performance Saws | Facebook
- Joe Harkness (Dyno Joe) – HMWF Worksaws | Facebook | YouTube
There are others that get mentioned, but these 3 guys seem to come up the most often.
1. Buxton Work Saws
Buxton Work Saws is a popular chainsaw porting service.
Gary states on his site, “We are a full performance shop. We offer high-quality performance porting, a wide variety of performance parts, bars, chains, and apparel.”
He does:
- Custom cylinder porting
- Performance and work saw timing
- Machine and lathe work
Here are some comments from those who have used his services:
- Gary Buxton, Jason Egan, and Joe Harkness all do great work and are stand-up honest guys.
- I’ve used Gary – the best customer service you could ask for and very knowledgeable.
- Buxton Work Saws is hands down the best!
- Gary Buxton at Buxton Work Saws does all of mine. Saws turn out nasty and he’s awesome to work with.
2. Egan Performance Saws
Jason at Egan Performance Saws is also highly respected and known for doing good work.
On his site, he states: “Take your ordinary chainsaw and unleash its potential with an Egan Performance “straight shot” muffler. You will immediately hear and feel the difference in power and throttle response and love how much cooler your engine will run!”
Comments from the groups:
- I highly recommend Jason Egan for porting and tuning
- He does an amazing job as well he’s a great guy too.
- I have used Gary Buxton, Jason Egan, and Mastermind Work saws. All have an excellent end product, all were great with communication and service. All were very comparable in price.
- Jason Egan made my 461 nuts. Will be getting my next 500i when I get one.
- Either Gary Buxton or Jason Egan, either one will send ya back a Screamer.
- Jason Egan. Amazing results.
- Jason Egan just finished my 462 this week. Great guy. Love what he does to a saw. I highly recommend and so looking forward to getting my bad girl back and seeing what she has now.
- Send it to Jason Egan, bit of a wait but well worth it. He has done 3 for me and does great work. Very noticeable difference.
3. HMWF LLC
Joe Harkness is another respected chainsaw porter.
His site states, “Building dependable work saws since 2015. At HMWF the Dyno tells the tale, performance gains you can see and feel.” He does cylinder machining, porting, and muffler mods.
Comments from the chainsaw groups:
- Joe is top notch
- Joe Harkness is a great guy and was awesome to meet him in person at our October sawfest.
- Joe did a 500 for me. It’s an absolute beast!! You will love it!!
- I’ve had a few saws done by joe. All are great saws with awesome hp gains!! You also get a print out of the before and after dyno.
And Corey said:
If you go to YouTube there is a guy named Dyno Joe mods with an actual Dyno and he does some really great all around work.
Cheaper option for a reliable saw is Madsen’s. Madsen’s is such a big supplier, they are so consistent, and have some amazingly cheap prices on ported saws.
He’s also well-known for having a dyno or dynamometer for measuring the force, power, and torque output of the chainsaw engine. He runs it before and after so you can see the gains on paper.
Best Chainsaw Porters
Those are the most highly recommended chainsaw porters in America, but there are many, many others who do good work. You can leave your recommendations in the comment section below.
We also recommend checking old threads or asking again in these FB groups:
It’s best not to go with random guys who say they can do it, make sure you get strong recommendations and evidence of previous work done. There are plenty of horror stories of guys who send saws off and never see them again. Don’t let that be you!
Whether you’re looking to get an old saw like the 044 ported, or something a bit newer like the Husqvarna 562XP, these guys have the skills. You’ll probably be searching for a “chainsaw porter near me” so reach out to discover if one of them is nearby.
Hello There, I had my Husky 359 ported by Buxton saw. I recieved it back, muffler bolts were missing and would not run correctly, then would not start. I contacted Gary and at first he said it was my problem and he had an attitude about it. Then said he stands behind his work and would check it out. After thinking about it, I decided not to send it back. Had a bad feeling about him and his work. I remembered taking it out of the box I shipped it in and seeing bolts missing. Not a good sign. This was roughly 3 years ago. I saw the saw setting in my garage and wondering who to get to fix it or if any work was even done on it. Any recomendations for someone to check this saw out? Thanks for your time.
Hello , I figured out my problem on my Husky 359 and got it running. Still leaving off muffler bolts and not running right should not have happen. Just letting you know.
Hello, I would like to change my comments on my Husky 359.I thought I had fixed my problem but had not. Was frustrated. After seeing it setting in my garage for 3 years I decided to email Gary. He was real good about it and took the saw back and went though it. He put a new carb on it. No charge. Now it runs like the saws in his videos. I am happy and Gary is a GOOD GUY.