The Engine
With all of the cover plates removed, what you have is the naked engine, as seen in these two photos:
What you can see in these photos is that a chain saw is really just an engine with some cover plates bolted onto it, a handle to hold it, and a chain and bar to cut with. The engine is the main structural member that everything bolts onto!
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In the photos above you can see all the major components:
- The engine itself, visible mainly as the aluminum combustion chamber covered with cooling fins
- The flywheel, which also contains the blower to cool the engine and the magnets for the magneto
- The magneto
- The air intake (which connects to the carb)
- The spark plug
- The spark arrestor/muffler
- The centrifugal clutch
- A small oil pump that lubricates the chain
These three videos are helpful in understanding the engine: