Partner K650 Cut Off Saw

Besides the Sachs Dolmar 309 cut off saw that I own I also have a Partner K650.

It’s newer than the Dolmar, it’s lighter than the Dolmar and the Stihl TS350, you might wonder why I don’t use it more often.

The truth is that it remained in my garage for a considerable time simply because I couldn’t get the blade off it!

The previous owner had found a slightly undersized blade adapter, and despite it being more than just an interference fit onto the drive shaft, had proceeded to hammer it on there anyway. Once the blade fixing bolt had been firmly tightened then the whole thing was very solid. It took me half-an-hour to get the thing off with a combination of heat, hammer and a chisel!

I can see how it happened though. My first step was to go out an buy a new blade adapter, this duly arrived and I discovered that this was also an extremely tight fit onto the drive shaft. I’ve modified it now with careful application of a file, a perfect fit that actually comes off again without wrecking the blade.

However, this is only the first reason that I tend to use this saw less than the others. Despite much adjusting and cleaning my Partner K650 has remained difficult to start and somewhat prone to flooding when stopped and restarted.

I’ve meticulously cleaned the carburettor with solvent designed for just that job, no joy. I’ve adjusted and re-adjusted the carburettor settings, still no joy. It’s very frustrating and I’ve no doubt I’ll get to the bottom of it eventually.

Meanwhile I have discovered an alternative method for starting the machine that seems to work well. It’s relatively easy to remove the main air filter from the machine, spray a good dose of Easy Start in to the carburettor and refit the air filter. This almost always guarantees a start after just a couple of pulls on the rope.

I have to be very careful with the throttle at first though, open it to fast and the sudden lean spike causes the machine to stall and I have to start again.

Despite all this I find the Partner K650 a great tool when in use and most importantly much lighter to handle than other saws of a similar age.

If you’re looking for a Partner K650 workshop manual just follow the link. Remember to check out my cut-off saw maintenance tips and review these general technical specifications for this saw: