Small Engines (Lawn Mowers, etc.): homelite chainsaw, spark plug gap, sparkplug

Question
hi i have a homelite textron automatic brush saw that i recently picked up. for some reason when i connect the sparkplug it gets no spark at all. once the plug is out and i ground the wire myself it sparks like theres no tomorrow. i was wondering if you knew why it would spark withOUT the plug in it?? i tore the whole thing apart and put it back together a few times and i keep gettin the same result.

Answer
Is the spark plug bad?  Are you grounding the tip of the spark plug when you check for spark?  Is the spark plug gap too wide?

Will the saw start if you squirt fuel/oil mix directly into the carburetor?  Make sure the gas/oil mix is less than 30 days old.

Let me know what you find.
Eric