Chainsaw chain... please school me.

[RandyT]

A lot of the safety chain comes about because of the liability to the dealer if the chain causes a kick back and the operator gets injured and sues the shopt that sold him the chain claiming that it was the incorrect chain. OSHA also required that any new saw sold that is below 3.8 ci must be sold with a low kickback chain. I don't even stock safety chain in my shop.

 

[ultrarunner]

Had a chance to cut up the fallen Oak this afternoon till it became too dark...

The saw seems ok to me... the largest section of the trunk was just a hair smaller than the 18" bar... as long as I kept the rpm up... it just sliced and diced.

I have a lot to learn setting up my cuts so I'm efficient when it comes to handling.

 

[gladehound]

I have a lot to learn setting up my cuts so I'm efficient when it comes to handling.

I used to always get my saw stuck until someone told me to think about what parts of the tree are under tension and what is under compresion. Keeping this in mind can make bucking a tree much more efficient. :thumbsup:

 

[ultrarunner]

I used to always get my saw stuck until someone told me to think about what parts of the tree are under tension and what is under compresion. Keeping this in mind can make bucking a tree much more efficient. :thumbsup:

It seems that each tree is unique in where it is and how it falls... having fun cleaning up the woods a bit and suddenly I have a lot of new friends when they see me with a full load of rounds in my Kubota Loader...

 

[arrow]

Basically there are three main types of chain.



As far as brand of chain. Stihl hands down is the best. Supposidly they put more chrome on the cutters, which help them stay sharp longer. I have also had good luck with the full chisel oregons that have the bluish teeth. This last round we bought woodland PRO chain from baileys. I wouldn't reccomend it to anyone. It doesnt seem to stay sharp long at all, and out of the box it had the cutters @ 35*. Even after we changed that back to 30* they still dont seem to stay sharp of even cut as fast. We went to 24" bar and chain combos on the 6400's, and the stock dolmar chain will out-cut this woodland pro chain by several seconds.
QUOTE]

I just got sent some of the Woodland Pro chain yesterday from Baileys. I took one look at it and questioned its efficacy as a quality chain. It even looks like junk. Back it goes.

 

[newbury]

Basically there are three main types of chain.



As far as brand of chain. Stihl hands down is the best. Supposidly they put more chrome on the cutters, which help them stay sharp longer. I have also had good luck with the full chisel oregons that have the bluish teeth. This last round we bought woodland PRO chain from baileys. I wouldn't reccomend it to anyone. It doesnt seem to stay sharp long at all, and out of the box it had the cutters @ 35*. Even after we changed that back to 30* they still dont seem to stay sharp of even cut as fast. We went to 24" bar and chain combos on the 6400's, and the stock dolmar chain will out-cut this woodland pro chain by several seconds.
QUOTE]

I just got sent some of the Woodland Pro chain yesterday from Baileys. I took one look at it and questioned its efficacy as a quality chain. It even looks like junk. Back it goes.

Yes there are three types of chain -
Stihl
Oregon
Other

From over on AS:

oregon has purchased or merged with windsor. carlton. and some other brand....check it out on oregons corp. page.

and Woodland Pro was made by Carlton.

Stihl is the "hardest" IF you can get it. But Stihl does not sell ripping chain and I refuse to buy a 135 link loop of chain and grind all the cutters back to 10 degrees.

 

[s78wingrider]

I have ran chainsaws for 47 years and learned early on that I had to learn how to sharpen. The best chain there is, is semi round!!! And when a chain will cut the best in when it's almost worn out :thumbsup: :confused2:

 

[LD1]

Basically there are three main types of chain.



As far as brand of chain. Stihl hands down is the best. Supposidly they put more chrome on the cutters, which help them stay sharp longer. I have also had good luck with the full chisel oregons that have the bluish teeth. This last round we bought woodland PRO chain from baileys. I wouldn't reccomend it to anyone. It doesnt seem to stay sharp long at all, and out of the box it had the cutters @ 35*. Even after we changed that back to 30* they still dont seem to stay sharp of even cut as fast. We went to 24" bar and chain combos on the 6400's, and the stock dolmar chain will out-cut this woodland pro chain by several seconds.
QUOTE]

I just got sent some of the Woodland Pro chain yesterday from Baileys. I took one look at it and questioned its efficacy as a quality chain. It even looks like junk. Back it goes.

You are probabally wise sending it back. For me, it wasnt impressive out of the box. I thought once I got the cutters re-established @ 30 degrees and dropped the rakers a bit that it would be alright. It is still not very good chain IMO.

I have ran chainsaws for 47 years and learned early on that I had to learn how to sharpen. The best chain there is, is semi round!!! And when a chain will cut the best in when it's almost worn out :thumbsup: :confused2:

I disagree about semi-round being the best. For me, I like the speed of chisel. But their is a reason chain cuts better when almost worn out. Provided you keep the rakers filed down to match. The gullet (area between the raker and cutter) gets bigger. This gives more room for the chips to clear out of the way and allows the cutter to continue cutting without loading up with chips.

 

[arrow]

I think Husqvarna has improved their chain. Last few chisel chains I got lasted markedly longer than the ones I've ever had including one's from last year. I'm not sure one can call semi chisel the best as much has to do with the type of production one is looking for and what the conditions of the cutting. I would say that it is the best all around chain suitable in many situations that would otherwise dull a chisel rather quickly. Clean wood however and semi is no match for a chisel.