Which Chain?

[TreePointer]

Treetops from a timber harvest are pretty clean because they haven't been skidded. In my experience, semi-chisel is not necessary.

It really is personal preference. Some folks use semi-chisel on everything and are happy. I'm happy using chisel chain almost all of the time. My advice is to try a loop of each to see what you prefer (neither loop will be wasted). Note that Stihl cutters are a little harder (more chrome plating) than those found on standard Oregon/Husqvarna chain and will go a little longer before having to sharpen them. That also means you need harder files to sharpen Stihl chain.

Green vs. yellow? RS and RS3 are comparable in speed. In my experience, there is a clear speed advantage in .325 pitch when using RS (chisel, yellow) chain over RM3 (semi-chisel, green). My Stihl .325 pitch RM3 (formerly RMC3) chains stay hanging in the barn.

 

[DocDryden]

Just posted this in another thread, but full chisel only cuts better when it's freshly sharp. And unfortunately, it dulls quicker, and doesn't take much to compromise the cutting performance. If you are cutting dirty wood (on ground, or may have been rolled or dragged on the ground) you will be better off with semi-chisel, as it will hold up better and require less field sharpening. That improves productivity quite a bit. In my experience, it reduces the need to file by about 2/3.

The only time I use full-chisel is when doing mainly felling work where I know I will be cutting clean wood most of the time. Most of my pro saws come with a free loop of full chisel, and I run that until it's worn out. For replacement chains, I buy semi-chisel almost exclusively. It just has better real-world performance in my experience.

Full-chisel and semi-chisel sharpen the same with the same files.

As far as yellow versus green, the only time you will notice a difference is when plunge or bore cutting with the tip of the bar. If you aren't doing any of that -- i.e., mainly cutting along the flat of the bar -- you'll never really notice the difference between green and yellow, and can run green for a little extra kickback safety in cases where the tip might accidentally contact some wood. I occasionally have to bore out a tree, so I run yellow, but could get away with green about 90% of the time.

Thanks s219 for the info. I will be watching both threads

 

[dgeesaman]

Thanks guys, that is very good info. I'm going to start with some semi chisel chains since the majority of my cutting will be tops left over from a logging operation and there will be a couple of using the saw at times. I did a lot of reading on chains last night and didn't realize how many options were out there, almost had myself talked into converting to 3/8 chain but decided to go with what I have.

You're fine with .325 for that saw. Semi or full chisel I don't see a difference in overall cutting time - with full chisel the cutting goes a bit faster but time
to sharpen comes quicker. And if you accidentally hit something in the bark or dirt, it takes a lot more sharpening to get the full chisel back to form. I'm working with not perfectly clean wood and shorter cutting sessions with full chisel are preventing it from saving me time. When I buy more chains I'll go back to semi chisel if I'm cutting the same kind of wood.

Chains and sharpening are as deep of a subject as you want to make it. "Round" grinding and filing is the way to go unless you like to cuddle up to your workbench with a magnifier and cold beer after each cutting session. Well executed sharpening is the most important thing - until you have that down cold there's not much point in experimenting with other details.

Another subject is brand of chain. Stihl chain is very good and so is Oregon. The only major difference is the Stihl is coated with a thicker chrome that is a little slower to sharpen but holds an edge a bit longer. Can't go wrong either way.

David

 

[wmonroe]

So I'm going to stick with the .325 as it sounds like it is fine on my saw. As far as chisel vs semi chisel I'm probably going to get two of each and spend some time cutting and make a decision from there. I'm also going to stick with Stihl chains as everything I've read basically says they are the best. Lots of good info, thanks for the help.

 

[tracter]

@wmonroe , Are you cutting hardwood or softwood , for my cutting which is all hardwood here in Australia I use semi chisel for best performance
Tracter

 

[4570Man]

My favorite chain is a full chisel full kerf chain. I had to change the sprocket and bar on my little saw to use it.

 

[wmonroe]

@wmonroe , Are you cutting hardwood or softwood , for my cutting which is all hardwood here in Australia I use semi chisel for best performance Tracter

Occasionally some soft wood but mainly hardwoods.

 

[SawDust75]

Stick with .325 semi-chisel. My favs are the Stihl RM, Woodland Pro and Oregon brands. Never tried a Carlton chain.