chain differences

efresh

TreeHouser
Joined
Sep 10, 2010
Messages
12
Location
seattle
What's cut better through soft wood vs hard wood-full comp chisel chain or semi/full skip chisel chain, and would chipper chain work better than chisel?
 
I think chisel chain is your all around best bet. Chipper or semi-chisel is good for cutting brush and hard wood but if you are switching between hardwood and soft its best to stick with chisel. As for full comp vs. skip chain, it depends on the power of your saw and the size of your bar. What work are you doing?
 
I prefer chisel but like semi chisel on my grounds saws that are working close to the dirt. The little Oregon .325 narrow kerf semi chisel works really nice on my Husky 346.
I have a roll of 3/8 chisel full skip and hardly ever use it any more for what I do. You hit a rock or metal in the wood with full skip and there is major damage compared to the full comp which takes more punishment.
Full skip is basically used for falling large diameters trees or bucking wood clear of the ground.

Willard.
 
I use full chisel on everything except the 200T. I only use skip chain on bigger bars ( 34" and longer ).
 
...it depends on the power of your saw and the size of your bar.

Yep... knowing what saws and bar lengths will help.

Rule of thumb is bars under 24" should stick with full comp... 24" and longer full skip. But I know guys that run full comp on bars out to 32" for softwoods, and love it.

Gary
 
I hate sharpening full comp and just use skip on everything, minus the climbing saws.
 
Long as we're talking about chain, anybody use Woodland Pro? I just got some that came with a new bar and it cuts fast! Thing is, seems like they use 3 different angles on the teeth. Am I just imagining that?
 
But I mean there is a progressive change in angle from one tooth to the next for every group of three... does that make sense?

It seems like it might be a good idea but I could have just sharpened it wrong after it got rocked. Cuts like a demon though!
 
I know what you are saying.. But if you use a Granberg on it, you will see that what it is actually, the 10 degrees of incline across the teeth. That chain cuts like all get out out of the box though. I just sharpen it flat plane when I do as I have never gotten a good consistent sharpening when adding the 10 degrees of incline on the (I think) narrow kerf or the 20RC .325. I use the 30RC also. Stuff will keep cutting even if you tag dirt :lol:
Tough chain. I moved over to it back when because of all the hard wood brush we cut.
Price is nice too :)
 
Falling bars get .063 chisel/skip. 24" and under gets .063 chisel/semi-skip
Top handles don't merit discussion for chain.
 
But I mean there is a progressive change in angle from one tooth to the next for every group of three... does that make sense?


Blinky, Carlton [WPro] is the only sawchain company that explains the "porpoise cutting action in their manual. My guess is those groups of 3's progressive change in angles as you say you noticed, may be set by the factory to enhance the porpoise cutting action.
I'll have to take a look at my next loop of Carlton chain.


Willard
 
A guy I sometimes work with, declined my offer to use my chain grinder by saying that his chain had progressively changing angles. I thought that he must be confused, and he didn't have one with him when visiting. I had never heard that before. If it is true, kind of makes grinders obsolete.
 
Not if you shape the wheel.

I learned about the "chiseling" movement at a class put on by Oregon chain years ago, twas news to me at the time
 
An elderly guy and his wife moved in close to my shop from the city, bought a nice log house. They visited me to say hi and he looked at my work and he said, "Now this is what I want to do". I let the compliment pass.... So, after never having worked with his hands (he informed) he gets into cutting firewood, joined some wood gathering association....and comes by every now and then because of problems he has. Sharpening isn't his better forte, but he tries so I don't mind helping him. A big hump to overcome was getting him to understand that you sharpen the cutters and not the rakers. I thought we were passed that, but he came by again two days ago with, "This saw just isn't cutting for me", set it down on the bench and was running his finger across the rakers. Does that qualify as another type of chain? Anyway, I was kind of busy, so sharpened his saw and sent him on his way. Ongoing saga....
 
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