What's Your Favorite Climbing and Felling Saw

[stig]

Sure, sure!

 

[Raj]

How many plants make Oregon chain? I know there is one just north of me in Guelph.

 

[SkwerI]

With Stihl chain I will stop to sharpen any time my chain gets stretched, even just a little bit. As long as I stay in clean wood this can be once every 4-5 tanks of fuel (or longer). With Oregon chain you have to tighten the chain with every fill up, sometimes more often. And sharpen it every 1-2 tanks of fuel even if you're in clean wood. Plus it is softer steel so more comes off with every filing, which means the chain needs to be replaced more often.

And I agree that most tree guys don't know what a sharp chain is. But anybody who works with me for any length of time quickly learns just how well a chain is supposed to cut. I've converted quite a few local guys from buying new chains a dozen at a time and swapping them when they quit cutting into guys who really work at and appreciate a sharp chain.

 

[Gypo]

Brian, this is not pointed at you directly, but my general observation-

No offense intended, but if your filing, and less than an expert with a file, and/or using a round file, then your chains are not what I would consider sharp. Most all cutters here run silvey grinders for that very reason.

Not trying to start a fight...

Stig,

Of the cutters I know Oregon favors Stihl chain at least 2 to 1.

 

[SkwerI]

If you can burn 5 tanks of fuel cutting without your chain stretching then your chain is sharp. I tried square filing for over a year and never did get it to cut any faster than my round filing, which I have been doing for about 30 years. I accept that square filing may be faster in your soft woods out west but in these parts we have more hardwoods than softwood. And in hardwood round filed is faster IMO.

 

[Gypo]

Never considered that chain stretch had anything to do with how sharp a chain is, something I will have to think about.

Very true about our wood being different, or the possibility that it is different. I wouldnt claim to know, I have never cut anything in your part of the country, but it does stand to reason.

 

[SkwerI]

Dull chain equals friction. Friction creates heat, which combined equals chain stretch. Unless you run Oregon chain, that is. Then it just stretches.

 

[CurSedVoyce]

Yup, torque and Oregon result in stretching.

 

[Dave Shepard]

Stretching of course meaning wear at the pins.

 

[stig]

Yep, and after you've felled a few trees, they simply fall apart.

 

[forestkeepers]

We use both Stihl and Husky saws, pretty much divided along climbing & ground saw lines. We have a Stihl MS 200T, 201T and 020 for climbing. We have a Husqvarna 346XP, two 372XPs, 395XP. And we have a Stihl HT133 power pruner. We're looking to add a 3120 as our large saw, and we may be interested in an Echo CS-2511T as a lighter duty pruning saw after seeing August Hunicke's recent mod and test video (used other Echo climbing saws in the past, so it's not a foreign concept!).

 

[forestkeepers]

I accept that square filing may be faster in your soft woods out west but in these parts we have more hardwoods than softwood. And in hardwood round filed is faster IMO.

Seconded. We round file for that very reason -- most of what we cut is hardwood (can you say Osage Orange?). It's a rare day to cut down a pine, so last week's 80' standing dead pitch pine was a rare treat. And our round file chains did just dandy on it, too — topped, dropped, and chopped