Chainsaw Chains......

[joseph97297]

Okay, used chainsaws since I have been in my teens. Usually cutting trees a year to a year and a half out so they will season.

Got to our land in October and have plenty of down trees and since I don't have time to season, cutting them up along with the trees for next year.

Question is do all down trees kill chains as bad as these are doing? I am cutting with a 455 and 51 Husqvarna. Using a standard chain, I can cut fresh trees all day long, little touch up with a file at every stop to fill.

But these down dead trees, are just killing my chains. Two passes and gotta get the file out. Is this normal for downed trees?

If so, I may just call and get a load or two of wood delivered and save on chain and saw use.

Thanks for any advice.

[TnAndy]

You sure you're not hitting dirt and all in those 'downed' logs ?

Best chain I've ever found ( and I use it on my Husky ) is square tooth (full chisel) Sthil brand. You won't dull that in two cuts unless you are hitting a lot of trash.

[bentleywarren]

It depends on the type of wood, but yes, dry seasoned hardwoods can be rough on a chain. Trying to cut through dead Blackjack oak and bois d'arc will have sparks flying off of the wood. Other trees might not be as bad, but dead, seasoned oaks and other hardwoods are much rougher on a chain than are green un-seasoned wood. If the trees you are cutting are in contact with the soil, which I assume they are, you may also be cutting through some sand and grit that splashed on the wood during recent rains.

[Rustaholic]

What kind of trees are they?

[NELSELGNE]

Sawing seasoned OSAGE ORANGE (HEDGE APPLE), BLACK LOCUST and WHITE OAK will quickly dull a saw chain. But, they are no problem when green.

[joseph97297]

They are mostly red and white oak. I don't cut trees that are on the ground in the usual sense. The only trees that are "down" that I cut are either propped up where a good portion of them are off the ground or have been stopped in fall by another tree. Any rotten or nasty wood gets hand cut with the saw for the hugelkulture beds.

I have cut several down that were leaners, they went over but got caught in another tree. Once cut into 8 foot logs, I then pull them up to the firewood area where I cut using the standard log holder and helper to knock them down to 16 inches.

I am pretty sure that I am not hitting dirt nor rocks. I always check for wire or the likes when eyeballing a tree. No sparks or anything coming forth, just really dull chains. Just taking more time with the file and the life of the chain.

[haypoint]

There is a lot of grit that gets into the bark of most trees that are laid over. Dust from the road, etc. If they are dead trees, see if you can peel the bark off and see if that helps. At least you'll know if it is the bark or the wood that has the grit. Could just be bone dry hard oak.
Had a friend get 50 white oak logs that were over 25 feet long. Had been use as pilings for ships to rub up against. Set upright in clean clear water for a few years. Got them pulled out and hauled home. What little silt was in the water got into that wood and he had to sharpen between each cut.

[COWS]

When you are cutting up a tree you are making many more cuts than just cutting the tree down.

COWS

[oneokie]

There is a Carbide toothed chain that is available. It is supposed to be good for difficult cutting conditions.

[simi-steading]

Best thing I ever did was buy one of these and a hand full of chains... Sure can do a lot more work and a lot less sharpening..

I cut a lot of downed seasoned trees too and can go through chains fast. The wood is clean, just really hard and abrasive.

[jwal10]

Are you dragging on the ground or hauling on a trailer. If you have sandy soil a lot gets worked into the wood dragging it. I always had a small trailer, cut and split in the field, also less mess....James

[Rustaholic]

The carbine chain saw chains are not too good according to these folks.http://www.forestryforum.com/board/i...c,31081.0.html

[Ozarks Tom]

Went through the same thing on a couple red oaks yesterday. Went from throwing chips to throwing sawdust in no time. There's a reason we used carbide tipped blades rather than tool steel in our wood flooring shop. Dry oak is tough.

[swamp man]

Yep, dirt on the trunk will do it, and many types of wood harden when the tree dies....had a booger-bear of a task on a large, long-dead dogwood recently. Also, some of the chains ain't what they used to be. The so-called "safety chains" are awful. I use the Stihl yellow-label chains, and use a small flat file to take some off the top of the rakers. Yes, it WILL kick back if ya' do something you shouldn't, but it's a tree-hatin' son of a gun. My theory is that used properly, a saw that actually cuts is a safer tool. All that foolin' around with a safety chain is far more dangerous, what with all the bowin' up on it and having to force the dern thing.

[Conhntr]

Simi can you elaborate on the sharpener? Ive been considering one. I have 5 chains and its 4$ Each plus my time to go get them sharpened. I try to be very carefull and usually can cut 5+tanks per chain unless i hit something. How much do those sharpeners run and how well do they work?

[simi-steading]

The one in that picture is from Tractor Supply. They have them for $150 or so... I'm used to using a lot more expensive one, but I was impressed with the TS one considering it's about half the price of a more commercial one, yet it's pretty sturdy and seems well made. It's pretty much a dead copy of an Oregon sharpener.

It takes about a minute to sharpen a chain on it once you get the hang of them.. .and that minute includes dropping the guide depths if need be

[dirtman]

I use a chain sharpener from Northern tool. $129 works great. I don't know how I ever got along without it. There is a world of difference in chains though. The generic ones like they sell at Home Depot are garbage. I use Husky or Stihl chains and they last much longer between sharpenings.

[simi-steading]

I keep threatening to buy a spool of Oregon Chisel chain and make all my own... It would be nice to have a stack of chains and not have to sharpen so often, plus it's a lot cheaper than buying ready made links...

[joebill]

You can get a little better mileage on hard, dirty wood by backing off the trigger just a bit while the chain is sharp for a slower chain speed and adding some pressure. It'll move some of the nasty aside instead of bashing into it at the speed of light....joe

[Philip_Durso]

Doing jobs that take a long time I find it helpful to function stack. Try using MycoSpored Oil to add productivity to a job your already doing.