Stihl chainsaw chain suggestions

[Mal Paso]

Round filed Chisel for speed. Semi-Chisel for dirt. If you see sparks that's dirt. Skip tooth is to run longer bars with less horsepower. Don't bother with full chisel not enough benefit. The steel used for saw chain is so good now it's almost as hard as Swiss Files. I just grind now. Touch, touch, touch, the wheel to the cutter to allow time for the heat to be absorbed back into the cutter and dispersed. Just kiss the rakers. Stihl chain is a 2% better than Windsor or Oregon and not worth double the cost. Check this out: http://www.baileysonline.com Get on their mailing list for their specials. I buy 7 or 10 loops at a time and sharpen them all at once at the same settings. This Oak was cut Monday with Woodland Pro 30RC http://www.baileysonline.com/search....rc&catID=11810 30SC handles dirt better http://www.baileysonline.com/search....rc&catID=11810

Nothing puts a smile on my face like a storm of big fat chips coming out of a log.

[FLINTNFIRE]

as to the original question , full skip ,chisel or semi chisel , stihl makes good saws and good chain , oregon is good chain to , and thats what I ran on my saws in the woods and cutting firewood also, I still file with a round file , and take rakers down carefully ,to much saw grabs ,kicks and will blow up your sprocket rim , cutting in the mt. st. helens blast you couldnt keep a chain sharp .

[Bob Krack]

Trey, lots of good advice above.

Full chisel is usually the choice of the professional loggers. My choice would be round or semi-chisel.

In another time and another place, I cut many many cords of black oak, blue oak, white oak, and pacific madrone - AND lots of valley live oak. Tuffest commercial firewood available. Might be more heat content than shagback hickory.

Every thing you are describing just screams improper sharpening. Raker being most likely in my mind.... Ya might have a chain sharpened by a saw shop and ask them if they could point out any differences between the properly sharpened chain and your sharpened chain. If they are ethical, they will show you the difference - especially if they are a saw sales shop and not just a service shop.

The HF chain grinder is just that - a GRINDER! It'l flat eat it up and ruin the temper. I'd put it away until you can file by hand. Several hand "guide" or guidence tools are readily available.

Bob

[x101airborne]

Thanks guys. I have been doing a lot of reading here and through google. I am learning a lot and have held off ordering chains till I figure more out about what I need.

[Mal Paso]

Bob has a point. The better the sharpening job the longer a chain will last. It took me a while to get mine close to factory. If you can find someone who knows and cares about sharpening treasure them. Don't know how good that HF grinder is, I spent $300 on mine and it's OK. Really good grinders are several thousand. It takes talent to sharpen a chain. The last time I sent one out it was $11 for a really poor job. Last time I bought chain it was $14/24" 3/8 SC. A good case could be made for touching them up with a $1.25 file a couple times then throwing them away.

I'm too much of a Scotsman for that.

The pictures were Northern California. Down here it's Live Oak growing out of Decomposed Granite. DG get blown onto the bark and dulls a chain in seconds. Cut from the clean side or bust some of the bark off with a pry bar. There won't be any sand past the bark.

[Dean D.]

One tip I learned from an old logger was to always use the same number of file strokes on each tooth. It really helps prevent half-mooning (saw cutting in a semi-circle instead of straight). If I find a tooth that does not fully sharpen with that number of strokes I leave it, usually the problem will be corrected on the next sharpening. Better that than to unevenly file it and cause additional problems. This method has worked well for me. YMMV

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

I appreciate someone asking about the 200 year old oak. Unfortunately, this is not it. Even a 20 inch bar is not enough for that tree. And the limbs on it are still over 20 inches in diamater. I feel for that old warhorse, but fear it fodder for the burn pile. Sad state of affairs indeed.

Here's a little show and tell of mine.
and btw, you can cut more than a 20" dia trunk with a 20" bar.
pictured here is THE largest "Standing Dead" White Oak I cut with my stihl 360 Pro.
Actually it was leaning at a 60º angle for the last couple of years.
Obviously you need a chain that's sharpened as good as a NEW chain for work like this.


It Y'ed off into two trunks about 5" off the ground,
actually making it easier to cut...But took twice as long to get through


I wish I could get into that woods again, that is the best firewood
I ever burnt, even it it was tough cuttin'. It sure split nicely too.

[jcameron996]

I think everyone has nearly covered everything about sharpening chain saw chains. The first and most important thing is to get rid of the grinder. You have probably removed the temper from your chains and that is contributing to you not being about to keep them sharp. Get the proper sized round file for your chain with a handle and a good flat file. You can check your drags by laying the flat file across the teeth. The drags should be about the thickness of a dime from the file, any more that and the chain will grab. All of the Stihl chains I have bought lately have witness marks on the teeth and the drags to help you keep the angles correct. Start practicing with a file and you will be surprised how quickly you will pick it up.

[bimus]

This is a older thread about chainsaw chains

I'm thinking of getting a carbide chain for my saw ?

[farmbif]

I like the stihl rs chain the best but the Oregon exl and lgx. chain is supposed to be real good too. if I ever totally destroy my rs chains maybe I'll try Oregon. the stihl prices have more than doubled in past couple years.
good chainsaw chain is too expensive to keep replacing. learning to sharpen them well is a must in my opinion.

[jgstrug]

1hr of run time is a lot of chain revelutions, sharpening takes about 6 minutes. I say that that's plenty efficient for a non professional.

Sent from my SM-S906U using Tapatalk

[MarkP]

I ended up buying Stihl Duro Carbide chains for my MS 661 25" and MS391 20" and MS 201T 14". They have been better than expected. I would normally dress my chains with a few strokes of a file at each fuel fill-up. After cutting several cords of Osage Orange in KS (3hrs away) I decided to buy the Carbide chains. My next trip to KS I brought Carbide chains... I went through (7) tanks of fuel cutting Osage Orange using the Carbide chain on my 661. It cut just as good at the end of the day as it did in the beginning. The Carbide rescue chains are different than the Carbide wood chains. The Stihl duro carbide chains cost about double of a regular chain. I did notice a while back chain prices really went up in the last few yrs. I sharpen my steel chains with a Oregon hyd chain sharpener, I do not have a diamond wheel so took my 25" carbide to the dealership and it was $17 to sharpen. I have used my Carbide chains to cut stumps and have hit soil multiple times. Does not dull the chain like it would a steel chain. I did hit a piece a barb wire that a tree grew around with my 20" and chipped 3 cutters. Still cuts okay. One thing a guy told me is the chain will stretch more than the adjustment in your saw and will be useless.

[Hannibal]

I used to cut a lot of firewood and Carlton chains were the best I ever tried. Had to be ground to resharpen, file wouldn't cut the teeth. I heard another company bought them out but I'm not sure if that's true.

[HWooldridge]

I ended up buying Stihl Duro Carbide chains for my MS 661 25" and MS391 20" and MS 201T 14". They have been better than expected. I would normally dress my chains with a few strokes of a file at each fuel fill-up. After cutting several cords of Osage Orange in KS (3hrs away) I decided to buy the Carbide chains. My next trip to KS I brought Carbide chains... I went through (7) tanks of fuel cutting Osage Orange using the Carbide chain on my 661. It cut just as good at the end of the day as it did in the beginning. The Carbide rescue chains are different than the Carbide wood chains. The Stihl duro carbide chains cost about double of a regular chain. I did notice a while back chain prices really went up in the last few yrs. I sharpen my steel chains with a Oregon hyd chain sharpener, I do not have a diamond wheel so took my 25" carbide to the dealership and it was $17 to sharpen. I have used my Carbide chains to cut stumps and have hit soil multiple times. Does not dull the chain like it would a steel chain. I did hit a piece a barb wire that a tree grew around with my 20" and chipped 3 cutters. Still cuts okay. One thing a guy told me is the chain will stretch more than the adjustment in your saw and will be useless.

That stretch comment doesn’t make sense. The carbide is only on the teeth; the rest of the chain is conventional. Carbide chips on interrupted cuts in metal so I expect it will cut through imbedded bullets or wire but might break if it hits rocks and other trash.

[IllinoisCoyoteHunter]

All depends on the grade of carbide. Some grades are tougher and some are harder.

[GregLaROCHE]

+1 for skip chains. One plus is less teeth to sharpen if you’re filling by hand.
Make sure your grinder is cutting the correct angles and depth. Don’t forget to dress the wheel when needed. Rakers need to be reduced, I like mine a little lower than spec. Carry a file with you for a quick touch up in the field. Don’t over heat the chain if it’s not cutting.
I’ve heard from a tree surgeon, that in some cases, trees bring silica up from te soil and it is impregnated in the wood fibers and chains dull much faster. Maybe your trees are like that.

[john.k]

All wood has silica in it ...silica is soluble in water to some degree.........this is the reason wood ash can be used for pottery glaze.............grinding any hard steel draws the hardness in the fine edge ,even if the bulk of the metal doesnt get hot...........the exception is HSS deposited by arc welding .....HSS doesnt soften in red heat ,this is the reason you can sharpen a drillbit with a grinder.

[Dancing Bear]

Have you looked at https://www.baileysonline.com/ ? I found their pricing very reasonable.

[jonp]

I'm surprised you are dulling a chain that fast without digging into dirt. Do you have a chain gauge? I used to cut a few hours then use a hand file like this https://www.amazon.com/dp/B073XM3P6Q...xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ== for touch up during the day. I also have one like this although not the Stihl brand https://www.amazon.com/STIHL-EASY-CH...=sawineryus-20.

Both work fine and I usually took a minute every couple of fill ups to touch the chain. As for chain I've always used Oregon usually the semi chisel although I think most of the professionals use a square chisel. Forget those safety chain things. They don't cut worth a darn. I second Baileys. They are reasonably priced and at the least you can compare different stuff.

I'm not a professional by any stretch but cut softwood pulp for money in high school and 8-10 cords of maple, yellow birch and beech for firewood every year. I can't remember what saw I was using back then but I know I had great luck with a Husky 272xp and a 41 for limbing and small stuff. Now I have a Jonsered Pro type 52cc which seems the best weight vs power I've had. Also big enough to cut anything I'm likely to cut using a 20in bar. Owner of the local saw shop I went into to get a new saw suggested it after asking what I was going to use one for and let me try his out back first. All he uses to cut firewood anymore and I bought his last one on the spot. Old enough now that swinging a bigger saw doesn't appeal to me for more than occasional use.

Others here have more experience using saws so I'd listen to them before me, that's for sure. This is an old thread but I was watching chainsaw youtubes yesterday while it was raining (Buckin Billy Ray and Guilty of Treeson) then saw this so thought I'd chime in.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

This is a older thread about chainsaw chains

I'm thinking of getting a carbide chain for my saw ?

I think a carbide chain is a reasonable solution if you just hate sharpening chains, or just have a hard time successfully sharpening a chain.
That's my 2¢

I posted earlier in this thread (11 yrs ago) about sharpening chains, and still do it the same way(hand file). I buy the inexpensive woodlandPro chains from Baileys. I haven't bought any since the "before times", but they would run specials of $100 for a 10 pak shipped free, back then. They last a long time if I don't hit something harder than wood (like steel wire, gravel, ect). When I do hit something bad, I've learned it's best to just retire the chain, than try to bring it back with a hand file. My buddy who has a power sharpener takes those chains off my hands. I cut about 3 to 4 cords a year, and on average, I do that with one or two chains...if I get lucky and don't dip the nose into the gravel (most of my cutting is at a compost site/gravel parking lot) I could probably get 6 cords of wood to a chain.

I visited the compost site a few weeks ago, there were some large Maple logs out there, note the steel 5 gallon can for size reference.
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