chainsaw chains - professional or low kickback ?

Started by cbc58, October 28, 2018, 11:09:28 AM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

cbc58

Wonder if anyone could share their thoughts on which type of chain is better to take down about 15 medium trees and cut it up into firewood.   I have always used OEM low kickback but someone is selling a pack of Oregon gold pro chains for a good price.  Is the non-kickback feature a must have for a non-pro?  From what I have read the gold pro chains will cut faster.

Guessing folks here have cut a lot of wood and will have an opinion.  Tks

akwoodchuck

The most dangerous parts of cordwood making are: falling and limbing. If you've never done these before, it wouldn't be a bad idea to get someone experienced to show you the ropes. Using dull chain, more saw or bar than you can handle, or working on unstable ground are all terribly dangerous too. Use the right saw, wear protective gear (eye/ear at the very least), make a sawbuck. Square grind chisel chain is the fastest, but it dulls the quickest and needs special equipment to resharpen. I like something I can touch up with a file.
"The lyf so short, the craft so long to lerne."


Don_P

I prefer full chisel chain, it can be sharpened with file or machine. It is more aggressive than low kick. Double check though bar, chain and sprocket must match. The Oregon website has listings of all that. Mostly, I like a sharp chain, after that its incremental. The top quarter of the nose is the kickback zone, always know where it is and what it is in. If you don't have a firm understanding of that yet stick to the low kick chain, it won't prevent one but it does lessen the chain's ability to really grab a bite and kick. When you have mastered the nose learn to bore cut for felling. There is a tutorial on the OSHA website but it is not as good as having someone experienced showing you. Fatigue is the most dangerous thing, pay attention to yourself.

I smushed a very nice saw a couple of weeks ago limbing a large walnut we had felled. I didn't take the time to see a small limb under the large one I was cutting.



NathanS

I would just say in my experience the only thing that matters is whether or not the chain is sharp. I personally think chainsaws are dangerous enough and the low kick back chain might keep the thing out of my chin one day.

Stihl makes a file that also knocks down the little bumps that control depth of cut. I'd rather have less chains and that filing guide.

Also I have a a 'pro' 026 and a 'homeowner' 250... I can't tell a difference between the two, just whether the chain is sharp.

Adam Roby

I have two chainsaws, each with their original chain.
A homelite that I have to sharpen ever tree I fell (not including limbs), and a Huskvarna that I have yet to sharpen and have cut probably a dozen trees with limbing etc.  I am guessing there is a difference in quality of chain, aside from just the type of chain.  But that is the limit of my knowledge to these things, sorry.


MountainDon

I have one "pro" chain. Yes it does cut faster than a low-kickback. That is mainly because it cuts a bigger chip for every tooth every time the tooth comes around. I use it mainly for those rare occasions when I want to make a plunge cut.  Mostly I use a low kickback chain. I'm not in a hurry and never need to cut many trees in a short time. The pro chain does grab and pull the saw forward with more force and if you touch a branch above the bar it pushes back with more force, perhaps enough to be a surprise if you are not expecting it.

Using a pro chain does not make the user a pro. A sharp chain is more important, IMO, than a pro chain.
Just because something has been done and has not failed, doesn't mean it is good design.

Redoverfarm

#6
Personally I use a pro chain.  Experience is the best teacher but only after your basics are covered.  I have used a chainsaw for the majority of my life and still occasionally I don't pay attention or get in a hurry.  That's when things have a tendency to go south.  Here is an article that will help you understand some of the basics and potential hazards if you are not that well versed in using a saw.

http://www.ehs.ufl.edu/programs/os/chainsaw/

You might also check with your State Forestry Agency.  They might offer classes which will get you started in the correct chainsaw practices.  They offer them here.

During the last couple years I had employed 10 workers for stream cleanup which involved the removal of trees that had migrated down the stream.  Some of which collected forming log dams.  I basicly had to teach almost all of them the proper use of a chainsaw.  Biggest problems was how to approach the correct cuts to avoid lodging the chain in the log, keeping the tips of the bar out of the ground, anticipating the reaction of the limbs/log after cutting among others.  Funny thing was when I first inquired who had ran a chainsaw and knew how to sharpen a saw.  10 hands went up.  But when it came right down to it only a couple actually knew how to run/sharpen a saw. 

Couple more things.  Buy you a pair of saw chaps.  They are a little on the expensive side but nothing compared to the cost of medical expenses.  Make sure your chain brake is operational.  It does require that you periodically clean this area to keep it operational.


Alan Gage

I prefer the non-safety chain. Be mindful of where your bar tip is at all times and cut sensibly and you should be fine. You can purposely induce some kickbacks to get an idea of how it feels and what causes it. Safety chain would serve you fine as well.

In the last year I've been doing a lot more felling and cutting. Before then I'd never really thought much about it but I started learning more about technique and learned there's a lot to learn. There are a lot of good instructional Youtube videos out there. Husqvarna had a good 3 part series on theory, assessment, and actual felling (about 15 minutes each) that I found very helpful as a newbie.

The ability to plunge cut is a great tool to have. Practice on logs that are already on the ground or "easy" trees to get comfortable with it.

I also highly recommend getting a Pferd 2-in-1 sharpener. My hand filing has always been hit or miss but now I can get multiple gallons of gas on each chain before I feel the need to have it touched up by machine. It's quick and easy to do and not expensive to buy.

Alan



cbc58

Thank you for the link to those videos.  I've done a little bit of tree cutting with an old timer who could drop a tree on a nail 50 feet out.  The guy was amazingly accurate - but even he could learn a thing or two from those vids.

There is an old joke about a farmer who bought a chainsaw to help him clear a lot on his property. The advertisement said that with the saw a person could cut 10 cords of wood per day. After a week the farmer went back to the store to complain that no matter how hard he tried he could only cut three cords. The salesman suggested that the saw was dull and showed the farmer how to sharpen it. After another week the farmer returned to say that no matter how hard he worked he could not get the saw to cut more than five cords a day. The salesman called in the service manager, who looked over the saw and saw nothing out of line. He decided to try it himself and pulled the starting cord and the saw immediately started. The farmer looked up in astonishment and yelled, "What's that noise?"