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saw chain

Skip tooth chain will do better in ripping cuts, if you do a lot of ripping cuts you can always get skip tooth and do your own rip grind (5 degree top angle instead of the typical 25 degrees - basically sharpened like you would with a rip cut handsaw) but other than that, any chain will do the job. most important is keeping the chain sharp and avoiding cutting into dirty logs or getting it into dirt.
 
Kevin Jenness said:
What do you recommend as a chain type for efficiently processing blanks with my new (to me) 572XP saw? Crosscutting and ripping, mostly local hardwoods, 20" bar.
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I use Stihl, not Husky, so it may be different with them, but when I was trying to learn about saw chains, I was using a guide from Stihl USA which talked about a particular chain. I'm in Canada, and things weren't adding up, so I contacted Stihl and a rep explained to me that THAT chain was a low-kickback chain (also called safety chain). Standard on new US saws, but not even sold in Canada. So you may run into those chains; your call whether you want to use them or not.
 
I prefer a chipper style chain. Chipper chains have a "square" profile to the cutter tooth as apposed to a "question mark" profile on other chains. I use the same chain for cross cutting and ripping, the most important, as Brian said is to keep it out of the dirt.
 
Brian Gustin said:
any chain will do the job. most important is keeping the chain sharp and avoiding cutting into dirty logs or getting it into dirt.
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I replaced my ageing 272XP with the 572XP a couple of years ago. I would consider replacing your 20" bar with a 24" as it makes the saw better balanced. It will handle longer bars but I think the 24 is the sweet spot. Depending on how your processing the blanks the longer bar may keep you from bending over as much.
 
Any chain is good as long as it's not a "safety chain". The safety part is an odd raker that is very high and limits the size of the chip to an unacceptable fine chip and is very slow cutting. Now your question about ripping. A ripping chain has a very low angle on the tooth, almost zero degrees. I never rip from the end grain with a crosscut chain because it's way too slow. I cut the log to the length of the bar so I can rip from the side, long grain. You have to watch your speed so the curls don't jamb up in the guard by the motor. On my 20" I cut off some of the guard behind the sprocket to get better curl ejection.
 
First learn as much as you can about the safe and effective use of your saw.
Work with an experienced club member or a short course.

What others have said. Avoid safety chains if you are knowledgeable about using the saw.

I do not personally know any woodturner who has been seriously injured injured using a chainsaw
I know a half dozen who have visited ERs after misusing band saws.

Easier to get complacent using the bandsaw since it is one of the safest saws available.

Felling and limbing trees are special skills too. Many injuries occur from falling or moving wood and getting a pinched bar willl be embarrassing if not worse.
 
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Richard Coers said:
Any chain is good as long as it's not a "safety chain". The safety part is an odd raker that is very high and limits the size of the chip to an unacceptable fine chip and is very slow cutting. Now your question about ripping. A ripping chain has a very low angle on the tooth, almost zero degrees. I never rip from the end grain with a crosscut chain because it's way too slow. I cut the log to the length of the bar so I can rip from the side, long grain. You have to watch your speed so the curls don't jamb up in the guard by the motor. On my 20" I cut off some of the guard behind the sprocket to get better curl ejection.
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I was going to say the same about pro chain vs. safety chain.

Kevin, I have a lesser Husky (Farm Rancher). That saw has a chain saver. It should be called a chain ruiner. Every time the chain comes off, the drive teeth get all banged up and have to be filed down so they fit in the bar slot. I don't know why I haven't taken that thing off yet.
 
I went in to a chainsaw store to buy a saw rather than the big box store. They asked me what I was going to do with it and I told them I was a bowl turner and cutting up blanks. They suggested a skip tooth chain since most of what I was going to be doing with it was ripping. The skip tooth still cross cuts fine.

robo hippy
 
robo hippy said:
I went in to a chainsaw store to buy a saw rather than the big box store. They asked me what I was going to do with it and I told them I was a bowl turner and cutting up blanks. They suggested a skip tooth chain since most of what I was going to be doing with it was ripping. The skip tooth still cross cuts fine.

robo hippy
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Like all metal and woodworking, tooth count is influenced by how thick the stock is. Ideal cutting involves the proper number of teeth in the material at the same time. Skip tooth is not good for smaller diameter logs, and is a necessity is huge logs.
 
I’ve been using skip tooth chains in standard grind for many years - they excel in ripping and I see little to no difference in crosscutting (but then I’m not an expert user. I was steered to the skip tooth versions by an arborist U worked with when I showed him what I was doing.
 
I wound up buying two discounted Husqvarna S83 full-complement semi-chisel chains on Ebay to go with the chisel chain that came with the saw, $36 delivered. The gist of the advice I got was that a powerful saw with a 20" bar would drive a sharp chain of any design without issue, skip chain was not necessary with that length of bar, semi-chisel chain holds up better to dirty and frozen wood, and decreasing the top angle to 10* or less would give a better finish without improving rip speed. With 3 chains on hand I will always have a sharp chain and can easily touch up the dull ones on my son's grinder.

The 572 is a lot heavier than my dead 353 but for blank prep it should work out better. Initially I was looking at a 60ccc saw and was ready to buy an Echo 620 but this barely used saw showed up at the same price point so I went for it. I may want a longer bar someday but for now I can cut larger pieces from both sides.

I have been using chainsaws and bandsaws for over 40 years without a cut yet but a moment's inattention may be rewarded with the utmost astonishment. I get younger guys to do the felling.
 
I use full-comp full- or semi-chisel chain. When I was doing more felling (conifers mostly) I preferred full chisel, but now for driveway log processing I'm starting to like semi-chisel because it works fine and does stay sharp longer. I've never felt the need to mess with angles or etc, except to file down the rakers (aka depth gauges) a bit deeper (but I'm not really messing with that anymore either).

I keep 3 or 4 chains and swap them out. When I'm on the last one, the other 2 go to the saw shop for sharpening. I probably use up chain faster than hand sharpening, but the convenience and consistency is worth it to me.
 
Dave Landers said:
I keep 3 or 4 chains and swap them out. When I'm on the last one, the other 2 go to the saw shop for sharpening. I probably use up chain faster than hand sharpening, but the convenience and consistency is worth it to me.
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I ended up buying a electric bench-mounted chain sharpener that uses a narrow wheel. Remove the chain from the bar to sharpen. This lets me "cheat" and sharpen grind away more only on teeth that need it. (The shops usually grind all teeth to the worst one.)

As mentioned, what really helps the chain is keeping the wood clean. I usually haul logs to a spot near my barn near power and water so it's easy to bring out a small electric pressure washer to clean off dirt and mud when people come cut them up to take home. (setting the logs on 4x4s to keep them off the ground helps too.) Difficult to clean bark in the woods but a wire brush can help.

A friend of mine has gone to using only chains with carbide teeth on his saws. I've sharpened these at home with a diamond bit in a dremel; he takes them to a local shop with a diamond wheel.

JKJ
 
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