Type of chain on chainsaw

[Fadi Zeidan]

Do you use the standard chain that comes with the chainsaw, or do you upgrade to different type?

 

[Roger Chandler]

Stihl's are generally good saws. I have a dealer in town that sells and services both Stihl lines and Husqvarna lines. They have a mechanic that works on the saws for professional loggers as well as home owners, farmers etc. This particular mechanic has a very unique perspective, as he actually worked for Stihl and built the saws for 13 years, and then moved back home to the Shenandoah Valley area, and works as the mechanic for the saw dealer.

He told me that they were good saws, but the Husqvarna saws were built a little better in the internals, when you get into the professional lines. The smaller homeowner items are about the same in both brands, but the Husqvarna saws have beefier rods, crank, and they also have the easy start features, etc.

I have a friend who is a professional logger. He has skidders, and all sorts of machinery to log steep terrain, etc. For years he used Stihl, until one year about 7 or eight years ago, he had 3 professional model Stihls that broke a crank in the engine. He discussed all this with the dealer, and decided to go with Husqvarna. He told me he now gets more than twice the life out of the Husqvarna saws than he did the Stihl's. He and his crew use them daily, and have every size class of saw on the market, and I trust his truthfulness and experience.

For about 12 years I have owned a Husqvarna 359, and have cut more wood than I can count, for firewood and for turning. About 4 years ago, I also got a Husqvarna 390Xp with a 28" bar, and have cut a lot of wood with it. Not one problem other than running into a long all-thread bolt, and almost ruining a chain, but that was on me. Both my saws still run like the day they were new, and have not lost any compression, developed any leaks, nor let me down in any way.

Good luck with your choice. I just offer this info for your benefit, and that of others who may read. Unless you are a heavy duty user, either saw will do you a fine job, if you get into the pro line. If you want the build, then the Husky is the heavier build on the motor.

 

[Dave Bunge]

Do you use the standard chain that comes with the chainsaw, or do you upgrade to different type?

I use the Stihl low kickback chains which have a green link to distinguish them from the non-low kickback chains. Not sure which style comes "standard" when you buy the saw as new. My dealer let me choose the low kickback ones when I bought my saw.

They have worked fine for me.

Dave

 

[Bill Boehme]

Do you use the standard chain that comes with the chainsaw, or do you upgrade to different type?

My Stihl saw came with a low kickback chain, but I am currently using a standard chain.

Stihl's are generally good saws. I have a dealer in town that sells and services both Stihl lines and Husqvarna lines. They have a mechanic that works on the saws for professional loggers as well as home owners, farmers etc. This particular mechanic has a very unique perspective, as he actually worked for Stihl and built the saws for 13 years, and then moved back home to the Shenandoah Valley area, and works as the mechanic for the saw dealer.

He told me that they were good saws, but the Husqvarna saws were built a little better in the internals, when you get into the professional lines. The smaller homeowner items are about the same in both brands, but the Husqvarna saws have beefier rods, crank, and they also have the easy start features, etc.

I have a friend who is a professional logger. He has skidders, and all sorts of machinery to log steep terrain, etc. For years he used Stihl, until one year about 7 or eight years ago, he had 3 professional model Stihls that broke a crank in the engine. He discussed all this with the dealer, and decided to go with Husqvarna. He told me he now gets more than twice the life out of the Husqvarna saws than he did the Stihl's. He and his crew use them daily, and have every size class of saw on the market, and I trust his truthfulness and experience.

For about 12 years I have owned a Husqvarna 359, and have cut more wood than I can count, for firewood and for turning. About 4 years ago, I also got a Husqvarna 390Xp with a 28" bar, and have cut a lot of wood with it. Not one problem other than running into a long all-thread bolt, and almost ruining a chain, but that was on me. Both my saws still run like the day they were new, and have not lost any compression, developed any leaks, nor let me down in any way.

Good luck with your choice. I just offer this info for your benefit, and that of others who may read. Unless you are a heavy duty user, either saw will do you a fine job, if you get into the pro line. If you want the build, then the Husky is the heavier build on the motor.

@Roger Chandler The question is what type of chain are you using.

 

[Dean Center]

Fadi, I have wrestled with this same question and have not resolved it completely. The low kick back chains cut less aggressively and there are times, especially when ripping a 24" log, that I would really like more speed. There are chains that would improve the situation, but am I really skilled and experienced enough to be safe with them? How do you know you're not able to handle them without having a chain stuck in your forehead?

 

[Bill Boehme]

I have sometimes thought that it would be nice to have a ripping chain, but being lazy the idea of swapping chains when out in the field never quite appealed to me. Maybe two saws is what I really need.

 

[Richard Coers]

Using the term standard chain like that is a bit deceiving. "Standard" identifies a saw chain sequence. There are standard, semi-skip, and skip tooth. New saws come with a safety or low kickback in a standard chain sequence and I would never use one of those since I have a fair amount of experience. They cut too slow for my liking. You might be more comfortable with it though.

 

[JeffSmith]

I’ve been using skip tooth chains (Sthl) for several years now. They were reccommended by an arborist friend for ripping logs; I don’t change out for crosscutting. They do just fine at both and rip a lot faster than I remember the ‘standard’ chains did. It has been a few years, though.

 

[Bill Blasic]

I have a Stihl 066 that I use with an Alaskan chain saw mill and I use a ripping chain on it. I have two smaller Stihls that use regular chains and I have the big Stihl electric that also uses full size regular chains. I have never tried a low kickback chain on my equipment.

 

[hockenbery]

I use a regular chains in my Stilhs.
I do have a ripping chain which I Haven’t used in years.
If I needed to cut 10-30 platter blanks I would put it on.
It leaves a cleaner surface, clears the ripping chips better, and cuts a little truer than the regular chain.
Ripping chains are not good choices for beginners.

Never tried a skip tooth chain is meant for long 36” + bars cutting softwood.
They basically have 1/2 the teeth.
Will cross cut slower. When riping will clear the chips better.

I get a pretty good rhythm going when ripping with the standard chain so that the long strings keep clearing the saw.

 

[Fadi Zeidan]

Great, thanks for the feedback that does clear things up. I see videos of people cutting through logs like butter, and I figured it has to be the type of wood and chain type.

I wanted to cut faster because gas chainsaws are noisy and I wanted to cut quicker not to bother the neighbors, but I rather be safe since I am a newbie. I can always get electric one for noise.

 

[Jerry Maske]

And one opinion no one touched. I use a Stihl with a Carbide Tooth Blade that will cut through ANYTHING! I cut end grain Oak like it was Jell-o. I live in Maine and asked a lot of the professional loggers about saws and chains before I made my decision. Husky saws seem to be pretty good too, but this Stihl with this chain will out run and out perform anything else on the market. Guess I'll get some flak for that, but I'm entitled to my opinion. In this case it's based on the number of trees I've taken down and the amount of Pre Lathe work I have done over the last three years without EVER having to sharpen the chain. More expensive? Of course. But, you get what you pay for.

 

[robo hippy]

Well, I have had 'skip tooth' chains forever. I picked up my first saw at a dealer and he asked me what I was planning to cut. Told him I made bowls so cross cut and ripping. He suggested the ripping/skip tooth blade since it would do a fair job on cross cutting, and a cross cut blade would not rip very well. I have heard about the carbide tooth chains. You need to have a specialty shop that has diamond wheels to sharpen them.

robo hippy

 

[Perry Hilbert]

I have used a stihl farm boss for 16 years now. Cut wood as the only heat for the house for over 12 years. Cut an awful amount of wood. I used the low kick back chain when I first started and got a more dangerous chain without the anti kickback features for my back up chain. One thing about the wood I burned. I had an outdoor boiler and never split wood. If it was too big and heavy to lift I cut it into smaller chunks. I was not about to lift a heavy chunk of wood up onto a splitter. Because of that I found myself often ripping a chuck of log. The low kick back chains took forever. The more dangerous saws cut along the grain much faster. I now have only one low kick back chain. Another 4 of the dangerous variety. A civic organization needed volunteers to cut some trees that fel during a storm. . I went over to assist with clean up. My saw with those chains (also just sharpened) could cut through the trees and logs twice as fast as the others. I cut some 30 inch diameter discs from some trees and cut cut them into thirds far faster too. The shavings when ripping looked like 4 inch long slivers of wood like those used for packing years ago. I also stand differently when cutting. I do not stand over the saw or behind it, but to the left side.

 

[Dean Center]

Fadi, having a sharp chain is the most important variable in how fast you'll get done. Assuming I'm cutting within the reasonable capacity of my saw, when the chain is sharp, I feel amazed by how fast the saw is cutting. I've learned that if it doesn't impress me, it's time to sharpen. If I have to press down on the saw to get a good cut, it's past time to sharpen. (and it's my fault) An electric saw with a sharp chain can be impressive at lower decibels.

 

[Zach LaPerriere]

Good comments. Low kick back chains are clearly safer, but they carry less chips and are more prone to plug at the chain cover and slow or stop the cut.

Just to clarify between skiptooth and rip chains. Both have 1/3 to 1/2 the teeth, but rip chains are for ripping and are filed at around 10°, while skip tooth chains have the same filing angle of regular full comp chains: 25° (or so.)

Effectively: all three styles of chain work pretty dang well for ripping bowl stock. I almost exclusively use skip chains, but I think they're more dangerous, grabby, and a little more prone to kickbacks. That said: I have cut hundreds of cords of wood with a skip tooth chain and never had a kickback. It's all about knowing how to properly use a saw.

If you're doing a lot of ripping and start with a full comp chain or skip tooth filed at a the normal ~25°, it's worth sharpening at a lower angle and eventually arrive around 10°. You don't need to take a new chain and then immediately sharpen to 10°, just keep sharpening as needed until you get there. That's even what I do with Alaskan milling when I'm forced to buy a regular angled chain.

As Dean says above: the main thing you need for good ripping is an understanding of sharpening skills, including how and when to take down the rakers. There are lots of jigs to help here. It's really pretty straight forward.

Finally: electric saws are usually underpowered for bowl stock prep, but I am happy enough with a Stihl 250 MSE as a shop saw for smaller stock topping out at 12-14".

 

[John Spitters]

I have two husqvarna saws, and older 272xp with a 24” bar and a newer 372xp with a 32” bar.
With the 24” bar I use a full tooth chain and on the 32” bar I use a skip tooth chain.
Both saws are the same displacement with the older saw having in my opinion slightly more power .
Out in the field I find that the skip tooth chain is better (quicker) at cross cutting, I cut mostly local Maples, so prefer to use the newer saw for falling, also the skip tooth chain is far quicker at ripping cuts when breaking down rounds into turning stock, however the cut quality is not as smooth compared to using the saw with the full tooth chain.

 

[Emiliano Achaval]

Do you use the standard chain that comes with the chainsaw, or do you upgrade to different type?

I buy my chains and all other supplies needed to keep my 5 saws running from Baileys.com I make sure the chain has the little line on the tooth to keep the right angle when you sharpen. I keep at least 2 ripping chains in my tool box. Sometimes the only angle the log gives you is first a ripping cut. I do not like to slab, takes for ever, I cut everything for bowl stock. The original brand chains are a little more expensive, whatever is on sale is good enough. I do not like the low kick back chains...

 

[Davis Stevenson]

17 comments and no discussion of chisel vs semi-chisel? That's something else to consider, along with skip, semi-skip, or full comp.

In general:

Chisel cuts faster but dulls easier.

Semi-chisel curs slower but holds an edge way better.

People say semi-chisel is more forgiving to sharpen, but I have an easier time sharpening a full chisel chain.

My bigger saw (60cc) has full-comp non-safety chisel chain, Oregon 72LPX. I use it for cross cutting and noodle cutting slabs the length of the bar. The safety-chain doesn't cut all that well with a buried nose on a big crosscut or noodle cut. Noodle cutting slabs is much faster than a true rip cut and I'll never need a blank bigger in diameter than my bar is long. Noodle cutting is also gentle on the cutting edge. Sometimes I feel like I could noodle out Madrona slabs all day without sharpening.

My echo CS-3000 that I use has semi-chisel. It's a 20 year old reed-valved 30cc saw... It'll never cut fast. Plus, the only option for full chisel that will fit it is Stihl (expensive) or mail order. I find the tiny semi-chisel chain challenging to sharpen.

There have been times when I wished I had a semi-chisel on the big saw for spalted wood, or potentially rotten wood. I had 28" spalted maple maple crotch piece that I had to stop and sharpen up 3 times during processing.

 

[robo hippy]

Davis, not sure I understand chisel/semi chisel. I think I saw chains once that used the standard round file, and there was another one that was more square. Is this what you are talking about? Love Madrone, how we say it here in Oregon and farther south, and the Canadians call it Arbutus... Cuts like butter on the lathe as well....

robo hippy

 

[Davis Stevenson]

Davis, not sure I understand chisel/semi chisel. I think I saw chains once that used the standard round file, and there was another one that was more square. Is this what you are talking about?
robo hippy

The Chisel/Semi-Chisel refers to the shape of the cutters. I've attached a close-up diagram. I think most, if not all, green label, low kickback chains are the rounded semi-chisel. If you hit the dirt or are cutting dirty wood, you're less likely to dull the entire cutting edge. Chisel chain has a cutter that is straight and comes to a sharp point. It cuts more aggressively, but is easier to dull. That's a simplified explanation-- if you search an arborist forum, you'll get a ton of info. Firewood cutters seem to be biased towards chisel solely because of cutting speed.

I never have tried the old-school square ground chain. Not sure it would still have any advantages?

 

[Davis Stevenson]

Love Madrone, how we say it here in Oregon and farther south, and the Canadians call it Arbutus... Cuts like butter on the lathe as well....

robo hippy

It's a favorite of mine, too. Everyone here says it makes the best firewood, so there's quite a bit of competition on buying logs. To me, it's too beautiful to burn. My most recent venture in flat woodwork was a beautiful spalted Madrona desk from a salvaged log. I really enjoy the funky shapes you can get by turning thin-walled Madrona bowls with knots and other imperfections. People tell me they look like a toddler's ceramic project that was dropped before firing, though, so that look definitely isn't for everyone!

 

[Bill Boehme]

I googled madrona tree and I got redirected to madrone tree. So, like many other trees apparently there are local names. Google also said that there is an area of Seattle called Madrona so I wonder if there is a connection to the tree.

 

[JeffSmith]

I googled madrona tree and I got redirected to madrone tree. So, like many other trees apparently there are local names. Google also said that there is an area of Seattle called Madrona so I wonder if there is a connection to the tree.

Bill - as I understand it, madrone/madrona/arbutus only grows from Northern California to the south of alaska within 50 miles of the coast. The name seems to change depending on how far north you are...I’m a native Californian that drifted north over 40 years ago and find myself using all three interchangeably. Everyone seems to understand what I’m talking about.
The Madrona area of Seattle is indeed named after the tree.

 

[Tom Albrecht]

A few years ago I took a class with David Ellsworth, and I recently took one with Trent Bosch. Both of them do rip cut and cross cut with the same chain while showing students how to approach the preparation of blanks. Both of them were asked about using different chains for ripping and cross cutting and both answered that they use a "modified" sharpening angle--- on the order of what Zach described above.

 

[Davis Stevenson]

Bill - as I understand it, madrone/madrona/arbutus only grows from Northern California to the south of alaska within 50 miles of the coast. The name seems to change depending on how far north you are...I’m a native Californian that drifted north over 40 years ago and find myself using all three interchangeably. Everyone seems to understand what I’m talking about.
The Madrona area of Seattle is indeed named after the tree.

Yup! I'm here on the Olympic Peninsula-- about as far North in WA along the true coast as you can get. We have Madrona this, Madrona that, and we're home to the world's largest living Madrona (at least according to the sign in front of it). People look at you funny if you call it Madrone, and would have no idea what you were saying if you referred to it as Arbutus.

 

[robo hippy]

Not as bad as Oregon Myrtle wood.... Actually California Bay Laurel..... Marketing so we can sell to the California tourists.... Also pretty much the same growth range of the Arbutus.... I have heard of a southern species of Madrone, but don't think it is the same tree...

robo hippy

 

[JeffSmith]

The word among local arborists is that the madrona in our area (northern end of the San Juan Island group) show signs of a disease that is slowly killing off remaining stocks. At the southern tip of this island, there are many dead/dying madronas. Most are very close to the shoreline. Our property has three madrona trees living among the doug firs that are very healthy so far.
A little research indicates this could be a cyclical, possibly fungal caused occurrence - I’m hoping so, it would be a shame to lose these lovely, messy, bark shedding trees. They look like sinewy, muscular bare arms reaching out of the forest floor to grab their share of the sunlight.

 

[Dean Center]

. Noodle cutting slabs is much faster than a true rip cut and I'll never need a blank bigger in diameter than my bar is long. Noodle cutting is also gentle on the cutting edge. Sometimes I feel like I could noodle out Madrona slabs all day without sharpening.

Davis can you explain "noodle cut"?

 

[hockenbery]

Noodling is what most woodturners call ripping.
It is cutting with the bar parallel to a bark edge

Noodles are the long shavings