Thread: Full Chisel vs Semi Chisel?

Husky 394 and I cut 5-8 cords a year of any type wood. I'd blindly gone out and gotten all full chisel chains, now wondering if I should get semi-chisel also and then use the full chisel only on softer or green woods, and save the semi chisel for the dead or frozen stuff(not that I cut much frozen).???

I cut around 15 cords of dead oak a year. Semi-chisel works MUCH better for me!

I do use full chisel a bit, but only in clean, green wood.

My cutting per year is all over the place for firewood. I do use semi-chisel for all most of my cutting. On the "rare" occasion that the dirty little trees that I cut for firewood get a nice monsoon "bath". I switch over to full chisel chain and have at it! LOL

Dirty wood = semi-chisel chain

Clean wood = full-chisel chain

My .02

Mike
I

Chisel is fine if the wood is clean, as a matter of fact it is great. If the wood is dirty that is where the semi will shine. Use what you have and maybe try a loop of semi next time and see what you like better. Much of the wood I get has been skidded with a skid steer. Chisel chain only cuts better for a few cuts and then it is pretty much the same as semi in dirty wood. I usually will sharpen chisel every tank or two of fuel. I usually get 3-4 tanks out of semi chisel before it needs touched up.

This could be my imagination, but i think semi chisel might be easier to sharpen. I'm not sure if it is a function of the chain design or if the working corner just doesn't get beat quite as hard.

Originally Posted by eriklane

Husky 394 and I cut 5-8 cords a year of any type wood. I'd blindly gone out and gotten all full chisel chains, now wondering if I should get semi-chisel also and then use the full chisel only on softer or green woods, and save the semi chisel for the dead or frozen stuff(not that I cut much frozen).???

Using a 394? Maybe a 24" bar??? I'll go out on a limb and say "use whatever you got on hand"... Take the rakers down to ~.030 and fear no wood!!!

Originally Posted by Streblerm

This could be my imagination, but i think semi chisel might be easier to sharpen. I'm not sure if it is a function of the chain design or if the working corner just doesn't get beat quite as hard.

Not your imagination. Semi-chisel was designed to be easier to sharpen and stay sharp longer.

When the sharp corner of a chisel cutter gets roached, the cutter much be sharpened back until the corner is sharp again. Sometimes ya got to file it back a good ways to do this.

Originally Posted by sunfish

Not your imagination. Semi-chisel was designed to be easier to sharpen and stay sharp longer.

When the sharp corner of a chisel cutter gets roached, the cutter much be sharpened back until the corner is sharp again. Sometimes ya got to file it back a good ways to do this.

This is true... I hit a floor jack with 3 of my right side cutters the other day and has been 2 sharpenings now and still not completely gone... And no Don... You can't ask how I hit the floor jack with just 3 cutters...

Originally Posted by eriklane

Husky 394 and I cut 5-8 cords a year of any type wood. I'd blindly gone out and gotten all full chisel chains, now wondering if I should get semi-chisel also and then use the full chisel only on softer or green woods, and save the semi chisel for the dead or frozen stuff(not that I cut much frozen).???

Are you asking if you should?? Or are you suggesting that you will but you still want everyone to give their opinion......??

Either way it seems you want a response. I guess I don't know how to respond as you haven't really asked a solid question (at least that's how I'm reading it).

Mind you I'm paraphrasing here, but this is what I'm getting out of your post - "I use full chisel all the time, it's all I've used but I don't really have any issues or problems with using it. Should I use full chisel on green wood, and semi chisel for harder wood??"


It seems that you're hoping to gain something here. But if there's no problem with what you have been doing (or so it seems to me), what's the reason / purpose in changing what you're doing??? What are you looking to get out of asking....???

I got what I wanted-I'm just learning this now, and yes, I did buy all full chisels in the last 2 yrs, going for speed without realizing the trade off.

I will buy a semi for dead/dry solid wood (not the punky crap) that's very rough on a full chisel chain, and then use full chisel only on the clean, green wood.

And I also just learned that a skip tooth chain is best for my 33" bar, and will also get that in a semi. It's rare that I'm cutting huge live trees. I've got a massive hickory now that I need to take apart and that'll do it for me.

So, the gain I'd wondered about is clear-on clean/green wood, the full chisel is fast and will hold up. On less clean or hard/dry wood, the semi will hold up longer and even last longer while cutting, thus, giving me less fits.

It's all coming clear now...

Originally Posted by Hedgerow

This is true... I hit a floor jack with 3 of my right side cutters the other day and has been 2 sharpenings now and still not completely gone... And no Don... You can't ask how I hit the floor jack with just 3 cutters...

Well that was goin to be my first question, but you can tell me in person some day.

Originally Posted by Hedgerow

This is true... I hit a floor jack with 3 of my right side cutters the other day and has been 2 sharpenings now and still not completely gone... And no Don... You can't ask how I hit the floor jack with just 3 cutters...

I bet it was sumthin similar to how i knocked 3 or more off my splitter saw chain.

I run all full chisel and full comp up to 32" bars. I have semi skip for the 36" bar and its all square ground. I don't have any semi chisel so I can't compare it to chisel staying sharp.

I used to run a lot of carlton semi-chisel because thats what the guy next to the liquor store had. He retired.
I noticed something cutting mostly clean wood with sc that I never seen happen with chisel, the top plate going concave from the chips honing away the softer metal underneath. The chisel may do the same thing but the point goes away and you file it before it gos that far.

Originally Posted by J.W Younger

I bet it was sumthin similar to how i knocked 3 or more off my splitter saw chain.

No comment... (-:

Originally Posted by eriklane

I got what I wanted-I'm just learning this now, and yes, I did buy all full chisels in the last 2 yrs, going for speed without realizing the trade off.

I will buy a semi for dead/dry solid wood (not the punky crap) that's very rough on a full chisel chain, and then use full chisel only on the clean, green wood.

And I also just learned that a skip tooth chain is best for my 33" bar, and will also get that in a semi. It's rare that I'm cutting huge live trees. I've got a massive hickory now that I need to take apart and that'll do it for me.

So, the gain I'd wondered about is clear-on clean/green wood, the full chisel is fast and will hold up. On less clean or hard/dry wood, the semi will hold up longer and even last longer while cutting, thus, giving me less fits.

It's all coming clear now...

10-4