Thread: Chains Getting Sharper.

(I posted this thread in ,"Hotsaws," also but I want to get input from you guys, too.)

Have you ever had your saw chain go dull, then you look it over a bit, check for clogs, continue cutting and shortly the chain comes back to life? I've seen this happen in Shagbark Hickory more than any other wood. I always thought something in that coarse bark was touching up the chain a bit, no doubt--zero to hero.

How is it possible? What is happening mechanically when the edge comes back to life? I noticed on those old Soren Erickson-Stihl Videos that occasionally, he would come to the end of a log and buff one side of the chain or the other on the end of the log. I know a lot of the logging crowd is sore on the guy, but consider, Stihl is a major player and they chose a Scandinavian to do the job. I'd say each party there is qualified. I thought for sure he must be touching up the chain and I have experimented a bit on Oak, and it seems to help. Can dull chain buff out and start cutting again in this way? What are your thoughts?

It can clear out when you stop hitting dirty sticky stuff and hit a patch of dry, the nice dry chips clean it up a little and gives you an apparent "sharper chain". It really isn't sharper, just the dirty stuff clogged it up so much it wasn't getting a full bite.

So yes, I have seen something like what you are describing, but no way does a chain actually get sharper all by itself.

see it alot in the nasty sappy wood. in my area its boxelder trees. go tie into a nice dry ash and shes back to life

Hmm, so going from dull to less dull ? Not exactly my idea of better !

My air filter cleans up the longer I cut.

Mine runs out of gas but still flies through even the toughest logs.

I donot believe that it is neccessary to make fun of the OP(allthough I would understand it). He is describing a common thing that has nothing to do with chain dulling and getting sharp again but more about different structures in wood. As we all know, wood is not a homogenous mass. There are more dense, sappy, rotten or other anomalies that we find everytime we cut. So yes we are finding different cutting speeds in wood that we cut only that I doubt it has anything to do we the sharpness of our chain.

7

I can take off and leave most guys at the curb on firewood. That's not an issue.

What's Erickson, the Game of Logging founder doing when he buffs his chain out on the end of a log? I don't cut any softwood. I've been curious about this, though.

I don’t know what Erickson is doing, but he ain’t sharpening the chain… might be cleaning it??

The cutting bevel is on the inside of the cutters, not the outside. If you bevel the outside of the top plate (by buffing it against something) it will tend to skip over the wood rather than bite into it… If you bevel the outside of the side plate (by buffing it against something) it will tend to bind in the cut rather than plow it open… That’s the plain and simple geometry of it. Try “buffing” your chain against a fine sharpening stone or some 400 grit sand paper tacked to the end of a log… see how well that works for ya’.

I’ve never experienced a chain “coming back to life”… but then again, I don’t let my chains get dull enough that I need them to do that. I find I can get more cutting done, in less time, with less effort and fewer refuels if I take the time to touch-up or swap the chain on a regular basis.

Originally Posted by 7sleeper

I donot believe that it is neccessary to make fun of the OP(allthough I would understand it). He is describing a common thing that has nothing to do with chain dulling and getting sharp again but more about different structures in wood. As we all know, wood is not a homogenous mass. There are more dense, sappy, rotten or other anomalies that we find everytime we cut. So yes we are finding different cutting speeds in wood that we cut only that I doubt it has anything to do we the sharpness of our chain.

7

OP's may have not of chosen the best words to describing what he was experiencing.........

Originally Posted by Whitespider

I don’t know what Erickson is doing, but he ain’t sharpening the chain… might be cleaning it??

The cutting bevel is on the inside of the cutters, not the outside. If you bevel the outside of the top plate (by buffing it against something) it will tend to skip over the wood rather than bite into it… If you bevel the outside of the side plate (by buffing it against something) it will tend to bind in the cut rather than plow it open… That’s the plain and simple geometry of it. Try “buffing” your chain against a fine sharpening stone or some 400 grit sand paper tacked to the end of a log… see how well that works for ya’.

I’ve never experienced a chain “coming back to life”… but then again, I don’t let my chains get dull enough that I need them to do that. I find I can get more cutting done, in less time, with less effort and fewer refuels if I take the time to touch-up or swap the chain on a regular basis.

Originally Posted by Whitespider

I’ve never experienced a chain “coming back to life”… but then again, I don’t let my chains get dull enough that I need them to do that. I find I can get more cutting done, in less time, with less effort and fewer refuels if I take the time to touch-up or swap the chain on a regular basis.

Originally Posted by Whitespider

DAMNIT! Three chains in less than 30 minutes... ???

Yep.

last time i cut a shag bark hickory the chain busted.

That ain't the same thing TV... apples to oranges comparison... and you should be smart enough to realize that.
Trashing a chain on rocks and/or steel means an instant swap... normal wear as ya' cut means a touch-up.
After trashing a chain on steel or stone I sure the hell ain't gonna' wait for it to "come back to life"!!

I ran across it one time a few years ago, and got me to thinking that they are onto something.
The chain might be clearing itself, but I am more partial to:

From memory (such as it is) the cutter is chromed on the top for a reason. That makes the top part of the tooth a little harder than the underside. When cutting the underside slowly erodes away leaving a edge to the chrome. In a sense, the chain is self sharpening! I have noticed it, but not to the degree you describe. What I notice is that I can sharpen a chain pretty well with a file, but a few cuts and I think... did this thing just pick up the speed a little bit? Yea... it did. The wood erodes or polishes the teeth a little and the chain is now more effective.

Or am I full of it as usual?

Nope. Never had a chain "Come back to life", and especially not on Shagbark.

I have found wierd dense spots that shot powder untill the saw got through and back into normal fibers. Usually nasty old Elm snags with big gnarly knots that would test out about 50 Rockwell.

No way in hell is a chain going to "Self sharpen" in wood of any sort.
If it was possible, one of the Dutch farmers around here would have figured it out a long time ago to save buying more than one new file every 10 chains.

Stay safe!
Dingeryote