RS or RM chain for firewood

[splitpost]

The trouble with that is of course that Oregon chain often is better than Stihl chain, and chisel often (mostly) is better than semi-chisel.

nice one troll but thats ********,
i don't see how my use of a particular brand and cutter type is trouble, i also have Oregon chain and carlton ,but even out of those three brands i prefer stihl semi chisel cause it hold its edge longer,nearly all the wood I cut is dead hard wood ,if I use super chisel it beats the point around real quick and requires more sharpening to get it back ,don't see the point of sitting around filing chains half the day for the sake of running superchisel when semi gets the job done better

 

[woodeneye]

One man's **** is another man's treasure. Easy.

 

[MCW]

nice one troll but thats ********,
i don't see how my use of a particular brand and cutter type is trouble, i also have Oregon chain and carlton ,but even out of those three brands i prefer stihl semi chisel cause it hold its edge longer,nearly all the wood I cut is dead hard wood ,if I use super chisel it beats the point around real quick and requires more sharpening to get it back ,don't see the point of sitting around filing chains half the day for the sake of running superchisel when semi gets the job done better

Remember though Chris that some people only ever cut softwoods and base their entire chainsaw experience around clean softwood with no dirt on it. Not sure if you ever saw some of the chain arguments I got in not long after I joined here. There were guys in the US basically screaming at me saying I didn't have a clue because I should be using square filed chisel on every bit of wood I cut because nothing is better. Semi chisel is for people who don't know how to sharpen a chain etc. These were guys who had absolutely no clue of the bigger picture and no experience outside of their little bubble. Half of them probably cut cants every weekend

 

[splitpost]

Remember though Chris that some people only ever cut softwoods and base their entire chainsaw experience around clean softwood with no dirt on it. Not sure if you ever saw some of the chain arguments I got in not long after I joined here. There were guys in the US basically screaming at me saying I didn't have a clue because I should be using square filed chisel on every bit of wood I cut because nothing is better. Semi chisel is for people who don't know how to sharpen a chain etc. These were guys who had absolutely no clue of the bigger picture and no experience outside of their little bubble. Half of them probably cut cants every weekend

yeah I remember that,but if its not chain its oil or something else that's been tried and tested for eons , I will say this ,if I had a choice I buy stihl chain over all others simply because its durability,it holds its edge better/longer and seems to stay tighter in the tie straps over the other brands ,but that's just my findings ,carlton then Oregon, then there's the CCR (cutty cutty) chain its close with Oregon ,these are my findings

 

[Brush Ape]

Here is some RSC. The chisel before what they have now. They never really get it cleaned up on the factory grind. The newer stuff is a little rougher looking yet. No doubt, Stihl makes the best chain. If you are working your saw and buying in bulk, you could throw it away and still make money. I turn it again and again because I obsess over sharpness. After thousands of passes over 30 years, we're dialing it in. You make mistakes, learn. You know but once you nail down the basic principles and stick to it you just can't miss. Have you guys ever had that little voice about 2 seconds before you roast your chain telling you to let up before you do it again? Thought so. lol



And it wouldn't matter, but that little hump gets harder than hell if you run it then try to file off that little bastard. Might as well get it off there now as stupid as it sounds. Some of yall know just what I mean.

 

[Terry Syd]

Now that Cutty Cutty chain is definitely crap, but then it only sees crap wood so maybe its a perfect choice. I was hoping that by abusing it in dirty, filthy wood I would be able to wear out the cutters before the chains get too far stretched, but it doesn't look like I'll be successful.

I figure that stuff was the result of all the reject chain components being spun together by hand - probably somebody trying to get rid of the trash and making a buck while they do it.

 

[old-cat]

Cutting root wads is a GOOD application of STIHL RM. Them root wads is MEAN stuff!!!!

 

[Brush Ape]

Look at the new 26 RS Stihl tooth. That bump in the gullet near the tooth slows down progress. This is just snatching a bit at random I been kicking around my shop floor. They are all like this.



Now an Oregon SuperGuard 60 tooth. Clean grind. That's why I've been buying more chain from them. I used to think people like KenJax Tree and Mastermind were nuts for honing out new chain before they even used it. Now more and more of us do it.



Well, some of them square file round chisel so you would have to do that. Shouldn't have to touch it just user preference. Dialing it in with Brush Ape.

 

[MCW]

Now that Cutty Cutty chain is definitely crap, but then it only sees crap wood so maybe its a perfect choice. I was hoping that by abusing it in dirty, filthy wood I would be able to wear out the cutters before the chains get too far stretched, but it doesn't look like I'll be successful.

I figure that stuff was the result of all the reject chain components being spun together by hand - probably somebody trying to get rid of the trash and making a buck while they do it.

The biggest problem is that the Chinese think that chain is easy to duplicate but they always seem to miss something. Either their metallurgy is crap (either too soft or too brittle) or they forget that they need good oil penetration into the rivets. I've seen Chinese chain that seems really good in softwood disappear into a cloud of smoke in hardwood despite throwing heaps of oil off. Then of course it stretches like a rubber band...

 

[Terry Syd]

Matt, I'm sure you'd agree that not ALL Chinese chain is of questionable quality. I'd agree that the cutty cutty chain was rough stuff, but the Chinese do make good chain. Heck, look at the Husky chain, its rebadged Oregon and where does Oregon chain come from - China.

Anybody know in which factory Stihl chain is made? I saw some Stihl boxes in a picture from a Chinese factory, but that may have been illegal knock-offs.

EDIT: Just to keep on topic. I have one loop of RSC I use for racing, all the working chain is semi-chisel.

 

[harrygrey382]

hmm, always thought oregon chain was made in canada. I know all stihl chain I've seen with an origin on it is swiss.

Also don't really see where sharp out of the box comes in, how it performs after the subsequent sharpenings is the point. Although cleaning out the gullets first up shouldn't be required you're right.

 

[MCW]

Matt, I'm sure you'd agree that not ALL Chinese chain is of questionable quality. I'd agree that the cutty cutty chain was rough stuff, but the Chinese do make good chain. Heck, look at the Husky chain, its rebadged Oregon and where does Oregon chain come from - China.

Anybody know in which factory Stihl chain is made? I saw some Stihl boxes in a picture from a Chinese factory, but that may have been illegal knock-offs.

EDIT: Just to keep on topic. I have one loop of RSC I use for racing, all the working chain is semi-chisel.

I think you'll find mate that Oregon do have a chain factory in China but this is for their homeowner chain that comes on crappy little box store saws. Their pro chain that we use is out of Canada/US.
All Stihl chain is Swiss. Anything else is a knock off.

 

[CR888]

l have 1 or 2 loops of that cutty cutty by-link as it was damm cheap and l wanted to see what it was like. l ran it on a ms200 and l liked it. It does stretch like a rubber band and cook itself in seconds while grinding but it was pretty nice chain to cut with. I only ran about 2 tanks of fuel with it and it seemed to hold its edge OK. Probably a different story with 25"s hanging off a 90cc saw in hardwood, but for what it is l am embarrassed to say, GO the cutty cutty!

 

[MCW]

l have 1 or 2 loops of that cutty cutty by-link as it was damm cheap and l wanted to see what it was like. l ran it on a ms200 and l liked it. It does stretch like a rubber band and cook itself in seconds while grinding but it was pretty nice chain to cut with. I only ran about 2 tanks of fuel with it and it seemed to hold its edge OK. Probably a different story with 25"s hanging off a 90cc saw in hardwood, but for what it is l am embarrassed to say, GO the cutty cutty!

Actually mate it's funny you say that. I've run a fair amount of Chinese E&S 3/8"LP and it is one of the best LP chains I've run - no joke! Their larger chains lack a few things but their 3/8" semi does actually hold a good edge. The biggest problem is oiling and despite the saws supplying HEAPS of oil it doesn't seem to be getting into where it's needed so under hard work they simply smoke up and stretch.
GB's EVO2 chain seems to be getting better and better but you quite often have to look at the experience of the guys praising some of this chain. I've had guys think the std 3/8" (non LP) By-Link/Tri Link chain is great but when I've used it it has been absolute garbage. Another problem is consistency - one roll may be good, the next roll is crap. They may have got some good loops and maybe I got bad ones. Or they may run saws for 30 minutes a year

 

[sunfish]

Matt, I'm sure you'd agree that not ALL Chinese chain is of questionable quality. I'd agree that the cutty cutty chain was rough stuff, but the Chinese do make good chain. Heck, look at the Husky chain, its rebadged Oregon and where does Oregon chain come from - China.

Anybody know in which factory Stihl chain is made? I saw some Stihl boxes in a picture from a Chinese factory, but that may have been illegal knock-offs.

EDIT: Just to keep on topic. I have one loop of RSC I use for racing, all the working chain is semi-chisel.

If Oregon is having any chain made in China, I've never seen it. It's all Canada or USA here.

 

[SawTroll]

If Oregon is having any chain made in China, I've never seen it. It's all Canada or USA here.

Ditto.

 

[MCW]

If Oregon is having any chain made in China, I've never seen it. It's all Canada or USA here.

I could be wrong but some of the 3/8"LP guard link Oregon chain is probably made in China considering it comes fitted to a lot of $60 homeowner Chinese saws. If it was US/Canadian made chain it would be half the saw value

 

[Gravedigger]

I've used pretty well all major chain brands and there isn't much in it. I don't believe one single manufacturer nails every single chain type.
In an outright cutting race in the same wood full chisel will generally be around 10% faster than semi chisel.
By the end of the day though semi chisel will be in front in most timber types.

I'm not in it for speed, just getting the job done. The general consensuses in my mind it to use the all season chain and get semi chisel. Either Stihl RM or Oregon _____ (what pefix)Thanks

 

[SawTroll]

I could be wrong but some of the 3/8"LP guard link Oregon chain is probably made in China considering it comes fitted to a lot of $60 homeowner Chinese saws. If it was US/Canadian made chain it would be half the saw value

I don't use such chain, so I wouldn't know that! Hopefully they are just assambled in China though?

 

[Philbert]

The Oregon chain packages here are usually marked: 'Made in USA', 'Made in Brazil', or 'Assembled in China from components made in USA or Brazil'.

I thought they only made bars in Canada.

It's a big company, and things change, so hard to know.

Philbert