Carbide Chains

[lwalper]

I've got a good bit of Osage Orange that I'd like to cut up. Regular chains don't hold up well in the stuff -- it's like there's silica or something in the wood -- sparks fly (literally).

Has anyone used carbide chains? If so, (1) what brand, (2) where to buy, (3) should the cutters just be brazed on or should the whole cutter tooth be carbide?

 

[aandabooks]

lwalper,

What are you considering regular chain? I only ask to get a feel for what you are running and what to recommend to you if you're not already running it. Also, what saws are you using?

I've cut hedge and it has never been a problem. Most of the hedge I have cut has been green. About the same as cutting oak.

 

[Zodiac45]

Don't think carbide is gonna help much and it's very pricey. How are going to sharpen it too? I would clean any dirt off the bark and use regular chisel or semi chisel chain. Those sparks your seeing are ususlly due to the chain dragging some dirt inside the cut.

 

[Butch(OH)]

Anyone who messes much with that stuff soon learns to cut it and split it green,,,or leave it lay.

 

[lwalper]

By regular chain I mean whatever came with my saw (Stihl 55). I've replaced a couple of chains with Oregon replacements that are supposed to be OEM replacements, but just don't seem to hold up to the Osage -- and I've got a couple of acres of the stuff, some of it maybe 20" or so. Within just a few minutes I'm smokin' and running the chain back through the sharpener. Cedar seems to be hard on them too.

 

[BlackCatBone]

IME, carbide chain is specialty use only, like for rescue and such. It does not seem very sharp compared to a regular chain as it does not really have a honed edge per se. You may try a semi chisel type of chain, and as others have said, keep it out of the dirt if possible.

 

[Mike Van]

A guy over on FF just bought one, cost 168.00 He hasn't got back with his results yet. When he ordered it, I don't think he knew about how they need to be sharpened. Last I knew those diamond grit wheels for bench chain grinders were over a hundred bucks. I'm sure it's going to cut slower than HSS chisel or even semichisel chain. Metal in a log will probably snap cutters off. My 2 cents, like the other guys, it's not worth the $$$$$$$$.

 

[2FatGuys]

Rather than investing in expensive carbide chain, get a pressure washer and knock the dirt off the logs!

 

[lwalper]

I suppose it could be dirt, but they're standing trees in the woods -- hard to get the pressure washer out there.

I suppose the regular chisel chain is what I'm using?? Guess I'll just keep making them smoke -- and keep the grinder handy.

 

[aandabooks]

Get a loop of either Stihl RM or Oregon LP chain. These are semi-chisel chain are are meant for dirty conditions.

 

[BlueRidgeMark]

Within just a few minutes I'm smokin' and running the chain back through the sharpener. Cedar seems to be hard on them too.

Did y'all not notice this red flag? Cedar is easy stuff. If cedar is hard on them, something is radically wrong. Bad chains? Hard to believe. Bad sharpening technique? More likely. Most of you know a whole lot more about sharpening than me, but I think you missed this part. Whatcha tink? A lot of silica in his area? I dunno, but something weird is going on.

 

[lwalper]

It may be a fluke, but even newly sharpened chains (I get mine done at the local hardware store) seem to dull quickly cutting cedar. Just a little limbing and triming is all it takes to ruin a chain that was just going through Elm like hot butter. When I go out I keep 2 or 3 sharp loops in my case so I can easily change out the dull one without stopping all progress.

 

[kennertree]

Hey lwalper, where in TN are you? Are you sure you're not hitting metal in those cedars? Around here rows of cedars are old fence rows so they are full of barbed wire or some kind of metal.

 

[Hedge]

I can honestly say I have been there and done that and it is a waste of money. I got a loop for my 44 and cut a couple days in cedars in the pasture and hmmm guess what it got dull. To top that off I found a couple rocks and it knocked off some of the cutters. Long story short it cost me dearly for the chain and it was all but junk in a matter of a couple days. Go the route of the RM chain and I think you will get along as well that way as anything. I really thought I was onto something but little did I realize that the chain needed to be run at full throttle all the time to avoid knocking off the carbide cutters. Next getting the chain sharpened is a real deal. I tend to like a RS chain but it isn't nearly as forgiving as a RM chain is. Hope it helps.

 

[lwalper]

kennertree,

Middle-middle Tennessee. Practically on Center Hill Lake -- about 40 miles NE of the geographic center of the State (Murfreesboro).

I usually leave the fenceline alone -- that's dozer territory. My cedars are standing in the middle of the field.

 

[Farmer Mike]

I routinely cut hedge for hours at a time with a combination of Stihl RM and RS chain on a 290 and 460 respectively with NO dulling problems. The trees are live most of the time, but I love to get that bark-less hard dry dead as well. I would look at :
Quality of chain,
Correct tooth angle,
Enough chain lube,
Ability to stay out of dirt and wire.

Granted it dosen't cut as fast as a softer wood, but I still make good chips a cord or two later. Good chain is not much more than cheap chain, and I would rather be sawing than filing

 

[weenieroaster]

I have some carbide tipped chain. I sometimes use it when cutting out a stump, with a hard nosed bar. It is slow cutting, but does hold up better than regular steel would in an application like that. Basicly, I wouldn't think to use it on clean wood.

 

[lwalper]

I've just looked at both the Stihl RM and RS chains, as well as the Oregon Super 20LP chains. They both look similar on paper.

Next question -- what I'm currently running has a .325 .040 drive tooth and what I'm seeing on these new chains is .050. Is it time for a new bar and drive sprocket to go up to the thicker drive tooth? My bar could probably use some reconditioning / replacing anyhow?

 

[weenieroaster]

What size saw are you running? No sense to go up to heavier chain with a very small displacement saw. Little by little the chains are becoming more standardized. More are being developed, but gauges like the .058, are becoming obsolete. Personally, I have never heard of .325 -.040.
.040refers to what?

 

[lwalper]

.040 is the thickness of the drive link (and hence, the width of the bar slot). My Husky bar has that dimension engraved on it - .325 (nose sprocket) and .040 (slot width). Run a .040 chain in a .050 bar and the chain wants to lay over on its side causing the rails to wear unevenly and the saw to cut crooked. That extra .010" gap can cause real problems. The gap can be restored with a guage stuck in the slot and squeezers to mash the slot back down to nominal dimension.