Chips plugging up my bar

[imagineero]

Are you using skip tooth? If not, you'll improve your situation by doing so.

The real answer though, is chain speed. If you keep your revs up (by not leaning on the saw as much), the chain speed is high, and the chips get 'launched' out of everything, thrown clean of the clutch cover etc. If you let chain speed slow down a little, the chips never reach terminal velocity, so they start jamming the clutch cover. Because they can't exit, they do a full round trip - under the bar, into the clutch cover, cant get out, get dragged back over the top of the chain and into the wood again... where they jam the tip, or go around the bottom of the chain to get cut a second time. It really slows your saw down a lot, because it sucks so much power.

There's a sweet spot for each chain, and you hit it with the chain being sharp (obviously), rakers set right for the wood and chain, self feeding, and high chain speed. For me on a 36" bar with a 660, stihl RSLFK is good at about 4.5*. Carlton semi chisel full skip is good at 6*. With the rakers set right you can just sit back and relt the saw power through the log. It doesn't feel fast, but it's hugely fast. Like 2-3 times faster than leaning on the saw and letting the RPMs drop. On my saws the sweet spot RPM wise for bars over 28" is a little over 10,000. 10,200~10,500 is perfect. If I lean on the saw and speed drops down to 9,000, its going to bog for sure, and jam the works with chips. I've got tachs on most of my saws.

Shaun

 

[H 2 H]

Are you using skip tooth? If not, you'll improve your situation by doing so.

The real answer though, is chain speed. If you keep your revs up (by not leaning on the saw as much), the chain speed is high, and the chips get 'launched' out of everything, thrown clean of the clutch cover etc. If you let chain speed slow down a little, the chips never reach terminal velocity, so they start jamming the clutch cover. Because they can't exit, they do a full round trip - under the bar, into the clutch cover, cant get out, get dragged back over the top of the chain and into the wood again... where they jam the tip, or go around the bottom of the chain to get cut a second time. It really slows your saw down a lot, because it sucks so much power.

There's a sweet spot for each chain, and you hit it with the chain being sharp (obviously), rakers set right for the wood and chain, self feeding, and high chain speed. For me on a 36" bar with a 660, stihl RSLFK is good at about 4.5*. Carlton semi chisel full skip is good at 6*. With the rakers set right you can just sit back and relt the saw power through the log. It doesn't feel fast, but it's hugely fast. Like 2-3 times faster than leaning on the saw and letting the RPMs drop. On my saws the sweet spot RPM wise for bars over 28" is a little over 10,000. 10,200~10,500 is perfect. If I lean on the saw and speed drops down to 9,000, its going to bog for sure, and jam the works with chips. I've got tachs on most of my saws.

Shaun

Every saw I have above 50 cc I run either RSLHK and RSLFK and that's what I have been using the last few days

I was running a MS 261 3/8's 18" b/c and MS 461 3/8's 28"b/c :msp_wink:

 

[imagineero]

Every saw I have above 50 cc I run either RSLHK and RSLFK and that's what I have been using the last few days

I was running a MS 261 3/8's 18" b/c and MS 461 3/8's 28"b/c :msp_wink:

That response was more directed at the OP ;-)

RSLFK is a real nice chain, but I think the raker design is pretty quirky. It's a lot taller, and less long than most rakers, more like a 'tower' than a hump. Because of that I find you can't set the angle as low as other chains, because the way the raker presents the cutter to the wood is pretty abrupt. With a longer raker as you get on most chains (RSM, RSC, every other chain makers chain etc) the presentation of the cutter to the wood is a lot more progressive.

Shaun

 

[sam-tip]

Try a little bigger picture

View attachment 300055View attachment 300056

just click on picture to enlarge. Then click a few more times to make even bigger. Forum must keep changing rules on pictures sizes.

This same chain did a great job cutting Hedge (osage orange) at the Iowa GTG. Nice square chips. But not a good chain for soft wood. Will have to get a few loops of semi chisle for soft dirty wood.

 

[imagineero]

It's not so hard. There are plenty of posts floating round showing how to post pics full size. It's not an ideal system, but it ain't so hard. In short; after adding the pics, click 'preview post'. Then right click on pic, choose 'copy link location', go back to the post, click insert image, choose 'from url', make sure 'retrieve remote images' is unchecked, paste the URL you copied. Sounds more complicated than what it is, it only takes few seconds.

Shaun

 

[srcarr52]

I've been having that same problem with RSLHK on a 37" in wet oak on my 999. It really showed up after I took the rakers down some. The 999 has no problem pulling it but it seems that the chain just can't clear the chips fast enough and they get pushed into the bar groove. I have to be really gentle and let the chain self feed. Any pushing will result in plugging the bar.

 

[sam-tip]

I've been having that same problem with RSLHK on a 37" in wet oak on my 999. It really showed up after I took the rakers down some. The 999 has no problem pulling it but it seems that the chain just can't clear the chips fast enough and they get pushed into the bar groove. I have to be really gentle and let the chain self feed. Any pushing will result in plugging the bar.

Yes. Almost have to hold to saw off the wood to get it to cut without plugging. It is a heavy saw so the weight of the saw is pushing down the bar some.

The stock racker depth setting is 0.030" on 68JX Super Chisel skip chain.

 

[Hedgerow]

Yes. Almost have to hold to saw off the wood to get it to cut without plugging. It is a heavy saw so the weight of the saw is pushing down the bar some.

The stock racker depth setting is 0.030" on 68JX Super Chisel skip chain.

Doug, are you running an 8 or 9 pin on the 3120? Try gearing it up and put a fresh edge on your cutters.
But don't touch the rakers. The combination of smaller bite and faster chain speed may help debris from building up and keep your saw within it's proper rpm range...

 

[srcarr52]

I'm running an 8 pin on the 999 but it wasn't enough to load the saw so I took the rakers to the "soft" setting. Still doesn't load the saw unless the bar plugs.

 

[moody]

Doug, are you running an 8 or 9 pin on the 3120? Try gearing it up and put a fresh edge on your cutters.
But don't touch the rakers. The combination of smaller bite and faster chain speed may help debris from building up and keep your saw within it's proper rpm range...

Last year around this time I had 2 dolmar that the tips failed on me and locked up. Damn Hackberry gets awful sticky. I didn't change change any thing but the chain. I used semi chisel out of the box and it wasn't pulling chips as large or as fast. That was on a 20inch bar. Nice to read up on this because next weekend I've got some tree's picked out to make cants out of.

 

[Hedgerow]

I'm running an 8 pin on the 999 but it wasn't enough to load the saw so I took the rakers to the "soft" setting. Still doesn't load the saw unless the bar plugs.

That probably made the ripping effect worse. Try more top plate angle... The kerf will end up wider, but I'd like to see if that made a difference. It will cut a little slower, but would be worth it.
I've been cutting all Hedge the last couple weeks, it doesn't seem to matter whether there's sap or not...

 

[srcarr52]

That probably made the ripping effect worse. Try more top plate angle... The kerf will end up wider, but I'd like to see if that made a difference. It will cut a little slower, but would be worth it.
I've been cutting all Hedge the last couple weeks, it doesn't seem to matter whether there's sap or not...

That stuff is like concrete no matter what time of year it is.

 

[Hedgerow]

That stuff is like concrete no matter what time of year it is.

Yeah... And it's really easy to get a smooth, clean face of a cut on it... But like Moody was sayin, the Hackberry will let you know just how sharp your cutters really are!!! It's the fiber pullinest stuff we got around here... When you test a chain in a green hackberry log, you feel the end for fuzz... If you can keep it pretty clean, you got a sharp one!!!

 

[moody]

Yeah... And it's really easy to get a smooth, clean face of a cut on it... But like Moody was sayin, the Hackberry will let you know just how sharp your cutters really are!!! It's the fiber pullinest stuff we got around here... When you test a chain in a green hackberry log, you feel the end for fuzz... If you can keep it pretty clean, you got a sharp one!!!

How bad is it that'd I'd rather split hedge opposed to hackberry? Hackberry wet is like hitting a wad of bubble gum I won't even #### with it until its dry.

 

[nstueve]

Well we were supposed to go play in Adel this afternoon and now have rain! I really wanted to run the trio today (Shaun's 394, 066bbk I built, and 7900 I just built!

 

[Hedgerow]

How bad is it that'd I'd rather split hedge opposed to hackberry? Hackberry wet is like hitting a wad of bubble gum I won't even #### with it until its dry.

Where they grow is the key... If they're growing straight and tall with other trees in a wood lot, they split ok and have a very nice grain... But if they're growing on the edges or in a fence line or yard, all bets are off... Much like an Ash tree... The ones in MI were great and easy to split, but the Ash trees around here in the pastures and fence rows suck... Bent, twisted, and full of knots... Both go from dead to rotten in a year if not processed quickly too...
:msp_mad:

 

[srcarr52]

Well we were supposed to go play in Adel this afternoon and now have rain! I really wanted to run the trio today (Shaun's 394, 066bbk I built, and 7900 I just built!

I may have ported the 066BB but if it blows up I'm blaming the person who assembled it.

 

[Hedgerow]

I may have ported the 066BB but if it blows up I'm blaming the person who assembled it.

Good call....