how can i cut a RR tie with a chainsaw?

[gnome]

is this even possible/advised?
i have some landscaping framework to do for a retaining wall
i though my mac timber bear might be able to cut the RR ties but am not sure what the creosote will do to a saw bar and chain.
figured id ask first before killing the saw.

thanks all!

 

[AU_K2500]

We used to use an old Stihl we had laying around. I never really noticed any problems, but we would always clean the saw after cutting the RR ties. Just dont get it all over your skin, the creosote is painful, We loaded a tandem axle trailer 5-6 times in one day with scrap ties I gut sunburnt but the combination tf that and the creosote in my skin was one of the most painful things. had blisters on my arms and shoulders after a week. Cutting it wasnt too bad just dont inhale or get it in your eyes....common sense really.

 

[trimmmed]

creosote ties, particularly real, used RR ones can be devastating on your chains. luck of the draw and try and avoid the fumes.

 

[watsonr]

it will get pretty dirt but you can clean it off. I've done it with gasoline on a rag, just be careful, anything that takes pitch/tar off will work on it like bug and tar remover you would use on the car, even WD-40 or butter. Keep a sharp chain to minimize the smoke off the bar and you shouldn't have any problems. Watch for nails and RR spikes, it will kill the chain if you hit a spike.

 

[jus2fat]

Just got to ask...WHY...would you be wanting to cut railroad ties..??

Just never heard of anyone doing it..!!..??

J2F

 

[Showme]

Just got to ask...WHY...would you be wanting to cut railroad ties..??

Just never heard of anyone doing it..!!..??

J2F

I suppose he wants them shorter.

 

[turnkey4099]

Just got to ask...WHY...would you be wanting to cut railroad ties..??

Just never heard of anyone doing it..!!..??

J2F

To build retaining walls. They don't come even lengths, some need to cut short, etc.

As for cutting them. Figure on doing a lot of chain sharpening and short chain life. I have cut a lot of them back when I rehabbed this place. 300 ft back lot line into a slope with ties from 2 ties hight to 5ft high. I hauled ties being pulled from abandoned RR lines from all over this county to get enough.

Standing the years better than I expected. Put that in somewhere aroung 1980. Only one post has rotted off and I have it wired back to that brush.

Harry K

 

[DanManofStihl]

I have cut some of them before for a border for a drive way I used a stihl 20 inch green safety chain it did a pretty good job. I cut about 12 of them and only had to sharpen it at the end. Def take a good shower after you get finished and don't do it on a hot day when your skin pores are sweating lol. If I ever have to do it again im gettting a cheap set of coveralls from the thrift store then trashing them when Im done.

 

[jus2fat]

Thanks for the replies..guys..!!

I..again..just have never heard of anyone doing it..!!

J2F

 

[hitechredneck]

I imagine a semi chisel chain would best, like some said, nails, dirt, sand and rocks can be inside. Brush clean chain/bar and sprocket afterwards with Simple green or some degreaser,

I'd be more worried bout the inhaled dust and hand skin burn. Use of eye protection, basic nuisance or N95 mask and disposable gloves.

They can splinter a lot if old and splitting.. Ties are used in the south for similar uses. We used to cut creosote telephone poles and posts.

 

[grack]

put some kind of spray wax on the saw and bar it will help.
we used the ties for the same thing they work great.

 

[Boleclimber]

Based on my experiences and many stories I have read on AS. A person should borrow their neighbor or friends saw when needing to cut dirty material like rail road ties. To conform to standard practices, be sure to say you just need to cut a few timbers and will have the saw right back. oh, ask for the sharp saw to. Maybe the one with a little exxtra horsepower to get the job done fast.

After cutting the ties be sure to check the chain. If the chain is not fully dull, sagging an inch or less, or appears in fair condition; use the saw as a trenching tool.

To finish the job off right. Return the saw and say to the saw owner "Something is wrong with this saw, it didn't work very good. I almost broke my back to get the job done and it was just a few timbers."

 

[ckelp]

one word "wildthing"

 

[DanManofStihl]

Hahaha my first chainsaw was a wildthing took 40 to 50 pulls to start it everytime didn't matter if I used it ever day or once a month. I cut about 50 cords of wood with it in 8 months before the oiler went out took it back to walmart to get it fixed under warrentee. They said they didn't fix them they just trashed them and they gave me a full refund lol I then upgraded to a pro saw and didn't look back hahaha

 

[DanManofStihl]

I would def use the worst bar and pretty close to worn out chain that is half way sharp. lol Or you can spend $30 and rent a saw from homedepot and wreck there bar and chain and be done with it.

 

[JBtractorlogger]

I remember cutting up railroad ties years ago to build cribwork for a barge we were going to rebuild, I had to stop and refile the chain every 3 or 4 cuts, it really tears the hell out of the chain, I'm sure it won't do your bar any favors either, i think i would put an old bar on there just for that, then take it back off when finished. . I don't remember the creosote being a problem, of course i thing I already had coveralls and safety gear on.

 

[Gologit]

Rental saw.

 

[myragtop]

Built a retaining wall using old railway ties in the late 80's. Used a Stihl 038 Super with a 20" bar to do all the cutting. I had two old chains, bought a new one and just kept sharpening and rotating the chains until the job got finished or the chain was done. Never expected to go into something like that and come out unscathed. Used a little common sense, made sure I wasn't making the cut into nails or spikes. Measure twice cut once really applies here. Also, just made sure I cleaned the bar and chain before the saw was put away for the day. Back then probably used kerosene for the clean up.
I guess there are a lot of tools you could use to do these cuts, miter saw, reciprocating saw, even a manual crosscut saw but using the chainsaw is certainly the fastest way to get the job done.

Good luck with it.

 

[Guido Salvage]

I have cut them both for retaining walls as well as loading ramps I built on two different properties I owned to load 48" high trucks and trailers. I found that I could only make a couple of cuts before the chain would dull to the point of being unusable. However, I was using basically new 10" ties, so that may make a difference.

The creosote will burn and make a mess of your equipment. I wonder if there is some sort of diamond blade that would go on a target saw that might be a better option.

 

[DanManofStihl]

For the price of a diamond blade I would get a carbide chain I would bet they have similar life spans.