How Does Dirt Dull a Chainsaw Chain?

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I cant believe the whole damn topic has to be debated! It aint no Moon shot!
The OP is right up there with HipaStore on these type questions just look the main page over from top to bottom, I think the OP has more threads up currently than Hipa.
 
View attachment 1057297
Cutting into dirt dulls a chainsaw chain” - I know that. ( In fact, I've lost 4 of my chainsaw chains this way!)

But I'm curious to know the SCIENCE behind it.

Dirt is soft, wood is much HARDER, then how come dirt dulls a chainsaw chain (almost) INSTANTLY?

This question might sound a bit “newbish 🐸,” but I'm sure there're some people here who want to know the same.

So, if you know the answer, HIT ME with it!

Also, any tips on how to prevent a chainsaw from hitting the dirt would be appreciated!

Happy Sawing! 🙂
again late to the party..
Dirt only appears soft, its made up of tiny rocks, rocks that are mostly harder then the steel, or even small pebbles, so running a spinning blade (thats goin like really fast..) into said material is basically sand blasting the leading edges... i.e. the cutting teeth... Dirt is also home to rocks and boulders etc, these are the ones that do most of the damage, not that I suggest running yer saw through sand either...


as for keeping the saw out of the dirt, slow down, watch what your are doing and watch the tip, if your are bucking and the log is laying on the ground stop well before you get close to dirt and if you can roll the log. if not you have to cut by brail a little bit and use the tip to "feel" you can also watch the chips on thicker barked stuff you'll see the chips change color when you break through, this of course only works if you take your time...


as for unavoidable dirt, clean off as much as you can, and then try to cut so that the teeth start in a "clean" spot and throw the chips throught the dirty spot, its not perfect but it should keep the teeth from dragging dirt through the cut with them
 
The OP is right up there with HipaStore on these type questions just look the main page over from top to bottom, I think the OP has more threads up currently than Hipa.
I believe they have a running competition of ridiculousness. Another possibility is they are one in the same but I am betting they just like to one-up each other in silliness.
 
I believe they have a running competition of ridiculousness. Another possibility is they are one in the same but I am betting they just like to one-up each other in silliness.
I can tell you they are not one and the same but the OP is not really from where he says he is under his avatar.
 
I can tell you they are not one and the same but the OP is not really from where he says he is under his avatar.
I 100% trust you on that. I wish I knew how to get my internet provider from thinking I am in Minneapolis Minnesota. They say you use roaming IP addresses but I doubt them as it never changes.
 
View attachment 1057297
Cutting into dirt dulls a chainsaw chain” - I know that. ( In fact, I've lost 4 of my chainsaw chains this way!)

But I'm curious to know the SCIENCE behind it.

Dirt is soft, wood is much HARDER, then how come dirt dulls a chainsaw chain (almost) INSTANTLY?

This question might sound a bit “newbish 🐸,” but I'm sure there're some people here who want to know the same.

So, if you know the answer, HIT ME with it!

Also, any tips on how to prevent a chainsaw from hitting the dirt would be appreciated!

Happy Sawing! 🙂
Rots a ruck Charlie!
 
I 100% trust you on that. I wish I knew how to get my internet provider from thinking I am in Minneapolis Minnesota. They say you use roaming IP addresses but I doubt them as it never changes.
It is not so easy to get accurate results from city to city or even state to state but when it comes from one continent to another it is a bit more reliable.
 
It is not so easy to get accurate results from city to city or even state to state but when it comes from one continent to another it is a bit more reliable.
I fully admit my tech skills are worse than a two year old. When it comes to computer tech I get glassy eyed after the first sentence. I did finally figure out how to check a text while on the phone and that was a milestone for me.
 
Del,
I've never heard of filling tree a tree cavity with cement, your post made me look it up. Thanks, I learned something today.

I had a concrete filled oak that we literally couldn't cut down.
We had cut all the way around the concrete, ruining MANY chains. We had to rig it to my truck with a chain and break off the concrete inside. It took several pretty stout yanks to get it to fall, too.
 
I had a concrete filled oak that we literally couldn't cut down.
We had cut all the way around the concrete, ruining MANY chains. We had to rig it to my truck with a chain and break off the concrete inside. It took several pretty stout yanks to get it to fall, too.
I had cut down a huge Walnut filled with concrete about 10 feet high from the base up when I first started doing Trees. I had to call a Backhoe to pick the damn thing up and trailer it out of there cause you could not cut a big section of it . Paid him about half of what I made that day.
 
I had cut down a huge Walnut filled with concrete about 10 feet high from the base up when I first started doing Trees. I had to call a Backhoe to pick the damn thing up and trailer it out of there cause you could not cut a big section of it . Paid him about half of what I made that day.
Things are much easier with a 22 ton excavator ,except for transporting it from job to job but the tandem dump truck with the tri axle float manage fairly easily. Troublesome trees get a bap from the exc and trouble no more.
 
Anyone who doubts the abrasiveness of soil has never seen a piece of tillage equipment or earthmoving equipment. Many years ago when we still moldboard plowed you had to build up the shares with hard surface rod. Go ask a farmer how many acres he/she gets out of field cultivator shovels. Take a look at the cutting edge of a dozer blade. Soil wears on steel
Stellite is my favorite hard surfacing rod . Use it on the teeth of my Back hoe bucket every few yrs lol. Surprising how fast steel wears down , due to the abrasive nature of earth & gravel !
 
Wood may be much harder than dirt ,but by no means is as abrasive.
Dirt is made mainly of two parts in
different percentages :
1 ) Organic matter : Fresh ,decaying or decayed .
Not really an issue for the chain .

2 ) Mineral matter: Ranging in size
from nanoparticles to rocks .
Diverse also regarding their chemistry .Could be limestone ,sandstone,granite and many more.The mineral matter is what
-extremely easily- dulls the chain.

If working low near the ground or
cutting dirty/muddy wood ,
then you may consider a chain
with carbide/ceramic cutters.

No matter how careful one is ,
working near the ground level with a chainsaw ,
the chain eventually will hit the dirt .Not easy at all to have surgical precision when using a chainsaw.

Note:The cutter on the photo hit
most probably a rock ,not just dirt .
Also learning the difference within a tree in compression or tension really reduces the stress a chain is put in during routine felling & bucking !
 
Stellite is my favorite hard surfacing rod . Use it on the teeth of my Back hoe bucket every few yrs lol. Surprise g how fast it even wears down , due to the abrasive nature of earth & gravel !
I wonder about doing that to lawn mower blades? Feasible?
 
I wonder about doing that to lawn mower blades? Feasible?
As long as you can get good penetration & proper edge & balance . You would not want separation & a slice of stellite hitting someone lol. I find sharpening once a year on my oem blade more than adequate brother !
 
As long as you can get good penetration & proper edge & balance . You would not want separation & a slice of stellite hitting someone lol. I find sharpening once a year more than adequate brother !
We go through them every month or so lot of sand around here.
 

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