RS or RM chain for firewood

[longbowch]

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

3/8 Oregon semi-chisel is DPX and .325 is BPX. Both work great I just like stihl a little better.

 

[John R]

I recently bought a couple loops of Rm for fire wood cutting, supposed to stay sharp longer, but cut a little slower.
We'll see.

 

[Gravedigger]

Oregon say BPX is low kick back. Stihl RM is not low kick back. Stihl RM2 and RM3 are low kick back chain. From that it seems RM would be the the most productive.

 

[Chris-PA]

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

I've got 5 loops of Tri-Link now - 3 Lo Pro, one of 3/8 semi chisel and one 3/8 full chisel. There was a change to their lo pro recently where the corner radius was made smaller and they added oil scoops like some Stihl chain. The new style is faster.

I have not used the full chisel much yet, but the others work just fine. I haven't had a bit of trouble with any of it - the metallurgy seems consistent, the cutters hold an edge (they have thicker chrome than an Oregon cutter, more like the Carlton they copied), and stretch (rivet wear) has not been excessive. Of course I'm not cutting the stuff you are.

I cannot justify the shipping costs for chain loops any more, so if at all possible I buy locally. I prefer Carlton in lo pro due to the short cutters on Oregon, but I'll use Tri-Link too. For 3/8 semi all I can find is Tri-Link 70DL (which fits my 20" bars), and I have to grind off those "guard links". Bigger stuff I have to order.

 

[sunfish]

Oregon say BPX is low kick back. Stihl RM is not low kick back. Stihl RM2 and RM3 are low kick back chain. From that it seems RM would be the the most productive.

BPX (semi .325) has a tiny little hump next to the raker that makes it low kick back. Far from a safety chain and does not reduce efficiency at all.

 

[Chris-PA]

BPX (semi .325) has a tiny little hump next to the raker that makes it low kick back. Far from a safety chain and does not reduce efficiency at all.

Yup. And DP is designed just the same for 3/8. I just bought a loop as a know how well BPX works.

 

[Brush Ape]

I cannot justify the shipping costs for chain loops any more, so if at all possible I buy locally. I prefer Carlton in lo pro due to the short cutters on Oregon, but I'll use Tri-Link too.

Oregon VXL in 3/8 has a 8.7 mm average cutter length. I thought during the cutter geometry redesign part of what they achieved was a lengthening of the incisors. Chris, would you mind measuring the length of one of those Carlton teeth in 3/8 LP?

I'd run this stuff on my 50 cc Stihls if I knew how to set it up. I think it is some of the cuttin-est stuff I've ever seen. And yes, the VXL chain is semi-chisel.

That BPX chain is what got me to take a closer look at Oregon. I run 16" bars on my 50 cc saws and the Oregon bar I wanted came with the chain. Once you take a look at the down angle concept and it sinks in how that action is like the threads on a screw. The mechanical advantage it gives your saw is worth the bit of effort required to grind it correctly.

 

[Trx250r180]

I am still gonna run square no matter what you guys say

 

[MustangMike]

Square & Chisel, me too.

 

[mdavlee]

I am still gonna run square no matter what you guys say

I run semi chisel some myself. If I hadn't listened to everyone saying square wouldn't mill without a rough finish I would still have my grinder and run square for everything. I figure when I use up the semi I'll go back to buying only square. The semi lasts so long I can wear out a chisel chain I the time the semi is still half tooth.

 

[MCW]

I am still gonna run square no matter what you guys say

Square & Chisel, me too.

Heh heh. Hey don't stress guys. Some of our full time hardwood fallers run square. Personally I love square chain. Unfortunately though most of what I cut is dirty and it just won't hold an edge.
In clean wood it cuts that easily that even on 32" bars buried in our green hardwoods I've had to swap from a 7 pin rim on my ported 7900 and 390XP to an 8 pin rim so the saw doesn't rev it's tits off

 

[Chris-PA]

Oregon VXL in 3/8 has a 8.7 mm average cutter length. I thought during the cutter geometry redesign part of what they achieved was a lengthening of the incisors. Chris, would you mind measuring the length of one of those Carlton teeth in 3/8 LP?

I'd run this stuff on my 50 cc Stihls if I knew how to set it up. I think it is some of the cuttin-est stuff I've ever seen. And yes, the VXL chain is semi-chisel.

That BPX chain is what got me to take a closer look at Oregon. I run 16" bars on my 50 cc saws and the Oregon bar I wanted came with the chain. Once you take a look at the down angle concept and it sinks in how that action is like the threads on a screw. The mechanical advantage it gives your saw is worth the bit of effort required to grind it correctly.

I'm afraid I don't have any loops of Carlton lo pro that haven't been sharpened a few times at the moment.

I've never tried VXL as it is not available locally, and it looks just like Carlton anyway. The bees knees is (was) actually Oregon chamfer chisel, as I have found it to be very fast when sharp. However, recent loops have been so poorly formed that the chamfer is more like a sloppy radius anyway, and the cutters are so short that it just isn't a good value.

 

[KenJax Tree]

I have a Carlton N1C chain, i'll measure the cutter when i get home.

 

[SawTroll]

BPX (semi .325) has a tiny little hump next to the raker that makes it low kick back. Far from a safety chain and does not reduce efficiency at all.

I haven't looked into it, but there is a possibility that they made the raker itself a little larger and more ramped on the BPX, just to make it "green" (like they did from the outset on the 95VP/VPX)?

The ol' BP used to be "yellow", as I recall it - like most other "P" chain......

 

[treesmith]

I ran semi chisel exclusively for years, Stihl by choice and Oregon if i had to. Then I tried RS... I've a few Carlton semi chisel for each saw but otherwise I just place my cuts carefully and avoid dirt like the plague

 

[KenJax Tree]

Oregon VXL in 3/8 has a 8.7 mm average cutter length. I thought during the cutter geometry redesign part of what they achieved was a lengthening of the incisors. Chris, would you mind measuring the length of one of those Carlton teeth in 3/8 LP?

I'd run this stuff on my 50 cc Stihls if I knew how to set it up. I think it is some of the cuttin-est stuff I've ever seen. And yes, the VXL chain is semi-chisel.

That BPX chain is what got me to take a closer look at Oregon. I run 16" bars on my 50 cc saws and the Oregon bar I wanted came with the chain. Once you take a look at the down angle concept and it sinks in how that action is like the threads on a screw. The mechanical advantage it gives your saw is worth the bit of effort required to grind it correctly.

My Carlton N1C i have the cutter is 8.2mm

 

[Gravedigger]

I could not make up my mind so both RMC and RS are coming. Leaning towards RM to be the best for me BUT I'll find out for myself.

 

[longbowch]

That's the best way, try for yourself.

 

[SawTroll]

I could not make up my mind so both RMC and RS are coming. Leaning towards RM to be the best for me BUT I'll find out for myself.

That's how it should be done!

 

[Spectre468]

Yup! Your conditions and needs will be different than mine. See which works best for you!