Ruined Chains?

[Jmaffei]

Hello,
I have some 3/8 woodland pro 24 inch loops been using on this 3 foot oak. One is skip and the other full comp. Well the skip hit something in the oak which wasn't really that surprising and now won't cut worth anything. I then later hit some asphalt quartering another one of the rounds and there goes that chain. I think I am using too much pressure at the end of the cut because looking at the chain, the rakers are all bent to the outside of the cutters and I have a feeling this is what is causing the lousy performance. I have a grinder and touched up the teeth but it didn't really do anything for the cutting and to straighten the rakers I'd have to take them almost all the way down. Are these chains destined for the garbage?

 

[kr5258]

Hello,
I have some 3/8 woodland pro 24 inch loops been using on this 3 foot oak. One is skip and the other full comp. Well the skip hit something in the oak which wasn't really that surprising and now won't cut worth anything. I then later hit some asphalt quartering another one of the rounds and there goes that chain. I think I am using too much pressure at the end of the cut because looking at the chain, the rakers are all bent to the outside of the cutters and I have a feeling this is what is causing the lousy performance. I have a grinder and touched up the teeth but it didn't really do anything for the cutting and to straighten the rakers I'd have to take them almost all the way down. Are these chains destined for the garbage?

No, just flip the chain around an run it "backwards", they last a lot longer this way. Just like rotating the tires on your car.

 

[husky455rancher]

that wasnt very nice lol

 

[slowp]

Get new ones but save those for doing stuff like cutting roots or cutting holes in sides of buildings. The bad chains can now be the imitation Sawzall chains.

 

[MCW]

Hello,
I have some 3/8 woodland pro 24 inch loops been using on this 3 foot oak. One is skip and the other full comp. Well the skip hit something in the oak which wasn't really that surprising and now won't cut worth anything. I then later hit some asphalt quartering another one of the rounds and there goes that chain. I think I am using too much pressure at the end of the cut because looking at the chain, the rakers are all bent to the outside of the cutters and I have a feeling this is what is causing the lousy performance. I have a grinder and touched up the teeth but it didn't really do anything for the cutting and to straighten the rakers I'd have to take them almost all the way down. Are these chains destined for the garbage?

Did you happen to get the chain too hot at all? I've given chains a hiding and hit a lot of very hard things including concrete and steel and never bent a raker. For all of your rakers to be bent I'd say bin it then find out what the hell happened. By the time you take enough off your rakers you'll have had to grind that much off your cutters you'll hardly have any cutters left

 

[SteveH]

I'm having a time imagining how I would bend rakers???? Are you sure??

 

[Streblerm]

Hello,
I have some 3/8 woodland pro 24 inch loops been using on this 3 foot oak. One is skip and the other full comp. Well the skip hit something in the oak which wasn't really that surprising and now won't cut worth anything. I then later hit some asphalt quartering another one of the rounds and there goes that chain. I think I am using too much pressure at the end of the cut because looking at the chain, the rakers are all bent to the outside of the cutters and I have a feeling this is what is causing the lousy performance. I have a grinder and touched up the teeth but it didn't really do anything for the cutting and to straighten the rakers I'd have to take them almost all the way down. Are these chains destined for the garbage?

I have some woodland pro chains and the rakers are sort of "bent" toward the outside of the cutter. I think this is a design characteristic of the chain, different from other chains where the raker is centered in front of the cutter. In other words, I doubt you messed up the rakers.

What I do know about hitting concrete is that you might need to grind 1/3-1/2 of your cutter before you get rid of all the damage the concrete did. You need to go beyond where the chrome is chipped on the top plate and get the corner of the cutter back to a point that it isn't rounded over. After getting the cutter back into shape, you are going to need to take the rakes down to match. You may even need to take the rakers down slightly below the factory recommendation as the cutter gets smaller in order to get a good cutting chain again, depending on how you a determining raker height.

See this thread for an in depth explanation of raker height as a chain wears:
http://www.arboristsite.com/showthread.php?t=114624

 

[ironman_gq]

On most chains the rakers are set to one side or the other and may look like they are leaning outward like they are bent

 

[Jmaffei]

Thanks for the replies guys. First of all, I can see the chain being pretty hot as the 24 on the 359 is sorta maxing the oiler out but it was lubed. Also, these were noodling cuts and really long ones seeing as it is 3 feet diameter oak being 20 to 24 inches tall rounds. I thought it may have been a design but I looked at my 20 inch woodland pro chains and they are perfectly straight. I guess I will experiment taking more off the teeth and some off the rakers. I will try to take some pics later and post them as this is really bothering me. Thanks, James

 

[SawTroll]

I'm having a time imagining how I would bend rakers???? Are you sure??

:agree2:

 

[Bowsaw Outlaw]

Please send pic's. I have seen a lot of the low kickback with the rakers bent over for saftey purpose, but I've never seen a full chisel chain rakers bend over.....unless you were cutting through a spike or something and the teeth would be mucked up pretty bad too.

 

[SawTroll]

Thanks for the replies guys. First of all, I can see the chain being pretty hot as the 24 on the 359 is sorta maxing the oiler out but it was lubed. Also, these were noodling cuts and really long ones seeing as it is 3 feet diameter oak being 20 to 24 inches tall rounds. I thought it may have been a design but I looked at my 20 inch woodland pro chains and they are perfectly straight. I guess I will experiment taking more off the teeth and some off the rakers. I will try to take some pics later and post them as this is really bothering me. Thanks, James

Surely, 24" is too much on a stock 359 - but noodling isn't very taxing on the equipment - at least not in the wood I have noodled......

If the chain got really hot, it most likely was dull.

 

[WoodChuck'r]

Thanks for the replies guys. First of all, I can see the chain being pretty hot as the 24 on the 359 is sorta maxing the oiler out but it was lubed. Also, these were noodling cuts and really long ones seeing as it is 3 feet diameter oak being 20 to 24 inches tall rounds. I thought it may have been a design but I looked at my 20 inch woodland pro chains and they are perfectly straight. I guess I will experiment taking more off the teeth and some off the rakers. I will try to take some pics later and post them as this is really bothering me. Thanks, James

Is your clutch cover getting clogged with noodles and heating everything up?? I had that happen a while back with my 7900 (damn cottonwood). The noodles got clogged pretty bad and the clutch ended up making a nice shiny burn swirl on the sawdust/noodles.

The clutch was practically on fire - and I didn't cut like that for very long. Lot's of heat down there to do damage if it gets contained like that. Doesn't take long!

 

[Jmaffei]

Ok, first of all the chain was not really dull as I had just started using it that day and maybe had used it around an hour. The clutch cover did get filled up with stuff every cut but blipping it a couple of times would clear it out. Everything did get pretty hot but I could still touch the stuff for a couple of seconds before it got uncomfortable. I have also seen the rakers bent over on an Oregon safety chain that I have. I will have to post pics of this chain and my other woodland pro chain for comparison and you guys can analyze the teeth and rakers as I don't really have enough experience about them. Also, I do think the 24 is a bit much for the 359 but after muff modding it and its finally getting broken in after 10 to 15 tanks it is actually running it pretty well. Plus a 24 inch bar for occasional use is a lot cheaper than a new saw.

 

[JasonBmac]

When these fellows talk about "getting hot" they mean smoking, colour changing hot! if you can touch it without a blister forming, it's just warm, LOL. Sounds like heat wasn't your problem.

Looking forward to the pics!

J

 

[mirkaba]

Maybe your bar groove /rails are worn. Never bent a raker before. I seem to remember busting some plumb off! Cannot remember the circumstances though. You probably just have a hell of an arm and need to use a little more discretion..........Bob:monkey:

 

[dingeryote]

Screw it.

Sharpen up the good cutters after adjusting thier length to a reasonable average, set rakers, and throw 'em in the box as "Ugly chain".

Next time you're cutting and expect nails, wire, or hitting junk, run an ugly chain.

Stay safe!
Dingeryote

 

[Jmaffei]

Thanks guys, yeah I don't think heat is a problem then as there is no smoking or discoloration. Problem is I already have the two oregon safety chains as my crap chains, so I am about to have more crap chains than good chains heh. That Oregon chain is way too soft also, I ran them in hickory and they would last a couple big cuts before they cut piss poor. Yeah I am a decent sized guy and young so I do tend to use brute strength where maybe finesse would be a lot smarter, I will have the pics up tomorrow morning. The only thing I can think is that maybe I was comparing full chisel to semi chisel so I am going to look at my 20 inch full chisel tomm but I still don't see there being such a huge difference in the rakers. Thanks, James

 

[Jmaffei]

Oh yeah, also I don't think it is the bar as it is a pretty new carlton bar with only a couple hours use. thanks

 

[komatsuvarna]

jmaffei, I look foward to seeing your pictures. By the sound of everthing, it can be straightened out pretty easy. Your rakers are probably not bent, but if youve sharpened the chains with a grinder and havent done anything to the rakers then there probably to high. Were the husky dealers at in k-town. Im right down the road and looking for a good dealer.