Skip chain, is it worth it?

[Trigger-Time]

Have never tried any skip chain or sq ground for that matter.
Dealer sell's gob's of Stihl chain, he has the best price around.
But has no skip or sq ground chain. He said any chain he doesn't
keep on hand will be much higher unless he orders it with his
once a year chain order. It does take me some time to file 36" or 41" 3/8's chain.

May have to let go of the coin purse and have him order me in some.



TT

 

[2dogs]

Regardless of bar length, I used full comp on 6 cube saws, it was a given on geardrives.

Randy I know you were only a teenager when drag saws first came out but did you guys use telegraph for your forum? I can just imagine the debate on how many teeth per inch was pretty hot. :hmm3grin2orange:

 

[RandyMac]

Randy I know you were only a teenager when drag saws first came out but did you guys use telegraph for your forum? I can just imagine the debate on how many teeth per inch was pretty hot. :hmm3grin2orange:

I'm sure you remember the Pony Express, they weren't as reliable as you think, kinda like dial-up.

 

[2dogs]

I'm sure you remember the Pony Express, they weren't as reliable as you think, kinda like dial-up.

The ranch house we rented for 40+ years had a crank phone and the continous barbed wire fence was our phone line. It worked pretty well too for the ten plus miles on our loop. The main ranch was, maybe still is, a party line. You can never say anything you don't want the whole valley to know about.

 

[2dogs]

I guess that last post was off topic. Weren't we talking about trains taking over for oxen.

(Dang I turn 58 in January, I guess I better post and run away.)

 

[RandyMac]

get thee gone highjacker

 

[wyk]

I need to get a video of my 046 with a square grind skip on a 28" bar buried in 3-4' pine. The amount and size of the chips flowing out of it are just insane. It is a very effective combination for long bars in pine - especially on larger saws. And once the chain starts to show it's a bit dull, you can bring down the rakers a tad and cut quite a bit more pine before regrinding or reprofiling. I like the chain so much I am considering getting a grinder and practicing touching it up with a file. I usually have the local shop reprofile the square grinds to round once it goes dull so I can hand file them later on.

I run a 36" bar on one of my saws, just wondering if it's really worth while? I've checked other threads and seen that a lot of guys do run skip chain.

 

[MS460WOODCHUCK]

I need to get a video of my 046 with a square grind skip on a 28" bar buried in 3-4' pine. The amount and size of the chips flowing out of it are just insane. It is a very effective combination for long bars in pine - especially on larger saws. And once the chain starts to show it's a bit dull, you can bring down the rakers a tad and cut quite a bit more pine before regrinding or reprofiling. I like the chain so much I am considering getting a grinder and practicing touching it up with a file. I usually have the local shop reprofile the square grinds to round once it goes dull so I can hand file them later on.

Why not just square or round file by hand when it goes dull? It's really not that hard to do either.

 

[redoakneck]

Is there a price difference for skip vs full comp?? Since there are less cutters the skip should be cheaper? If not then isn't it better to get full comp when possible so the chain will last longer ( more cutting surfaces )

 

[2dogs]

Dude you need to read the posts and manufacture's info. It is not about sharpness or filing fewer teeth. Full skip chains are about chip clearance with a long bar and big power in softwoods like fir, cedar, redwood etc. Full skip chains transport more chips which results greater efficiency in big softwoods.

Skip is not a firewooding chain.

 

[forestryworks]

Is there a price difference for skip vs full comp?? Since there are less cutters the skip should be cheaper? If not then isn't it better to get full comp when possible so the chain will last longer ( more cutting surfaces )

you pay for chain by the drive link, not by the cutter.

 

[mdavlee]

I like full comp up to 32". I've not got a bar bigger than that to try full comp on. I've got a grinder now but was hand filing full comp 32" square.

 

[oscar4883]

I like it on longer bars. 32 and up for me. Mostly because of the sharpening factor. It is not a matter of if, but when, I am going to hit something.

 

[wyk]

I run a 36" bar on one of my saws, just wondering if it's really worth while? I've checked other threads and seen that a lot of guys do run skip chain.

Well, my camera bit the dust. So, no vids until she's replaced. However, I did stumble across a youtube vid by 'chainsaw guy' that reminded me of this thread: YouTube - The chainsaw guy log testing Stihl 046 Magnum chainsaw 11 11

It's not necessarily that it is low density wood, because the stumps cut similarly and are hard as rock and weigh a LOT. I think it's as much how the fibers in pine and fir are as it is being a bit less dense than hardwoods.

You wanna go to about 1:00. It looks to be about a 20" piece of douglas fir there. That is a 32" full skip square tooth chain on an 046 he is swiping through that fir. That gives you an idea of why the PNW'ers use that chain so much. I use a 28" full skip and semi skip square on my 046 much of the time(even bucking). I have been working on several 30-38" pines on a property in Grand Ronde, OR lately. It keeps the revs up, clears a huge amount of chips, and lasts for a long time if you just sink it into cleanish pine and fir and avoid the earth. I am about to start and try to hand file it to see how well I do. Everyone else around here just says it is a huge pain to learn how to do it well on square grinds, so I haven't rushed to do so.

 

[Terry Syd]

Probably a good idea to use it when running a really big bar on a small saw, like a 28" bar on a 346NE -

YouTube - 346ne 28 inch bar

 

[wyk]

Probably a good idea to use it when running a really big bar on a small saw, like a 28" bar on a 346NE -

YouTube - 346ne 28 inch bar

That may be saw abuse - but wow. It's no 046, but it does go to show how well pine cuts when you can clear the chips.

 

[Chris J.]

Probably a good idea to use it when running a really big bar on a small saw, like a 28" bar on a 346NE -

YouTube - 346ne 28 inch bar

That doesn't look like a combo that should be used on a regular basis, but it does get the job done.

 

[TonyRumore]

Well, my camera bit the dust. So, no vids until she's replaced. However, I did stumble across a youtube vid by 'chainsaw guy' that reminded me of this thread: YouTube - The chainsaw guy log testing Stihl 046 Magnum chainsaw 11 11

It's not necessarily that it is low density wood, because the stumps cut similarly and are hard as rock and weigh a LOT. I think it's as much how the fibers in pine and fir are as it is being a bit less dense than hardwoods.

You wanna go to about 1:00. It looks to be about a 20" piece of douglas fir there. That is a 32" full skip square tooth chain on an 046 he is swiping through that fir. That gives you an idea of why the PNW'ers use that chain so much. I use a 28" full skip and semi skip square on my 046 much of the time(even bucking). I have been working on several 30-38" pines on a property in Grand Ronde, OR lately. It keeps the revs up, clears a huge amount of chips, and lasts for a long time if you just sink it into cleanish pine and fir and avoid the earth. I am about to start and try to hand file it to see how well I do. Everyone else around here just says it is a huge pain to learn how to do it well on square grinds, so I haven't rushed to do so.

The bar is actually 28". I know, because that particular saw is sitting on a shelf in my shop.

Tony Rumore
Tromix

 

[Stihlman441]

Stihl MS880 36'' bar Full Comp against Skip Chain 3/8 .063 the first two cuts is the Full Comp chain both with a 8 sprocket in Stringbark.Chain is Carlton brand.Chek out the noodles at the end.

[video=youtube;v50ke7JMhvw]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v50ke7JMhvw[/video]

 

[wyk]

Howdy, Tony! Love yer vids.

The bar is actually 28". I know, because that particular saw is sitting on a shelf in my shop.

Tony Rumore
Tromix