Why use dogs?

[bama]

I hope I don't get dinged too much here, but I don't use dogs on my saws. My dad taught me to keep the chain sharp and let the saw do the work. Don't the dogs encourage forcing the saw into the wood? What is the advantage with dogs if you cut mostly 10" to 20" logs(remember, I am not a professional). I cut for myself and to sell on the side. Thanks.

 

[kf_tree]

i use them all the time.......if your holding the saw sideway's cutting wood that is vertical it alot easier to lever the saw in than just push it. if the wood is already on the ground i could go either way. but i prefer dogs on all my saw's. i just use them with out even thinking about it, i noticed how much i use them when i bought a 371 and said whats up with these crappy little dogs.

 

[Simonizer]

Dogs are for falling not bucking.

 

[badcars2]

have used them for falling and bucking of large wood. dont think the ones on the 041 are big enough. planned to make a set this week before saw jumped naked. now that it is back running we will have to see....

 

[jp hallman]

Dogs are for falling not bucking.

Exactly. That's more than likely why they call them "falling dogs". Or dawgs if'n yer from south of the mason dixon. Try falling a "big" tree back bar and you'll(or all ya'all) will appreciate dogs.

 

[Marco]

I always thaught 041 dogs where just right. They don't take up a 1/4 of your bar like some I have seen lately. Never have had a problem getting them to bite.

 

[badcars2]

bark just busts off of old oak, cant get to the wood. probably just technique. i hear you though 20 inch bar with 7 inch dogs. king of weird looking on some...

 

[bama]

I can see where they would help in felling trees. It can be a pain trying to get enough leverage, so that makes sense for felling. I do more cutting of deadfall river lumber now(oak and ash), so I will have to keep it in mind for the future when I get back to live trees.

 

[smokechase II]

Dogs are also for bucking. They work very well for that.
They simply provide leverage so that your arms get a bit of a break. If you're bucking a medium sized log, there are times where you should be using your dogs and times where you should be away/uphill as far as possible from the log making a point to not use your dogs/but the end of your bar.
True, you can over utilize this leverage by pushing on the handle and bog your saw down.
True, there are times where you don't want to dog the saw in cause you're worried about a pinched bar so you float the bar back and forth and watch the kerf carefully.
Longer dogs are primarily for thicker bark and/or larger diameters. General rule; most hardwood species do not need the bigger dogs.

 

[bwalker]

The stock dogs on a 372 allow the muffler and oil tank to hit the log your cutting. Larger dogs solve this issue. Same goes for the stihl 044.

 

[rahtreelimbs]

Dogs are for falling not bucking.

They serve a purpose on both!

 

[rbtree]

They serve a purpose on both!

Absolutely, Rich man.....stick to that platinum quality (and price) saw building, there, Simon.....

 

[MacDaddy]

I wont run a saw without dogs (only race saws dont have dogs)

 

[Justin Garrison]

If anything they protect your saw from just scraping on the wood. I was running my 031 today that has no dawgs and I was just thinking of how much I appreciate them.

 

[Oregon_Rob]

I like to use dogs
after they fall!

 

[fishhuntcutwood]

Gotta use dogs. I agree that most don't come stock strong enough or large enough. I also use them both bucking and falling. It's all about leverage. The dogs on the 361 are WAY too small stock. I had to mod mine...dogs from a 660.

Jeff

 

[MacDaddy]

Dogs are a saws best friend

 

[Gearhead1]

Well Bama, we never had dogs on any of our saws (mostly McCullochs) until I bought that Husqvarna 257. Being accustomed to using a saw withou them, I find that sometimes the Husqvarna gets hung up when I'm cutting. My Theory is that maybe the McCullochs were heavy enough to plow through the wood from their own weight and the Husky needed to be levered in a bit to get the most cutting done. But seroiusly, whatever works best for each man is up to him to determine I figure.

 

[Sprig]

Yup, agree with the dog users here, hate cutting without them. As Jeff says, its about leverage. I use 'em all the time good for keeping my nose out of the dirt when bucking the far side of big logs (gives the old arms a bit of a rest and better control) and I find them indispensible for falling (I think they take some of the weight off your bar as well as stabilize your cutting ability). More control means safer cutting too. I know a few people who don't use them but each to their own it just seems like they work a bit harder IMO.

 

[Gypo Logger]

The dogs act as a fulcrum when falling and especially when bucking. They can also take up the slack on a wood dull chain, however on small wood, dogs are of little or no consequence when your chain is sharp as it should always be.
John