Agressive cut chain, poor little Poulan/Craftsman has it's tongue hanging out!

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Okie

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I have a little Craftsman/Poulan ATV/Jeep trail saw with a 16 inch bar and the low kickback chain was worn out and I don't like the low kickback chains so I installed this $14 Oregon chain to get a good aggressive cut
91VXL056G Oregon 16" Professional chainsaw chain 3/8 LP .050 56 DL Pro S56

And the little saw cuts green pine ok but if I get it into a green Oak the chain gets too much bite for the little saw in the hardwood and stalls the saw. (some of this model Poulan saw came out with a 10 inch bar)
I wanted a aggressive cut chain (so I thought) but I have to just use part of the 16 inch bar and even then hold back and not let it get a big bite in Oak or hardwood. I'm thinking it might be ok as the teeth gets worn back somewhat or the chain gets little bit duller.

Any ideas? (such as sharpen the teeth at more of an angle when I hand file it sometime later)
They are now at 30 degrees and the drags are at .025 on the new chain
 
What is the engine size of the saw? Are you pushing the bar into the wood or keeping the rpms up and letting the saw feed itself into the wood.
You may need a more aggressive saw. As for low kickback chains, I've never seen an appreciable difference if sharpened properly. The only place the low kickback feature comes into play is at the bar.
 
I had filed too much off the rakers once and ended up a chain that was too aggressive. Same as you, I had to hold it up in the cut. Can’t add to the rakers but you can shorten the cutters to reduce the angle between the point of the cutter and the top of the raker to ease off the bite. Think of it like a hand planer. I find that new chain is pretty conservative in this respect. So if you are having this happen with out of the box chain maybe bigger displacement saw is in order for that b/c combo.
 
Just get a $1400 saw to go with your $14 chain and It should be good.

I'm just kidding with you.
That doesn't always work either.
At least not always with the dogs when taking out undercut when filed aggressive for softwood with .030"
So the rakers are stock at .025 I assume.
That would be the standard hardwood depth. Go to a bigger file.
If it uses 5/32 then got to 3/16 and file UP in to the corner 10°. You want to reduce any hook if you have.
You don't want to file the gullet out so deep.
If it's a hassle to get a file then you can always take the Cutters back with the raker file taking out any hook. Now it will be a good time to file in a higher Grove that will keep your file higher. (That is if you are free filing). As mentione, it's also shortening the teeth which gives you a higher raker depth.
A few for your trick bag.
 
The last few Blout chains (oregon vxl 91) Have been "Grabby/ Chatterie new from the box took 3 or so sharpenings to get right so changed to Stihl 63 PS or 63 PMM the cutters on VXl are longer than others so could contribute to your saw stalling If they still market them Huztle did a 3/8lo pro chain for around 4'/5$ Cuts like a "GUD UN"
 
What is the engine size of the saw? 2.3cc it's a little one Are you pushing the bar into the wood or keeping the rpms up and letting the saw feed itself into the wood. I have to actually hold back on the saw instead of pushing/
You may need a more aggressive saw. As for low kickback chains, I've never seen an appreciable difference if sharpened properly. The only place the low kickback feature comes into play is at the bar.

I've never liked low kickback chains and as the cutter length wears the low kickback guards have to also be filed down to get a good cut.
I think low kickback chains are really made for Nancy's and Pansies.
 
Curious as to which small Poulan you have. If its a S25DA or CVA there should be no problem. They are one of the more powerful top handle saws made. Actually any 2.3 C.I. saw should be able to handle most small;er wood(6-8").
 
I've never liked low kickback chains and as the cutter length wears the low kickback guards have to also be filed down to get a good cut.
I think low kickback chains are really made for Nancy's and Pansies.
Good point re: sharpening, they have to be filed same as the depth gauges. I normally don't use them unless chains are given to me or are extremely cheap.
 
91VXL would be just to aggressive for a small saw with a longer bar. Semi chisel would be a better choice.[/QUOTE]

Thanks.

This NEW chains cuts so aggressive it acts like a chain that the rakers have been filed down to far and a chain with low rakers grabs and jerks. (and the chain will grab the small limbs and slap you on the side of the face as a wake up call)

Chain just too aggressive for the little 2.3cc saw. (and the 16 inch bar is also overkill)

May have to cut a couple of dead limbs from a Blackjack tree so as to slightly dull the chain. Can see sparks flying from chains when cutting the rock hard dead blackjack limbs.
 
A 2.3 appears to be one of the old reed valve top handles? I've never run one of those but 16" bar may be too much for 38cc if the engine is weak. I run lots of 3/8 lo pro chain: Oregon (91VX, PX, VXL), Carlton and TriLink. When sharp there is not such a big difference as you describe between any of them. More than likely the engine is tired or not tuned correctly and the old chain was too dull to load the saw. Now with a sharp fresh chain it can't pull it.

Other than the chains with the big shark fin bumpers (91VG) I don't notice the safety features getting in the way at all, as long as it is sharp and the depth gauges set properly. I expect all my little saws (stock or ported engines) to cut full bar in ash, oak and hickory, and all of them do, with any of those chains.
 
Hey Okie , what model is your Craftsman/Poulan saw ?

It is a Craftsman 358.353630 2.3 CC engine and info online is kinda few and far between.
I found info on a 358.353660 which uses most of same parts.

I did see that the 630 came out with a 10 inch bar.
This saw was given to me for parts with a worn out sprocket and worn out low kickback chain and I suspect Bubba installed a 16 inch bar. I've never seen a saw this small with a 16 inch bar.
I finally got around to checking the saw, removed muffler first and took a peek and all very good inside, wiped off about 1/4 inch of dust all over added gas, primed the carb and it started, idled and throttled good, very strong engine. (surprised) It starts real easy cold or hot, even after it's been run dry of gas and oils good.
Seen it has a new tygon fuel line.

I then bought a NEW $14 chain and a $12 sprocket after I decided the power head was good to go. (really dreaded putting $26 into a little Poulan that can go down at any time, but needed a small top handle Jeep/ATV trail saw that starts and runs good.
 
Okie , a quick google search and a searspartsdirect look shows your saw to be a 1.8/10 . A 30cc saw with a 10" bar seems reasonable . I have a later model 32cc Poulan 2000 that has a 32cc and it has cut a lot of wood . I think you will be able to clear a lot of roads with your 1.8/10 . That design saw with the front air filter gets air from next to where the chain travels so regular cleanings are necessary .
 
Okie , a quick google search and a searspartsdirect look shows your saw to be a 1.8/10 . A 30cc saw with a 10" bar seems reasonable . I have a later model 32cc Poulan 2000 that has a 32cc and it has cut a lot of wood . I think you will be able to clear a lot of roads with your 1.8/10 . That design saw with the front air filter gets air from next to where the chain travels so regular cleanings are necessary .
 
Okie , a quick google search and a searspartsdirect look shows your saw to be a 1.8/10 . A 30cc saw with a 10" bar seems reasonable . I have a later model 32cc Poulan 2000 that has a 32cc and it has cut a lot of wood . I think you will be able to clear a lot of roads with your 1.8/10 . That design saw with the front air filter gets air from next to where the chain travels so regular cleanings are necessary .

What does the 1.8 in the 1.8/10 relate to? (is that cubic inch displacement)

AND yes if it had the 10 inch bar it would be a go getter. The 16inch bar makes it grunt and strain and it might even develop some bleeding hemmorhiods.
I'll have to take it easy with the little feller and keep most of the bar out of wood.
 
What does the 1.8 in the 1.8/10 relate to? (is that cubic inch displacement)

AND yes if it had the 10 inch bar it would be a go getter. The 16inch bar makes it grunt and strain and it might even develop some bleeding hemmorhiods.
I'll have to take it easy with the little feller and keep most of the bar out of wood.

Yes 1.8 CI and there is a reason it came with a 10" bar. That same chassis mostly came with a 2.0 engine but some were produced with a 2.3 CI engine and were the best to find.

10" bars and chains are not as common as 12" and I think that would be the way to go on that saw. I think I have some NOS 12" bars left.
 
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