_____Chain Experts Weigh In.....Mt. St. Helen's Chain???_____

[heimannm]

Filing a standard chisel or semi chisel chain at 90° is basically a milling chain, works well enough cutting with the grain but not so effectively across the grain.

Mark

 

[Grande Dog]

Howdy,
Weyerhaeuser had the biggest dog in the fight when it came to cutting after the eruption. They went with chain that had a carbide chip on it. It was the only thing that would keep an edge at all. Their biggest problem was with the chain frame stretching, bars, and bar tips blowing out. The ash and the bar lube would make a slurry that was extremely abrasive. Old style Windsor bars got real popular because of the long engagement tang on the tip, you didn't need to rivet it on. Guys were changing their tips without taking the bar off the saw because they dropped like flies.
Regards
Gregg

 

[SCHallenger]

Scratcher chain is different - it has all scoring cutters, without any chipper teeth.

http://www.arboristsite.com/community/threads/scratcher-chain.271236/

Some ripping chain (e.g. Granberg - photo below) has additional scoring teeth, and some people I know grind off the top plates on every 3rd and 4th tooth, shaping the side plates into scoring cutters, to make special ripping chains.

View attachment 430990


Philbert

That is the exact same chain I used when milling with my J'reds 920. Every once in awhile I would make a crosscut with it rather than swap back to a full or semi chisel. As I recall, it was very smooth. Whether it was faster or slower, I don't really know. It may have seemed faster because of the smoothness.
Great thread!! Very interesting info!!

 

[Philbert]

Received the piece of chain sent by the OP. Thank you very much! It's nice to have a new, clean piece to show!

Philbert

 

[Big_Wood]

man, i don't get real excited about chain often but i just want to try this chain. i remember seeing it on an old mcculloch years ago but one look at it and thought it would be a POS. i should have saved it.

 

[Philbert]

Bump.

Nathan had a partial roll of this at his GTG in Iowa, so the topic came up again. I don't have any photos that show the chain better than those posted above.

Philbert

 

[Jacob J.]

The word on Kolve chain from Wayne Sutton was that when new, out of the box, it would cut good. After a few filings, the wings would start breaking off in the cut and would ruin the rest of the chain. It fell out of popularity due to the expense of it (the chain only lasting for a few tanks.)

 

[Idahonative]

The word on Kolve chain from Wayne Sutton was that when new, out of the box, it would cut good. After a few filings, the wings would start breaking off in the cut and would ruin the rest of the chain. It fell out of popularity due to the expense of it (the chain only lasting for a few tanks.)

My dad used the HP Kolve chain (like I sent to Philbert) extensively and I don't remember that ever being a problem for him. He never wanted to throw anything out if it could still be used and he would use it until he couldn't anymore. He absolutely loved the chain. If he would have experienced problems like you described, I guarantee he would not have had a favorable opinion of it.

 

[Jacob J.]

I'm sure some people had good experiences with it- Wayne sold it new in his shop for several years and said he stopped carrying it for the reasons mentioned above. I usually defer on those questions to Wayne since he's a proven subject matter expert. I have no personal experience with running Kolve chain in the woods.

 

[Philbert]

Different wood. Different saws. Different conditions. Different preferences.
Heck, if we all agreed, Darin wouldn't have a site . . . .

Philbert

 

[rsting]

Ran across this old thread and found it very interesting. Does anyone know if this is the same chain that was sold as V-max or V-mag? I forget which.

 

[Philbert]

Does anyone know if this is the same chain that was sold as V-max or V-mag?

See Post #29.

Probably lots of variations, and maybe more than one manufacturer with 'similar' chain.

Philbert

 

[Philbert]

Sometimes we overlook the obvious.

Was looking at a piece of Kolve chain today and noted that the cutters are all integrated into the drive links; even the Right and Left 'conventional' ones. Kind of obvious when you look at it, but I was more interested in the 'Y'-shaped cutters. It would seem that this would reduce any pulling of the chain to one side or the other, at least theoretically. But it makes me wonder why cutters on conventional chains are configured more like tie straps.


Looking back at some 'scratcher' chains, and even some old chain patents, show many variations on this.

https://www.arboristsite.com/community/threads/scratcher-chain.271236/

https://patents.google.com/patent/US3745870A/en?oq=3745870

Philbert

 

[Yotaismygame]

Interesting read. Couple years ago I bought some bars from an old faller who had done work up there after the eruption. I specifically remember him telling me about the difficult conditions.

 

[Wazzu]

I heard DB Cooper still has a supply of that chain up in the PNW. If you hit him up on the sideband CB you can get ahold of him and he will sell you a loop or 2.

 

[Philbert]

Sure he did not trade it to Bigfoot for some jerky?

Philbert

 

[heimannm]

Someone offered me most of a roll of ".404 skip chain" in Baraboo last August.







It is .404, it is skip, but it is also in the style of the Kolve chain.

It is also quite sharp...



Mark

 

[Philbert]

Very cool! Are those low kickback bumpers in front of the 'Y'-cutters?

Shows how many different configurations there can be out there.

Philbert

 

[Brufab]

Pics attached! This chain has two types of teeth, one cutter and one that I describe as the "scriber" or "scorer". The way my dad explained it to me, the scriber scribed the wood and the cutter cleared it out. Made the job of the cutter much easier. You will notice that both types of teeth are filed straight (90*) with a round file. I will tell you, the scriber tooth is VERY sharp. The cutter appears to me to be semi chisel.

Some have commented on the speed of the chain. That is really missing the point of it's design. It was aggressive and cut plenty fast for wood cutters and apparently the loggers logging the Mt. St. Helens area. I vividly remember the almost "noodle like" shavings my dad's 750evl threw while running this chain. And that was with a 28" bar. If a guy can fall a clean tree and back his truck to it, it probably doesn't matter as much what chain he's using. But when you cut wood in the forest and have to use a snatch block and cable to get logs out, it matters a lot. If my dad didn't get into a rock or the ground, he could literally cut all day and that makes this chain very valuable. It's all he used in the early 80's. Many of the big red firs had deep, gnarly, dirty bark and would dull a good chain in a hurry. Not this chain.

This has been a very fun thread to be a part of. Appreciate everyone's input on a subject that has been on my mind most of my adult life. Maybe someday we will see a manufacturer produce this chain again. With modern chain brakes addressing the kickback, I don't see why not. I would be the first in line to buy some.

You have any of this chain left? Looking for 3/8 050 in a 70 or 81 link loop for vintage saw. Hahaha love these old threads nothing like bringing then back to life.

 

[heimannm]

This came in a collection of stuff from the same man, two years later...