Full vs Semi-chisel ???

[johnnyf]

Hi there, I am just about to buy a Stihl 044, with 20 inch bar. I will be mainly cutting pine for firewood, with the odd bit of hardwood.

Std chain is a semi-chisel, what advantages and disadvantages do full-chisel chains have?

Do they kickback any harder?
Are they the go for pine (not frozen).

I have been told that tungsten tipped chains don't go that well in pine as they tend to rip the fibers of the wood. Any ideas??

Cheers, John in N.Z.

 

[sonny]

Full chisel will cut much faster. Means more kick back. 1 more thing to think about the full chisel files are around 30 to 40 $ per dozen. compared to 10 to 12 $ per dozen.

 

[confused]

buy the semi chisel. Then file the rakers( chain guides) down some considering you have the extra muscle(044) so that each little tooth gets just a bit more bite. I did this with my 046. It makes a difference just dont file to much off of course.

 

[treeclimber165]

Good suggestion, Confused. I would add
1) use a small ( 1/2-3/4") flat file.
2) Only take 2-3 strokes per raker at a time.
3) Keep your filing angle the same on every tooth. Taking a tad too much on one tooth can cause that tooth to snap off under load, usually accompanied by a nasty kickback.

I owned a 038Magnum for many years, still one of my favorite saws . Ran a 27" bar and had plenty of power. Running a 20" bar on a 044 will be kinda like having a V8 in a go-cart, but it should be fun!

 

[johnnyf]

V8 in a go-cart? I like the way you think treeclimber.

Thats what I'll do, just file down the rakers to improve the cut. I'm just stepping up from an 025 that has just eaten a piston, so I thought I would start with a 20in, this should do the job 90% of the time.

This brings us to the next silly question. I noticed on the Stihl website that if you use a 24in or longer bar, that you need to fit a rim sprocket.

I may want to get a longer bar later for the big stuff. Is it much of a hassle to change sprockets in the field, or will the 20in bar run OK with a rim sprocket as opposed to a spur sprocket?

Thanks for your advice
Cheers
John

 

[treeclimber165]

Rim sprocket. They last longer, a larger portion of the drive tooth comes in contact with it so it spreads the wear over a larger area. I didn't know you could get an 044 with a spur sprocket.

 

[sonny]

The sprocket are no problem to change in the field. You can do it with that little carb. adj. screwdriver you carry in your shirt pocket. W/ preventive maint. you should not have either break in the field.(Well I guess never say never.)

 

[confused]

Hey treeclimber,

if a 044 with a 20" is a v8 in a go cart, then what would you call my combination of my 046 with an 18" I will say this it does cut well.

 

[treeclimber165]

confused-

Have you ever seen one of those motorcycles built in California where they take a supercharged Corvette 350CI motor and stuff it in a modified Harley frame?...........................

 

[homelite360]

yes i have and i have a go-kart with a polaris 600 tripple on it. now thats a screamer. but do you think that in the old days where they had mall model 11 chain saws and you could get them with a 18" bar was a little over kill.

 

[computerboy345]

both....................................get a semi chisel adn full chisel.......use the semi chisel when you are limbing becuase that will be lower kickback and is safer when you are cutting up in the air...........then just take and put the full chisel on for cutting bigger stuff when on the ground you will see a rougher(not that rough though) and a much faster cut.......that is what i have always done and it works well.....especially if your saw is operator friendly and you can change chains w/o too much trouble....

 

[computerboy345]

if you dont like switching chains and are going to be cutting fire wood for a long time get 2 saws......one big one for cutting the big stuff(w/a chisel chain) and a smaller one for limbing

 

[johnnyf]

computerboy:
Better yet... I had 2 chains for my 025. Not a hassle to change them over at all. Yes I probably will get another small saw, I doubt my 025 is rebuildable without getting a new barrel, it seized big time.

A couple of people told me to get an 026 instead but in NZ they were twice the price of the 025 at the time.

By the time I rebuild the 025, it will owe me the same as the 026 would have anyway. There's probably a lesson there somewhere. The reason I want the 044 first is to not be outgunned by any tree I happen to encounter!

My dad has an 018 I can borrow for those troublesome toothpick size bits !

homelite360:
Ah, good to see more lovers of rampant 2-stroke technology. That cart-beast sounds like a load of fun

I have had the good fortune, (pre-wife and mortgage) to have ridden some of the evilest 2-stroke m/cs and loved every minute of it. Now the only 2-strokes you can get are chainsaws, sad. How long will it be before someone decides they have gotta be 4-strokes too? Shudder

John

 

[the tree guy]

Johnnyf,what brand of chain will you be getting?If you get full chisel, get round chisel over square chisel.It will dull slower than square if you tend to rock out on something.It's a bit easier to file also.What pitch to you plan on running,.325 or .375?For sotfwood and most hardwoods you should be able to use an 8 rim with no problems on a 044.I use 8s on my 046,066,and 088 all with good results and not much more kick back.On the kick back thing,watch where the nose of the bar is and leave the rakers alone til you have time to learn all of basic skills need to be safe in the woods. what are the main trees in NEW ZEALAND. Dan

 

[HUSKYMAN]

Johnny just curious, but how long did the ole 025 last b4 it seized

 

[johnnyf]

Huskyman:
First piston, 8 cord of pine plus household trimming, say 10 hrs, I should have replaced the barrel then, as it always ran like a mutt since. Second piston, about the same.

It has paid for itself in terms of wood cut, but only just, really.

tree guy:
Probably try to sleaze an extra Stihl chain out of the dealer as part of the deal, hopefully.
More confusion, didn't realise that there were round and square varieties.

Main timber types in nz for firewood and timber purposes is Radiata pine, and monterey and other cypress, and some douglas fir. Aussie gums, particularly bluegum, feature too. I plan to run .375

Native timber logging has practically been banned by our current government, a Green/Red coalition. (Unless you are of NZ Maori descent)...


John

 

[treeclimber165]

johnnyf

I'm hoping that was a typo and you meant 100 hrs not 10. Even 100 hrs isn't very long for a 025 though. Sounds like you might be running your mix too lean. I have always tried to run my mix just a tad richer than what the EPA tells the manufacturers to run. For example, a bottle for mixing with 2 1/2 gal of gas I usually only put in 2-2 1/4 gals. For the 1 gal bottles I go .8-.9 gals. This is critical especially since they have gone to 50-1 ratio. No margin for error, and even mixing it perfectly according to directions the saws wont last as long at 50-1.

 

[HUSKYMAN]

Dont forget Brian he is in New Zealand so we have no idea what they put in the gasoline over there. If he cut 8 cords of wood in 10hrs that would be one tired little 025 ! Not to mention the operator of the saw. Even my 009 has lasted 10hrs, but it is going to be sold pretty soon.

 

[homelite360]

that a boy get rid of that little sthil and buy your self a nice big old homelite

 

[johnnyf]

HUSKYMAN:
Our gas certainly aint what it used to be, it is unleaded, with high levels of toluene. It is said to be 96 octane but independent tests return a result of 93.

Fortunately I can get avgas, I mix this at one part to 3 parts of "96" then I mix the oil at 40 to 1, yup, I don't trust 50:1 either.

Problem seem to be one of stability, If I don't use the mix one weekend, then by the next weekend the mix will have a real acetone-like smell when the saw is run.
(I ought to mention that I drain the fuel tank after use, I am talking about fuel mix from my can here...)