help picking chain?

[mrbb]

OK, I am not new to chainsaws, been about them for 30+ yrs, gone thru a bunch over the yrs and cut a few acres of trees down over the yrs!,. so have some experience here!

But I am NO expert and maybe there is a better option I don't know about!

I recently came into a bunch of old railroad bridge decking, there 15+ ft long and 12"x12'' thick(they weight about 800 lbs each)
I have gone over area's I plan to cut with a metal detector and its NOT showing any metal in things, but as I cut them I am seeing sparks at times?
there from all I can tell and was told, made of OAK, and there a true 100% creosote soaked timber, like a railroad tie is, but they were soaked some, as they have it leached into them about an inch to 2 inches, then its clean dry wood!

I have been trying to cut them with a older Husky model 55 rancher saw with an 18 inch bar, and some Oregon 72LG068G chain, and it dulls them in two cuts IF that, I then tried cutting them with a Echo CS-355T-16 chain saw and there brand chain that came with saw(I bought several extra chains at time of buying saw, and it zips thru normal tree's really fast been very impressed with this saw)
But its dulling them in a cut as well!

SO< being no expert here and always willing to learn more if I can and use a better tool for the task,
is there a better chain to use on timbers like this??
or is this just one fo them things, that is going to be a pain and slow going job with lots of stops to sharpen/swap chains?

so to anyone that has suggestions, I thank you in advance

 

[tfp]

You could try pressure washing them (or just the areas you are cutting) first to see if it’s dust / dirt from years of exposure on the outer layer dulling the chain. A good stiff brush might give an indication if it isn’t practical to pressure wash them. I have no experience with creosote ours are CCA treated here so you don’t usually want to use them for anything, even burning. I would also use a semi-chisel chain as the fine point a chisel cutter comes to right on the corner will go dull in dead dry hardwood faster than semi-chisel.

 

[Trdoldtreecutter]

If your just bucking them up, chop an area all the way around where your going to make your cuts should do the trick

 

[mrbb]

no I need to cut them to exact sizes, as am using to build a wall along a property line!
NO access to a power washer on site either
they seem pretty clean, as they were elevated on a bridge deck, so were not laying in dirt on the ground, minus me placing there once I got them!
I have about 50 of them, in assorted sizes, from almost 16 ft long to some 12 ft one's, but still have to cut and trim some to fit as needed!

looking at carbide tip chain now, thinking maybe that's the better option, but seems to be a bunch out there not sure what would be the right one to get? and prices seem to vary , and not cheap to start with! HAHA!

so any thoughts or opinions on this, feel free to add them,

and again, there NOT fully cured, they only have about an inch or so on all 4 sides of where they were treated with creosote , so, iots not like cutting thru fully cured rail road ties here!, but it sure is HARD wood from edge to edge of them!

 

[Maintenance supervisor]

Semi chisel or chipper chain would last alot longer, its a shame you don't have a saw to run .404 pitch chain , Oregon makes a very durable. 404 micro chisel #27 chain I use it for stump cutting and it takes a beating.

 

[ATH]

Exposed wood just gets a lot of dust/sand blown into the cracks over the years. Know guys that use old utility poles and constantly fight with dirt dulling chains.

Maybe try a carbide chain?

Or, maybe a chainsaw isn't your best tool? Big circular saw? Cut 4 sides and finish with a sawzall...

Or, just get a semi-chisel chain and plan to sharpen with 3-4 strokes after every cut. If I am doing that, I want as short as possible. I don't know...skip tooth just so there are fewer teeth to sharpen each time.

 

[mrbb]

thanks guys, I will be looking at a carbide tip one tomorrow at my local shop, I THINK he has them in stock, but I looked online and see a bunch of types of carbide tipped chains, is any one type better than another, or are they all about the same?

as for using a circular saw to cut them that isn;t really a better option, as there so heavy and hard to work with alone, to have to flip them 4 times and such, alone, would be a lot of trouble, more than swapping sharpening chain I would think, and I don;t own a large circular saw, so the costs to buy one I think I can get a bunch of chains! ,a s I don;'t see me down the road ever needing a large saw like them!

 

[Maintenance supervisor]

There is "Dura" chain, which is not carbide but is coated with extra chrome on the cutter, they do hold up pretty well . I have a 18" bar with it and have hit barb wire in a log with it with very little damage. It's a whole cheaper than carbide and you can still file it with a normal file.

 

[mrbb]

There is "Dura" chain, which is not carbide but is coated with extra chrome on the cutter, they do hold up pretty well . I have a 18" bar with it and have hit barb wire in a log with it with very little damage. It's a whole cheaper than carbide and you can still file it with a normal file.

thanks, I might try this then

 

[Jbroberson21]

You probably know this but the cresote in them can cause a skin reaction if exposed to it. It also sensitises skin to uv light and will make you sunburn much easier. I was cutting some railroad ties a while back and my hands and arms got burned a little because of it. Now I make sure I'm fully covered (pants, long sleeves, and gloves) any time I'm cutting them.

 

[ChasSC]

You probably know this but the cresote in them can cause a skin reaction if exposed to it. It also sensitises skin to uv light and will make you sunburn much easier. I was cutting some railroad ties a while back and my hands and arms got burned a little because of it. Now I make sure I'm fully covered (pants, long sleeves, and gloves) any time I'm cutting them.

Not to mention what it does to the lungs when inhaled.

 

[Mad Professor]

You might try a chainsaw driven debarker to go around where you are making the cuts. Years of grit from trains going over them are embedded in those ties.

Get a dedicated pair of coveralls to keep the dust off you and wear a good mask. A real mask not the BS people are using for covid. The ones with a formed rubber face piece that take replaceable screw in filters. Some sort of eye protection, a helmet with the solid face shield comes to mind, they make those with hearing protection and both soild and mesh sheilds. I wear those if milling certain types of wood with my chainsaw