School me on chains

[T-Dozzer]

Finaly got my chainsaw mill now I need a chain for MS 461. I see ripping chains from a handful of different companies. They range from $25 to $45. Is one better then the other? I assune all of them require taking it somewhere to sharpen? Does anyone just use a crosscut skip tooth or standard chain?

Thanks

Apologies if asked alot. Maybe I should change my handle to "mill rookie" for a while

 

[Trx250r180]

Ripping chain ,only difference i have found is it is presharpened to 10 degrees and a little narrower than regular chain ,it costs more also ,i have been running .404 chisel chain resharpened to 10-15 degrees ,it has a pretty wide kerf though so will lose more material ,i run it because it oils better than 3/8 ,reg 3/8 will work also ,try to get .063 bar groove width ,the wider groove oils better ,you can mill with regular chain ,but 30 degree cutter angle may leave a rougher finish ,that's why i go for 10-15 degrees on the top plate of the chain ,it slows it down tearing the fibers less and gives a smoother finish .

Ripping on the left ,.404 on the right

 

[Skeans]

Ripping chain ,only difference i have found is it is presharpened to 10 degrees and a little narrower than regular chain ,it costs more also ,i have been running .404 chisel chain resharpened to 10-15 degrees ,it has a pretty wide kerf though so will lose more material ,i run it because it oils better than 3/8 ,reg 3/8 will work also ,try to get .063 bar groove width ,the wider groove oils better ,you can mill with regular chain ,but 30 degree cutter angle may leave a rougher finish ,that's why i go for 10-15 degrees on the top plate of the chain ,it slows it down tearing the fibers less and gives a smoother finish .

Ripping on the left ,.404 on the right View attachment 654331

Almost looks like a 3/8 cutter on a 404 driver.


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[T-Dozzer]

Thanks. I have a .63 for my 32" bar.
I run a 25" for bucking and plan on using it for small mill work. Its a .50. Both bars are 3/8.
I assume not all ripping chains are created equal?

 

[Trx250r180]

Almost looks like a 3/8 cutter on a 404 driver.


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It is rsc round .404 in that pic, rslf square chisel is what i run for reg cutting ,the rslf .404 cutters are bigger than round cutters in .404

 

[Trx250r180]

Thanks. I have a .63 for my 32" bar.
I run a 25" for bucking and plan on using it for small mill work. Its a .50. Both bars are 3/8.
I assume not all ripping chains are created equal?

Some are different like 2 teeth are cutters then next 2 are scratchers ,top of cutter is missing,if millimg fir or cedar regular chain will work,those special chains are for tougher milling when need extra power

 

[Brian72]

No need to take them to get sharpened. You can do it yourself. The difference is the filing angle. I've used Stihl RS (full comp), Stihl RS (full skip) and Woodland Pro ripping chain from Baileys. In my personal experience, the sharpness of the chain and how you feed are much more important than type of chain. I do like the ripping chain and it's reasonably priced. Just starting out, don't over-think it. Get some good chain and perfect your sharpening skills. Much more time spent sharpening with milling. I usually touch up or swap out after 2 or 3 cuts. Keep the saw straight in the cut. Try not to rock it back and forth. Doing so tends to make a sloppy finish.

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[T-Dozzer]

No need to take them to get sharpened. You can do it yourself. The difference is the filing angle. I've used Stihl RS (full comp), Stihl RS (full skip) and Woodland Pro ripping chain from Baileys. In my personal experience, the sharpness of the chain and how you feed are much more important than type of chain. I do like the ripping chain and it's reasonably priced. Just starting out, don't over-think it. Get some good chain and perfect your sharpening skills. Much more time spent sharpening with milling. I usually touch up or swap out after 2 or 3 cuts. Keep the saw straight in the cut. Try not to rock it back and forth. Doing so tends to make a sloppy finish.

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Good tips. Thank you.

 

[BobL]

Ripping on the left ,.404 on the right

It looks like you are running flat topped rakers. Rounding over the rakers leading edge over will reduce chain friction and so ease the load on the powerhead.
It also allows the rakers to penetrate slightly further into the wood a little further - yes they do slightly bite into the wood - and this in turn enables the cutters to bite further.

Also try to clean out the gullets so the sawdust can escape more easily.

 

[T-Dozzer]

Milled a few boards today. Used a brand new crosscut full skip (3/8- .050)
Man it dulled fast. Think I want a ripping chain. Maybe Ill try that filling down the depth gauge edge trick.

 

[Brian72]

Milled a few boards today. Used a brand new crosscut full skip (3/8- .050)
Man it dulled fast. Think I want a ripping chain. Maybe Ill try that filling down the depth gauge edge trick.

Looks like you got a nice finish! It does dull them quick. Sharpening becomes as much of a hobby as the milling! Lol

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[T-Dozzer]

Im going through bar oil, but I noticed the chain looked a bit burnt. Is that normal?
25 inch bar.

 

[Brian72]

Im going through bar oil, but I noticed the chain looked a bit burnt. Is that normal?
25 inch bar.

It does make a bit of a mess. I even get some browning on the edges of my bar. I got my auxiliary oiler mounted but haven't run it yet. The bar groove needs to be cleaned out more often too.

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[T-Dozzer]

It does make a bit of a mess. I even get some browning on the edges of my bar. I got my auxiliary oiler mounted but haven't run it yet. The bar groove needs to be cleaned out more often too.

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How big a bar are you using an aux oiler with?

 

[Brian72]

How big a bar are you using an aux oiler with?

I have a 28", 36" and a 50". Haven't used the 50 yet but I'm gonna run the auxiliary oiler on the 36 and 50. Most of the logs I get tend to be on the bigger side so I hardly run the 28.

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[Marine5068]

Milled a few boards today. Used a brand new crosscut full skip (3/8- .050)
Man it dulled fast. Think I want a ripping chain. Maybe Ill try that filling down the depth gauge edge trick.

Hey Dozer, what wood are you milling there?
I have some Red Oak to do.

 

[rarefish383]

It might be hard to see, but I milled these mantles with the 660, 3/8's RS, out of the box, not milling chain. 27" Oak, then trimmed down to size. Both mantles came from the same slab. I have a 13" Rigid planer. They air dried for over a year. Ran each side through the planer 3 times to get the final finish. As Brian said above, and Bob has said many times, operator skill has as much to do with finish as the style of chain. The mantles are going in a friends timber framed home, I should have the installed pics soon. The house is about 8 months behind schedule to be finished, so my friends are getting quite anxious. She did tell me a few days ago that they are ready to hang the sliding barn doors and mantles I made for them. She also wanted the mantels to be bark on, and I think she used an epoxy bar top finish to keepd it on. We will see if it works and how long it lasts.