Was watching "great wild north " tonight and Cor was sawing a log with a husky that looked to be about 40 cc's .. He gets it pinched and then says .. Well I broke my chain and he holds up his saw chain ... Broke in half ... I have got my saw pinched and have kinked a few chains but have never broke one..
Have you ever broke a saw chain?
- Thread starter blkcloud
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bitzer
******** Timber Expert
Yep. Usually the tie straps give. Sometimes the drives. Not super common. Maybe happened a dozen or so times to me in thousands of hours of cutting.
Never broke one but have bent the heck out of them when they came off the bar.
KenJax Tree
Terraphobic
I had one break a few years ago at WOT.....scared the $hit outta me. Luckily it broke in a deep cut so it didn't really fly around but still scared me when it let loose.
I have been broke because of a chainsaw addiction! Does that count?
fearofpavement
Trying them all
I've had a chain break twice that I recall. It's certainly not common.
ponyexpress976
nipple fritters
Only ever broke one and was never able to find it. Starting a cut and at WOT, it shot off the end of the bar like a cartoon snake. It was a known older chain so I didn't put a whole lot of effort into looking for it. right about that time I remember getting real serious about PPE
Never a chain but I did break the nose sprocket axle on one bar.
Only broke one on a rental pole saw. Big limb pinched on it and I gave her a pull. After I put the backup chain on I finished the cut and the broken chain came down. Rental place didn't care when we were upfront with them.
bitzer
******** Timber Expert
I go through a sprocket or two a month. A bar every two. I've had teeth and rakers tear off. Rakers go sideways that make the chain jump like an sob. Tip sprocket explode, bind the chain and break the rim sprocket. Never been scared by a chain failure. Just pist.
? bitzer, I am sure you do a lot of bore cutting! do you use a replaceable tip bar or solid for this work? most of my tips explode from bore cutting with a speed tip/replaceable 1 rivet stump pounded or truck tow ball.
bitzer
******** Timber Expert
I almost never bore cut. The stress comes from riding out the bind in a buck. I do use the tip a lot for other things tho.
I am assuming you are following the cut after the initial fall chasing the hinge wood with the tip(as I do with a usual moment of pinch an pull ) at the last minute/second before the butt leaves the stump? sometimes to late without a bore cut!
I've broke three that I remember... it sounds more worrisome than it really is.
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Cheesecutter
Addicted to ArboristSite
I broke one when I hit some woven wire embedded in a stump.
Fred Wright
Addicted to ArboristSite
I've thrown a chain or two. Never broke one but a chain loop lost a couple teeth once when it got in a bind. Cutting limbs on a felled tree can be the devil. 
lindnova
ArboristSite Operative
I broke one. It just broke at a tie strap. I think the chain catcher got it - just kind of un-nerving. I assume the tie strap was bent or damaged from a pinch.
MTwoodcutter
New Member
Had a co-worker snap a chain and it whipped around (no chain catcher) and embedded in his leg behind his chaps. Not a serious injury but it could have been...
Years ago a guy at work was cutting some framing lumber at waist height. He hit a steel nail and the chain broke, whipped up and caught him across his face with the tail end. Almost 100 stitches to fix it back up, a loop from his nose down to his jawbone and up almost to his ear. Big nasty 1/2 circle of a scar. No ppe, not even glasses.
Most of the time, if you're cutting with the bottom of the bar and the chain breaks, it will just fall off of the saw. If it breaks on the top of the bar the chain can whip around.
That's the reason for a chain catcher; for the big flat area on the bottom of the rear handle; and one of the reasons for PPE like gloves and chaps - don't 'need' them all of the time, but when you do . . . .
When chain breaks on a mechanical harvester, some of the pieces can break off and kill the operator.
http://www.oregonproducts.com/harvester/service/chain_shot.htm
http://www.orosha.org/pdf/hazards/2993-29.pdf
Philbert
