462 Impressions and some dirty wood chains

[madosta]

Tried to break in the MS462, shocked by how fuel efficient it seemed. (No science, just observation, also not buried the whole time either, 24" was probably overkill too)

Spent about 8 hours this past weekend felling and bucking up some old dead red oak. The wood was solid internally but a lot of it was pretty soft on the outside.

Chains: (3/8 .050 84dl)

Archer semi chisel, full skip
Initially I did not like the way it cut out of the box. AT ALL. It just felt lazy. I sharpened it once in the field and didn't knock down the rakers, it felt a little better. (I have since ground it and knocked the rakers down and it feels a lot better. Jury is still out on this, but performed pretty good in dirty wood.)

Oregon Multicut/Duracut, full comp, full chisel
This felt decent. Not going to win any races with it out of the box but I did like how long it stayed usable. It felt grabby enough to knock a bunch of loose bark off of old logs and took a little bit of dirt a couple of times. Hand filing wasn't easy and it took me a few filings to find a good angle. I did grind this when I got home but haven't tried it yet. Hopefully this weekend. Still interested in making this work.

I also had the 660 out and put a new RS chain on it to cut down some larger rounds, but dulled this out on a stump quickly. I just put the saw back in the truck and went back to playing with the 462.

I had carbide and some LGX with me but didn't try it.

There's still a ton of JUNK wood to cut so I plan on trying out some other chains for "stay sharp-ness" using a "this feels good to me" approach.

 

[madosta]

So yea, tell me what you like for dirty old wood.

 

[Philbert]

Semi-chisel is normally what folks recommend for 'dirty wood'. The Multi-cut /Dura-cut chain is designed to resist abrasion along the top and side plate, but will not hold an edge longer, as I understand it. Keeps the outsides of the cutters from getting worn away.

Your comments on sharpening are interesting. Manufacturers don't know what you are going to cut, so even a 'well sharpened' chain might not cut well out-of-the-box.

Since you have a grinder, I would try:
• semi-chisel
• 25° top plate angle
• 60° grinder head angle
• depth gauge based on the power of the saw (start with the basic 0.025")

Philbert

 

[Skeans]

If I’m falling and bucking live or dead stuff it’s square all day long it cuts better and is smoother. That 462 should be able to take more bar then a 24 without issues, when I broke in the 562 it got put through its paces with a 32 semi skip in 3-5’ wood production falling morale of the story don’t baby it for a break in.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[madosta]

I haven't used much square lately and not sure I want to dedicate that much to it. Maybe... I'm surprised it cuts smoother for you.

So the fresh grind on the Archer Semi Chisel and rakers lowered started out great! Until I found a t-post laying on the ground in the pile.

Spent some time with a 28" fat nose on the 462 and diddled with the 660 yesterday in some junk and decent wood.