Chain For Dirty Wood

[toolmaker]

I'm cutting firewood for next year right now (6 to 8 cords/year). Moved into a place that was logged last summer and have permission for the scrap piles and tree tops left behind by the loggers.

Using an MS460 and 026 Pro with Oregon full chisel chain, 72LG on the big saw.

It seems to get dull real quick although I clean the mund and stones off the logs with a hoe before I cut them

Can anyone recommend a chain that will last a bit longer between sharpenings?
I realize that I have to do my part and keep them out of the dirt, but this seems a bit extreme.

 

[Bob Wright]

I used to cut a lot of dirty wood and had better luck with 72DP chain, it has the rounded tooth....Bob

 

[SawTroll]

Stihl RM, or other semi-chisel chain, like the Oregon DP mentioned above.

Stihl chain in general have thicker chrome and harder steel than Oregon, and semi-chisel hold up better in dirty conditions than chisel.

 

[DanManofStihl]

Stihl rm

I use stihl rm it is alot better then the chiesel for dirty wood. My Rm lasts about twice as long between sharpening then the Rs it is not as fast but gets the job done.

 

[mbopp]

Oregon 72DP here. I use it for clearing deadfall off hiking trails.

 

[Lakeside53]

Stihl RM. Not the RM2 - the RM...

 

[fishhuntcutwood]

I've used RM when I'd cut dirty firewood off of DNR properties. It holds a useable edge in dirt longer than RS, which I use everywhere else.

Jeff

 

[toolmaker]

Stihl Chain Prices

I noticed that Stihl chain (from a dealer) is nearly double the cost of Oregon chain (from a place such as baileys)
Is it worth it? I mean the price difference?
Personally, I never really liked Stihl cahin, always went for Oregon.
What is the most popular brand?

 

[ned coed]

hey you guys i,m always keen to learn and when it comes to saw chains i,m as green as they come. can anyone rec. some reading material on this subject, chisel?, semi chisel ?, ughh !!??. regards Ned.

 

[Lakeside53]

I noticed that Stihl chain (from a dealer) is nearly double the cost of Oregon chain (from a place such as baileys)
Is it worth it? I mean the price difference?
Personally, I never really liked Stihl cahin, always went for Oregon.
What is the most popular brand?

Change dealers... or negotiate price. You're comparing "mail order" with "Store Retail". Retail sales price for 1 chain, or any item, will cost more than mail order... because you're paying for the convenience of walking in and buying a chain.

Stihl chain does cost is more than Oregon, but not by a huge amount. Local stores either compete with the likes of Madsens or Bailey, or they choose not to. We meet that problem half way. Example, we sell "one off" at list, but buy two and you get 50% off the second chain. Buy more, and we'll talk (but only to local customers - no mail order). If you're a Pro customer and buy dozens of chains a year, we'll give you a decent break no matter how many you buy at once.


As for which chain is best, do a search of this site - you'll find hundreds of posts...

 

[leweee]

when in doubt

hey you guys i,m always keen to learn and when it comes to saw chains i,m as green as they come. can anyone rec. some reading material on this subject, chisel?, semi chisel ?, ughh !!??. regards Ned.

Use the search tab at the top of the page....lots of info

 

[Diesel JD]

some reading for Ned

Ned you could go to Oregon's webpage and read their PDF file the technical service manual. It has a list of all their chain types adn shows pics of teh cutter shapes...basically there are "chipper" which is the slowest, and has a round cutter...it holds it's edge teh best of anything normal...semi chisel which is a little faster than chipper, still rounded, and holds adn edge well, round ground chisel, which is very fast and somewhat resilient in abrasive situations although really intended for clean wood,a dn square chisel whichis teh fastest but needs good clean would and expert maintenance plus never hitting anything even slightly hard to stay sharp. Stihl chain is the same way, same classifications, just different names. Youc an also pick upa full stihl catalogue at most dealers for no charge adn youwill learn a lot from their increasingly comprehensive list of chains. But Oregon's site is here
http://www.oregonchain.com

 

[skwerl]

Here's the Stihl version of the same info. It shows the different types of chain, safety and regular versions
http://www.stihlusa.com/chainsaws/types.html

 

[FourMoCajuns]

Ned you could go to Oregon's webpage and read their PDF file the technical service manual. It has a list of all their chain types adn shows pics of teh cutter shapes...basically there are "chipper" which is the slowest, and has a round cutter...it holds it's edge teh best of anything normal...semi chisel which is a little faster than chipper, still rounded, and holds adn edge well, round ground chisel, which is very fast and somewhat resilient in abrasive situations although really intended for clean wood,a dn square chisel whichis teh fastest but needs good clean would and expert maintenance plus never hitting anything even slightly hard to stay sharp. Stihl chain is the same way, same classifications, just different names. Youc an also pick upa full stihl catalogue at most dealers for no charge adn youwill learn a lot from their increasingly comprehensive list of chains. But Oregon's site is here
http://www.oregonchain.com

By never hit anything slightly hard do you mean like seasoned oak or rocks?

I would like to get one chain just to "show off" the 361's cutting prowess... would this be the square ground?

Chris

 

[skwerl]

Chris,
For a fast chain that you will actually be able to sharpen again relatively easily, I'd go with Stihl RS for your 'showoff' chain. From what I've read here over the years, the square ground is capable of being about 10% faster but it isn't always that fast straight out of the box.

 

[FourMoCajuns]

Right now I have the RM on my 361 and have gotten pretty good at keeping it sharp or at least knowing when to have it bench ground. Will the RS be similar to sharpen and how much faster is it?

Chris

 

[FourMoCajuns]

According to Stihl's 06 catalog the RS chain is not available in 3/8 ths any longer!

 

[Lakeside53]

According to Stihl's 06 catalog the RS chain is not available in 3/8 ths any longer!

It's been replaced by the RSC. Cuts just the same.

 

[Diesel JD]

Can't get it in RSK? In general Skwerl is right about the round chisel being a good fast chain...it is as easy as semi chisel to sharpen...square ground is faster but much more difficult to sharpen witha file...if you aheva bench grinder or access to somebody who does adn won't charge much to sharpen go with teh square ground. I was pretty unimpressed with tehf actory grind...and I'm not so sure about my first attemts at chisel filing...we'll see. takes practice...but i'm going to get good at it. As to hard stuff I meant mostly abrasives and rocks I think in clean hard wood the square chisel will do just fine...unless it is filed incorrectly(side beaked) then it will dull quickly even on woodknots. No support for teh working corner. Square chisel really shines on high powered saws, long bars and softwood.

 

[SawTroll]

Right now I have the RM on my 361 and have gotten pretty good at keeping it sharp or at least knowing when to have it bench ground. Will the RS be similar to sharpen ...

I think the RM is a bit more forgiving to filing errors, but if you do it right it will be the same.

The new RSC is smoother in the cut than RM, about like Oregon LP.