How Long Does a Chainsaw Chain Stay Sharp?

[Islander23]

There is no specific answer for that question, it depends on the usage and even more on the user.

e.g. If you wanna clear out low bush and other similar plants there is high possibility to hit a rock, and after that you MUST sharp your chain.

 

[lloyd786]

Let's say it's a SUNNY day , and you're out in your yard. Your chainsaw chain is sharp and ready to cut off those logs. You start cutting through wood without any BREAK!

Now, here's what I want to know:

How long does your chainsaw chain stay sharp? Or in other words, How often do you usually sharpen your chain? (hours or number of cuts or days)?

Actually, I'm writing an article about chainsaws, so I just wanted to get some insight into how long a chain stay sharp.

Thanks in advance!

Cheers!

I have a top handle saw that I only use climbing and a new chain lasts a month maybe longer cause it’s all clean wood up in the tops. My big saw I use to cut stumps needs at least a touch every job. Sometimes a major grind.

 

[056kid]

Like many have said, aside from foreign objects, the cleanliness of the timber makes all the difference. Clean wood, I've gone days on the same square grind. Dirty wood, fresh chain every 2-3 tanks. I keep 3-4 sharp chains with me for swapping throughout the day for production stuff. Firewood cutting or otherwise, nice round chisel chain is nice.

 

[Jethro 2t sniffer]

This is conventional wisdom. But in my experience, a slightly dull full chisel chain still cuts faster than a sharp semi-chisel. Not worth using a semi-chisel for me. It takes me only 5 minutes to hand file a chain in the field. Even if I have to do it twice as often, I still cut more wood per unit time with a full chisel

A proper sharp semi is barely any slower and self feeds beautifully with the right angles and in skidded firewood logs you get alot more work done over the day. Your chains also go further as ya don't need to file away those beaten working corners.

A grunt box of a saw and rather low rakers a semi is quick as. Definitely not slow enough to warrant the constant filling every tank

Granted in clean wood full chisel for sure but definitely set up the chain different.

Low setting on the husky gauge and then 3 or 4 swipes more.

But it's still all dependent on the wood your cutting and as the others say all our strings are different lengths

 

[Husky77]

2-3 tank fulls + or 15 seconds. Depends if your a quick learner or an idiot that blows up saws and blames everything in the universe

 

[sean donato]

Just like the chain sharpening there is no set answer. I look at the chain every time I go to start the saw. If I see dullness on the cutting edge I will change the chain or file it depending on where I'm at, what I'm doing and how much of a hurry I'm in.

Good point, if you only have a few cuts to finish off may as well get it over and done with instead if stopping. Sure more can factor in but I did the same just this past weekend. Noticed I wasn't throwing chips like it should, eh, 2 mote cuts then it's time to split. Just finished three cutting and got to the chain that evening.

 

[sean donato]

A proper sharp semi is barely any slower and self feeds beautifully with the right angles and in skidded firewood logs you get alot more work done over the day. Your chains also go further as ya don't need to file away those beaten working corners.

A grunt box of a saw and rather low rakers a semi is quick as. Definitely not slow enough to warrant the constant filling every tank

Granted in clean wood full chisel for sure but definitely set up the chain different.

Low setting on the husky gauge and then 3 or 4 swipes more.

But it's still all dependent on the wood your cutting and as the others say all our strings are different lengths

The same can be said the other way, I've never came into a situation where semi chisel has any cutting advantages over full chisel. Dirty wood or not. If it's real clean wood I'll run square chisel.

 

[Bob Hedgecutter]

The same can be said the other way, I've never came into a situation where semi chisel has any cutting advantages over full chisel. Dirty wood or not. If it's real clean wood I'll run square chisel.

Don't matter much when you are cutting soft pine tops out of trees felled and cut for logs, leaving the tops for the firewood guys.

 

[sean donato]

Don't matter much when you are cutting soft pine tops out of trees felled and cut for logs, leaving the tops for the firewood guys.

Can't say no pine here, but predominatly hard woods. Got a rash of sumer dropped mill rejects I'm working through now. Tops would be easy. Just buck and chuck....

 

[Jethro 2t sniffer]

Don't matter much when you are cutting soft pine tops out of trees felled and cut for logs, leaving the tops for the firewood guys.

Ya get a pretty mixed bag to be honest. Would have to say semi chisel on the 32inch is beyond it. Most of the firewood logs here are off dairy farms and also do a bit of bluegum too but it's quite a bit more work.

So no not all tops. The 10 to 20 inch stuff is nice n fast though. Easy splitting and decent pocket money

 

[Campbellcontractlogging]

I can cut and trim about 30 trees before I need to file red oak,white oak some hickory if I get in to a stand of hickory I can cut less trees it’s not a cut and dri answer depends on a lot of factors how long a chain will stay sharp.

 

[EchoRomeoCharlie]

For climbing chains, one can go a day of cutting without a touch up and be fine, after two days it probably needs a touch up. After a week it needs to be sharpened or you're losing productivity.

For limbing/bucking saws: If you're in clean wood, 3-4 tanks of fuel. Dirty wood...usually after every tank or even more if really dirty. Although if it's that dirty I'll usually get after the log with an axe to remove the dirt before cutting.

For stumping saws: Usually after every job...unless you stump high and stay out of the dirt.

The above is just generalities. It also depends on the brand of chain...some chains aren't as hard as others. It also depends on the exact dimensions and angles the chain is sharpened to. More acute angles will cut faster initially but will dull faster. More obtuse angles will last longer, but won't cut as quick. Also depends on hardness of wood. All of that is assuming you don't run the chain into the ground OR hit something metal in the tree.

So the final answer is...it varies greatly depending on a lot of variables as has already been pointed out in this thread. The real answer is, sharpen the chain when the chain needs to be sharpened. Know enough to know when the chain is dull. Most amateur chainsaw operators wait WAY too long to sharpen the chain. If you have to push the saw to get it to cut...the chain needed attention a while ago.

 

[Lupo71]

Let's say it's a SUNNY day , and you're out in your yard. Your chainsaw chain is sharp and ready to cut off those logs. You start cutting through wood without any BREAK!

Now, here's what I want to know:

How long does your chainsaw chain stay sharp? Or in other words, How often do you usually sharpen your chain? (hours or number of cuts or days)?

Actually, I'm writing an article about chainsaws, so I just wanted to get some insight into how long a chain stay sharp.

Thanks in advance!

Cheers!

Two days in softwood like spruce without contacting soil.
I use a “Sägenspezi“ chain (good China made quality 0,325“ chain on Husqvarna 550XP ll)

 

[Farmer_Nate]

Also depends on the type of cutter. Semi-chisel holds up better than full chisel or square ground in dirty wood.
Semi-chisel has a somewhat rounded cutter while full chisel and square ground have a pointed cutter. When the point gets dull, cutting efficiency is greatly reduced.
View attachment 1055014

I have never enjoyed cutting with a simi-chisel chain. They may hold up in dirty wood, not sure, but my experience is they cut about 1/2 as fast all things being considered, so why even bother with em?

13 minutes and 12 seconds

 

[EchoShindaiwaMakitaDolmar]

There is a wide spectrum of "need to sharpen" depending on type of wood, condition of wood, degree to which the chain touches dirt, stone, rock, metal...

And then there's the quality of chain one uses- chain made in the free world from a known good maker- lasts and stays sharper much longer than cheap chain. Above all else- avoid oem chinese/CCP chain, bars, and saws.

 

[fields_mj]

So long as you keep the bar out of the dirt, there's no dirt in the bark, and you don't find a bullet, a rock, a nail, or a piece of fence, you can go normally go through about 2 tanks of fuel before the chain becomes noticeably dull. After the 1st tank, the chain has dulled, but not by a perceivable amount. By the end of the 2nd tank, its noticeably dull but not unusable. How long it takes to go through 2 tanks of fuel depends on the size and type of wood you're cutting.

Just my 2 bits.
Mark

 

[user 122190]

So long as you keep the bar out of the dirt, there's no dirt in the bark, and you don't find a bullet, a rock, a nail, or a piece of fence, you can go normally go through about 2 tanks of fuel before the chain becomes noticeably dull. After the 1st tank, the chain has dulled, but not by a perceivable amount. By the end of the 2nd tank, its noticeably dull but not unusable. How long it takes to go through 2 tanks of fuel depends on the size and type of wood you're cutting.

Just my 2 bits.
Mark

My neighbor didn't know that chains got dull. He was making very fine saw dust on one cut while I was finishing a 10th cut. I told him his chain was dull and sharpened it for him. Boy was he impressed. That was 5 years ago. I bet he hasn't sharpened it since then.

 

[fields_mj]

Several years ago I came across a couple of young guys who were trying to remove a decent size limb from the corner of a garage which belonged to an older couple. This was after an EF3 had gone through their neighborhood. I'm not sure how much work these guys had gotten done during the day, or what condition the chain was in when they started the day out or how long they had been working on that one limb, but when I found them they were generating more smoke than chips or even dust. The cutters were round, not rounded. There wasn't really even a gullet, let alone a hook. I was driving a 93 F350 IDI at the time, and for the day I had it set up with a vise on the front and had an inverter and my Dremel in my tool box. Working in town I assumed that I would find a rock, screw, or nail at some point during the day. Thankfully I didn't find any junk and just used the vise to hand file my chains. Also thankfully, I had what I needed to get their chain back in working condition for them. Afterwards, I convinced them that running a chainsaw on top of the roof of a building that may not be structurally sound wasn't the best plan. 20 min later the limb was on the ground and cut into firewood size pieces with the rest of the "brush" in a pile, nobody was injured, and their "tool" was still in good shape for them to try and use again the next day.

 

[46 Poulan]

I like to keep a sharp chain-good chips flying better for the saw and me!!!!!!!!!

 

[KASH]

In Nov I had 10 real cords of white Birch delivered it varies from 5 in to 32 in in diameter the logs are 9 feet long and I am cutting 20 in long chunks.
Partner P70 Stihl chisel chain so far I have bucked up 6 cords +and the chain is still 90 percent sharp.
Kash