I'm new here!

[Wicked500R]

I just wanted to introduce myself and say hello to everyone!
I try to keep it a secret but I get a woody with chainsaws and love to run the 2 I got. My 019T was some of the best 230 bucks I've spent. It's going on 8 years old and still kicks but for one handed operations. I just got the MS361 20incher last year and love it. I want a biggie to build up. 066 or something. I do have a couple questions. I hate the search so don't tell me to use the search.

Whats the difference with the chains? Full skip, half skip, etc..? and what are they for?

 

[Marc]

Use search.......










... semi skip = no cutter every 2nd link, full skip = no cutter every other link.

 

[harrygrey382]

I just wanted to introduce myself and say hello to everyone!
I try to keep it a secret but I get a woody with chainsaws and love to run the 2 I got. My 019T was some of the best 230 bucks I've spent. It's going on 8 years old and still kicks but for one handed operations. I just got the MS361 20incher last year and love it. I want a biggie to build up. 066 or something. I do have a couple questions. I hate the search so don't tell me to use the search.

Whats the difference with the chains? Full skip, half skip, etc..? and what are they for?

welcome to the party! Sounds like you have a healthy chainsaw lust - but to support it you either need time or money, preferably both...
Skip chains are for when your saw doesn't have the guts to pull a full comp chain - so the saw can keep the revs up and will cut faster than if it was bogging its way through. It's used when you have a bar 'too' big for the saw...opcorn:

 

[Wicked500R]

Thats for the chain info. I would assume a skip chain will be a slower cut... Yeah, chainsaws to me are like my guns and watches...lol Even though I have no "real" use for a big hot rodded saw...I just want it for kicks and in case I ever need to drop a large tree... I got it... I do have time and a some money but I'm not rich so I need to start cheap with a saw thats seen better days... I like to work on and rebuild things... Whatever it is.. I get the satisfaction of knowing I built it and I know what I got.

 

[klickitatsacket]

welcome to the party! Sounds like you have a healthy chainsaw lust - but to support it you either need time or money, preferably both...
Skip chains are for when your saw doesn't have the guts to pull a full comp chain - so the saw can keep the revs up and will cut faster than if it was bogging its way through. It's used when you have a bar 'too' big for the saw...opcorn:

Now don't let this guy make it sound all bad. There are some good reasons for running skip chain. He is right when he says that the bar is usually too long for the saw.
Most pros that I know who run skip do so for a couple of reasons.
#1 They do not want to pack around a small car, so they go to a smaller power head and skip chain.
#2 they would rather keep the chain sharp with a file in the field and do not want to pack 6 chains with them. So they go to a skip chain for fewer cutters to sharpen.

So why would a person do this? Well if you have to pack into the bottom of a canyon, wieght can become a serious issue. Here in the PNW, we tend to be cutting on steep slopes and need to make most cuts from one side and a long bar is needed to do the job. Those same steep slopes will wear you out in a heart beat and so a lighter saw is preferred by some. Also the less you pack in the less you will have to take out (extra chain and so on).

#3 some times it just works better. Take for instance cutting cedar shake bolts. Skip chain with rakers taken down really aggressively works better than a full comp chain for chip clearance. Running 075's with a 48" bar and chain; full skip was the only way to go.

 

[cbolyard]

Now don't let this guy make it sound all bad. There are some good reasons for running skip chain. He is right when he says that the bar is usually too long for the saw.
Most pros that I know who run skip do so for a couple of reasons.
#1 They do not want to pack around a small car, so they go to a smaller power head and skip chain.
#2 they would rather keep the chain sharp with a file in the field and do not want to pack 6 chains with them. So they go to a skip chain for fewer cutters to sharpen.

So why would a person do this? Well if you have to pack into the bottom of a canyon, wieght can become a serious issue. Here in the PNW, we tend to be cutting on steep slopes and need to make most cuts from one side and a long bar is needed to do the job. Those same steep slopes will wear you out in a heart beat and so a lighter saw is preferred by some. Also the less you pack in the less you will have to take out (extra chain and so on).

#3 some times it just works better. Take for instance cutting cedar shake bolts. Skip chain with rakers taken down really aggressively works better than a full comp chain for chip clearance. Running 075's with a 48" bar and chain; full skip was the only way to go.

I always thought that skip chain was harder for a saw to pull, since each cutter is in theory taking a bigger bite than with full comp (yes I'm aware that raker depth has more to do with how big the bite is).
So if full comp is so much harder for a saw to pull, howcome it's the standard chain for most saws, including my little pee-wee 45cc Homelite Timberman? Why wouldn't the factory give you a skip chain if it was easier for the saw to pull?

 

[SawTroll]

....
... semi skip = no cutter every 2nd link, full skip = no cutter every other link.

Sort of, but not really - the cutters are just skipped (every other on full, and every third on semi), and not replaced by anything.

Full skip has about 66% the cutters of a full comp (standard) chain, and semi-skip about 80% - the exact numbers depend on the dl count.

Skip chain will not cut as smooth as full comp - LOL, never used one, and probably never will, but......

 

[Haywire Haywood]

I always thought that skip chain was harder for a saw to pull, since each cutter is in theory taking a bigger bite than with full comp (yes I'm aware that raker depth has more to do with how big the bite is).
So if full comp is so much harder for a saw to pull, howcome it's the standard chain for most saws, including my little pee-wee 45cc Homelite Timberman? Why wouldn't the factory give you a skip chain if it was easier for the saw to pull?

Nope, the number of teeth a chain has doesn't affect how aggressive it is at all. Given the same raker height, each tooth will take the same "bite". Fewer teeth in the cut means less load on the power head. The reason manufacturers don't outfit saws with skip is that most don't offer a saw packaged with a bar outside of it's optimum range. Pro saws are different. Most pro saws come PHO, Power Head Only, which means you buy the motor and bar combination that suits your purposes. If you buy a 70cc saw and want to run a 32" bar on it, you'd run skip to make it easier on the saw.

Real long bars are another reason to run skip regardless of how much power you have. If you have a 5' bar buried, each tooth is cutting for 5 feet and chip buildup becomes a problem. Skip chain provides more clearance for chips before they start pushing the teeth out of the cut. If you run full comp in that instance, you have some teeth cutting and some just raking chips.

Ian

 

[Cedarkerf]

So if full comp is so much harder for a saw to pull, howcome it's the standard chain for most saws, including my little pee-wee 45cc Homelite Timberman? Why wouldn't the factory give you a skip chain if it was easier for the saw to pull?

Full skip also has a higher tendency for kick back and does not work on small stuff well very grabby. Lotta saw buyers are first time one time saw owners sawing a few hours a year. Its all about liability.

 

[stihl sawing]

Real long bars are another reason to run skip regardless of how much power you have. If you have a 5' bar buried, each tooth is cutting for 5 feet and chip buildup becomes a problem. Skip chain provides more clearance for chips before they start pushing the teeth out of the cut. If you run full comp in that instance, you have some teeth cutting and some just raking chips.

Ian

That's the reason i thought they were used.