MS280 medium/heavy chunking setup? +newbie Qs

[them0nk]

I've been browsing, but having really found any easy answers to this (and i know i'm going to get proved wrong, it's just the way things work i swear...) but i'm wondering what a good bar/chain setup to make chunking larger parts with my ms280 easier...

right now it's got the stock 20" bar w/ stock chain.

i think i've read low profile chain, but i wonder about the bar... 14-16" quarter tip? or should the tip be even a littler bigger?

mind you as i'm typing this i've only done ONE carving, and it wasn't even that wonderful. it was a small childrens bench... only chunked out the seat area, cut the bottom flat, cut arm rests in, etc:

As you can see not really that wonderful. I can easily say it was not easy with that saw. the kickback was intense. it wasn't till i was doggedly tired that i noticed how to actually remove material off the seat of the chair to make it "smooth", and it was going to get dark soon so i called it done.

One thing i really noticed was how hard rip cuts are with a normal blade... Is it better to get some sort of rip cut blade for those cuts, or is a "carving" blade on that saw going to make that easier? Reason i ask is while browsing "ripping" blades i read 2 different statements that perked my attention up... 1. ripping chains are not meant for handheld use, and 2. ripping blades cut slower, but smoother than standard blades. at least that was what the description (1.) and a comment on the blades (2.) said.

To tell you the truth, right now i don't even know what the difference in geometry of the blades really is, yet. or how it effects everything. which is why i haven't really messed with sharpening my own blades manually yet... i have a cheap benchtop harbor freight one that seems to work for now...

last thing i read, that i wondered about was... canola oil, really? that sounds like a instantly voided warrantee to me (who knows though, putting a carving guide on there probably does that anyways...) - does this have any effect, other than keeping uber thick oil off your work peice?

Of course, thank you all for your future replies, even if they're flame posts... i deserve it, i pulled the newb thing to do, post without spending a month reading, i know...

 

[rb142]

For the large blocking cuts you are talking about, I would say you are better off with a standard bar and chain combo. Low profile chain isn't really going to help with blocking cuts, unless you just don't have the power to pull the regular chain. In your case, you might do well to drop down to a 18" or 16" bar. A quarter tip or dime tip bar won't help until you are doing detail work, and isn't a good choice for blocking cuts, because you will just wear out the solid-nose bar and 1/4 pitch chain faster.

Ripping chain (for cutting end grain as in milling, not noodling with the grain) is a very different animal, and I wouldn't suggest using it for carving. You really shouldn't have much end-grain cutting to do. (The picture you posted could be done with very little end grain cutting.) End grain will always cut slower, but can be done just fine if your chain is sharp.

 

[them0nk]

Awesome, I will look for a 16/18 bar and some chains to work with... Is there a better type of standard type bar for chunking or plunging?

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[cowboyvet]

I use an 18" bar with .325 chain for most of my blocking. I like the .325 better than 3/8 cause it has more teeth per inch and cuts faster with a better finish. Stay away from ripping chain for carving but for your info the main difference in ripping chain is a 0* - 10* top plate angle instead of 35* found on normal chains.

As for hard cutting I would say a sharp chain with proper depth settings will do more than anything. It is well worth the time spent to learn good chain sharpening.

You said you were "fighting the saw" and "kickback was intense". Be careful and change something rather than fight the saw. One of these times the saw might win the fight...:msp_scared:
If your depth gages are to low it will grab more and cause kickback. If you try to plane too much or deep with the tip will also do this so take a smaller bite. I'm just saying find the problem and change it instead of fight it. Carving is all about using a saw to the limits in every way they tell you not to. You have to learn those limits carefully. I'm not trying to preach and sorry if it sounds that way but don't want to see anybody hurt. A good idea might be to look up a local carver or go to a show and watch them carve. Pay close attention to the angle they use on the saw and how they go about attacking the wood. It is also good to see how to produce different textures like feathers or fur.

For the canola oil I believe it is only better on hard nose carving bars. They produce a lot of heat and the canola runs a little cooler. The trade-off for this is extra clean-up time for the saw cause the canola will bake on and gum up the saw. You also need a saw with an adjustable oiler to run it.

Hope this helps some. Please keep asking questions and maybe we can help.

 

[them0nk]

The 339xp I just ordered has the adjustible lube I think... I'm waiting for it... Hopefully it will show up tomorrow...

I'm a little weird about the canola oil still, I'll try without that for awhile.

I think the problems I had were more inexperience then anything else... I'll know more when I try some more...

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[them0nk]

Oh...the bar on my ms280 is a 20"... Maybe I was asking to much of the saw with a rip cut that was too much or something.

The kick back was generated more from getting too close to something else... I think with a smaller saw/bar I would have been able to control it more...

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[them0nk]

i'm LOVING the ArborMax 16" bar & chain combo i've got on my MS280 now :-D (ArborMAX 16" Bar and Chain Combo for Stihl (.325" x .063) 67 Drive Links)

I now know how important an even larger saw will be for Big carvings. I'm starting to see where the power -vs- what can saw do line is drawn.

Other than price... i LOVE this saw.

arms tired must go rest!!! lol (at least stop typing hahaha)