One sharp chain dull in 1-2 rounds on dry 32 to 48 inch mystery hardwood

[jt4265]

Hello all. I am a homeowner with a stock 372xp with a 32 inch lightweight aluminum/steel Oregon bar running three full skip full chisel chains (two from Stihl, one from Oregon) and one semi skip full chisel from Stihl because I wanted to try it out. I got called out today to buck a dry log that was 32 inches on the small end and about 60 inches at it's widest. The homeowner thinks it is a box elder or flaming box elder due to the mild red coloration in the rounds. I will take pictures next time I am out there and post them to get this wood positively identified, but for now I just want to know if I can select a better chain profile for the rare occasions that I am cutting stuff like this.

I got one to two 15 inch long rounds off that 32 inch log increasing to 60 inches per chain. I've never cut wood this dry or this hard. I ran each chain until it got dull and then gave my bar 20 minutes to cool down so I could swap chains without burning my hands with gloves on. Is there a better chain profile that I could be running for wood like this, or is this just normal?

 

[NSEric]

Semi chisel holds up way better in rock hard wood.

 

[buzz sawyer]

Maybe PNW Box elder is harder than Eastern variety but over here it won't dull a chain that quickly unless there is a lot of dirt in the bark. +1 on the semi-chisel.

 

[4CornersPuddle]

If you can when you take photos, get some of the chains before and after cutting. It will be informative to see how the cutter profile starts out, and ends up. I cut plenty of box elder without dulling chains as quickly as you have. Unless of course, I hit dirt, metal, other hard crap that has found its way into the logs.

How much bar oil is the saw using per tank of fuel? Oiler should be dumping its tank as fast as you burn a tank of fuel.

Is the chain wandering in the cut? Cuts should end up straight.

Pics will certainly help us.

 

[Mad Professor]

I suspect the wood is dirty or has yard toys embedded in it.

Just to ask, you didn't turf the chains and/or cut through to the dirt/ground?

 

[Dennisthemenace]

404 semi chisel and a bigger saw

 

[camel2019]

Semi chisel for hardwood I had 1 loop of full and it hung on the wall for a while.

 

[Fabb]

The Oregon is just soft, check the corners at the beginning of the chisels; of they are round you know for sure the chain is wrong, and Oregon has that issue. Been there done that, never had with an X-cut Semi-Chisel, even last 2 weeks on very hard wood which learned me never to buy an Oregon chain, this one was on the saw I bought.

Which Stihl chains do you have ?

 

[jt4265]

If you can when you take photos, get some of the chains before and after cutting. It will be informative to see how the cutter profile starts out, and ends up. I cut plenty of box elder without dulling chains as quickly as you have. Unless of course, I hit dirt, metal, other hard crap that has found its way into the logs.

How much bar oil is the saw using per tank of fuel? Oiler should be dumping its tank as fast as you burn a tank of fuel.

Is the chain wandering in the cut? Cuts should end up straight.

Pics will certainly help us.

When I go back out there I will take the pictures you have requested and post them. The saw uses bar oil and fuel just about equally. The bar oil is a little slower than fuel but not by much. The chains are cutting dead straight.

 

[jt4265]

I suspect the wood is dirty or has yard toys embedded in it.

Just to ask, you didn't turf the chains and/or cut through to the dirt/ground?

The wood is clean with no dirt in the bark and the rounds are only wood. I haven't found any nails or anything that would dull a chain quickly in this log. I did rock my first chain but the other three never touched dirt or rock. And the first chain was just about spent when I found the rock/dirt at the bottom of the cut.

 

[chipper1]

Box elder is in the maple family, and is the softest maple we have here(although it's a hardwood), full chisel wood all yr. It's softer than many softwoods.
Cut this one last week.
Welcome to posting @jt4265 .

 

[chipper1]

The Oregon is just soft, check the corners at the beginning of the chisels; of they are round you know for sure the chain is wrong, and Oregon has that issue. Been there done that, never had with an X-cut Semi-Chisel, even last 2 weeks on very hard wood which learned me never to buy an Oregon chain, this one was on the saw I bought.

Which Stihl chains do you have ?

Sounds like you need to get out a little more, not all Oregon chain is "just soft", try some Oregon EXL. If a chain last you two weeks, you must not have cut much during that timeframe. In our hardwood many times I touch up a 325 semi chisel every two tanks on a stock mtronic/autotune saw.

 

[jt4265]

404 semi chisel and a bigger saw

Someday I would love to have a bigger saw but until the right deal pops up my 372 is going to have to do for big wood like this. It's very rare that I get called out to cut stuff like this. I have an old Echo 660 EVL in really great shape that needs a new bar and I'm going to go 20 inch on that one. After I get the Echo going I might get a shorter bar and some chain for the 372, because usually the 32 is more in the way than it is useful.

 

[jt4265]

The Oregon is just soft, check the corners at the beginning of the chisels; of they are round you know for sure the chain is wrong, and Oregon has that issue. Been there done that, never had with an X-cut Semi-Chisel, even last 2 weeks on very hard wood which learned me never to buy an Oregon chain, this one was on the saw I bought.

Which Stihl chains do you have ?

The Oregon chain matches the Stihl chains in the profile of the cutting tooth. They were all square grind out of the box but I had the local shop round grind them so I can hand file them when I need to. I can't hand file square grind to save my life. I can get by with a round file. They typically cut great and last a reasonable amount of time when I pick them up. My local saw shop does a pretty damn good job and considerably better than I do with a hand file.

I should have kept track of which chains I was buying. The Oregon chain came with the bar from Madsen's where I bought the saw. The three Stihl chains I bought have a C on the link. They have a 6 on the part of the chain that rides in the bar.

 

[jt4265]

Box elder is in the maple family, and is the softest maple we have here(although it's a hardwood), full chisel wood all yr. It's softer than many softwoods.
Cut this one last week.
Welcome to posting @jt4265 .
View attachment 1021387

That is some gorgeous wood. This wood definitely doesn't have that much color, but it does have a bit of red in it. This stuff is super dry but I don't think the color should fade this much due to drying out. I'm still not sure what the wood is. I will post pictures when I get back out there with some semi chisel chains and some sharp full chisel chains.

 

[chipper1]

That is some gorgeous wood. This wood definitely doesn't have that much color, but it does have a bit of red in it. This stuff is super dry but I don't think the color should fade this much due to drying out. I'm still not sure what the wood is. I will post pictures when I get back out there with some semi chisel chains and some sharp full chisel chains.

Not all of them have a flame like that, and some of it is lost as it dries.
Does the bark look the same. I've not seen one as big as what you described, although I've seen some pretty large multi-stem box elder.
Curious to see the pictures.

 

[pdqdl]

Every now and then I come across a log that just seems to have sand impregnated in the wood. The chain dulls nearly immediately, and I haven't come close to the ground, nor found any hidden artifacts.

Sometimes you just have bad luck, and your saw gets dull. Sharpen up, and keep at it.

 

[Fabb]

Sounds like you need to get out a little more, not all Oregon chain is "just soft", try some Oregon EXL. If a chain last you two weeks, you must not have cut much during that timeframe. In our hardwood many times I touch up a 325 semi chisel every two tanks on a stock mtronic/autotune saw.

Cut a litte bit more and notcut much in a timeframe ? I have cut at least 60-80m3 wood with an SP33G without even sharpen it in any way... then... it finally needed to be sharpened. The EXL are actually the same as X-cut ones.

The Oregon chain matches the Stihl chains in the profile of the cutting tooth. They were all square grind out of the box but I had the local shop round grind them so I can hand file them when I need to. I can't hand file square grind to save my life. I can get by with a round file. They typically cut great and last a reasonable amount of time when I pick them up. My local saw shop does a pretty damn good job and considerably better than I do with a hand file.

I should have kept track of which chains I was buying. The Oregon chain came with the bar from Madsen's where I bought the saw. The three Stihl chains I bought have a C on the link. They have a 6 on the part of the chain that rides in the bar.

Yes it sounds like you need to build a new rederence for yourself, takes some time and testing but you will get there! You can file square the same way, at least I seen doing it a lot and it's not that difficult. Remember; you never get a chain the same way as it came out if it's box, it's just simply not possible and will cut different and stays sharp less long after any way of shapening by yourself or a shop. As most people say.. so you cut a lot, so you sharpen a lot. I always keep that one in mind

 

[chipper1]

Cut a litte bit more and notcut much in a timeframe ? I have cut at least 60-80m3 wood with an SP33G without even sharpen it in any way... then... it finally needed to be sharpened. The EXL are actually the same as X-cut ones.

No, I said get out a little more, and that you must not cut much in that time frame.
EXL is not the same chain as the Husky X-cut chain, proving what I said, "you need to get out a little more", ie learn more about chains/manufacturers.

Remember; you never get a chain the same way as it came out if it's box, it's just simply not possible and will cut different and stays sharp less long after any way of shapening by yourself or a shop.

You won't get the X-cut chains sharpened like the factory/new.
I can certainly tune a chain to stay sharp longer than factory or to cut faster than from the factory. Yes it will cut different, but I touch up/tune many new chains before they ever hit the wood. A chain from the factory is set up to cut well in as many circumstances as possible, but not to cut awesome in specific circumstances, thus many guys who cut a lot will make adjustments to the cutter profiles and/or to the depth gauges as soon as they put new chain on.
X-cut, EXL, and RS chains I don't usually do anything to until after the first use or at least trying them, I also leave the stihl picco chains factory unless it's for my polesaw, then I take the cutters back a little as the rakers are lower than I prefer(although the cutter profile I like).

 

[Fabb]

No, I said get out a little more, and that you must not cut much in that time frame.
EXL is not the same chain as the Husky X-cut chain, proving what I said, "you need to get out a little more", ie learn more about chains/manufacturers.


You won't get the X-cut chains sharpened like the factory/new.
I can certainly tune a chain to stay sharp longer than factory or to cut faster than from the factory. Yes it will cut different, but I touch up/tune many new chains before they ever hit the wood. A chain from the factory is set up to cut well in as many circumstances as possible, but not to cut awesome in specific circumstances, thus many guys who cut a lot will make adjustments to the cutter profiles and/or to the depth gauges as soon as they put new chain on.
X-cut, EXL, and RS chains I don't usually do anything to until after the first use or at least trying them, I also leave the stihl picco chains factory unless it's for my polesaw, then I take the cutters back a little as the rakers are lower than I prefer(although the cutter profile I like).

It seems you need to start your own company/brand and put all other people's experience overboard, at least because it seems you have not been able to convince the big brands about your way and opinion what cuts best compared to their experience as you don't own them.