rngrchad
Addicted to ArboristSite
I see the threads come up all the time asking: "what cuts better fullcomp or skip? What runs smoother full comp or skip? Should I run skip? Etc Etc. Tonight I had the rare opportunity to lay into a humongous Red Oak that was dropped off at our work yard on a low-boy equipment trailer. The oak stick measured roughly48"+/- for over 18ft! Anyhow I took the time to switch out chains a few times just to get a feel for any differences good or bad. Thought some may be interested as most of the info on this topic is related to Western firs, pines and softwoods. Keep in mind this is my take on things...I'm no pro-logger.
Wood: Red Oak
Saw- 390xp
Bar- 32" Oregon pro-lite
Chains- Oregon 72jgx (full skip)
Oregon 72glx (full comp)
72Jgx- It "self fed" really well and threw rather big chips. With the bar fully buried into oak the 390xp turned it with ease. I made really quick progress on 5 bucking cuts and the chain did not feel any considerable dullness whatsoever. I made a mental note on how it felt in the hardwood. When cutting smaller limbs off surrounding woodpile to clean workspace, the full skip felt like I had to apply more pressure to the tip in order to make a "quick" cut.
72jlx- Saw didn't feel as though it ran at any slower rpm's with this fullcomp(glx) vs skip(jgx). Once the full 32"(105links) into the wood it seemed to self-feed just a bit faster than glx. It felt more aggressive. For what it's worth the saw chips were considerably smaller. Chain seemed more pronounced about wanting to pull the saw-dawgs into the wood. I'm splitting hairs here: but the full comp oddly felt a bit rougher than the skip which really suprised me. Clearing smaller limbs with this jlx felt smoother, quicker and more effortless while limbing. After making 5 bucking cuts this seemed to hold its sharpness as well.
I was hoping doing a side-by-side comparison of the two would give me an idea of what kind of chain loops I want to run on this longer bar. I really liked the convenience of sharpening skip chain but figured that if full-comp felt considerably better all around I would deal with long-sharpening intervals and buy full-comp. However, I personally liked the skip chain and felt that it's cutting characteristics are slightly different in feel and I prefer the lesser amount of cutters it offers. Full skip, if it was slower at all, did in no way seem to be a compromise in this situation. I pleasantly surprised myself with my favoring of skip chain.
I felt of no negative comments on either chain style other than the extra time sharpening of full-comp.
Thanks for reading hope I didn't bore anyone too much
Wood: Red Oak
Saw- 390xp
Bar- 32" Oregon pro-lite
Chains- Oregon 72jgx (full skip)
Oregon 72glx (full comp)
72Jgx- It "self fed" really well and threw rather big chips. With the bar fully buried into oak the 390xp turned it with ease. I made really quick progress on 5 bucking cuts and the chain did not feel any considerable dullness whatsoever. I made a mental note on how it felt in the hardwood. When cutting smaller limbs off surrounding woodpile to clean workspace, the full skip felt like I had to apply more pressure to the tip in order to make a "quick" cut.
72jlx- Saw didn't feel as though it ran at any slower rpm's with this fullcomp(glx) vs skip(jgx). Once the full 32"(105links) into the wood it seemed to self-feed just a bit faster than glx. It felt more aggressive. For what it's worth the saw chips were considerably smaller. Chain seemed more pronounced about wanting to pull the saw-dawgs into the wood. I'm splitting hairs here: but the full comp oddly felt a bit rougher than the skip which really suprised me. Clearing smaller limbs with this jlx felt smoother, quicker and more effortless while limbing. After making 5 bucking cuts this seemed to hold its sharpness as well.
I was hoping doing a side-by-side comparison of the two would give me an idea of what kind of chain loops I want to run on this longer bar. I really liked the convenience of sharpening skip chain but figured that if full-comp felt considerably better all around I would deal with long-sharpening intervals and buy full-comp. However, I personally liked the skip chain and felt that it's cutting characteristics are slightly different in feel and I prefer the lesser amount of cutters it offers. Full skip, if it was slower at all, did in no way seem to be a compromise in this situation. I pleasantly surprised myself with my favoring of skip chain.
I felt of no negative comments on either chain style other than the extra time sharpening of full-comp.
Thanks for reading hope I didn't bore anyone too much