RS or RM chain for firewood

[Chris-PA]

I've recently acquired a few loops of full chisel, either because they came on saws or it was all I could find at the time. It's fun - for a couple of minutes. Then it's time to put it on a nail for the next time I'm bored and want to fiddle in the shop sharpening chains. When I have work to do I use semi chisel.

 

[MCW]

It's funny but 5 years ago on AS when I mentioned that I used a lot of semi chisel I was treated like a leper

 

[Brush Ape]

I went through the same thing. But I am a leper. It's the bees knees in fencerows or tops that have fungus growing in the humus from the skidder drag two years ago. When I went from cutting dirty logs 75% and clean removals/falling bucking 25% to the other way around, I gave up semi-chisel. Now I'm scrounging around the shop for it to convert to 10 degree chain to rip. Milling is a bad affliction.

 

[MustangMike]

Troll, define what you mean by "better".

Stihl chain is usually sharper right out of the box, and is generally a bit harder than Oregon. Some people like Oregon because (being softer) it is easier to sharpen. Others like me prefer Stihl because it will hold an edge longer.

To declare one better than the other is misleading.

 

[woodeneye]

Thus far, I've been really impressed with all of my Oregon semi chisel chain. Easy to sharpen and maintain and cuts very well. I've only tried RM and it does hold up well but was a little more trouble to sharpen by hand. My uncles and lumberjack grandfather swear by Stihl, though. Then again they have a commercial Stihl electric chain sharpener. Different strokes for different folks.

 

[SawTroll]

Troll, define what you mean by "better".

Stihl chain is usually sharper right out of the box, and is generally a bit harder than Oregon. Some people like Oregon because (being softer) it is easier to sharpen. Others like me prefer Stihl because it will hold an edge longer.

To declare one better than the other is misleading.

No, that simply isn't true ime.

 

[MustangMike]

You can buy a hand held 12V sharpener for less than $40, and they work very well (use the car battery). Just spend the $6 to get a EZE lap diamond stone for it (the stones that come with them are crap). It will give you a very sharp chain in a lot less time, and I touch the rakers with it before I sharpen the tooth. Works great for round file. Will cut your sharpening time in half, even more if your chain is damaged.

 

[Trx250r180]

Troll, define what you mean by "better".

Stihl chain is usually sharper right out of the box, and is generally a bit harder than Oregon. Some people like Oregon because (being softer) it is easier to sharpen. Others like me prefer Stihl because it will hold an edge longer.

To declare one better than the other is misleading.

I like oregon ,because a roll is much cheaper than the stihl ,most will not admit that ,it is decent chain though ,if they were the same price i would buy stihl ,i can get a sharper edge on that brand

 

[sunfish]

Lot of contradictions in this thread? This subject is very subjective and opinion based...

I can get Oregon chain sharper than Stihl chain. Oregon cuts smoother and a bit faster for me, but Stihl will hold an edge just a tiny bit longer.

Semi chisel, will process more firewood at the end of the day.

Hand filed chain cuts faster for me. Not much diff in cutting speed between semi & chisel after I file both chains.

 

[KenJax Tree]

I've used a lot of different chains and i could usually make one faster than the other if i thought hard enough about it.......the mind is a powerful thing.

 

[MCW]

All the main chains from all the big names are good. If you start talking forestry guys in one area fallers will swear by Stihl, in another area they'll use only Oregon etc etc. Loggers and fallers are a funny bunch, they just use what works best for them and don't fart around arguing like we do.
Having worked (and still doing so) falling windbreak rows up to 800 trees a day I can confidently say that all major chain brands get the same amount of wood on the ground in the same amount of time.

 

[Deleted member 117362]

I agree with Saw Troll and Mustang Mike. Why grease a bar tip, it just keeps the dirt in. His chain selection is great too. Mike's 12v dremel style grinder with a diamond stone works nice in the field and use your bench grinder at home. They make many different chains for different wood conditions to make everyone happy. I would say keep it as sharp as possible and spinning. My saws 262xp, 562xp, 372xpw, 372xp and 385xp with sharp chains cut easy and keep me smiling.

 

[MCW]

I agree with Saw Troll and Mustang Mike. Why grease a bar tip, it just keeps the dirt in.

There are a few cutting scenarios where greasing tips is necessary. Dead Australian hardwood on a floodplain where the logs are full of dust and silt is one scenario.
As companies start tightening up on saw oiler outputs for " environmental reasons" greasing tips will become even more important. I realise Stihl bars don't have greasable noses but they're the only company that doesn't.
I have a feeling bar manufacturers probably know a bit more than we do.

 

[Brush Ape]

The main thing is keep it shaving sharp and keep the bar tip greased if there is a provision made for it. Even semi-chisel will throw huge chips if you dial it in. The cutting geometry creates a more gradual curling action; a different shaped chip, but give it some clearance off the depth gauge and the tissue in question won't have a choice.

Theory and practice are two different thang. You can make textbook chain on the bench and find something else from your trick bag working in the woods. One thing is for certain, if your bar tip is full of grease, there can't possibly be any dirt in there. It's already full.

 

[Trx250r180]

 

[Brush Ape]

Keith

 

[Trx250r180]

Keith

was that noodleing ?or bucking ? mine was bucking a fir

 

[MustangMike]

There was a video (or maybe just a series of pics) posted some time back that described why full chisel cuts faster (more efficiently) than semi chisel.

Basically, if you picture the wood grains running horizontally, full chisel will cut the grain once & remove the chip. With semi chisel, as the chain goes deeper, you are cutting some of the same grains again a second time (less efficient). This is due to the rounded corner of semi chisel. So in clean wood, full chisel is generally better (more efficient), all things being equal.

Conversely, if you have dirt or debris in your wood, or very dry wood, it will damage full chisel worse than semi chisel. W/O that corner, full chisel becomes worthless fast. Semi chisel has some redundancy in the cutters that full chisel is lacking.

That is why they make different cutters for different conditions. Your sharpening style and proficiency may also influence your decisions.

I usually cut clean wood that still has sap in in (which lubricates the cutters). That is why I prefer full chisel and square file. Full chisel will stay sharp for a long time in clean sappy wood. Your needs may be different.

 

[Philbert]

For my use RM is the one-size fits all chain.

Semi-chisel is the 'all season radial' of chainsaw chains.

Stihl have apparently done this as their chain is designed to be run on a wide range of saws with far different power outputs. . . . They have to compromise.

Oregon rep told me the same thing about recommended sharpening angles. They make a chain that could be used by millions (?) of different users, running different saws, different wood, different cutting conditions, etc. So they pick a best 'all around' set of specs (e.g. 30/60/0, with .025 depth gauge) to quote. More experienced users, such as guys on this site, recognize that and adjust those angles to fit their needs. It is not the case that these companies are making inferior chain, or don't know what they are doing.

Back to the OP - the best thing is to get a few different types and brands of chains, and see what works for you. Maybe have different chains sharpened for different situations (hard/frozen wood, softwood, dirty wood, etc.). New guys sometimes think that they have to buy one chain and use it for everything. I like to think of my saws like a mechanic's 'socket set'; powerhead, different bars, different chains, maybe even a few different sprockets - fit the tool to the task at hand.

Philbert

 

[MGoBlue]

I too only use RS. Tried RM and it became a back-up loop pretty quick.