skip or not

[demc570]

Hi,i used both full skip and non skip rs sthil chains on my ms660 with 28" bar,now is it me or is the skip chain slower in hard woods? It seem to me that the standard rs chain did as good or little better than the skip chain,i didnt time them or anything.....this is my first skip chain use,so any thoughts? is skip better in soft woods,than hardwoods?

 

[flashhole]

I want to see the responses to your question. I don't currently use any skip chains, all full chisel with alternating cutters every other link. My longest bar is 32". I think the idea of the skip chain is it aids the cutter clearing the cut wood from the kerf. It stands to reason it would be slower with fewer cutters.

 

[Whitespider]

The idea behind skip-chain is to reduce drag, or resistance, using long guide bars, allowing engine RPM to remain high. If the saw is large enough, powerful enough, to pull the given bar length using standard chain without bogging down … then standard chain will be faster because it has more cutters doing the cutting. If the saw bogs down using standard chain on a long(er) bar, switching to skip-chain may increase cutting speed. A MS660 should have plenty of power to pull standard chain on a 28-inch bar in most all cutting conditions… but the situation may be different with, say, a 38-inch bar. Normally, skip-chain is for "special" purpose applications, and a MS600/28-inch wouldn't normally be anything "special".
One other advantage to skip-chain on longer bars… fewer cutters to sharpen, which reduces chain maintenance down time in the field.

addendum; I should mention that I've heard a lot of loggers run skip-chain cutting western softwood, so maybe there is another advantage I'm missing... I'm sure someone will chime-in.

 

[Gologit]

Skip chain seems to work best when you're running with most of your bar buried in the wood. It clears the chips from the kerf better.

Full comp is fine if it's super sharp but if it dulls a little and starts making fines they tend to clog the bar and the nose roller. Combine fines with the bar oil that gets slung everywhere and pretty soon you have oily mush all over everything and inside the clutch cover. Hardwoods, especially when they're green, seem to be the worst for that.

I've had good luck with skip chain on 32's, 36's, and 42's. I also run it on my smaller saws.

Skip is maybe just a tad slower but not enough to really notice. I doubt if it would make any difference for cutting firewood.

The worst thing you can do with either style is run it dull and just bear down a little harder to make up for it.
Don't fall into the "just one more cut" trap. Stop and change your chain or touch it up with a file.

 

[demc570]

thankyou all,yes i always keep sharp chain,l am a little annal on sharp chain,always hand sharpen and clean saw after every tank of fuel,or change chain and sharpen when i get home,i never like to push the saw,just let it do its thing,now my uncle on the other hand likes to completely dull the chains,then has me sharpen them,and they can be a pain.......when i sharpen mine after every tank of gas,it usually 3 to 5 quarter file passes to get sharp,on his it always 10 to 15:bang:.....yes on the 28" bar the regular rs work a little better and faster in hard wood to me than full skip,but full skip is sooooo nice to hand file vs reg rs...now on the 36" bar i only have regular rs chain,will have to get full skip for it to try,i always like to have serval extra chains any way....hand sharpen the 36" reg rs chain,and 28" regular rs chain and 28"rs full skip last night,now ready to go again:msp_smile:

 

[aokpops]

Baileys recommend 2 foot or longer bars should run skip. Never ran one till this year really like the skip tooth

 

[flashhole]

Now I think I'm missing out on something.

 

[blackdogon57]

As others have pointed out a 660 with a 28 inch bar should pull standard chain easily. The guy who modified my 365 warned me about running the saw with high rpm and low torque. With a 20 inch bar and regular full chisel chain it will grunt its way through pretty much anything. I think if I needed to run a 28" bar I would buy a 90cc saw. As most of us know, CAD will likely force me to make that purchase at some point.

 

[flashhole]

My excuse to buy a 90cc saw was a 32" bar. It is your destiny!!!

 

[echoshawn]

Some people running smaller displacement saws run skip to keep the revs up. It will be slower in cuts for obvious reasons.. fewer cutters=less wood cut. But if running in big wood with a big bar, skip allows more chips behind the cutter. When I inherited my old 500, it had skip on it. Thats all my grandpa would run, being a logger from wayyy too many years back. I have since gone full comp and have plenty of power with a 20" bar in softwood around here.
Another reason some guys love skip... less cutters to file.. :msp_wink:

 

[autis]

something that might be of interest to yall is semi-skip. on the right setup it truly has the best of both worlds. i run it one my echo 680 and stihl 044 both with 24 inch bars. i cut hardwood. only catch is that you cant get it with a round grind, only square grind so u gotta learn to square file or just do like me and sharpen the square out with a round file. first sharpening can be a bit annoying but after that its just like the round stuff. great stuff, imo!

anybody just getting into skip chains might wanna be careful about how far you take the drags down. more wood gettin in front of each tooth so theres potential for it to be quite "grabby" if you get the drags down too far.

 

[allstihl]

i run skip on my bars over 20in.its seems to be to grabby for limbing but is great for noodling.

 

[Trx250r180]

the last roll i got was semi skip ,it works pretty good in the wood in my area ,little less grabby limbing than the full skip ,and less teeth to sharpen over full comp

 

[cffr]

Skip tooth is also really good if your cutting dirtier wood. I cut pinyon juniper with a 372xp with a 20" bar and skip tooth chain. it is the best setup i have found for this type of wood and i do several hundred cords a year plus thinning projects. The only down side is it wont cut small stuff very well bounces off most of the time.

 

[Patrick62]

the last roll i got was semi skip ,it works pretty good in the wood in my area ,little less grabby limbing than the full skip ,and less teeth to sharpen over full comp

I will put another vote in for half skip. I have a roll of it here, and on a 28" bar that is just about the perfect combo! On a 660.... I would probably run full comp, it has the grunt to pull it nicely. Also run a 8 tooth sprocket there.

Full skip is fun to play with on really deep cuts, with a smaller powerhead. Little too bouncy to my liking on limbing.

 

[terryknight]

I really missed my skip chain today in 40+" oak. I only have skip chain for my 36" bar

 

[Nemus Talea]

+1 for the half / semi skip on a 28". Engine load sounds right even in knotty, burly hardwood. Bores much nicer than full skip, and much MUCH nicer than full skip with lowered depth rakers. Almost dont notice a difference between that and full comp, till its time to sharpen. Still, 660 would be fine with full comp, letting up pressure occasionally to clear the kerf.
Its great stuff on the "short" long bars powered by 70+ cc's.