Why does my Husky 345 outruns my 262xp and 272xp?
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By my standards. It cuts, but not like it should. Bit some dirt with that one. Really pissed. 36" full comp...
Dirt patches and rocks find long loops like a magnet. I pulled out an 084 41 RS full. Third cut hit a rock in the bark last month. Fresh new loop, like usual. It was only one log and five cuts. Oh well.
What makes a chain cut good in dry Oak? I make my living taking out dead, dry oaks here in northeast Texas. The first thing I find important is a sharp corner. Full chisel works best. Second is having the depth guages low enough. Depends on what the saw can handle, but I grind them down up to half way on a well used chain. Third, skip tooth chain is my preference, because it's quicker to sharpen, and also, an aggressive chain needs room for the chips. To sharpen I use an Oregon dremel type sharpener. Sure, a hand file is better, but time is important to my crew. 36" bar? Electric works well for us. I haven't had a cutting problem that sharpening didn't fix.
New loops/links have a bit of magnetism left over from the factory that, in my world, guarantees it finds the tree that has old chicken wire or a rock embedded in the wood.
It's ridiculous but seems to happen every time I throw on a new chain.
Milling chain, factory grind used once then sharpened. Gullet wallowed out, increased surface area of side-plate, ample hook. Took a hair or two off the depths then rounded. Semi-chisel at 10*. Excess pitch from lack of oiling halfway through its last cut
I've posted this before.
It's ridiculous but seems to happen every time I throw on a new chain.
Milling chain, factory grind used once then sharpened. Gullet wallowed out, increased surface area of side-plate, ample hook. Took a hair or two off the depths then rounded. Semi-chisel at 10*. Excess pitch from lack of oiling halfway through its last cut
I've posted this before.
He had me at the title of the thread.You came in here asking for advice. Now you're claiming your chains are actually in fine shape with the depth gauges the way they're supposed to be.
You have sloped back, uneven cutters in the first photo provided, and poor sharpening skills overall, as seen by the other photo(s.) Its not a personal attack, it's a statement of fact.
I'll remember to not waste my time trying to help you in the future.
And no, I didn't have a bad day, but thanks for asking
Ha! Yea. I mean......345 should only outcut in smaller wood and probably slash cutting. Almost certainly not in decent-sized oak. There's that point in application where it's a toss up between more RPM or more torque.
I'm feeling exceptionally nice this morning and thought I'd add a visual aid.
My buddy ran my battery saw for a few minutes at the end of yesterday. It had gone through two charges and needs both a sharpening and the depths taken down.
He made several short cuts and a cut some small tan oak firewood. I rattled off all the things wrong with the chain and he smiles and says, "it's cutting better than my chain sharpened two tanks ago!"
Longevity is key, and we all seem to have varying opinions on what a chain should look and feel like.
I had that chain on the 390xp when I was taking down that blown over double trunk Poplar. I bit dirt making the first cut to get what was left of the top off and out of the way. We have rocky soil ranging from a sand consistency to boulders. Fortunately it was more to the sand side where I was cutting. Just lost its edge, few swipes with the file will bring it right back, save for a few cutters that beat the corner of the hook up. I just stopped and swapped to another chain. By most standards it's still sharp.
It all depends on everything, also a .325 chain sometimes cuts much easier is my experience. My 345 runs like a beast and lots of people don't believe it's 345 actually; it is as it has been bought new 20 years ago; it's a european version and I'm quite sure they are different then the USA ones, it starts with the muffler which are also in Europe pretty bad these days because of regulations.
I sharpened (with file) the 262 today the same way as the 272, also 3/8 chain (X-cut) on a 50cm bar; it ran and screamed like crazy and cannot be compared with the 272 in my opinion. The saw was eating the tree really. Also a dead tree for a longer while so pretty hard. This saw has a new cilinder from Nevada which I looked up and I found out it's a perfect remake of the original ones they make.
Sawdust was perfectly so I'm happy.
I might going to play a litte bit with angles later on as the 272 chain should have an angle of 35 degrees (from factory) but 30 degrees still does a much better job.
Is anyone using a bigger file in the field so you don't need use to a guide to make sure you are filing against the topplate and not too much in the gullet ?
Yes the sharp corner is the start, I need to try full chisel once but I have too much different wood here in various situations so semi is what I like for sure.
The depth is what I like to play with, angle as well but too much depth is nicer for softwood, maybe the full chisel handles this better, I think it will.
Exactly, if it works for you it works, no situation is the same. I also cut only dead trees, I love the living ones too much and there is enough dead it in my forest.
I keep filing but will investigate what I can do with a larger file without guide. Depth is pretty easy.
No offense buddy, but I got a lot of long dead white oak, ash and locust I've been cutting recently, with the chains I posted pictures of. The chips should look like what I posted as well. Shouldn't be any dust. Soft wood gets filed mostly the same, just drop the depth gauge down more on the bigger saws. .325 won't cut any better or worse then 3/8 both being properly sharpened.
I have to do depth gauges on two chains today, as well as sharpening, so I thought I'd snap a few crude photos for you to see how most depths for most situations "should" be. The chain got lightly hammered. Dunno if there was a rock in a stump or my buddy hit one, but I will be filing back the top plates just beyond the damage, redefining the inner edge, and bringing it back to the side plate, while cutting a hair into the gullets. This chain ran almost two full+ batteries, which I often touch up at or before.
Front one filed back, rear next to be done. I don't like much hook on these chains, both for the work we do and the handling of the saw, but you can see I've lost most of the leading edge on this semi-chisel chain, .325micro .043.
Depths before:
Depths after:
Safety chain like this is annoying because both depths on the same link have to be damn close to one another or the chain still won't feed as it should. In the very last photo, you can still see a slight risen edge on the right side of the smaller depth gauge.
I usually take a few moderate to heavy handed strokes with a flat file to expose fresh, shiny metal, then numerous feather-lite strokes to even out the gauge. I don't measure anything on these chains and I rarely have issues with self-feeding. Occasionally I'll have to find the tooth that's a hair too high and touch it up.
While filing the cutters, I'll ensure the angle-ratios are correct and adjust if needed.
A flat/heavily ramped depth gauge or one that has more than one rounded angle/arc hits the wood differently and changes how the cutter also enters.
Edit: and if you really look, there is a thin, fine burr starting to form on the side of the bar rails.
Front one filed back, rear next to be done. I don't like much hook on these chains, both for the work we do and the handling of the saw, but you can see I've lost most of the leading edge on this semi-chisel chain, .325micro .043.
Depths before:
Depths after:
Safety chain like this is annoying because both depths on the same link have to be damn close to one another or the chain still won't feed as it should. In the very last photo, you can still see a slight risen edge on the right side of the smaller depth gauge.
I usually take a few moderate to heavy handed strokes with a flat file to expose fresh, shiny metal, then numerous feather-lite strokes to even out the gauge. I don't measure anything on these chains and I rarely have issues with self-feeding. Occasionally I'll have to find the tooth that's a hair too high and touch it up.
While filing the cutters, I'll ensure the angle-ratios are correct and adjust if needed.
A flat/heavily ramped depth gauge or one that has more than one rounded angle/arc hits the wood differently and changes how the cutter also enters.
Edit: and if you really look, there is a thin, fine burr starting to form on the side of the bar rails.
It's also important to note, when doing the feather-lite strokes rounding off the depths and evening out the metal, I am ever-so-slightly rotating my hands/the file, from bottom to top, with the form of the gauge.
I'm slowly getting this chain sorted out, 5 minute bursts in between doing other stuff. One of the worst cutters. Banged up and uneven.
Instead of bumping up file sizes to make quicker work of the damage, I stuck with the rec'd 5/32" for the chain. On these chains, I do switch back and forth from 5/32" to 3/16" as needed.
Using a G106-B File'n'Joint, I filed the top plate 3-5 times at 7 on the dial. Dropped down to 0 on the dial for ~6 strokes. Dropped down to 2 to hit the gullet, 3-4 strokes, then back to 0 on the dial for 3-4 feather lite strokes to even out the filing.
Befores:
Note the file being uneven with the top plate both at the back and leading edge. Slightly rolled down.
Afters:
The hook is slightly shallow in relation to the gullet. Again, this has benefits for what we do on the job. Other people might have more hook and a less aggressive bite from the depth setting.
Instead of bumping up file sizes to make quicker work of the damage, I stuck with the rec'd 5/32" for the chain. On these chains, I do switch back and forth from 5/32" to 3/16" as needed.
Using a G106-B File'n'Joint, I filed the top plate 3-5 times at 7 on the dial. Dropped down to 0 on the dial for ~6 strokes. Dropped down to 2 to hit the gullet, 3-4 strokes, then back to 0 on the dial for 3-4 feather lite strokes to even out the filing.
Befores:
Note the file being uneven with the top plate both at the back and leading edge. Slightly rolled down.
Afters:
The hook is slightly shallow in relation to the gullet. Again, this has benefits for what we do on the job. Other people might have more hook and a less aggressive bite from the depth setting.
Worked with the 262 and the 345 today. 262 for taking a 18-20" hanging dead tree down because of speed and the 345 used to make it into pieces.
Both X-cut semi-chisel. 262/20"/3/8, 345/18"/.325 and same way sharpened.
The .325 chains makes the difference there, this also with the less weight makes you faster overall.
Lower RPM's with lots of torque is what makes that 345 a beast. Never compared it with a 346xp but never needed to. Tho I will have a 254xp next to it soon because I can
Both X-cut semi-chisel. 262/20"/3/8, 345/18"/.325 and same way sharpened.
The .325 chains makes the difference there, this also with the less weight makes you faster overall.
Lower RPM's with lots of torque is what makes that 345 a beast. Never compared it with a 346xp but never needed to. Tho I will have a 254xp next to it soon because I can
A 346xp would kill a 345, different animals all together.
I know but doesn't mean the 345 is less good in usage. As you say: different animals and both very efficiënt.
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