I went right through a nail... Is my chain likely shot?

[mrplow]

Cutting downed apple trees last weekend, I couldn't resist taking a big bite out of one of the 18-20" trunks that most others had left alone (this is 80 acres of apple trees, all pulled out by an excavator due to disease... maybe 1/10th has already been harvested for firewood). I figured they must not have brought as big a saw as me...

After one trunk i figured out why they'd been left alone. Someone had put a nail in the middle of the trunk, hidden 3" into the trunk, and impossible to see prior to cutting. It was larger than a 16 penny, possibly as much as 3/16" in diameter. I didn't even notice it until I went to cut the next limb and struggled to cut a 3" piece... Then I looked back at the round I'd just cut and knew why that bastard had been such trouble.

My question is, should I even try sharpening the chain? Looking at the teeth, some of them have 1/16" chips missing... should I hold off and take it to my local Stihl dealer and have it checked? Is there a point at which such a chain becomes dangerous, or is the worst thing that happens is there is nothing left of the teeth to sharpen?

 

[smokinj]

I would need a close up pic to see the damage but your local dealer should be able to tell you!


If you have a good camera need a very good close-up

 

[CountryBoy19]

You went through a 3/16" diameter piece of steel and didn't notice until the next piece? Must've been some pretty good chain, normally I know it right away when I've hit something...

 

[fjord]

Good chance to get the process of sharpening by hand with a good rig that will give you the right angles.

1/16" is a lot of loss but if the chain is new with enough tooth remaining you'll be fine.

None of us "brings a chain to a dealer" just for "rocking" (when the chain gets nicked ). We don't need to. Be sure you have a new round file and small flat file for the rakers, then just do it following the specs on your particular chain. On every chain (we use Stihl) there are codes for the gauge, the kind of chain, and the correct size files; they're tiny so you need a magnifier sometimes. When you got a new chain it should have come with the manufacturer's sheet with all the angles and file size.

Trees have rounds, barbed wire, spikes for fencing ( what you probably hit ), who knows what else would be embedded in the wood. With enough hours cutting you'll know immediately when
hitting non wood by feel, by sound, by the chain 'jumping'. It's why most users wear all the PPE gear all the time. Real chainsaw users don't need to be macho.
It's also why you want to use the smallest appropriate bar for what you're cutting......not the longest. More control, easier to sharpen.

I push the PFERD sharpening tool since it makes it easy to sharpen in the woods where the work is done, and gives you the ability to know your chain. There are many other hand guides out there. Give it a try.

 

[quads]

If it was a fairly new chain, it can be saved, although it won't be fairly new anymore! If it's over half worn out, it might not be worth the effort, there won't be much left of the cutters after it was fixed. The chain won't become dangerous when the cutters have been sharpened to the point of nothing left. I routinely use my chains until the cutters are so thin that one breaks off. Then it's time for a new chain.

Cutting downed apple trees last weekend, I couldn't resist taking a big bite out of one of the 18-20" trunks that most others had left alone (this is 80 acres of apple trees, all pulled out by an excavator due to disease... maybe 1/10th has already been harvested for firewood). I figured they must not have brought as big a saw as me...

After one trunk i figured out why they'd been left alone. Someone had put a nail in the middle of the trunk, hidden 3" into the trunk, and impossible to see prior to cutting. It was larger than a 16 penny, possibly as much as 3/16" in diameter. I didn't even notice it until I went to cut the next limb and struggled to cut a 3" piece... Then I looked back at the round I'd just cut and knew why that bastard had been such trouble.

My question is, should I even try sharpening the chain? Looking at the teeth, some of them have 1/16" chips missing... should I hold off and take it to my local Stihl dealer and have it checked? Is there a point at which such a chain becomes dangerous, or is the worst thing that happens is there is nothing left of the teeth to sharpen?

 

[CTYank]

Cutting downed apple trees last weekend, I couldn't resist taking a big bite out of one of the 18-20" trunks that most others had left alone (this is 80 acres of apple trees, all pulled out by an excavator due to disease... maybe 1/10th has already been harvested for firewood). I figured they must not have brought as big a saw as me...

After one trunk i figured out why they'd been left alone. Someone had put a nail in the middle of the trunk, hidden 3" into the trunk, and impossible to see prior to cutting. It was larger than a 16 penny, possibly as much as 3/16" in diameter. I didn't even notice it until I went to cut the next limb and struggled to cut a 3" piece... Then I looked back at the round I'd just cut and knew why that bastard had been such trouble.

My question is, should I even try sharpening the chain? Looking at the teeth, some of them have 1/16" chips missing... should I hold off and take it to my local Stihl dealer and have it checked? Is there a point at which such a chain becomes dangerous, or is the worst thing that happens is there is nothing left of the teeth to sharpen?

I'd very carefully inspect the chain for cracked straps or damaged rivets. Even if the nail was mild steel, the chain took a serious hit. If it fails that test, likely the chain is scrap- too dangerous to use IMHO.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

We've saved many chains from this but it does depend upon the state of the chain when it happened and also how old that nail was. Sometimes they are so weak they hardly affect the chain but evidently yours did.

Follow Jay's advice and post a picture.

 

[KarlP]

I've hit more wire and nails than I care to admit while milling a giant tree near a house. I bet one of those 32" chains cut through at least eight 10D nails and usually an angle. I certainly wouldn't worry about hitting one nail but after that weekend I did invest in a metal detector and reduced my hit rate dramatically.

 

[HeatsTwice]

I knew a guy who hit a cannon ball once.