What is the relative quality of Oregon Chain Saw Blades

[Gooserider]

Makes sense to me AP... Hadn't thought of doing the sprocket change, but it makes sense...

I hardly need to do it given how fast the saw cuts as it is, but I wonder if it would make sense to go up on my Dolmar 7900 when I'm running the 20" bar?? - With the stock sprocket I have absolutely no trouble running the 20" bar at full throttle, it doesn't even slow down going through a red oak trunk... I could probably go up a tooth, but would the increased chain speed be too much of a good thing?

In terms of filing the rakers, I find that I need to do them every 3-5 hand filings or so, and IMHO this is one of the better reasons to hand file - I don't know about other shops, but neither of the two places where I used to get my chains ground would touch the rakers. (One was the local True Value hardware store, that sells some Husky and Stihl saws, and the other is my neighborhood OPE guy, who works on everything smaller than a riding tractor... Neither is a "saw shop" as such)

Gooserider

 

[WoodMann]

........... Still expect to get more than 20 cords from a $10 chain.

With how much sharpening? not tryin' to knock Oregon or anyone, I too am just looking for longer cut intervals.............

 

[Gooserider]

........... Still expect to get more than 20 cords from a $10 chain.

With how much sharpening? not tryin' to knock Oregon or anyone, I too am just looking for longer cut intervals.............

As Eric has said before, he sharpens after EVERY tank - doing a quick touchup of 2-3 strokes per tooth... That's the proper cut interval - one tank per sharpening, but you get the MINIMUM amount of sharpening needed, just a touchup, not a major problem... It also takes off minimal amounts of metal, so the chain will last a LONG time... The saw will cut at peak performance for the entire life of the chain as well...

The longer you go without sharpening, the worse the chain will get, and the more you will suffer from poor cutting performance - when you finally get to the point where you HAVE to resharpen, you'll need to take off a bunch more metal, so you get less chain life. You also put a bunch of extra wear on the bar, sprocket, etc. not to mention extra work for yourself when you have to force the saw through the wood rather than letting it fall through...

(I used to feel the same way and looked for a long interval between sharpennings, took me a lot of convincing to change my mind, but now I will almost never skip sharpenning after a tank.)

Gooserider

 

[Cluttermagnet]

In Jerry's post above, ^^^^^, he uses a S52 when he goes to Wal-Mart. http://www.amickssuperstore.com/ will sell you that chain for $9.60. Tony will ship you up to $50 worth of chains in a flat rate Priority envelope for one shipping cost. That will then get the price down to about $11 per chain. They don't sell this chain at Wal-Mart, Lowe's, Home Depot etc. If you can find a farm supply store that carries genuine Husqvarna products, you might be able to get close but it will probably be Carlton brand.

Go to his site and on the left side go down to Oregon Chains & Accessories. Most of the people in this thread need to go to the 3/8 LoPro link. I got a gguy I work with a few loops of 91VX 56 for his Poulan 2150 and he couldn't believe the time he was wasting running stock VG. Most saws are sold with safety chain due to lawsuit concerns from the manufacturers.

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I ordered a couple of those vx chains from Amick's. Looking forward to comparing them to the stock chain (probably the vg) which came with my little Homelite 16 in saw. BTW I thought the stock chain wasn't all that bad 'out of box'. I'm sure the vx will be better, though. Will let you know how it goes...

I finally got my two chains from Amicks. Put one on the saw. It may not be until Monday or Tuesday I get a chance to try it, but I like what I see so far. The old safety chain has 18 teeth, also a 'bare spot' with one extra link between blades. The new VX chains have 28 teeth, no 'bare spots', and look pretty aggressive. I think I'm going to be really happy with these. Will post my results during the week.

 

[Gooserider]

The key thing Clutter is to keep them sharp... As said in a couple of the earlier posts, a pro-grade chain cuts much better when sharp, but doesn't stay usably sharp as long... You need to learn to hand file and do a quick touch up (2-3 strokes per tooth) after every tank, and check the raker depth about every 4-5 tanks... Do that and you'll think you have a bigger saw all of a sudden; don't do it and you'll be wondering why you made the switch...

Gooserider

 

[Cluttermagnet]

Will do- thanks!
BTW I learned a lot from this thread. Love this forum!

 

[Cluttermagnet]

I had my first chance to use the new vx chain Tuesday. I did indeed cut a lot more agressively, was quite pleased with it. And Amicks has pretty good prices, same or better than the local 'big box' stores which are the less effective safety type chains, and that's even after shipping cost.

 

[aandabooks]

Glad your happy with the chain cluttermagnet. The reason it would need to be sharpened more often than the VG safety chain it because it isn't riding in the wood on the ramps. I got some for a buddy's Poulan 2150 and it turned that saw into a zippy little limbing saw. He keeps trying to kill it but that saw just keeps on running. He wants a bigger saw but is too cheap as long as the Poulan is running.

 

[fire_N_ice]

To verify the Oregon Chain from the various stores, the only way to do this is to compare the UPC code (bar code). See if the numbers on the bottom match. Each product has a specific bar code. So you can not compare a 2 pack to a 1 pack suposidly. Also a model # if applicable.

 

[WoodMann]

Heyu guys- as to file sharpening, is it of any use to go beyond 25*. My guide has 30* and 25* markings, but I wonder if going like 20* would yeild a more aggressive cut..........

 

[Gooserider]

Heyu guys- as to file sharpening, is it of any use to go beyond 25*. My guide has 30* and 25* markings, but I wonder if going like 20* would yeild a more aggressive cut..........

My understanding is for the most part NO... If you are doing normal, mostly crosscut bucking logs to length, felling, etc. then you should sharpen to whatever angle is listed on your chain packaging... As I understand it, most chains are 25*, but there are some designs that use 30* - however the chain design is the key factor, and you will get optimum performance by staying at the manufacturers suggested angle. It is more important that you be consistent however than that you have the exact specified angle, long as you're close.

The only exception is if you are doing a lot of RIPPING - such as if you have a bunch of crotches you are trying to cut down, or if you are using a chainsaw mill to make boards. In that case, they make special ripping chains that have a much sharper angle, or some folks will re-sharpen a stock chain - I forget the exact number they said to use, but I'm sure it would be on arboristsite.

One that HAS been reported to give a more aggressive chain is to cut your depth guages or rakers down a little deeper than the specs call for. However this can cause your saw to be much more prone to kickbacks, and / or get bogged down due to overloading. Generally it is reccomended that you only try dropping the rakers if your saw is on the large size for your bar, and then to experiment in very small steps to find out what your optimum depth is.

Generally the manufacturer is going to go to a great deal of effort to get the chain specs set so as to give the optimum cutting performance, I'd be leery of getting very far from them.

Gooserider

 

[WoodMann]

Yeah- I tried filing the depth guages and ended up goging, prolly went too far with it. I've also found 25* to work best. I've got a big cut job, big for me anyways- comming up in a couple days..........

 

[Eric Johnson]

I'm taking a tour of the Oregon saw chain factory at the end of this week and I'll let you know what I learn, if anything. Hopefully walk out of there with some free chain, at the very least.

 

[WoodMann]

THink the light just went on, here. My chains dull much too quickly, I think. And they do- I'm cutting practically well seasoned wood, trees that have been dead standing for over a year.............

 

[aandabooks]

WoodMann,

If your cutting dirty wood and standing dead would be considered somewhat dirty just because of the wind carried dirt that gets imbedded in it, you probably want to look at a semi-chisel chain. The 91VS for lo-pro comes to mind. 20/21/22 BP for .325 and M72/73/75LGX for full 3/8 chain.

 

[WoodMann]

Thanks, books- I'll look into that...........

Edit; how sharpeneable are they?

 

[Gooserider]

Semi chisel pretty much sharpens the same way full round file chisel does. It won't cut quite as well as full chisel even when fully sharp, but it will hold it's edge a little better. Still should be touched up after every tank. IMHO unless you are cutting real "mud-coat" stuff, I'd sooner stick with the full chisel and sharpen it regularly.

Gooserider

 

[WoodMann]

10- 4 Goodrider, the pattern is full.....................

 

[Cluttermagnet]

Further experience with my Homelite 16in/ 33cc saw, running that 'vx' replacement chain I got - I am very pleased with the more aggressive chain. It really did make my lil' entry level saw a whole new machine. The chips really fly! I was cutting some Locust on Saturday and it held up well and just sort of 'fell through' the wood, didn't need any pushing. It's doing just what it should be doing, and I am pleased as punch. I do hit the blades with a few file strokes, fairly often. I'm sure that will make a big difference.

 

[WoodMann]

Well guys- I got the VX 91 chain, I'm gonna try it out tommorow..........................

 

[WoodMann]

Got the chain on and going, it RIPs! Cans't say enough good things about this chain, the cutters are longer and therefore more material to absorb heat during a long cut thru a big trunk and doens't go dull fhalfway thru. Thanks for the advice guys, I have found nirvanah................