How fast will bone dry locust dull a chain?

[wahoowad]

Today I dropped a 14" to 16" dead locust - not sure if black or honey - but it was the driest hardest dang wood I've every cut. I noticed how slow my chain was to cut it even though it was in fairly good shape earlier when I bucked up the the big cherry splits you see in there with it.

After a couple logs I glanced at my chips and saw it was about 50% chips and 50% dust and my chain felt really dull in the cut. I can go back and get a few more of these standing-dead locusts but wondering how quickly to expect it to dull my chain? My hand sharpening is generally adequate but wondering if I should get my dealer to machine sharpen it or put on my new spare? Will these chains quickly dull too?

 

[Paulywalnut]

If you can get that much more bone dry locust, I would get a carbide chain. I use one and it is very good against BL and Mulberry.

 

[wahoowad]

My MS251 has a 0.325 0.063 gauge chain on it now (factory low kickback) and I see the saw can also use 3/8 Picco 0.050 gauge and thy have a 'Duro' model with the carbide cutter. Will I need a different bar too if I go from 0.063 to 0.050 gauge?

 

[Paulywalnut]

My MS251 has a 0.325 0.063 gauge chain on it now (factory low kickback) and I see the saw can also use 3/8 Picco 0.050 gauge and thy have a 'Duro' model with the carbide cutter. Will I need a different bar too if I go from 0.063 to 0.050 gauge?

You can use the same bar. Check with the stihl guy when you buy one.

 

[TreePointer]

locust - not sure if black or honey - but it was the driest hardest dang wood I've every cut. I noticed how slow my chain was to cut it even though it was in fairly good shape earlier when I bucked up the the big cherry splits you see in there with it.

That bark tells me black locust and not honey.

My MS251 has a 0.325 0.063 gauge chain on it now (factory low kickback) and I see the saw can also use 3/8 Picco 0.050 gauge and thy have a 'Duro' model with the carbide cutter. Will I need a different bar too if I go from 0.063 to 0.050 gauge?

YES. You will need a different bar, too.

Pitch of saw drive sprocket, bar (sprocket in tip), and chain MUST match. .325 and 3/8 picco are different pitches.

Gauge of chain and bar MUST match.

 

[Rickb]

why not just get a 0.325 0.063 full chisel chain.

Should not be more then $20 bucks. Not sure how they hold up against locust but they cut pretty well.

 

[Bigg_Redd]

I've cut a bit of BL and have noticed no difference in the rate my chains dull

 

[splitoak]

Rs chains hold up well in clean wood....i try to sharpen every tank or so...

 

[Woody Stover]

The low-kick chain, semi-chisel with the rounded corner, seems to hold up better than RS. It cuts a little slower, but if it lasts longer between sharpenings....
As your filing technique improves, you'll be able to touch up the chain several times before you need to fully sharpen it to get your angles back. I use a clamp-on file guide to true the chain back up, then hand-file several times in between, which is pretty quick to do.
Yep, dry BL is pretty hard. When you cut one, and it's brown inside instead of yellow, that's getting real dry. Probably could toss it in the stove today.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

How fast it will dull a chain is difficult to answer. For example, it depends upon how well of a job the last sharpening was. It may dull a chain faster the same as any really hard might but I've never noticed a huge difference. Nevertheless, sharpen often, no matter what you are cutting and don't forget the depth gauge.

 

[mol1jb]

Wood itself doesn't dull a chain. Hitting dirt or rocks with a chain dulls a chain.

 

[Mag Craft]

My MS251 has a 0.325 0.063 gauge chain on it now (factory low kickback) and I see the saw can also use 3/8 Picco 0.050 gauge and thy have a 'Duro' model with the carbide cutter. Will I need a different bar too if I go from 0.063 to 0.050 gauge?

You should not run a .050 gauge chain on a .063 gauge bar. To much slop.

 

[Bigg_Redd]

Wood itself doesn't dull a chain. Hitting dirt or rocks with a chain dulls a chain.

True. BL has very craigy bark that is liable to hold sand and dust, especially in a wind blown area.

 

[tsquini]

It won't dull the chain faster. Splitting it will be a bigger issue.

 

[jatoxico]

Wood itself doesn't dull a chain. Hitting dirt or rocks with a chain dulls a chain.

IDK about that. If wood could not dull chains you'd never have to sharpen.

To the original question; harder woods dull chains faster than softer woods. Dry locust is hard. It starts making my chains chatter pretty quick compared to other dry stuff.

 

[gzecc]

What I notice when I cut locust (just did a couple of days ago) it doesn't shoot out chips like other wood, its more like saw dust, just very coarse. The locust I cut was at 20% mc.