Just ordered 2 chisel chains
- Thread starter EatenByLimestone
- Start date
-
Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.
We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.
We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil. -
Super Cedar firestarters 30% discount Use code Hearth2024 Click here
- Status
MS290 with a 16" bar. I need to drop a blue spruce at the family cabin next weekend. I'm hoping for a good amount of fun. I'll be thrilled to get rid of that needle producing bastard.
I'm interested to see how long the edge lasts. I've read that they dull faster then a safety chain.
Matt
I'm interested to see how long the edge lasts. I've read that they dull faster then a safety chain.
Matt
I dont see that to be true just dont hit the dirt and you can cut 3 tanks or more without sharpening! You will never look back!EatenByLimestone said:
Didn't LLigetfa just conduct a test of sorts and cut 6 full cord without sharpening? Just let the saw do the cutting without applying any leverage and the chain will tire you out before going dull.
Ja, that was using a Stihl RS full chisel on clean Winter cut wood. Didn't really notice it getting dull after 6 cord but I noticed a difference after sharpening it.
It's got nothing to do with the safety rakers, it's the shape of the cutter. Semi-chisel doesn't dull as quick as full chisel and is a bit more forgiving of sharpening errors but doesn't cut quite as quickly as full chisel.EatenByLimestone said:
I've have heard about these non-safety chains. How are they different and how are they more dangerous?
The rakers on most low-kickback chains stand proud of the cutters when they go around the nose. This lessens the likelihood that the cutters will grab at the top quadrant and kick the bar back.
Some of them make normal cuts just as well/quickly as professional chain but most are a bit heavier (lower rpms) and do not bore cut very well due to the safety feature that works at the bar tip.
Some of them make normal cuts just as well/quickly as professional chain but most are a bit heavier (lower rpms) and do not bore cut very well due to the safety feature that works at the bar tip.
I spent the weekend working with a non-safety chain for the first time in the 5+ years I've been sawing. I had ordered a semi-chisel since I'm working with a lot of downed trees and dirty wood. What a difference! I bucked a 70 foot hickory like i was slicing up butter. I dropped another half dozen trees just to see how it did on that and it sure makes life easier. The ease with which it grabs and cuts is such a difference from a safety chain. I'll pick up a full-chisel for bucking these new trees - I can't imagine what that will be like. It was truly a joy to work with even the semi-chisel.
Couple things I did note. It's a very good thing they do not put them on most saws for most people, especially first time users. The saw really wants to take off with the chisel chains. If you are not paying attention or have a proper hold on the saw, you will get some bad kickback. Undercutting a log was surprising. As quickly as it was cutting, the saw really wanted to pull you forward into the log. If I were to every lend my saw to someone (unlikely as it might be) I would put a safetly chain back on it first.
Couple things I did note. It's a very good thing they do not put them on most saws for most people, especially first time users. The saw really wants to take off with the chisel chains. If you are not paying attention or have a proper hold on the saw, you will get some bad kickback. Undercutting a log was surprising. As quickly as it was cutting, the saw really wanted to pull you forward into the log. If I were to every lend my saw to someone (unlikely as it might be) I would put a safetly chain back on it first.
Well, the chains hapeven't shown up and I will be leaving tonight. I hope they are here when I get home tonight. If not, I'll be running safety chain!
Matt
Matt
I think that You'll love the difference in the way they cut . Also, if Your cutting wood that has a lot of dirt, try semi chisel . It doesn't cut quite as fast as Full chisel ,but it wears a bit better in dirty wood .EatenByLimestone said:
Tree came down and the new chain works incredibly well! I think I'm hooked on them. I had the ~70 foot spruce down, limbed and bucked in just over 2 hours.
I liked the big chips the 290 threw with the safety chain, but there really isn't a comparison with the chisel.
Oh, and on a side note I found out something about the mixture I was running for the last 2 gallons. I filled it up on a cold, wet, rainy day when my hands were rebelling for being outside of my gloves. Somehow I thought my 3 oz container was 1 oz... I had over 9 ounces of oil in every gallon of gas. It came out to something more than 16:1 instead of the 40:1 that I should have been running. So, I checked the plug to see if it was fouled. It was darkened, but clean and free of any carbon buildup. I'm impressed that the plug was still able to fire and now know to only fill the 2 cycle tank when it's warmer out.
Matt
I liked the big chips the 290 threw with the safety chain, but there really isn't a comparison with the chisel.
Oh, and on a side note I found out something about the mixture I was running for the last 2 gallons. I filled it up on a cold, wet, rainy day when my hands were rebelling for being outside of my gloves. Somehow I thought my 3 oz container was 1 oz... I had over 9 ounces of oil in every gallon of gas. It came out to something more than 16:1 instead of the 40:1 that I should have been running. So, I checked the plug to see if it was fouled. It was darkened, but clean and free of any carbon buildup. I'm impressed that the plug was still able to fire and now know to only fill the 2 cycle tank when it's warmer out.
Matt
Hope you caught it in time and that your muffler isn't too plugged up with carbon.
I haven't used a safety chain in decades so have no point of comparison.
I haven't used a safety chain in decades so have no point of comparison.
Matt, where did you order from? How much do they cost? I am also using a 290 with 16" bar. Thanks.
I ordered from Amicks. The chains cost maybe $13 each with shipping just under $5. They were sent in a priority envelope. They gave good service and I got the parts I ordered in about a week. I don't think I could ask for much more from a company.
I used the chain on maple and it works just fine on that too.
Matt
I used the chain on maple and it works just fine on that too.
Matt
It depends on the oil, not the saw. Most castor-based oil manufacturers recommend 25-40:1, most synthetics 40-50:1, some synthetics 100:1wendell said:
My buddy (a motorcycle/snowmobile mechanic) has been running Amsoil Sabre at 100:1 in his 300cc 2-stroke KTM dirtbike for over 4,000 hard miles.
I'm sure the KTM manual doesn't recommend leaner than 50:1, so you should generally go by what's on the bottle of oil you're using.
Fwiw, I run Amsoil Dominator at 50:1 in all my 2-strokes. This way I'm not messing around with different oils and mixes for different equipment and it's always getting used up, not sitting around, so it doesn't have a chance to go bad.
I don't know. It's too general of a spec. I imagine it's some form of disclaimer written by lawyers.wendell said:
I sure wouldn't run castor-based oil at 50:1 in my saw that's turning 14,300 rpms. I wouldn't hesitate to run Sabre at 100:1 though. I get a great deal on the Dominator so that's what I'm running.
wendell said:
Because they have to tell you to use SOMETHING - and if they just say "put oil in gas" they will have people saying "What kind?" and "How much?" - so they have a specification, based on the engine and oil technology that was current when the equipment was made, and will specify a minimum grade spec of oil, and how much (and often tell you to use the brand that they sell...) If you use some other mix ratio, they can get nasty about backing any warranty claims, etc...
Sometimes you have significant improvements in oil technology, and you can get away with running a leaner mix of new oil, than you could with the older formulas - i.e. some of the synthetics... This is NOT something the saw makers will reccomend, and I rather doubt the oil company will fix your saw if it blows up either.
My Dolmar says to run 50:1 if using Dolmar brand oil, and 25:1 if using anybody else's oil... In practice, I figure any good chainsaw grade oil should work at 50:1, and I'm not going to risk 100:1 no matter what the oil company says.
At this point in time, my 2-cycle equipment is two chainsaws and a wheed-whipper/brush trimmer - all of which call for 50:1 chainsaw mix, so I run it all out of the same can - using the little "one shot" oil bottles and premium grade pump gas - given that I typically only go through 3-4 gallons a year, the extra cost is no big deal compared to the simplicity of the one shot bottles.
Gooserider
- Status
