saw chain

[guy01]

OK I have a load of poles this year mostly beach and I can only cut 2 or so logs and I'm busy sharpening the saw again.This sh## is getting old is there a special chain for hard wood or do I have to keep sharpening all the time
Guy
ps I'm used to maple,ash ,oak so it's not like I cut pine

 

[savageactor7]

Guy just to validate that you are sharpening the chain correctly put a new chain on and see how many logs you can cut.

Of course I take it that you're careful about not letting the nose of you saw dip into the dirt/stones too. Any pro grade Oregon or stihl chain should cut beach just fine.

 

[guy01]

I bought a new oregon bar and chain on sunday with the same results.
I'll make it thru the load I'm sure ,I gave my extra chains to my dad tonight he used to do chainsaws for a living.
I'm always carefull not to saw dirt as well it seems odd to me , the logs do have alot of dirt but I get as much off as possible.
Guy
I hope you can decipher mu rambling

 

[savageactor7]

Wow, then it is the logs...incredible after 2-3 logs the chain is dull. Well if that what it take's to get the job done you're just gonna have to suck it in and re-sharpen every 3 logs or so. Maybe you can make do just touching up the points on a stump vise and still make some production.

Just glad I don't have any beach. Good luck Guy.

 

[guy01]

The locals I've talked to said it will be worth the work . People tell me it's the hottest burning wood but I'll judge for myself.
Guy

 

[BrotherBart]

I cut beech all the time. It is one of the easiest cutting woods around here and I just touch up the chain three or four strokes each time I fuel the saw. Heck Eric Johnson whacks fifteen or twenty cords a year of the stuff the same way.

 

[savageactor7]

Hell Eric is only about 20 miles away from me...surprised I don't have any beach here. Truthfully I don't even know what they look like just heard it's a good burning wood if you can get it.

 

[guy01]

so then ya figure I need to clean it better, I hate to roll it clean it ect.
Guy

 

[savageactor7]

I've cut muddy wood since the bronze age...as my logs are staged up out of the way back in the woods and I start dragging 'em out in Jan/feb...sometime the yard looks as black as an airstrike cause of the mud. but I'm still cutting a lot more than 2-3 logs at a time. The difference is I'm dragging through heavy soil that has no rocks. Check the mud on your logs closely...if there's rocks/tiny pebbles in there they will seriously jack up you chain and you'll have to hose the logs down.

If it just mud I'd just keep re-sharpening the chain and maximize the bar oil output. The logs have to be cut...you're very lucky to have that beach just think on how nice it will burn this winter.

 

[aandabooks]

Guy,

What saw and chain are you currently running? If you're running a full chisel chain in dirty wood that would be the problem. Or if you're running any of the safety chains.

 

[Wood Pirate]

I had the same problem with large 28" maple logs a few weeks ago. I have a Stihle 038 and know how it cuts. All of a sudden I was getting one cut through a log and then touching up the chain.
Took saw apart and cleaned oiler ports. Chain was getting some oil but apparently not enough. I took it to my local Stihl dealer (wrong move bcause it took me 4 weeks to get it back) and they took it apart and blew out the oiler lines / cleaned the pump.

After that the saw worked fine.

I know this is a different type of wood, different saw, add different situation but its worth a try. Maybe the chain just isnt oiling enough. Mine was smoking after about five minutes of cutting.

 

[BobTheTomato]

Unless the logs are very dirty I bet the oil ports are clogged. If the chain does not get oil it will dull very very fast.

 

[guy01]

well the verdict is in my pa says he needs to teach me how to sharpen a chain.The new chain probably hit a rock in the wood .The chain he sharpened for me (he actually did 4) is still cutting nice after 2 tanks of gas.
Guy

 

[savageactor7]

Well it good to hear things are now working well for you...we've all hit rocks before to our regret.

 

[Jerry_NJ]

This may be a good place for a question I have. How does one know when it is time to buy a new chain file? My files are old, but have only a few chains worth of sharpening on them and they seem to my eye to be taking metal off the tooth. Any advice on how long files last..or how ofter to replace them just cuz they're not very expensive .. my files came from Walmart, Oregon files.

 

[savageactor7]

Files last a long time Jerry but they do wear down. If you have an old piece of copper sometime you can clean up the fire. Put the copper in the vice and run the file over it like you're trying to sharpen it. When I fire my chain I kind of roll the file in my fingers as I draw it across the chain. You can clearly see a burr, a small burr, to verify the file is working.

 

[Gooserider]

Guy, part of the chain sharpening lesson is that you should be doing it after EVERY tank - if you never let the chain get dull it will work a lot better and last far longer. If you go several tanks, the chain will be really dull and you'll have a MUCH harder time getting it back to sharp again...

Jerry, I find that when I sharpen, I get a little shower of metal fragments as the file cuts - you can also feel it cutting as opposed to just sliding across the top of the tooth. As long as the file is cutting, no reason to change it that I can see... I do give my file a slight twist in the holder every sharpening just so that I am working a slightly different part of the file - don't know how much it helps, but it can't hurt...

Gooserider

 

[Jerry_NJ]

Thanks, I think my files are still good. I haven't been cutting for a couple of weeks, and will give the old chain a light sharpening before I go out next. I have two small hardwood trees down in the back of my property, I'll cut them when I have time and the weather isn't so H&H;.