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Sharpening a ripping chain

Started by jopoff1981, January 29, 2016, 09:05:14 PM

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Skeans1

Just curious how many of you have tried square chisel chains for ripping?

dogone

Just finished four six foot cuts in a 28 in poplar using a 20 inch bar. My old husky 154 powered through but it was work. It is a pro saw but 55 cc was not really enough. I polished the ports and opened the muffler so it burns gas like a hog. First time using a beam machine and I really like it. I can see a bigger saw and a chainsaw mill in the future.
  I stopped to fuel up often and used compressed air to cool the saw. I used both a new rip chain and regular chain ; didn't notice any difference.

Don P

One thing that has come to mind as we've wandered down the log with plenty of time to think. If you think about the log as a bundle of long straws, when you are cutting straight across the log you are cutting off the ends of the straws. If the engine is leading you are chipping your way down the straws, if the nose is leading you are brushing the straws back down as you cut. Those last 2 are sort of like brushing against the way the fur grows and then with the way it grows. Just stuff that passes through ones head. I'm curious if anyone has noticed much difference in that angle of attack. I'm not to noodling just square, leading or trailing.

thelogsmith

Don if what your asking is one way faster than the other, in my experience no. And that's using a double ended bar w/ a 2100 on each end. Also comparing ripping chain to standard we've had better luck with ripping chain as far as speed goes(It wasn't huge, but every little bit helps). You'll learn to become one with your sharpener after you hit a nail and have 221 dl of .404 needing attention
tk1400, husky 2100's, a 298, 372's a 357 and a token stihl. john deere 317 skid steer. cut it twice and its still to short!

Al_Smith

With chisel chain you'll get better results if you can hold about 30 to 45 degree angle of attack .It won't be cutting noodles to clog you up and it won't be pulling saw dust to dull the chain and be slow as molasses in January .You've got to play with it a little bit to finger it out .

Skeans1

I don't do any milling like you guys are but have squared off alder or Doug fir in the brush for spring boards or as part of a job and I don't remember feeding issues with square chisel like round chains. How far are you guys dropping your rakers? The few times I had to slab a side off I dropped the rakers pretty good on an old falling chain then she would self feed enough I'd have to hold her back some.

Don P

We've been playing with it, .040 is pretty good, we dropped to around .050 last time and it worked well on the Lucas slabber, that is probably too much for the Alaskan. It depends on width, hardness and hp. When it gets too much it snags and hangs up too much, too little and it takes too much pressure to make dust. Rounding the leading edge of the rakers helps as well. None of this is gospel just where we're at now.

homestead090

I'm using 404 chains at 10 degrees and getting very smooth cuts as long as you don't rock the mill back and forth. I'm using Granberg chain (made by Carlton) and some NOS Stihl Ripping chain I got off ebay. As far as a saw, the more power the better. It will also let you cut without moving the mill around a lot, or at least be tempted too. I'm using a Stihl 090 and just bought a second one off ebay. I saw you said it wasn't a good time to buy a big saw now, just for reference. I just got the second 090 for $650 including shipping. It is missing a few parts but you can get Chinese parts for this saw very cheap and many of them don't matter as far as performance goes (clutch covers, caps, handles, etc). An 090 goes for $1,200-$1,500 on average for just a running decent saw and way more when they are pretty. What I got it for is the low end of what I see them going for. It was one that was relisted after not meeting it's reserve price. I messaged the seller and they excepted the offer. If you keep your eyes open for the saw you want, and are patient, you can get a good deal. I've got some videos of the 090 milling if you are interested or considering what saw to buy. It's old but powerful, 137cc, lots of torque. Mine has the governor removed so it keeps its speed up, carb tuned accordingly, but not too high rpm. It's a heavy saw, and you feel it moving around but I once you're in the cut it doesn't matter. I like that it's all metal. I'm sure an 880 or the 3120 is nice, but running the old saw is fun and from videos I've seen, I'm milling faster, especially in the big stuff. Back to your topic, I think anything much more than 10 degrees is going to dull way to fast, I think 30 degree or any normal cross cutting angle would not last long at all, maybe not even on cut in big wood without dulling, especially if it is at all dirty. I can take several wide cuts before I can notice any difference. Each chain will last me about 1 big log (3-4 foot diameter hardwood, white oak for example). I got two logs with walnut but was moving slow toward the end, better to sharpen, better for the bar as well so your not pushing really hard and wearing things out. Sorry for all the rambling, but I know when I was making decisions, I wanted a lot of info! Good luck.
Furniture maker and wood collector.

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