frostbite bars

logger444 · February 17, 2009, 12:56:16 AM

Does any one have any experience with frostbite bars? (I'm talking about chainsaw bars, not about a gin mill with no heat) They are supposed to be made in australia and cryogenically (spelling?) frozen to increase durability. The only company I've heard of down under is GB.

timberfaller390 · February 18, 2009, 07:38:16 AM

Never heard of them doing it to saw bars but they have been playing with that idea with rifle barrels for years.

Maineloggerkid · February 18, 2009, 07:49:28 AM

I've heard of it being done to car engine parts, but never chainsaw bars.

zackman1801 · February 19, 2009, 09:03:39 PM

i bought a box of files that were made by them. they work very good. never heard of them making anything else.

Maineloggerkid · February 19, 2009, 09:09:37 PM

I thought you fell of the earth, zack!!

timberfaller390 · February 20, 2009, 08:00:25 AM

Me too! Where ya been hiding?

metalspinner · February 20, 2009, 08:06:36 AM

Quotenever heard of them making anything else.

How about cryogenically frozen trumpets? Yeah, That's what I said - trumpets. :D That was all the rage a few years ago. A couple of small custom shops invested in these deep freezers. You could send in your intrument to be frozen. I doubt they earned their money back. :

Ed · February 20, 2009, 09:46:47 AM

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cryogenic_hardening

I guess it might make a chainsaw bar more durable.

Ed

Dodgy Loner · February 20, 2009, 11:10:22 AM

Many woodworking tools (chisels, plane blades, lathe tools) are available these days that have been cryogenically hardened before tempering. Typically in tool steel, the blades are heated red-hot, then quenched in water, oil, or cooled air to rapidly cool and therefor harden the steel. Annealing is the opposite of herdening because it softens the steel; this is accomplished by heating the steel red-hot and allowing it to cool slowly. This is why an axe or a chisel that has been overheated on a grinding wheel will not longer hold an edge. Cryogenic hardening is basically just a continuation of the hardening process, cooling the blades even further with liquid nitrogen. After the treatment, the blades are extremely hard and also very brittle. The brittleness is lessened by a process called tempering, which is just reheating the steel to a moderate temperature (usually 400-500^oF, but it varies depending on the type of the steel and the desired hardness).

Cryogenic hardening works very well to make woodworking tools more wear-resistant, so I would think it would work equally well on many other tools, including chainsaw bars.

stonebroke · February 21, 2009, 11:47:41 AM

Would it be economic for chipper blades or planer knifes?

Stonebroke

logwalker · February 21, 2009, 12:00:58 PM

It would be interesting to see independent research that supported the effectiveness of the process. I have heard lots of hype but would like to know. Joe

PAFaller · February 22, 2009, 05:51:49 PM

Dont hold me to this but I believe the Frostbite stuff is made in Tamworth NH by the guys who run Windy Ridge. Any central NH and western Maine guys probably know where this place is. Anyhow, I used to buy a lot of stuff from them when i was in college at UNH and logging all over that area with different crews, and used their files religiously. Every time I get back that way to visit friends and family I stop in and pick up a good run of stuff as their prices are real fair and no sales tax in NH. Last time I was in they had the Frostbite bars, and it is a frozen GB bar, uses the 3-rivet GB replacement tip. I have had real good luck with mine, running a 20 inch bar on a Jonsered 2186, square filed chain usually, and bore cutting hardwood down here in PA. Had it on there 2 months or so already with minimal wear, and cost was comparable to a GB titanium, which I really like.

Rick Alger · February 22, 2009, 06:12:19 PM

I don't know about the bars, but I do know that Windy Ridge will treat saw power heads cryogenically. I think they guarantee a treated jug for the life of the saw.