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Oregon Chain "Slack"

Started by deminin, December 21, 2020, 03:51:12 PM

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deminin

We've got a couple days of nice weather, so I went out this morning to add some firewood to my stack.  I generally use only Stihl chains, but my old one was showing its age.  Earlier this year, the local hardware store was selling Oregon chains at a reduced price, so I bought one.  I put it on this morning and headed to the woods.  I cut for about 5 minutes, and noticed I was creating more sawdust than chips, and the chain had some slack.  That's pretty normal on a new chain, so I adjusted it and continued on.  A few minutes later, same thing.  I let the saw sit for 5 minutes while I got a drink, and the chain tightened up nicely, as it cooled.  More cutting, more slack, several times over 2 or 3 hours....each time, letting the saw sit allowed the chain to go back to normal.  I didn't want to tighten the bar anymore so as not to put excess strain on the bar or sprocket.  I'm going to go out again tomorrow, and carry a spare Stihl chain with me.  If that Oregon chain can't take more than a few minutes before it stretches, I'll toss it.  BTW, yes, the bar is getting good oiling.    

lxskllr

Chain's sharp, right? A slack chain should still cut well(chips not dust). Oregon uses softer steel, so it dulls quicker, and will stretch more than Stihl. I'm not a fan, but it's alright chain. Take a file with you, and keep it sharp. Maybe it had a bad sharpening job out of the box? I've never had a terrible brand new chain, but I guess it can happen.

sawguy21

I don't worry about stretch as long as the chain shrinks an equal amount when it cools. I have used Oregon and Stihl, both very good. The Stihl seems to hold an edge better but is harder to file.

old age and treachery will always overcome youth and enthusiasm

Tacotodd

Just a thought here, did you compare the 2? Lay the Stihl down 1st, then put the Oregon on top of it. I had someone make me 1 by my specifications and they made it 6! drive links to short. Had I not caught it then it would have not let the bar oil hole be open. In my case I opened up the chain adjuster hole length, but that's when I discovered what happened. 
Trying harder everyday.

ehp

what chain are you using , what type and gauge

deminin

The Oregon chain is a L74 "control cut"....18", .063 gauge, .325 pitch.  The thing I noticed right away is that this chain has two "depth gauge" peaks.  When I finished for the day, I cleaned the saw thoroughly, which I always do, and ran a file through the teeth.  The teeth appeared to be ok....I didn't hit any rocks....and the depth gauge seemed to have the proper "depth".  However, having two "depth peaks" for each tooth seems a bit odd.  I'll try this again tomorrow, but if I have to spend half my time letting the chain cool down, I'll put a Stihl chain back on and get some serious cutting done.  

petefrom bearswamp

I think the 2 peaks are the infamous anti kickback chain.
My husky came with one and i soon junked it.
Kubota 8540 tractor, FEL bucket and forks, Farmi winch
Kubota 900 RTV
Polaris 570 Sportsman ATV
3 Huskies 1 gas Echo 1 cordless Echo vintage Homelite super xl12
57 acres of woodland

Tacotodd

I checked my catalog, it's what Oregon calls a "micro-chisel", almost a full chisel but not quite. Stays sharper than a full between sharpening, but still don't let it go to long. To circumvent the anti kickback you'll have to go with Stihl over Oregon on .325 chain of ANY gauge. The only one of Oregon choice that I'VE seen that doesn't come in the non safety variants is a lot of the 3/8. A few do but not many. Checking my Stihl catalog, it's not going to be a problem to get what you're after in .325. Just go with RS and it won't be there. You'll be happy (I think, because, I'm glad that I made that choice).
Trying harder everyday.

barbender

Oregon makes several non-safety .325 chains.
From the OP's description it sounds like he's pushing a dull chain and it's getting good and hot.
Too many irons in the fire

deminin

Nope...if this chain was dull, it was that way straight out of the package.  I sharpened it again yesterday, and went out this morning to cut down a big dead cedar tree, and got about 5 minutes into that before the chain was "expanding" again.  I stopped, put a new Stihl chain on the saw, and continued on.  I did stop after a few minutes and take a little slack out of the new chain, then I proceed to finish with no further troubles.  I was having so much fun, that I cut down a big nearby dead oak tree, and cut it up into nice chunks.  With the new Stihl chain, I only had to stop a couple of times to add some fuel and oil to the saw.  My "experiment" with a chain on sale was a total waste of time and money.....nothing but Stihl chains for me, from now on.  

barbender

Well, the actual safety chains don't cut that great even when they're sharp. There are differences between Stihl and Oregon chain, but if your not comparing a Stihl safety chain to your Oregon one the comparison is kind of meaningless. That's like saying, "Those Firestone street tires don't get around nearly as good as my Toyo Open Country MTs! Firestone is no good!"
Too many irons in the fire

Real1shepherd

I can't speak for anything other than pro Oregon chain but.....the only time I've ever seen a chain go slack was when using new chain. OR....there was a lack of bar oil like re-cutting a large stump....chain really hot.

Kevin

sharp edge

You could try tightening the adjusting screw after the bar nuts are tight. In the old days if you tighten the chain 4 to 5 times the chain would brake.

SE
The stroke of a pen is mighter than the stroke of a sword, but we like pictures.
91' escort powered A-14 belsaw, JD 350-c cat with jamer and dray, 12" powermatic planer

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