chainsaw

[jonny5buck]

Was just wanting some advice from an experienced chainsaw running ,wood cutter.

I have an 18inch stihl chainsaw..it gets a pretty hefty workout...mostly limbing and cutting trees that are already downed and on the ground...my question is how long does your chain last ...or should last with ''moderate wood cutting'' per yr???

The majority of what i cut is dead elm[american elm]...some hickory...occasional oak.....cherry ....and the last 2 yrs black locust.

I have noticed the chainsaw bogging down quite a bit on the black locust...and i do file my own chainsaw [chain]..yearly

Im going on close to 3 yrs with this chain...i do not cut would every day...but when it gets used it's normal to have to fill up the gas and bar chain oil resevior..at least 3 times in an afternoon.

What kind of saw do you use?...how often do you use it?...and most importantly when is it time to replace rather than file?

I have noticed the majority of companies that are'' tree trimmers ''...use ''stihl'' chainsaws.[.I have no complaints.]..I hear Husqavarna makes a good one also........ but have only ran into one person that has one................................thanks for any input guys..............Jon~

[pickleguy]

I cut a lot of wood & use all Sthil chainsaws. I file them every two or three tanks full of gas & when they don't cut very fast I change them out for a sharp chain. Sometimes I can cut for 3 full days on the same chain & the next time I won't get a day out of one.Dead elm is one of the hardest on chains, I have no expereance with locust. I cut enough wood that a dull chain really slows me down. If fileing works keep doing it & you can run the teeth down to about a 1/8" before throwing it away.
I hope this helps.
Bruce

[pickleguy]

I cut a lot of wood & use all Sthil chainsaws. I file them every two or three tanks full of gas & when they don't cut very fast I change them out for a sharp chain. Sometimes I can cut for 3 full days on the same chain & the next time I won't get a day out of one.Dead elm is one of the hardest on chains, I have no expereance with locust. I cut enough wood that a dull chain really slows me down. If fileing works keep doing it & you can run the teeth down to about a 1/8" before throwing it away.
I hope this helps.
Bruce

[luvhuntin]

I use a 20" husqvarna 55cc. In good wood the chain will last all day but i am very very selective on how i cut. I keep it wound up not top RPM but i`m not afraid to use the throttle. I also have the oil pump on the highest setting. I have three chains and swap them every day. When the weekend is over i have them sharpened. the thing that will wear out your saw engine and clutch the fastest is using a dull chain.

It seem like overkill and it is! just like a compound bow that has a top pin good to 40 yds

[Woods Walker]

I made my living with a chainsaw for many years. If I never have to touch one again I'll be a happy man!

What I did learn was that for the most chain longevity rule #1 is......KEEP IT AWAY FROM DIRT!!! Obviously you don't want to hit the ground with it. But you also must be carefull of any dirt that may on the log that you are cutting.

Keeping the chain well oiled is also a biggie, and ALWAYS maintain the proper chain tension on the bar.

I used to hand sharpen my chains because they lasted longer that way, and because I used a chainsaw so much I used to fine tune my chains by filing down the depth gauges more so that it'd "bite" better. Not a practice that I'd recommend to a causual user.

The kind of wood you are cutting makes a difference also. The same newly sharpened chain that would take 1"+ chips out of dead oak would be smoking sawdust within a few minutes on Osage Orange. I would always have at least one spare chain with me if I were going to be cutting all day. I'd never let a chain get really dull either, as that makes the sharpening harder, and you wear a chain out faster because you have to take more steel off to get it sharp.

[jonny5buck]

Thanks guys thats what i wanted to hear...and a correction on my original post...the chainsaw im using now i have had for 3yrs...this is the 3rd ''chain''...with about nine months on it with filing it 2 or 3 times already....

Do any of you ''stihl'' guys use only ''stihl brand'' chains?? do you ever use any other brand that will fit on a stihl???

With more teeth???

The black locust trees are very hard..not as hard as WW has stated as a hedge apple tree [osage orange]...or a mullberry tree but they are still hard as heck....plus the 5inch thorns on most of em i have been cutting.

Thanks again everyone..looks like i will be plunking down some $$ on at least one more chain....i don't want to burn up the saw, it warrants a new chain and the one im using now as a back up chain....that should do me till mushroom hunting in the spring.Jon~

Thanks for all of your advice guys-much appreciated-

[Deebz]

I hate those black locust trees... I had to put up a stand in one once since it was the only good tree for a funnel... I spent about an hour just hacking thorns off to keep from sticking myself on the way up. I've even seen birds impaled on the thorns...

I took out some yew bushes from around my house... that was some really hard wood too.

[jonny5buck]

I hear ya on the locust thorns Deebz......I trimmed and hacked the thorns off one of the many trees i had a stand in and went home with swollen blood soaked hands ...i also got a nice ''poke'' froma 4inch thorn in the kidney area...i cussed that tree up and down-


Im set pretty good on my wood pile i have some low grade wood for campfire burning and fishing trips...i also managed to get some free elm from IDOT.....That new chain made a huge difference...i should have known that it was warranted...Years in the flooring installation business have taught me ...'' a sharp blade is everything''..and we live by the motto....''work smarter ..not harder''

Thanks again guys and be safe-Jon~

[charlie 01]

You can sharpen forever, but at some point, if sharpening yourself, you will see that there will be nothing left to sharpen. Hence, time for a new one. One thing you may have happen is for the bar itself to wear out. I had to rerplace one once. You will know it's wore out when you cannot get the proper tension on the chain. It will be too loose, and a new chain will not correct this problem.
A word of caution. Be extra carefull when useing these small (18" and under) chain saws. They are light weight and can easily get bounced or kicked back. I have seen more than one person hurt with these small light weights. I've always told my sons, buy a larger heavier chain saw. They seem to be eaiser and safer to control especially when you mind is elseware, not that it should be, but it happens, minds tend to wander.

[Deebz]

that's very true Charlie... My uncle was clearing brush for his camp/picnic site in his timber. He lopped a rather small limb off a tree in front of him and the saw dropped down and bounced off his knee... He wasn't sure what had happened until he looked down and saw the blood soaking his jeans. Luckily it was a nice clean cut and didn't get into much bone.