Chain dull in two hours?

[salecker]

Chains matter...
Get some of the awesome china chains...
Don't have to resharpen,by the time they get dull they are to stretched to be reused.Make awesome skipping noises when the drives get to far apart to mesh with your rim or spur drive.
But seriously it is known that the Stihl chains are one of the best if not the best chains out there.

 

[SpaceBus]

Chains matter...
Get some of the awesome china chains...
Don't have to resharpen,by the time they get dull they are to stretched to be reused.Make awesome skipping noises when the drives get to far apart to mesh with your rim or spur drive.
But seriously it is known that the Stihl chains are one of the best if not the best chains out there.

You aren't event reading what I'm saying. I never said to buy the cheapest chain and that's as good as a quality chain. Husqvarna and Stihl both make quality products, it's just preference

 

[Zack R]

Didn't read the whole thread but I touch up my chains after every day of use, which is rarely more than two hours of normal cutting. Noodling dulls them faster for sure, so I'd say you did great to get two hours of use.

 

[salecker]

I honestly can't believe that manufacturer of chain matters at all. If it did, the market would look much different.

So which part of this did i get wrong?
You clearly state that in your opinion the manufacturer doesn't matter.
I said it does and gave an example.
So i stand by the fact that all chains are not created equal,therefor the manufacturer of the chain makes all the difference.

 

[bholler]

So which part of this did i get wrong?
You clearly state that in your opinion the manufacturer doesn't matter.
I said it does and gave an example.
So i stand by the fact that all chains are not created equal,therefor the manufacturer of the chain makes all the difference.

It is the quality of the chain that matters not who made it. Yes right now stihl make some of the best chains out there. But they are not the only ones. And just because they are top quality right now doesn't mean they will be in the future.

 

[Sodbuster]

It is the quality of the chain that matters not who made it. Yes right now stihl make some of the best chains out there. But they are not the only ones. And just because they are top quality right now doesn't mean they will be in the future.

They will likely be king for the near term at least. They have a very loyal following by the pros that use them everyday to make a living, they'll be the first to notice if quality slips. They charge a premium, but it's worth it. Kind of like lawn pros use Exmark and Scag expensive but worth it, when downtime costs you money, it pays to pay a little more.

 

[bholler]

They will likely be king for the near term at least. They have a very loyal following by the pros that use them everyday to make a living, they'll be the first to notice if quality slips. They charge a premium, but it's worth it. Kind of like lawn pros use Exmark and Scag expensive but worth it, when downtime costs you money, it pays to pay a little more.

Yes but Porter Cable and Delta used to be at the top for woodworking. Now they area junk. DeWalt was untouchable for years with contractors not anymore. There have bern many other companies who let their quality slip when they were at the top.

 

[SpaceBus]

Yes but Porter Cable and Delta used to be at the top for woodworking. Now they area junk. DeWalt was untouchable for years with contractors not anymore. There have bern many other companies who let their quality slip when they were at the top.

When did porter cable go down? We recently SNAGGED a PC 7" circ on sale.

 

[Marshy]

When did porter cable go down? We recently SNAGGED a PC 7" circ on sale.

IMO they have varying quality levels of tools. I think their drills are just as good as Makita, better than craftsman and just below dewalt. That's for the 18 and 20 volt tools. If you get the smaller ones they quality and build suffers.

 

[bholler]

When did porter cable go down? We recently SNAGGED a PC 7" circ on sale.

They have slowly moved away from what they used to be since black and decker bought them in 04. They still make some industral quality stuff but most of it is just homeowner grade stuff

 

[bholler]

IMO they have varying quality levels of tools. I think their drills are just as good as Makita, better than craftsman and just below dewalt. That's for the 18 and 20 volt tools. If you get the smaller ones they quality and build suffers.

Makita dewalt and Milwaukee are now rated as the top 3 in cordless drills for quality. Porter cable is on par with ryobi and hitachi when it comes to quality. For homowner grade stuff they are pretty good. But they dont hold up well to professional use.

 

[salecker]

Yes but Porter Cable and Delta used to be at the top for woodworking. Now they area junk. DeWalt was untouchable for years with contractors not anymore. There have bern many other companies who let their quality slip when they were at the top.

Most of the time when that happens it is because of company take over by an aisian firm.The only thing they want is the name.You can see a bunch of "old USA " company names being used again.McCulloch is a fine example,or Bell and Howell.
Stihl is a quality name with quality products,unless the company structure changes there is no reason to think that the quality will fall.

 

[bholler]

Most of the time when that happens it is because of company take over by an aisian firm.The only thing they want is the name.You can see a bunch of "old USA " company names being used again.McCulloch is a fine example,or Bell and Howell.
Stihl is a quality name with quality products,unless the company structure changes there is no reason to think that the quality will fall.

I agree I don't think the quality will fall unless something changes with the company. But that doesn't mean they will stay at the top nessecarily. There could easily be another company who innovates and surpasses them. It happened with DeWalt and their 18v line. The quality of their product didn't change but everyone else improved while they didn't change for years. Untill their 20v stuff came out now they are up with the leaders again.

I just think getting stuck on one brand is silly. Things are not static the quality is all that matters to me and right now I use stihl chains because they have great quality and there is a dealer 5 miles from me. If another good brand was closer I may not use them.

And btw most of the time it is an American company not an Asian one that buys up a brand and kills the quality

 

[SpaceBus]

Y'all can believe what you want about chains, but my Stihl pro chain dulls just as fast as the chain that came with my Husqvarna "landowner" saw. I have noticed that Stihl has different sharpening angles than others, but that doesn't make them better.

 

[Sodbuster]

Y'all can believe what you want about chains, but my Stihl pro chain dulls just as fast as the chain that came with my Husqvarna "landowner" saw. I have noticed that Stihl has different sharpening angles than others, but that doesn't make them better.

It's really hard to judge chain quality over time unless you've paid very close attention to what you were cutting. I cut some live cherry out in the woods, and the chain lasts forevery. I cut a 150 year old shag bark hickory, that's set next to a gravel road, and I'll go through a chain every tank. Pebbles and grit are literally ingrained in the wood, plus the outside is really gritty.

 

[SpaceBus]

It's really hard to judge chain quality over time unless you've paid very close attention to what you were cutting. I cut some live cherry out in the woods, and the chain lasts forevery. I cut a 150 year old shag bark hickory, that's set next to a gravel road, and I'll go through a chain every tank. Pebbles and grit are literally ingrained in the wood, plus the outside is really gritty.

Yes, I get a lot of sparks around here due to being on a ledge stone cliff. That happens on living trees too, not just stuff laying on the ground. I'm 90% soft wood here and I can't get more than two tanks out of a 20" loop. Perhaps in your neck of the woods chains last longer, but I stay busy with the file here.

 

[aaronk25]

Ya you guys going long times, like more than a couple tanks of gas without sharpening do not have a sharp chain, it is infact by most standards dull,l. The difference is your cutting softer woods.

Try bucking burr or white oak for one hour and not sharpening. Not gonna happen. I’ve switched back to semi chisel for oak as these 300 year old oaks have a lot of sand in them.

And when you sharpen remember to take the rakers down to or you will be wasting your time....


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[SpaceBus]

Ya you guys going long times, like more than a couple tanks of gas without sharpening do not have a sharp chain, it is infact by most standards dull,l. The difference is your cutting softer woods.

Try bucking burr or white oak for one hour and not sharpening. Not gonna happen. I’ve switched back to semi chisel for oak as these 300 year old oaks have a lot of sand in them.

And when you sharpen remember to take the rakers down to or you will be wasting your time....


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

I've been reading more about the different types of chain. I bought a couple of extra loops for my 460 without even knowing anything about the chains. Turns out they are all three full chisel. One of them was in rough shape from my poor hand filing skills. I got a Granberg file-n-joint and now all of my chains are like new. It's amazing what a little bit of time can do.


Perhaps some folks here with very long times between filing just aren't cutting much or forgot what a sharp chain was like.

 

[Sawset]

I've run chains into icy dirt before, and it took 2-3 sharpenings to get it back to where it could cut decent for more than 10 minutes. I've also had new chains seem to cut ribbons for a very long time, way longer than from machine ground. I usually take a couple chains along, and change out when I think the edge is starting to dull. Usually after about three tanks, or an hour. Makes for a couple 2-3 hours cutting till I'm tired. I might try changing that routine to hand filing every tank, we'll see. It would be interesting to really look close at what is happening to the edge that is factory ground, vs say hand file, small dremel grinder, or bench grinder. What is really going on. That sandy ice really took the edge off - need to put my inspector gadget magnifier to it and find out.

 

[SpaceBus]

I'm not going to lie, I sharpened my Stihl picco chain today and it was not near as bad as I thought it would be. The sparks flew as I cut lims flush with the trunk with my tiny 150tc. The chain got caught several times, but no issues. A few cutters had nicks, but overall not much material had to come off and all the cutters are even now. I don't know if anyone else makes picco chains, but the dealer sold me a stihl loop when I asked for a spare.

After reading some posts about cutting on these forums I might get a second bar for all three of my saws. They all have at least two chains each currently. There's a 395XP with two 24" ripping chains waiting for a sawmill. Unfortunately mud season is in full swing and I have nowwhere to put it right now.

 

[TreePointer]

I don't know if anyone else makes picco chains, but the dealer sold me a stihl loop when I asked for a spare.

I like Stihl chain, but a couple years ago I tried Woodland Pro 3/8LP pitch chain on my small saw. Very pleased.

 

[SpaceBus]

I like Stihl chain, but a couple years ago I tried Woodland Pro 3/8LP pitch chain on my small saw. Very pleased.

This chain is tiny, way smaller than 3/8lp. I actually was given a 3/8lp chain by mistake by the new guy. It was corrected, but I should have checked before I left the store.

 

[TreePointer]

This chain is tiny, way smaller than 3/8lp. I actually was given a 3/8lp chain by mistake by the new guy. It was corrected, but I should have checked before I left the store.

When you sated "Picco" I just assumed it was the 3/8lp variety because that's what's on my 12" Stihl power pruner bar (D'oh!). Stihl must have paired 1/4" pitch chain with that saw to keep it smooth for carvers and delicate pruning.

With that being the case, I don't have a recommendation as an alternative to Stihl chain because I don't run any saws in 1/4". Woodland Pro doesn't seem to have a current offering in that pitch, but Oregon has two models:

25A - no guard link, good for carving

25AP - guard link

 

[SpaceBus]

When you sated "Picco" I just assumed it was the 3/8lp variety because that's what's on my 12" Stihl power pruner bar (D'oh!). Stihl must have paired 1/4" pitch chain with that saw to keep it smooth for carvers and delicate pruning.

With that being the case, I don't have a recommendation as an alternative to Stihl chain because I don't run any saws in 1/4". Woodland Pro doesn't seem to have a current offering in that pitch, but Oregon has two models:

25A - no guard link, good for carving

25AP - guard link

I'll have to read more about those chains. I have no idea what that means. I use this baby saw for limbing and pruning and it's a real treat.

 

[TreePointer]

I'll have to read more about those chains. I have no idea what that means. I use this baby saw for limbing and pruning and it's a real treat.

> > > See the three highlighted parts in the graphic below < < <


A regular or "pro" chain will have drive links but no guard links.

Low-kickback chains (aka "safety" chains) often include specially shaped drive links called guard links. Guard links have a protrusion that partially covers the depth gauge (raker) of each cutter link. These don't perform as well as regular chains when carving or plunge/bore cutting.

Your Sthil 1/4" pitch chain should have guard links on every cutter link.