Chain saw blades?

D

dopeydopey

New member
What is everyone using for saw blades?
I am cutting mostly White and Red Oak, Maple and some Birch.
It seems as though my blades are going dull only after an hour or so of cutting. I am using Oregon brand blades.
Thanks for any suggestions.
 
Manual of self oiling saw. I've seen many auto oiling saws that clog the oil vent tubes easily with finer saw dust preventing the chain from getting lubed. Chipper chains will help with the clogging some. A new chain should last longer if properly oiled. Do you see burns on the teeth from overheating or color changes in the chain tooth metal? Are you sharpening these chains yourself or having it done professionally? Chain sharpening can be trick.
 
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Manual of self oiling saw. I've seen many auto oiling saws that clog the oil vent tubes easily with finer saw dust preventing the chain from getting lubed. Chipper chains will help with the clogging some. A new chain should last longer if properly oiled. Do you see burns on the teeth from overheating or color changes in the chain tooth metal? Are you sharpening these chains yourself or having it done professionally? Chain sharpening can be trick.



Self oiling saw. That could be true, I will check out the oil hole to make sure.
I will look to see if I have any discoloring. I don't sharpen blades, I just use them and replace them.

Thanks for the help.
 
On a side note, sometimes when the saw is just idle and then I pick it up and hit the trigger, I can see the Oil "flick" of the blade. What's up with that?
 
You should see the oil fling off the blade. Once in a while I would hold the tip of the bar about an inch from a light color piece of wood and pull the trigger. You should see oil castoff if it is oiling properly.
 
I am wondering if even though my saw is self oiling, I should spray the blade with a lube to make it last longer. I will try switching blades also. I saw Huskarvarna blades for sale at the local hardware store.

Thanks for the help!
 
First off, are you talking about your saw chain or the bar? Chainsaws do not have a blade no matter what vernacular you speak. If you mean your chain is dulling fast there can be many causes. Are you hitting the ground while you are cutting? Even normal soil, without visible rocks, will dull the chain. As far as filing, learn how. Chains are too expensive to replace the first time they dull....they are made to be sharpened.

If you are talking about the bar, the bar plays no part in the actual cutting, but it does play a big part in how a saw cuts (if that makes any sense). I very highly doubt you wore out a bar (unless you cut professionally), so unless you bent it, it is probably fine. The bar oil doesn't lube the teeth to make the cut easier, it lubes the bar groove and the chain drivers so the bar doesn't get too hot and bend, warp, or ruin the temper in the steel. If it is spraying oil of the tip of the bar, it is oiling just fine. Adding additional oil is just a waste of oil.

My guess is that you are probably "rocking" (ie, hitting the ground) the chain while you are cutting. Be very cognizant of where the tip of the bar is when you are cutting stuff on the ground, as most people stick the end of the bar in the ground when they can't see it on the opposite side of the log.
 
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First off, are you talking about your saw chain or the bar? Chainsaws do not have a blade no matter what vernacular you speak.



Yes I meant the chain, I worded it wrong I guess.
I will read up on sharpening the chain. Thanks!
 
There is nothing worse then a dull chain saw. It will work you to death. If you have saw dust instead of chips your chain is dull.
 
I don't run a saw any more. My brother runs one all the time. He buys carbide chains, which last a lot longer.

He buys the chain in a bulk spool. Friends will often purchase enough from him for their personal saw.

If you can find someone running a saw professionally, you might be able to buy enough for yourself. Bulk prices are better than prices for single chains.
 
My experience is that when you're cutting aspen, poplar or similar especially in the spring time, alot of sand is sucked up inside the tree. In those cases the saw chain will be dull in no-time.
 
Chains are not hard to keep sharp, Their designed to be filed and the equipment to do so is not expensive. I can't imagine buying a new chain everytime one gets dull.

Talk to the folks that you buy your chain from or any saw shop that sells chains and filing equipment, they may be able to show you how to keep your chain sharp.

When your cutting tough to cut woods there are tools to lift the logs up out of the dirt, but you may have to sharpen that chain often anyway. Check your saw shop or at Baileys

Swifty mentioned carbide saw chains, but they are very expensive compared to standard chains and where a standard chain may run 20 bucks a carbide chain may run 200 bucks. That's not the answer for a person whom is not using a chain saw for his work. Even the folks whom do use a saw in the woods doesn't often use carbide chain. Carbide chains can only be machine sharpened instead of using a standard file.

The link I posted above to Baileys also sells both filing equipment and books on keeping those chains sharp.
 
There are two files and two simple guides you need for filing. You need a round file the correct size the cutters and a flat file for filing the rakers.

The first tool is a filing jig to ensure you get the correct angle on the cutters when filing and ensure the angle is consistent on all the cutters (you can tell if your angles are messed up because the saw will not cut straight...it will curve as you cut).

The second tool is a depth gauge, which is used to set your rakers. (The cutters cut the wood, the rakers "sweep" the chips out of the cut) As you file the cutters, they get slightly "shorter" each time. The rakers are designed to sit slightly below the cutters, so as the cutters get shorter the rakers get higher relative to the cutters and the saw will start to cut very slowly or not at all (because the rakers are preventing the cutters from touching the wood). So, every few times you file the cutters (unless you take a lot of steel off during a filing, in which case you will have to file the rakers more frequently) you have to file the rakers. The depth gauge is used to make sure you get the right depth....enough, but not too much (if you take too much off the rakers the saw will take to big a bite and bog down).

The guides are not complicated and are very simple to use. As with every thing else, practice makes perfect. The good thing is its really tough to permanently screw up a chain, so if you try and it doesn't cut like you want it to, try touching it up again. Here's a link that talks about terminology and mechanics of the chain.

Oregon Chain FAQ's

There are different types of chain, usually referring to the number of cutters...."anti-skip" (which is supposed to help prevent kick-back, "skip tooth", "full comp". Most saws come new with anti-skip chain. There are also different types of cutters (which determine how they are filed)... there is round tooth (most common) and chisel tooth. Also, using a grinder to file is good if you are a professional, but the cost of the equipment and time it takes to learn to use it out-weigh the benefits for most people. Also, once you grind a chain, you must continue using a grinder because it changes the cutting edge on the tooth (ie, you can't go back to hand filing).

My advice...go to Bailey's or your local saw shop, get a filing jig, depth gauge, round file, and a flat file and start making metal shavings. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif And to answer your original question, I use regular old Oregon full comp.
 
One word of caution about filing a chain..

If you file the "drags" aka rakers.. Be sure that you use the correct depth guage on the file guide.

Not doing so can cause severe kick-back and can cause a nasty scar on an otherwise pretty face...

I've been filing chain for 30 plus years and I can say that most times the individual home owner has no busiess messing with the depth of the drags..

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Also, once you grind a chain, you must continue using a grinder because it changes the cutting edge on the tooth (ie, you can't go back to hand filing).



hmm that's a new one on me. Using a grinder doesn't do anything special or outrageous to a chain.. It may take a lick or two more to reset the angle of the undercut to the shap of a file but that is it. Remember that all teeth are ground with a "grinder" from the factory..
 
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Using a grinder doesn't do anything special or outrageous to a chain.. It may take a lick or two more to reset the angle of the undercut to the shap of a file but that is it.



Going back and forth between a grinder and hand filing wastes more steel than it's worth, so yes it can be done, but it isn't worth it. It's best to stick to one or the other.
 
I used to work as a logger 'bout 15-20 years ago, but I still think it's alot of fun using a chain saw.
I only use a grinder if the chain has been in contact with a stone or similar so you have to remove alot o material to make it sharp again. But I always finish off with a hand file to make it really sharp, you can't get that final edge with a grinder. I always hand file a new chain as well.
 
Timberbeast is right on the money. And if you file the rakers to low your chain will bite more than it can chew and your saw will just bog down. If you want your chain to stay sharp keep it out of the dirt.
 
I have been being more careful to not hit the ground when I am sawing down trees. My chain seems to be lasting longer. I also flipped my blade.

Thanks to all that helped.
 
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