# Just bought a new "Rapid Duro" Stihl chain!



## goanin (Aug 20, 2010)

Any suggestions on how to properly treat it and cut with it?

I know it's NOT a low kickback chain. I've only worked with low kickback chains. Any special things to consider? How do I prepare myself for handling it correctly and safely?

I've been cutting wood for less that two months. I'm pretty new to it.

thanks 
Adam


----------



## NUTNDUN (Aug 20, 2010)

Same rules apply with using common sense and not putting yourself in a kickback situation. You will notice the saw will pretty much feed itself. I switched to full chisel rsc chain for my 362 and it is awesome. I won't ever use safety chain again.


----------



## avalancher (Aug 20, 2010)

A lot of folks are fooled into a fall sense of security by the term "safety chain". They assume incorrectly that a safety chain eliminates the chance of kickback,rather than minimizes to the limits of common sense that a kickback will occur.

As mentioned above, use some common sense. Keep the upper part of the sprocket out of wood,if you are doing an upper cut use the bar rather than the nose to do the cutting. Avoid pinching by using your wedges in situations where the wood wants to close up on you.If you dont have any wedges, get some. Get the plastic kind,not steel that is used for splitting, and while you are waiting for your wedges to show up assuming you order online then make yourself some out some pieces of wood.

And above all else, if you havent invested in some proper safety equipement, get some yesterday.A woodsman helmet with a flip down shield can be your best friend when it comes to saving your noggin in a kickback situation, but dont forget a good pair of chaps.Although I will admit that I am one to leave the chaps in the truck many times, I never hesitate to slap a pair on in high risk areas like clearing brush,tangled wood,etc. Experience is your best tool in your arsenal against injuries, but while you are learning it pays mega dividends to be armed to the teeth with safety equipement. I have taught a lot of guys and a few gals how to cut their own wood for the winter and often have fielded complaints about the safety equipement I make em wear, but as of today I have never had a newbie go home injured.

Take your time,learn from someone who has more experience than you do any chance that you can, and have some fun with it.Just dont compromise safety for fun or a time schedule!


----------



## Wolfcsm (Aug 20, 2010)

RAPID DURO - Carbide tipped chain

Definitely want to have ALL of the proper safety equipment on when using it. Understand that it is going to cut just about anything that gets in the way of the chain. It is going to be very hard to sharpen, once it has dulled. 

Hal


----------



## discounthunter (Aug 20, 2010)

wow! and its not cheap! any reason for going with this type vs regular rcs?


----------



## 4seasons (Aug 20, 2010)

discounthunter said:


> wow! and its not cheap! any reason for going with this type vs regular rcs?



just what I was thinking, Carbide tipped teeth? What are you planning on cutting with that? I've never used anything other than full chisel and semi chisel from Oregon and got some woodland pro from baileys to try last year. Don't know if baileys can ship to your neck of the woods, but they are a site sponsor so might be worth checking out.


----------



## biggenius29 (Aug 20, 2010)

Good luck trying to sharpen that. Regular files wont do it, nor will your regular grinding wheels.


----------



## stihl sawing (Aug 20, 2010)

That chain is mostly for their rescue saw. It's made to cut steel and everything else. Like a few have said, Sharpening it is gonna be next to impossible. Probably have to send it off somewhere to sharpen it. maybe a stihl dealer has a way to sharpen one too.


----------



## Wolfcsm (Aug 21, 2010)

From Stihl: http://www.stihlusa.com/chainsaws/types.html#RD

OILOMATIC® STIHL RAPID™ Duro (RD)

Carbide tipping of the cutters makes 3/8" STIHL RAPID™ Duro chain specially suitable for cutting dirty wood, treated wood, roots or railroad ties, which would quickly dull conventional chains. This chain must be resharpened with a formed diamond grinding wheel.

STIHL RAPID™ Duro 



OILOMATIC® STIHL RAPID™ Duro Rescue (RDR)

STIHL RAPID™ Duro Rescue (RDR) is a STIHL designed chain using the STIHL OILOMATIC® principle. RDR surpasses the durability of former RDS in Rescue applications and has a higher efficiency when cutting wood. This chain is purpose-built for the demanding needs of fire and rescue specialists and is for use by specially trained emergency services personnel only. RDR is the recommended chain for use on the MS 460 R STIHL Magnum™ Rescue saw.

There looks to be a bit of difference between RD and RDR chain. 


Hal


----------



## goanin (Aug 21, 2010)

*The reason I got it:*

It is a stihl RD, not an RDR.

I wanted another spare chain. I went to the store, and I told them that every once in a while I cut dry, dead wood. The carbide chain is called "Vidia" here, and it's always mentioned in the context of dry wood because it doesn't dull.

The chain costs just a little more than X2 the price of a regular one (150 NIS vs 340 NIS), but it's said to dull X10 as slow as the regular one. I did the math. They have a diamond coated sharpener or something, especially for RD chains.


----------



## stihl sawing (Aug 21, 2010)

Didn't know there was two different ones, Thanks Hal! If the dealer has a way to sharpen it, you did alright. Should last a lot longer. Wonder how much their gonna charge to sharpen it. Here they get 10 bucks for a regular chain. For 20 inch. That was the last time i checked. It may be higher now.


----------



## Wolfcsm (Aug 21, 2010)

There are actually three different "DURO" chains. The third is a PICO chain - listed as "maybe the last chain you will buy"


goanin: That should be a good chain in hard dry wood. Keep it from dirt and nails and it should last a very long time before it needs touching up. When it does, then you have to find someone with the correct diamond wheel - or just get another chain and drive on.

Hal


----------



## barnyardman (Aug 21, 2010)

Stihl Sawing.. On the rd chain we charge $1.25 per cutter to sharpen.. On the picco duro we charge a flat $20.00 to sharpen 14"-16" chains


----------



## camoman (Aug 24, 2010)

Can a Duro chain be used to cut roots etc in the ground? Almost like a stumper chain I guess...


----------



## CountryBoy19 (Aug 24, 2010)

I don't understand why it REQUIRES a diamond wheel to sharpen...

Is this "carbide" different from the "carbide" used on the cutters in metal-working? If not, then it can be easily sharpened with a normal abrasive grinding wheel.

If it's different then I would be interested to know how it differs.


----------



## Wolfcsm (Aug 24, 2010)

CountryBoy19 said:


> I don't understand why it REQUIRES a diamond wheel to sharpen...
> 
> Is this "carbide" different from the "carbide" used on the cutters in metal-working? If not, then it can be easily sharpened with a normal abrasive grinding wheel.
> 
> If it's different then I would be interested to know how it differs.



Have to ask Stihl that question. The requirement came from their literature.

Hal


----------



## fields_mj (Feb 1, 2011)

CountryBoy19 said:


> I don't understand why it REQUIRES a diamond wheel to sharpen...
> 
> Is this "carbide" different from the "carbide" used on the cutters in metal-working? If not, then it can be easily sharpened with a normal abrasive grinding wheel.
> 
> If it's different then I would be interested to know how it differs.


 
Yes and no. It is the same carbide, (there's some varaition in carbide grain sizes, but not that much). The issue isn't the grinding medium's ability to remove the carbide so much as it is the ability for the medium to hold its shape. The grinding mediums (other than diamond) that are nurmally used to sharpen carbide tools are generally only sharpening one or two cutting surfaces, and the tool maker generally dresses or re-profiles the wheel frequently in order to achieve the cutter shape that he/she wants. If a shop does sharpends a lot of their own carbide cutters then they will generally use a diamond wheel because it will not require any dressing and it will hold its shape. This is especially true with endmills and such that have multiple cutting edges. 

The neat thing about carbide is that it doesn't have to be sharp to cut. It's so hard that it will cut metal even when dull, and it takes the heat build up very well. Chainsaws are a little different. A chainsaw doesn't have the HP required to cut effectively, so the chain needs to stay sharp, and the cutters need to have the correct shape (rake angles and such). Trying to use anything other than a diamond wheel on a chain with 30+ cutters is going to require a LOT of work reshaping the grinding wheel (wich in turn is going to eat your wheel up pretty quick), OR you would end up with cutters ground at a lot of different angles which will not cut very well. At the end of the day, it's just cheaper, faster, and easier to use the correct grinding wheel. 

Mark


----------



## jrr344 (Feb 1, 2011)

I wonder how much more it is here in the states, I might be interested in getting some.


----------



## Bucko (Feb 1, 2011)

G, let us know how it works out and what you think after using it a while.


----------



## cat10ken (Feb 1, 2011)

Baileys has the carbide chain in their catalog. Depending on what gauge and style, it varies in price from $1500 - $3000 per 100' roll. Yikes!


----------



## blades (Feb 1, 2011)

Diamond plated wheels for carbide chain sharpening are in excess of $200 ea. They can be re-plated for about 1/2+ the original cost if the base form has not been damaged.
A lot of the time when a carbide tip chain comes in ( mostly rescue ones) they are beat up so bad that there is little point to sharpening them as 50% or more of the carbide tips are damaged.


----------



## logbutcher (Feb 2, 2011)

Goanin:
You may be better off with the normal wood cutting chains. Carbide chains are $$$$$ and $$$$ to sharpen with reason as some above have said. They're a specialized tool for fire and rescue.

Carbide chains are also brittle in cold ( though no problem for you, but here when it goes much below -15 C ). The chain edges are necessarily thin, easily chipped in cold.

Look at the many available hand sharpening rigs and devices such as our fav made by PFERD. Along with a stump vise, a chain can be touched up or sharpened in the field. If we learned, anyone can. Just some hours of practice. For the price of one carbide chain, you could pick up many Stihl chains to bring along.

Good luck.


----------

