# Carbide chainsaw chain?



## sb47 (Oct 23, 2012)

I’ve been thinking of trying a carbide chainsaw chain but there very expensive and I was wondering if anyone has used them and are they worth the money.
If they do dull can they be sharpened?


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## oppermancjo (Oct 23, 2012)

I've been wanting one myself but I am going to use up my existing chains first.

My father in law is a Stihl dealer. Was telling me about one his reps that came in and was touting how awesome carbide chains were. He let my FIL use one for a while and he was impressed. Said you could pretty much cut dirt with it if you wanted and it would stay sharp. Said it is really nice for cutting roots if you are looking to pull a stump out.

They can be sharpened if/when the do become dull but I think you need someone with a special wheel to do it. Don't think you can use a hand file.

They are expensive up front but they save you time and money in the sharpening dept. If you are one to take your chains somewhere to be sharpened, over the life of the chain it would pretty much be a wash. Everything you spent on having your regular chains sharpened would equate to the cost of the carbide chain in the first place.


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## sb47 (Oct 23, 2012)

Thanks.
I’m quite good at sharpening my own chains, I only use a file and guide. 
I’ve tried to have a few professionally sharpened but had a bad experience with that.
First off they took way too much off with the first sharpening and I only got one use out of them and the teeth were too small to re sharpen.
And they got the teeth too hot and they dulled real fast when I got them back.

I keep my chains sharp because they cut better and last longer.
When a chain gets dull it gets hot, and that makes the chain stretch and loose the temper in the steel. 
Usually when I get down to the laser mark on the teeth the chain is stretched out to the maximum adjustment. 

I’m just curious about the carbide chains and if there worth the money.

I know with carbide skill saw blades they work great and I wont use anything else


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## sb47 (Oct 23, 2012)

If I do get a carbide chain, what would be the best one to get?
I cut firewood from big oak wood brought in by a tree company.
Mostly green wood, red, post oak.
I’m also very experienced with a saw, I’ve been gutting firewood for 20 years.

Should I get a semi or full chisel?


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## Shmudda (Oct 23, 2012)

*Carbide Chain.....*

First, the carbide saw chain will last quite a long time compared to a regular steel chain. To sharpen a special diamond coated wheel is needed, which I would bet not every sharpening place will have one due to the cost. 

I had thought about getting one of these chains in the past, but due to the cost and not being able to sharpen them myself this is what I did instead. First, I only purchase Stihl full chisel chains, they are the most aggressive, and cut the best. I have found them to last the longest and hold an edge the best. 

Take the cash you would spend on the carbide saw chain and buy yourself a good Oregon Chain Sharpener (about 300-400 bucks) and then sharpen your own chains. I have found that this is actually the most cost effective method to keep sharp chains regardless of bar length. If you are like me and have different bar lengths a carbide chain is just unrealistic to own.

Craig


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## woodman6666 (Oct 23, 2012)

We tried one on our processor once and definately not worth the money. As stated above buy oregon chains and your own sharpener and you will be money ahead.


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## hamish (Oct 23, 2012)

Carbide chain is best saved for specialty applications, utility and rescue applications unless you have a real fat wallet.

Full chisel chain cuts fastest but dulls quickly, unless one is only cutting clean wood. 

Semi chisel is almost as fast but with its rounded radiu in the corner of the tooth stays sharper longer and can handle dirty logs much longer than full chisel.


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## medic8852 (Oct 23, 2012)

I replied to your same thread in the chainsaw forum. Bottom line, a sharp chain for wood is great. Roofing material and dirty wood, maybe the carbide is better. very expensive.


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## sb47 (Oct 23, 2012)

Well I think I’ll just stick with the regular chains. Sounds like a waste of money for just cutting wood. Thanks that just saved me a lot of money.

And for the record, I've always used stihl chains that match my ms290. Green semi chisel and sometimes yellow full chisel.


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## ss~zoso~ss (Oct 23, 2012)

Just my opinion, but if I bought an expensive chain, with my luck;

I'd cut an ingrown piece of barbwire or a nail with it first day, GUARANTEED!


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## computeruser (Oct 23, 2012)

Having run saws with that crap on it before, I wouldn't conceive of using it for any normal cutting application. It is slower, can't be sharpened in the field, and costs a grip. Unless you're cutting filthy mud skidded crap and don't have access to something to wash it down with first, good technique, an ax to knock dirty bark off the cutting area, and a file kit in your pocket will get you along just fine.


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## JeffHK454 (Oct 23, 2012)

ss~zoso~ss said:


> Just my opinion, but if I bought an expensive chain, with my luck;
> 
> I'd cut an ingrown piece of barbwire or a nail with it first day, GUARANTEED!



Carbide toothed chains are meant to encounter stuff like this and keep on cutting..as long as you got the revs up a rescue chain will chew through just about anything for a couple minutes... then it gets reground or sh*t canned. These chains aren't cost effective for firewood guys like us..or practical. 

I'd bet you could buy a new Stihl RS chain in the size you like for less than the cost of having a carbide chain sharpened.


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## haveawoody (Oct 24, 2012)

A couple of the tree guys i work with have used them.
They cut great like having a new chain but not much of a difference than just a new or sharp chain.
Only difference is they remain that way for a much longer time.

I've heard that standard safety eqiptment isn't much good for stopping carbide chains before they get you.
Something to keep in mind if you get one is normal chapps are no match for a carbide chain since it cuts longer before it binds up.

You can sharpen them yourself with a diamond coated file but it's a much longer than normal process.
File isn't cheap either.

Both tree guys tried them and when they got dull put them away for good.


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## Swamp Yankee (Oct 24, 2012)

Sharpening is the issue

As a couple of previous posters have mentioned a diamond wheel is needed to sharpen a carbide chain. Due to the cost of the wheel and the limited need, most saw shops will not have one. Even if they special order the chain for you there may have no place locally to get the edge put back on. The cost to sharpen one is much higher as well as it takes considerably longer to grind one.

Carbide will also shatter if you hit something hard launching little pieces of shrapnel everywhere, unlike a regular chain where the tooth just rolls over into a nice little dull ball.

Take Care


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## Wood Doctor (Oct 24, 2012)

*Not Worth It*



sb47 said:


> I’ve been thinking of trying a carbide chainsaw chain but there very expensive and I was wondering if anyone has used them and are they worth the money.
> If they do dull can they be sharpened?


Not worth the money, most loggers say. They can't be sharpened easily and it costs a young fortune to get them sharpened professionally. They will also get dull when you hit the ground or embedded steel in the log just about as fast as any ordinary chain.

We tried using them in trees that had bark clogged with sand from floods, and yes, they lasted a bit longer, but not that much longer to justify the added expense.


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## groundup (Oct 24, 2012)

I've used them while cutting small stumps. I work on a Christmas tree farm in the summer. We have to cut 800 to 1000 stumps flush to the ground in order to mow. I have around 15 chains. 2 are carbide

The regular chains will cut around 30 stumps. The carbides cut double. However, sometimes I only get 1 stump cut if theres a rock growing in the stump and it burns the carbides just as quickly.

Much more to get sharpened and not worth it in the long run, when I can get 4 regulars for the same price.


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