# Using a dedicated saw with carbide chain for flushing / mud work



## Plasmech (Feb 12, 2009)

How does this idea sound, other than "expensive"...

When I flush cut stumps or buck logs that have ANY amount of dirt or mud on them, the chain's life (sharpness) is like one tank of gas and that's it, for obvious reasons. Does anybody run a carbide chain on a beater saw just for this purpose? From what I understand carbide does not cut well AS GOOD as hardened steel, however, screw that, I'l like to be able to flush more than one friggin' stump with a single sharpening. Just curious, as always.


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## sawinredneck (Feb 12, 2009)

It's expensive, most dealers do not have the equipment to sharpen the chains, and purchasing it would be an astronomical expense.
I fully understand what you are fighting, the Oaks I cut are in sandy soil, tears chains right up.
The old Stihl RM chain would hold up pretty good. I am not sure if the safety straps had anything to do with that or not, but it's getting scarce as well.
One really odd observation I have made lately is that the .325 chain on the 350 seems to stay sharper considerably longer than the .375 chain on the 046. Might just be me. In clean wood I don't notice any difference.
Laugh all you want, but if this is something you think you will be doing a lot of, you might be better off just getting a Wild thing and a dozen chains (cheaper the better) for these tasks?


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## ray benson (Feb 12, 2009)

My stump cut is the last cut. Start with a sharp chain then sharpen when finished. No big deal.


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## thejdman04 (Feb 13, 2009)

If you have a bench grinder, you can get special stones to sharpen the chains yourself, they arent all that expensive. If you are doing lots of stupmp cutting it is the way to go.


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## Mike PA (Feb 13, 2009)

Baileys sells a sharpening stone for about $7 that would work. Fits in a dremel type grinder.


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## KD57 (Feb 13, 2009)

Nobody runs them here except on rescue saws. If you are making a living flush cutting stumps, maybe it would be a good investment, otherwise, why not just use your old discarded chains? I have a big pile of loops I use just for that purpose, chains that would normally been discarded anyway. I also keep my old bars for ground contact work.


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## capetrees (Feb 13, 2009)

Use a larger guage chain like .404 which means only changing out the sprocket and bar and chain provided your saw will take the strain. Use a 3/8 chain at the very least though.


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## Plasmech (Feb 13, 2009)

thejdman04 said:


> If you have a bench grinder, you can get special stones to sharpen the chains yourself, they arent all that expensive. If you are doing lots of stupmp cutting it is the way to go.




Are they readily available for the Oregon bench grinders?


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## Plasmech (Feb 13, 2009)

capetrees said:


> Use a larger guage chain like .404 which means only changing out the sprocket and bar and chain provided your saw will take the strain. Use a 3/8 chain at the very least though.



How does a longer pitch help here? Thanks.


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## chevytaHOE5674 (Feb 13, 2009)

My .404 chain seems to hold up better than 3/8 in the dirt. 

I try to clean off stumps before i flush them. Shovel any dirt off around them, take a broom and get what I can off; and get them somewhat clean. The 5 minutes of work saves me sharpening time.


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## capetrees (Feb 14, 2009)

Plasmech said:


> How does a longer pitch help here? Thanks.



The mechanics of it I don't know but I was in the same situation when I was looking for a bigger saw for cutting stumps. (went with a 440) When I told the service rep what I was doing with it he suggested jumping to .404 chain for dirty work. This is a guy thats been in the business with Stihl for a long time, 30 years plus, and knows his stuff. I don't need to go too low due to the fact that I have a stump grinder.


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## serial killer (Feb 14, 2009)

Really, you shouldn't need to stick a saw in the dirt. Most of my contracts call for the stump to be cut six inches or less from the ground. Anything down in the mud is the stump grinders job. If the customer doesn't want to pay for stump grinding, that's their problem. If your company doesn't own a stump grinder, then you should at least know a competent guy who you can refer and hand out a business card for, and hopefully get a small referral fee.


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## Plasmech (Feb 14, 2009)

serial killer said:


> Really, you shouldn't need to stick a saw in the dirt. Most of my contracts call for the stump to be cut six inches or less from the ground. Anything down in the mud is the stump grinders job. If the customer doesn't want to pay for stump grinding, that's their problem. If your company doesn't own a stump grinder, then you should at least know a competent guy who you can refer and hand out a business card for, and hopefully get a small referral fee.



I know, but some days, I wake up, do a 'ol big yawn, stretch my arms, and say "you know what, today I'm gonna rev up my shiny new 260 Pro and stick the tip in dirt baby, wooooooo!"

Nah, just messin'. In all seriousness, I'm sort of anal about stumps and nubs. I like to get them low enough so a truck can drive over them with no problem. And dirt happens, more for noobs like me than for you, but it still happens.


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## capetrees (Feb 15, 2009)

I too run a 260 pro and decided to jump to the 440 for the stumps. If you do have to cut low, try to wash the stump areas to be cut. That still doesn't fix the problem of rocks in the stump or bark.


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## frodo (Feb 15, 2009)

don't cut them so low that it dulls your chain.tell the client you will cut them as low as possible. any lower will require a stump grinder. after you cut a few you'll understand. does this guy remind anyone else of canyonbc?:greenchainsaw:


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## randyg (Feb 19, 2009)

*Low down on stump cuttin*

When ever you pull dirt INTO the kerf, chain dulls quickly. SOOOOOO, this is how I cut stumps low without dulling chain. Find a clean spot and start with just the bottom of the tip of the bar and slowly ease the tip in till you turn into a bore/plunge cut and have stuck the tip straight in till tip is in the very center. While keeping tip near the center I slowly walk backwards (clockwise) around stump till I'm back where I started. Stick a couple wedges in behind your cut and you won't get pinched as you finish. 

Oh yea, and if some one wants the stump cut flush with the ground, JUST SAY NO.


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## owlsawyer (Jan 26, 2017)

Just two cents worth. I might try getting a decent pressure washer and clear out enough space to cut well. If you get good with it; you can channel dirt where you want it, making it easier to back fill later. Other than using old chains, it seems like that might be cheaper and more efficient than sharpening carbides. Good luck.


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## JTM (Jan 26, 2017)

The way I did it in my pasture was to cut above the dirty area. Then pull all the crap away from the base (sod, dirt and stuff). Go back after a couple of good rains and flush cut. This usually gets it a few inches lower so I don't have to worry when mowing.


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