# Difference between Semi and Full Chisel chain



## Conifercaner (Jul 17, 2009)

Hi all, i have only used semi chisel chain, i think it is a safety chain!!.

What is the difference between semi and full.

Is it a deeper cut or a more aggressive angle on the cutter?

What makes it more unsafe?

Help please

CC


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## mowoodchopper (Jul 17, 2009)

Semi chisel chain is not all safety chain.

Safety chain has extra bumper links, dog ears, or some type of anti kick back.

Full chisel the cutter is a 90 degree top to side, semi is rounded and does not have the super sharp point.

Semi chisel non safety is good chain for dirt and stumps etc.

Full chisel is faster but the points knock of easy and dull easy in dirt etc.

Full chisel take more sharpening to get back to sharp if you knock the cutters down bad.

Just my opinion and I am not great at describing what I am thinking! Hope it helps.


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## Ironbark (Jul 17, 2009)

This might help you visualise the shape of the cutter....


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## TreePointer (Jul 17, 2009)

*Here's the Low Tech Illustration:*

If you look at your chain from the tip of your bar towards the powerhead, you'll notice the shape of the cutter.

Full chisel looks like this: 7

Semi chisel looks like this: ?


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## Ironbark (Jul 17, 2009)

TreePointer said:


> Full chisel looks like this: 7
> 
> Semi chisel looks like this: ?



 Now that is a good way of expaining it


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## TreePointer (Jul 17, 2009)

Ironbark said:


> Now that is a good way of expaining it



I can't take credit for it. Everything I know, I learned here at ArboristSite. (Did I just insult myself?)


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## MCW (Jul 17, 2009)

TreePointer said:


> If you look at your chain from the tip of your bar towards the powerhead, you'll notice the shape of the cutter.
> 
> Full chisel looks like this: 7
> 
> Semi chisel looks like this: ?



? looks like chipper chain but good explanation and I've probably just confused things 

Full chisel is certainly more aggressive but there isn't as much in the cutting speed between full and semi as some people may realise. It can also allow less powerful saw to pull a longer bar with less effort. I find it smoother too but cut a lot of dirty hardwood so basically use nothing but semi chisel and the odd chipper chain anymore.


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## Erick (Jul 17, 2009)

*-->HERE<--* ya go... saves me some typing.


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## gilraine (Jul 17, 2009)

buy the one you dont have and see which one you like better.. no one here can tell you what you are going to like..


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## Moss Man (Jul 17, 2009)

Semi-chisel works much better on my firewood processor, the full chisel is too aggressive for it and dirt is an issue too. Got clean wood and wanna rip, full chisel.


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## turnkey4099 (Jul 18, 2009)

Another way: 

Semi - filed with round file
Full - filed with square file.

I have run both. Full dulls down too fast for my taste and for the difference in speed, learning to sharpen it just isn't worth it.

Harry K


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## tdi-rick (Jul 18, 2009)

turnkey4099 said:


> Another way:
> 
> Semi - filed with round file
> Full - filed with square file.
> ...



err, I think you'll find 90% of full chisel chain sold worldwide is round filed


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## TravisL (Jul 18, 2009)

I think turnkey is confusing the semi chisel/full chisel chains with round ground full chisel and the square ground full chisel


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## MCW (Jul 18, 2009)

turnkey4099 said:


> Another way:
> 
> Semi - filed with round file
> Full - filed with square file.
> ...



I believe you may be thinking of square ground chisel there with a square file  Like Rick said, most is round ground chisel.
I got hold of a loop of .404" Carlton Square today. Went OK in clean dry Redgum and held its edge better than I thought it would. Very clean wood though.


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## mowoodchopper (Jul 18, 2009)

Yes, you guys said it I agree ! There is semi chisel, full chisel, and square ground chisel a totally diff bird!


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## Ironbark (Jul 18, 2009)

mowoodchopper said:


> There is semi chisel, full chisel, and square ground chisel a totally diff bird!



In the UK the choice is pretty much restricted to semi chisel or full chisel in full comp round ground varieties.

I brought some loops of square ground full chisel semi skip back from Madsen's, but I've yet to try them.


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## SawTroll (Jul 18, 2009)

TreePointer said:


> If you look at your chain from the tip of your bar towards the powerhead, you'll notice the shape of the cutter.
> 
> Full chisel looks like this: 7
> 
> Semi chisel looks like this: ?




I agree on the 7, but not on the ? - that illustarates a chipper chain better than a semi-chisel.

Semi-chisel is more like a 7 with a rounded upper right corner.


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## SawTroll (Jul 18, 2009)

tdi-rick said:


> err, I think you'll find 90% of full chisel chain sold worldwide is round filed




I'd up the %s to at least 99....


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## Urbicide (Jul 18, 2009)

I run semi-chisel chain most of the time due to the stuff I end up cutting. I have been pleased with Carlton chain which I buy from Bailey's under the Woodsman Pro label. I do not normally buy "safety" chain since I bore cut at times. Regular chisel, to me, is a blast when I get to cut a clean green tree instead of something like a large & long-dead black locust that is laying on the forest floor. I would suggest buying some loops of each style from a couple of different manufacturers and see which ones work the best for you and your conditions.


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## TreePointer (Jul 18, 2009)

MCW said:


> ? looks like chipper chain but good explanation and I've probably just confused things





SawTroll said:


> I agree on the 7, but not on the ? - that illustarates a chipper chain better than a semi-chisel.
> 
> *Semi-chisel is more like a 7 with a rounded upper right corner.*



But I can't find that character on my keyboard.  

I agree, it does look more like chipper.


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## tdi-rick (Jul 18, 2009)

SawTroll said:


> I'd up the %s to at least 99....



I actually typed 99% then dropped it down as I was sure some smart arse from the PNW US/BC Canada would chime in with a "square ground/filed is all we see and use.."


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## husq2100 (Jul 19, 2009)

tdi-rick said:


> I actually typed 99% then dropped it down as I was sure some smart arse from the PNW US/BC Canada would chime in with a "square ground/filed is all we see and use.."



but Rick, the PNW is 99% of the world........ the rest of us are just pretending to exisit

:greenchainsaw:


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## turnkey4099 (Jul 19, 2009)

tdi-rick said:


> err, I think you'll find 90% of full chisel chain sold worldwide is round filed



could be. And how much square ground winds up round filed?  Mine did.

Harry K


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## AUSSIE1 (Jul 19, 2009)

turnkey4099 said:


> could be. And how much square ground winds up round filed?  Mine did.
> 
> Harry K



Same here. Came with a saw and round filed it.


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## dansoftn (Jul 28, 2019)

Conifercaner said:


> Hi all, i have only used semi chisel chain, i think it is a safety chain!!.
> 
> What is the difference between semi and full.
> 
> ...



Many Types seen in jpeg


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## Rick Stephens (Jul 28, 2019)




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## Huskybill (Jul 28, 2019)

I ran full chisel for many decades. I hardley ever hit the ground. I use a privy bar too so I can turn the logs over to cut the other sides.
I just tried full skip semi chisel cutting years ago at the local saw mill. My dealer told me to run it Incase of dirt in the wood he was right.
I still like the full chisel chain for speed.


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## Huskybill (Jul 28, 2019)

Rick Stephens said:


> View attachment 749885



Isn’t the semi chisel the new buzz word for the old chipper chain?


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## Rick Stephens (Jul 28, 2019)

Huskybill said:


> Isn’t the semi chisel the new buzz word for the old chipper chain?



In hand, they look a little different, *to me*, with chipper having more rounded shape throughout the cutter. The profile on that pic looks pretty much identical tho.


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## Ax-man (Jul 28, 2019)

Huskybill said:


> Isn’t the semi chisel the new buzz word for the old chipper chain?



Not quite . The old chipper chain actually looks like a C . It had a distinctive round working corner . It was also the easiest chain to sharpen and took abuse in the dirt much better than full chisel or semi chisel. It wasn't the fastest chain out of the box or off the reel but held up well.


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## Robin Wood (Jul 31, 2019)

Some saw chain models for milling still come in chipper profile and if you dont mind bringing back the angle to crosscut then you'd have something


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## Benjie Duke (Sep 10, 2019)

_In my experience under normal fire wood cutting condition. The full chisel will last maybe a 100 hours. The semi-chisel about 200 hrs. All I can honestly see a full chisel is good for is competition. For my choice a semi chisel skip tooth. On the low profile chains, the skip tooth with bumper straps cuts faster than the skip tooth without bumper straps. Go figure!_


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## Huskybill (Sep 10, 2019)

Do we have different skip chains too? Like semi skip and full skip?

You know I never used semi chisel till I purchased my new 385 Xp and 575xp the dealer knew I was cutting up big timber at a saw mill that wasn’t quality lumber into firewood. The semi chisel didn’t cut that bad. I’d say it cut good with the longer bars.


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