Absolutely disgusted with my sharpening

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Yep, that is apologising material right there....

I would start by cleaning of the stump with blower, then hose if available, get as much soil out as possible before saw gets in there.

Yep did all that, and I chipped away the outer layer of the cut line with a spud bar. Actually did about three-quarters of that stump with that ugly chain I originally posted since I sharpened it last night and it did okay
 
So you’re saying you will cut twice as fast with full chisel? That’s quite a claim. I haven’t used full chisel so I’m not calling bs. But if that’s true I might have to change some setups!
I will call BS as I have both full chisel and semi chisel that I run on the same saw. Sure a full chisel is faster in clean wood, but it is closer to 30% max, more like 20% most of the time. Like I said before I touch up my chain between every tank of gas. In really rough bark, stuff like dirt, sand, and rocks get caught so that you're cutting the dirt every time you cut bark. It can get really bad on some trees to the point that you have to sharpen between every round.
Semi chisel holds it edge longer so I use it exclusively when cutting dirty trees. In those it actually cuts faster as you don't have to sharpen as often. But yes as a general rule full chisel is faster and square ground is fastest. But almost no one uses square ground as it won't hold an edge for any amount of time.
Where you can really get some speed difference is by running an overpowered saw with a short bar and lower rakers on soft wood. But don't try this trick until you get good at reading the wood and knowing what your saw can take.
 
There have been debates on chisel vs semi chisel here over several years with no one answer being right for every body. With some one knowing how aggressive to set up a chain under many conditions there is little difference between chisel and semi chisel. There are many videos online of people with the same intent to prove one better than the other. For clean green or damp wood cutting chisel chain is very difficult to beat. As wood dries out the advantages is minimized. The wood I most often cut will most certainly stop a chisel chain. It suddenly becomes a nuisance rather than a tool. A chisel chain can be made to get through a large dried Oak, but will not get through more than a few cuts before needing a full sharpen exorcise. When using chisel chain on certain projects it has been not uncommon to sharpen eight times a day with the chain being completely worn out in two days. Where as the semi chisel can do the same job with only one or two sharpening needed. When I fell green growing Pine trees a chisel would melt through the trunks virtually with out effort. Thanks
Yeah I’m sure in clean softwood the chisel will cut faster but I just have a hard time believing it will cut twice as fast. I use semi but I do a mix of different woods and some are dirty and some are clean. I just think if chisel will actually cut twice as fast then I will have to grab a chain for those rare clean logs that I have access to
 
I will call BS as I have both full chisel and semi chisel that I run on the same saw. Sure a full chisel is faster in clean wood, but it is closer to 30% max, more like 20% most of the time. Like I said before I touch up my chain between every tank of gas. In really rough bark, stuff like dirt, sand, and rocks get caught so that you're cutting the dirt every time you cut bark. It can get really bad on some trees to the point that you have to sharpen between every round.
Semi chisel holds it edge longer so I use it exclusively when cutting dirty trees. In those it actually cuts faster as you don't have to sharpen as often. But yes as a general rule full chisel is faster and square ground is fastest. But almost no one uses square ground as it won't hold an edge for any amount of time.
Where you can really get some speed difference is by running an overpowered saw with a short bar and lower rakers on soft wood. But don't try this trick until you get good at reading the wood and knowing what your saw can take.
Thanks for the info. 20% sounds more believable.
 
There is a tool called a 'stump grinder' . . . . just sayin' . . . .

Philbert

Certainly not the biggest and best in the world, but it gets the job done. I don't mind the grinding one bit usually, unless it's pine, but I have to get them down to a few inches hit them with the grinder unless I want to be there all day. This style of grinder tends to want to suck you in if the stump is over about 6 in anyway
 

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I will call BS as I have both full chisel and semi chisel that I run on the same saw. Sure a full chisel is faster in clean wood, but it is closer to 30% max, more like 20% most of the time. Like I said before I touch up my chain between every tank of gas. In really rough bark, stuff like dirt, sand, and rocks get caught so that you're cutting the dirt every time you cut bark. It can get really bad on some trees to the point that you have to sharpen between every round.
Semi chisel holds it edge longer so I use it exclusively when cutting dirty trees. In those it actually cuts faster as you don't have to sharpen as often. But yes as a general rule full chisel is faster and square ground is fastest. But almost no one uses square ground as it won't hold an edge for any amount of time.
Where you can really get some speed difference is by running an overpowered saw with a short bar and lower rakers on soft wood. But don't try this trick until you get good at reading the wood and knowing what your saw can take.

I should clarify that a lot our work is standing, clean timber, that said many of our Australian species are very dense, hard timbers. Chisel excels in these, we don't process many conifers or softwoods, however I find the disparity in cutting speed is less pronounced in some of the big Pinus radiata we deal with. I factor chisel cutting speed into quotes for jobs involving a lot of docking & ripping works. As I said, for big strenuous climbs, the energy saving of having full chisel cutting speed in very significant, it can also be the difference in technique, knowing how fast the chain will go through a certain limb will be a factor in deciding if you spear, step or tear cut a 500kg piece between the blue slate roof, power line & garage containing six antique vehicles....

I run generally run shorter bars on bigger saws for control, accuracy & fatigue management, along with increased cutting speed.

We also process a lot of seasoned hardwood (Eucalyptus marginata) for firewood, has been sitting on forest floor for decades, often covered in charcoal, frequently ridden with termites. Still find the full chisel a great deal faster & more efficient in this material, just have to cut smart.

Nice little MS661, 24" light bar, full chisel, nice seasoned E. marginata log 12-18", pure firewood docking joy.....
 
I will call BS as I have both full chisel and semi chisel that I run on the same saw. Sure a full chisel is faster in clean wood, but it is closer to 30% max, more like 20% most of the time. Like I said before I touch up my chain between every tank of gas. In really rough bark, stuff like dirt, sand, and rocks get caught so that you're cutting the dirt every time you cut bark. It can get really bad on some trees to the point that you have to sharpen between every round.
Semi chisel holds it edge longer so I use it exclusively when cutting dirty trees. In those it actually cuts faster as you don't have to sharpen as often. But yes as a general rule full chisel is faster and square ground is fastest. But almost no one uses square ground as it won't hold an edge for any amount of time.
Where you can really get some speed difference is by running an overpowered saw with a short bar and lower rakers on soft wood. But don't try this trick until you get good at reading the wood and knowing what your saw can take.

4 has it exactly correct. I have been saying exactly this scenario for many years. In most cases chisel is much slower at every thing because it needs so much attention. Thanks
 
Yeah I’m sure in clean softwood the chisel will cut faster but I just have a hard time believing it will cut twice as fast. I use semi but I do a mix of different woods and some are dirty and some are clean. I just think if chisel will actually cut twice as fast then I will have to grab a chain for those rare clean logs that I have access to

I question that a full chisel will cut 200% of what a semi chisel could cut. Many have said between 20% to 40% increase which I believe is possible. Thanks
 
I'd use the chisel chains in the clean wood and buy a handful of semi chisels for stump cutting, they hold up better in dirty wood and are easier to sharpen when you rock one. A sorta sharp semi chisel is still going to be faster than a banged up chisel chain in a stump. It helps to have plenty of chains on hand for that work, when one stops cutting right just swap it out. It'll keep you from cooking your bar and usually keep you from causing more damage to the chain which makes them easier to fix later.
 
I'd use the chisel chains in the clean wood and buy a handful of semi chisels for stump cutting, they hold up better in dirty wood and are easier to sharpen when you rock one. A sorta sharp semi chisel is still going to be faster than a banged up chisel chain in a stump. It helps to have plenty of chains on hand for that work, when one stops cutting right just swap it out. It'll keep you from cooking your bar and usually keep you from causing more damage to the chain which makes them easier to fix later.

+1
 
Stump cutting is one of the places that carbide chains might make sense.

Philbert

I have a 36" carbide chain living on the expensive useless chainsaw bits shelf with the Stihl petrol drill....

Meant to live with the stump grinder, but it was that slow & tedious. Have a 880 with 30" full chisel as the allocated stumping saw instead. Find the .404 chain stays sharp in dirty wood much longer than the 3/8 on the mid size saws. Broader bar tend to track straighter than the light bars running on other saws, so we can leave a nice flat finishing cut of stumps not being ground.

Makes short work of some big, nasty stumps.
 
I have a 36" carbide chain living on the expensive useless chainsaw bits shelf with the Stihl petrol drill....
Meant to live with the stump grinder, but it was that slow & tedious.
Which model / brand of carbide chain?

On another forum we delved into some of the differences between brands and models, etc., so that would be helpful to know.

(If you were States-side I would encourage you to list some of that stuff in the 'Trading Post'!)

Thanks.

Philbert
 
Which model / brand of carbide chain?

On another forum we delved into some of the differences between brands and models, etc., so that would be helpful to know.

(If you were States-side I would encourage you to list some of that stuff in the 'Trading Post'!)

Thanks.

Philbert

Stihl chain - Rapid Duro I believe. Used once, likely never again.

I buy the Stihl chain by the roll in all the sizes from 3/8"P up, the carbide one was a special order for some big dirty stumps.

The petrol drill (BT45) appeared to be a good thing, but unfortunately just doesn't have the torque to compete with the 18 & 36v li-ion in my view. Bought for fencing & heavy 'lumber' drilling - just can't do it.

But am digressing from original thread....
 
Did anyone mention to JeffRH about using a flat file to bring down his depth gauge teeth? They seem quite high in the pictures he has posted.
 
I will call BS as I have both full chisel and semi chisel that I run on the same saw. Sure a full chisel is faster in clean wood, but it is closer to 30% max, more like 20% most of the time. Like I said before I touch up my chain between every tank of gas. In really rough bark, stuff like dirt, sand, and rocks get caught so that you're cutting the dirt every time you cut bark. It can get really bad on some trees to the point that you have to sharpen between every round.
Semi chisel holds it edge longer so I use it exclusively when cutting dirty trees. In those it actually cuts faster as you don't have to sharpen as often. But yes as a general rule full chisel is faster and square ground is fastest. But almost no one uses square ground as it won't hold an edge for any amount of time.
Where you can really get some speed difference is by running an overpowered saw with a short bar and lower rakers on soft wood. But don't try this trick until you get good at reading the wood and knowing what your saw can take.

I would say that is exactly sediment and experience. Thanks
 
Yesterday one of my clients who owns a small horse about 60 acres called to say a tree fell over a fence line. I load up my usual array of saws and tools. So I knew it was going to be hot, but could not take off until noon. A pasture area near the owners house was a huge dust bowl. No grass or greenery of any kind, but about two inches of solid dust made up of Degraded Granite. Only two trees to deal with though. I had a chisel on one of my little Husky a 460 and started doing the limb work, but after 15 minutes it became obvious was going to have to change chains. The wood was very dusty and dry. My large Stihl was just too much for me in the heat. The chisel was trashed maybe even ruined in less than 15 minutes. The semi held up pretty well. Thanks
 
Yesterday one of my clients who owns a small horse about 60 acres called to say a tree fell over a fence line. I load up my usual array of saws and tools. So I knew it was going to be hot, but could not take off until noon. A pasture area near the owners house was a huge dust bowl. No grass or greenery of any kind, but about two inches of solid dust made up of Degraded Granite. Only two trees to deal with though. I had a chisel on one of my little Husky a 460 and started doing the limb work, but after 15 minutes it became obvious was going to have to change chains. The wood was very dusty and dry. My large Stihl was just too much for me in the heat. The chisel was trashed maybe even ruined in less than 15 minutes. The semi held up pretty well. Thanks

Further reinforces that a chisel chain is a scapel, and semi-chisel is a Swiss Army knife.
 
I can't seem to sharpen worth a damn. I have a newly sharpened chain on my saw and had to basically lean on it to get it to go through a 5" limb. Brand new bar recently after 8 years, new file on my granberg jig (also have one of those HF grinders but I've given up on that and an back to hand filing), and the teeth feel sharp... Assuming my rakers are the issue. I have a new flat file I've been trying to use to lower them but it seems like I'm having to put a whole lot of muscle and weight behind it to even make a dent in one. That seems ridiculous when I see people post about only having to take one or two swipes with a file to lower them correctly. See photos below for what's basically a newly sharpened chain as done above. I only made a few small cuts with it over the course of about 2 minutes, never got in the dirt or anything, and then got mad and quit because it shouldn't be near this hard.

Advice please?
Like everyone says keep the chain out of the dirt! With a hand file you should only make a couple of light passes over the cutter link. Too much pressure while filing and you can change your angle. I have an Oregon sharpener and i have mine set at 55° and 30°. Watch some youtube videos on sharpening and take your time then you'll get it right. Its all about the time put in. I feel that your to eager to get it right too fast. Slow down brother and you will be an old pro before you know it. And get a better chain grinder than the HF POS
 

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