Hey, There is a local gentleman that cuts firewood who is swearing by the carbide tipped chains. According to him they will stay sharp 4-6 times longer than the traditional chains..... However, it costs $35 to get these chains sharpened and they are over $200 to buy...... Are these simply overrated/overpriced chains or are they really worth all of this money???
Carbide Chains
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jburlingham
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They are awesome for cutting ventilation holes in roofs, or various fire/rescue applications, and i understand the pulpwood industry use them. That said I think they are way too expensive for a casual user unless you have extremely dirty wood, tons of extra money, and don't ever want to sharpen your own chains.
You don't need carbide to cut wood, but they do last longer if you are cutting nails in trees and base cuts with alot of dirt in them. Great for other applications.
Jeff
Jeff
BuddhaKat
Addicted to ArboristSite
You can buy a lot of regular chains for the cost of just one carbide. Carbide does get dull and it does chip. So unless you've got a mobile sharpening unit to take out in the field, or you're willing to buy extras, you're going to be back on a regular chain soon enough anyway. Unless you have a specialized reason to get one I'd go with the regular pro class chains. There's a reason why you never see carbide on a loggers saw.
And to all the guys that sharpen chains with an electric spinning stone- dumb move. Chains that are not carbide need to be sharpen by hand. Heat kills the chain.
Jeff
Jeff
John Paul Sanborn
Above average climber
I think you answered your own question there.
There is nothing better for general use then a semi-chisel, non-safety chain. Every two tanks of gas you touch it up with a file.
The only reason to use carbide in tree work is if you have a lot of dirty stumps to cap off for grinding.
TreeClimber57
Addicted to ArboristSite
Not worth the money, at least in my opinion. Having said that I do have one old carbide chain that fits my 226 from years ago (got for one specific job and the job paid for it). If you do have one, and keep it set aside in case you want to cut some dirty garbage, then guess it is ok.. will save your good chains. But overall do not waste money.
ozzy42
Addicted to ArboristSite
I have used them for over 10 yrs now,and it has never been a problem.
Of course if you hit something with the chain and have to take off 1/16 in. or so than that is different,but for regular sharpen they do fine.
Saw Dust Smoken
ArboristSite Operative
chain
Stick with regular saw chain dont waste the money. The high dollar chain is hanging on my shop wall for the last two years.
Stick with regular saw chain dont waste the money. The high dollar chain is hanging on my shop wall for the last two years.
TreeClimber57
Addicted to ArboristSite
Agreed heat kills the chain. However, if you are aware of dangers then you can still use power sharpner and have no issues. I have used power sharpener for over a dozen years. (I have some Kool Grind in shop as well which does help with the heat issue)
Glennak
ArboristSite Member
Another trouble with carbide chains is the rivets can wear a lot and still have good teeth so you can get broken chains which can be very dangerous.
John Paul Sanborn
Above average climber
Nat. Geo. had a good segment on Chain Shots, a few weeks ago. I cannot remember the show, it was about logging.
Thanks to all. I couldn't really justify spending 250 on a chain anyways, but I had to ask.... I'm all about saving time and money in the long run.....
I like an aggressive/fast cutting chain... and do generally run a semi-chisel flat-top.... as far as machine sharpening.... I generally sharpen my chains by hand 7-8 times and then I will take it in to a local shop and they put it on a machine that will sharpen both sides in 6 min... automatically ...... You just load the chain and let it do what it needs to.....I guess this is bad??? b/c of heat issues..... haven't broken any chains yet, but I don't want a 32" chains slingin in my face @ 9,000 rpm either.... When they are done with them they seem to cut better than it did when it was new??
I like an aggressive/fast cutting chain... and do generally run a semi-chisel flat-top.... as far as machine sharpening.... I generally sharpen my chains by hand 7-8 times and then I will take it in to a local shop and they put it on a machine that will sharpen both sides in 6 min... automatically ...... You just load the chain and let it do what it needs to.....I guess this is bad??? b/c of heat issues..... haven't broken any chains yet, but I don't want a 32" chains slingin in my face @ 9,000 rpm either.... When they are done with them they seem to cut better than it did when it was new??
John Paul Sanborn
Above average climber
Machine sharpening, without a coolant, takes the temper out of the tip of the cutter, making it dull faster.
stihlhere
ArboristSite Member
i had thought of buying one loop of carbide tip chain just for stump removals as i have a 440 dedicated just for that. is this a bad idea?? Baileys suggested the carbide impregnated chain for this purpose??? any suggestions
remember just for stump removal.
remember just for stump removal.
JIMMYTreeWizard
ArboristSite Lurker
I had the same idea for stump grinding. It would save a lot of grinding time if I could cut through dirt with my saw.
On a related note, you guys should check out the diamond tipped chains on youtube:jawdrop: they're even more expensive
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_CBpJNxdag
On a related note, you guys should check out the diamond tipped chains on youtube:jawdrop: they're even more expensive
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_CBpJNxdag
Kunes
The Kid
Except there for Concrete saws...
Glennak
ArboristSite Member
They are good for it they will cut roots in the ground but if you do this often you can feel the movement in the rivets. They also don't cut very quickly. It's cheaper to use a stuffed bar and chain to do this.
John Paul Sanborn
Above average climber
The idea is you use them for capping a stump low enough that you would worry about dulling a regular saw: such as dirt pockets in root inclusions. As stated above buying the bar in the dirt is not a good idea; bad for the chain, bar, sprockets...
The only reason for using the carbide is so that you can get through the day without changing the chain, theoretically, the only thing that will stop this is a rock in the stump.
treesquirrel
ArboristSite Guru
A chain file is only a couple of bucks. Also for a typical 20 inch bar you can have 10-12 new chains on hand for 200 bucks. Just re-sharpen them once you get back to the shop. I'd much rather have a few extra chains on hand than one million dollar chain.
I will touch up the chain between fuel ups unless it obviously does not need it. On bigger jobs I will carry my battery dremel tol with gringing stones. The powered sharpener is fine as long as you touch and remove and do not hold the stone on the chain long enough to biuild heat. Just touch firmly for an instant then pull back, repeat until sharp. I've never noticed any problems with my chains due to improper sharpening.
As far as cutting the drags down as you reduce the cutter length you need to use the flat file for this and a guage. You will be able to get accurate height using the file/guage.
I will touch up the chain between fuel ups unless it obviously does not need it. On bigger jobs I will carry my battery dremel tol with gringing stones. The powered sharpener is fine as long as you touch and remove and do not hold the stone on the chain long enough to biuild heat. Just touch firmly for an instant then pull back, repeat until sharp. I've never noticed any problems with my chains due to improper sharpening.
As far as cutting the drags down as you reduce the cutter length you need to use the flat file for this and a guage. You will be able to get accurate height using the file/guage.
