Chain analysis

[bwalker]

It looks like the tooth had goofy filing angles as well. File looks to have been riding to high above the top plate.

 

[B_Turner]

Wahoowad, I was too hard on you, sorry and I don't meant to discourage you. This site is a great source of info.

I agree with whoever said sharpen it and then send us a pic. That will tell us a whole lot, along with knowing if it is throwing any oil and how much dirt or gravel it's dug. Lack of lub alone would not trash the cutter like that, though.

Whatever the issue is, it can be remedied! But I am a huge believer in stopping trying to cut once a chain doesn't cut well. It trashes the tooth to where lots of extra tooth needs to be ground back, as well as generating tremendous harmful heat. Once nice chips stop, it's time to evaluate and sharpen.

 

[cuttinscott]

Looks like Oregon 91P chain and its DULL sharpen it up and you will also have to file the depth gagues as well.

Scott

 

[bwalker]

Was it below 30* F for a while were you are at? I see a lot of chain beat hard when the world is frozen over. Dulls fast and smokes quick.

BS, 80% of my cutting is done in temps bellow freezing and I dont find it dulls chains much, if anymore than cutting in warm weather.

 

[zemmo]

BS, 80% of my cutting is done in temps bellow freezing and I dont find it dulls chains much, if anymore than cutting in warm weather.

I agree, even when it's very cold it never seemed to make much difference in the spruce and birch I cut in AK. Different wood and chains might give different results.

 

[tawilson]

No, the tree was clean. I must be hitting stuff on the ground when I cut through the bottom. I try to lighten up towards the bottom of the cut to keep from plowing into the dirt...probably not good enough. Now, I did cut up a tree last week with some dried dirt on it - that might have caused the damage to the outside of the cutter. But I can't clean up that side, only the inside and top of the cutter, right?

Sounds like you could improve your technique a little bit. Try making a bunch of cuts 2/3 of the way through and then roll the log to finish. And if I see some dirt on a log, I try to cut so I hit the dirt on the way out of the log instead of cutting into it.

 

[Xtra]

To keep your bar out out of the dirt when bucking a log, go 80 - 90% thru and then flip it over and finish the cut.

I bet your chain was loose & hanging after cutting and probably too hot to touch.

After being cooked like that it will be tough to file. It could use a good grind to correct the angles.

We all learn by out mistakes . . . and I'm sure we've all been there done that at least one or twice. :monkey:

 

[Xtra]

Tom, you bet me to the suggestion . . .

 

[stihl 440]

hit something

You definetly hit something, whether it be dirt or steel, or a nick of a rock. It hit something. Try sharpening it and then show us the picture.

 

[RaisedByWolves]

Steel?

Heres what happens when you hit steel......

 

[RaisedByWolves]

Believe it or not, the teeth with the steel chunks still in them dont have as much damage as some others.



Some of them had the tips lifted like ski jumps to the toon of .030-.050, Now the chain has summer teeth......












Summer here, summer there.......

 

[livewire]

Believe it or not, the teeth with the steel chunks still in them dont have as much damage as some others.



Some of them had the tips lifted like ski jumps to the toon of .030-.050, Now the chain has summer teeth......












Summer here, summer there.......

:hmm3grin2orange::hmm3grin2orange: :hmm3grin2orange:

 

[Justsaws]

BS, 80% of my cutting is done in temps bellow freezing and I dont find it dulls chains much, if anymore than cutting in warm weather.

Thank god that your experience is just like everyone else's.

Perhaps if the chain was sharpened properly and handled well your comment would ring true for everyone. However, as is quite obvious that is not the case. That particular chain could have gone bad much faster than normal with just the added influence of ice. If it was frozen then ponder no more and teach the poster how to sharpen like a resident hack saw exposer.

No, I do not want to see your hack saw.

 

[blis]

BS, 80% of my cutting is done in temps bellow freezing and I dont find it dulls chains much, if anymore than cutting in warm weather.

Second that, one just needs to take rakers down a bit on frozen wood...

 

[bump_r]

I bet your chain was loose

I second that. Look at the rear rivet in the second pic. See the witness marks on the drive link directly above? There's a clean (relatively speaking) outline indicating that the cutter rocks rearward underload (note, too, the shiney depth gauge as compared to cutter face, further indicating heavy front-contact bias in the cut).

Properly sharpen cutters, verify oiling, and set chain tension. Seems to be a combination of the three - cutter rocking, chain gummed, and cutter utterly hosed.

 

[belgian]

Wahoowad you ought to go out and buy a new chain.

Send that chain to one of us to be sharpened

When you get the chain back take more photos and the rest of us can critique the sharpening and of course the sharpener.

Who wants that chain?


Thanks for being a great sport.

Wahoowad, see you're from virginia. There's a nice guy in Leesburg Va, named Tom Hall, who will be happy to teach you how to touch up that chain. And a touch up, it reallllllly needs.... Do a search here, his aka name is Thall10234

Only one advice, don't take any money with you that would allow you to buy a new saw :hmm3grin2orange:

 

[bwalker]

That particular chain could have gone bad much faster than normal with just the added influence of ice.[/QUOTE
There is no way ice caused what happened to that chain.........anyone who has any expierance cutting frozen wood will know this to be true.

 

[Justsaws]

Frozen clay, frozen sand, frozen dirt in the bark layer act just like a soft red brick on chain. That is why frozen wood is listed as a reason to use carbide chains. There does not look like much hammering damage to the cutter in the photo but more like abrasive damage. When wood is not frozen the particulates move more, once it freezes solid they are held into place.

Fill a five gallon bucket full of saw dust and sand then soak it with water. Run your bar and chain in it for 5 minutes.

Freeze the bucket and run your bar and chain in it.

On a good chain there should not be much impact but on a poorly maintained cutter it can be huge.

If you notice no difference between frozen and thawed you must cut really really slowly when the wood is not frozen.

 

[blis]

Frozen clay, frozen sand, frozen dirt in the bark layer act just like a soft red brick on chain. That is why frozen wood is listed as a reason to use carbide chains. There does not look like much hammering damage to the cutter in the photo but more like abrasive damage. When wood is not frozen the particulates move more, once it freezes solid they are held into place.

Fill a five gallon bucket full of saw dust and sand then soak it with water. Run your bar and chain in it for 5 minutes.

Freeze the bucket and run your bar and chain in it.

On a good chain there should not be much impact but on a poorly maintained cutter it can be huge.

If you notice no difference between frozen and thawed you must cut really really slowly when the wood is not frozen.

Again, frozen wood is no different than non-frozen wood in terms of chain wear, ofcourse, its bit slower to cut and will require less angles and lower rakers to get nice big chips flowing, but still, wood is wood be it frozen or not...

 

[bwalker]

Again, frozen wood is no different than non-frozen wood in terms of chain wear, ofcourse, its bit slower to cut and will require less angles and lower rakers to get nice big chips flowing, but still, wood is wood be it frozen or not...

Yep.....