Chain Questions

[HolmenTree]

No difference cutting dirt?

Going a step further, I will say that not only dose Oregon chain not hold an edge as well for me, it never seems to stop stretching.

Having just a few hours of Oregon-stretch on a chain no longer seems to fit and feels notchy on any sprockets I want to run.

I don't cut dirt and for your stretching problem try changing your drive sprocket a little more often.

 

[HolmenTree]

The pointy/shiny end goes the direction of travel.

One could think that by trying a "couple" , laws of averages would have one on right?

We have a scientist here. I do understand Oregon is still the worlds largest manufacturer of sawchain

 

[ShoerFast]

I don't cut dirt and for your stretching problem try changing your drive sprocket a little more often.

Wrong answer, I change them out often.

A better answer would be to run the same sprockets with Oregon chain, as the chain stretch missing the lugs are what wear/elongate the sprockets.

Or just run Stihl chain, it stretches very little, adjust it a couple times slightely when new, and your done! Worth the extra price to some.

 

[ShoerFast]

We have a scientist here. I do understand Oregon is still the worlds largest manufacturer of sawchain

It would be hard to keep up the demand for wore out chain. They work nights?

 

[SawTroll]

Quote:
Originally Posted by HolmenTree
Oregon is continually advancing saw chain design ,like the antivibe a few years back and Stihl is always playing catch up.


That actually is true, and really an understatement - but metallurgy makes me prefere Stihl anyway, when they have cought up.......



Both are just fine though, good or bad is more about the exact model of chain, than the brand.

 

[gallegosmike]

Not sure what your asking here gallegosmike. Try the Oregon LGX chain, its a heavier built chain then their other 3/8 chain. Another trick is run .063 bar/chain. All your replaceable tips and rim sprockets are .063 anyway .I once saw a .050 chain cut with a highspeed camera slowed down to ultra slow motion and the chain flopped in the kerf and at the tip like a fish. .063 is the most efficent combo. Baileys sells bars in .063 as short as 16".
Stihls 3/8 RS chain is always .063 between the cutters, Oregon is .058 in the .050 & 058. Oregon pretty well invented the hooded cutter design and started to mass marketed it in 1946. Also Oregon were the first to do large scale study on kickback and thus resulting in development of safety chains and bar tips.At one time Stihl figured their Quickstop chainbrake was all the market needed. Oregon had the LP safety chain back in the 1970s, and then developed the more efficent cutting LG around 1981. I field tested that chain for them,also their radial ported rim sprockets, powermatch tips in guard and double guard tips, all setting the standard in the industry. When I briefly worked for Stihl in 1989 all Stihl had to offer for safety chain was the RS chain with the sloped ramp on the tie-strap directly in front of the cutter's straight depth gauge.When I met Hans Peter Stihl, he told me right to my face that the ramped tie-strap was just an optical illusion!! It was later on that Stihl put the ramp[like the LG Oregon] on the depth gauge in the early or mid 1990s. Oregon is continually advancing saw chain design ,like the antivibe a few years back and Stihl is always playing catch up.

I never had a problem with Oregon chain and I have filed and used alot of Stihl chain. I like filing the Oregon over the Stihl and for the high price of the Stihl I think I'm getting a better deal with the Oregon. For holding an edge? Maybe its just the way I operate my saw ,I see no difference in either chain.

Here is my problems/question. I want a chain that is low vibration like Oregon
72 Vanguard, but is long in life like stihl rapid super. I just found stihl RAPID Super Comfort. Is that chain going to low vib like the 72V or ?????

 

[poulson01]

Try RMC. I like it ok on my MS361 and my 246xp. It cuts fast enough and stays sharp twice as long as RSC. Very smooth and seems to sharpen its self while you cut. Red brick dulls it pretty quick though:monkey: .

 

[2000ssm6]

Quote:
Originally Posted by HolmenTree
Oregon is continually advancing saw chain design ,like the antivibe a few years back and Stihl is always playing catch up.


That actually is true, and really an understatement - but metallurgy makes me prefere Stihl anyway, when they have cought up.......



Both are just fine though, good or bad is more about the exact model of chain, than the brand.

All that and you prefer Stihl chain, correct?

 

[HolmenTree]

Wrong answer, I change them out often.

A better answer would be to run the same sprockets with Oregon chain, as the chain stretch missing the lugs are what wear/elongate the sprockets.

Or just run Stihl chain, it stretches very little, adjust it a couple times slightely when new, and your done! Worth the extra price to some.

Come on Shoe you gotta do better then that. You say you just have to adjust the Stihl chain a couple of times slightly when new and then your done? For petes sake I have run lots of Stihl chain like everyone else here who has used it , have sharpened the teeth right down to the laser top plate mark and have continually adjusted that chain through its whole life.
I must give Stihl credit, they do do a good job pre stretching their chain on the assembly line for the chains initial breakin period for the first few minutes on the saw. But chain tensioning is always an on going thing no matter whether its Stihl or Oregon. Like other members here I don't see any stretching problems with the Oregon chain.

By the way Shoe is that a Husqvarna on the back of your old truck in your sig?

 

[2000ssm6]

I don't cut dirt and for your stretching problem try changing your drive sprocket a little more often.

Stihl chain is pre stretched, but I'm sure a big company man that "used" to work for Stihl knew that eh? Cheaper drive teeth tend to wear faster and thus causing premature stretch. The oilamatic(sp?) system by Stihl also puts more bar oil in the rivet area. Maybe the "lighter" chassis is to blame for this on the oregon chain?

 

[HolmenTree]

Stihl chain is pre stretched, but I'm sure a big company man that "used" to work for Stihl knew that eh? Cheaper drive teeth tend to wear faster and thus causing premature stretch. The oilamatic(sp?) system by Stihl also puts more bar oil in the rivet area. Maybe the "lighter" chassis is to blame for this on the oregon chain?

Sorry 2000 I beat you to it read my#29 post that I just posted one minute before you. ha ha

 

[GASoline71]

Oh yeah... well, my dad's bigger'n your dad...

Gary

 

[HolmenTree]

Here is my problems/question. I want a chain that is low vibration like Oregon
72 Vanguard, but is long in life like stihl rapid super. I just found stihl RAPID Super Comfort. Is that chain going to low vib like the 72V or ?????

gallego, I have to tell you that, how you file your sawchain determines how much vibration you will have.Yes these new breed of sawchain developed in the last few years has greatly improved the cutting action for the general public who always don't sharpen their chain quite right.Oregon first came out with the antivibe about 5 yrs ago with the little arrow stamped between the heel and toe of its cutter tells you its an antivibe. All they did was lower the heel and sidestrap, tipping the cutter back a little more. Stihl then did practically the same thing.Stihl's super comfort Rs is basically the same design as the Rs from the early 1990s, just now with the lowered heel and a little fatter ramped depth gauge.Their Super Comfort 3 RS has a raised ramp on top of the drivelink directly opposite the depth gauge, just like Oregons old 1970s design 72 LP.But the 3 will be a slower cutting chain then the RS, just like the LP is slower to the LG. Keep your depth gauges at the right height and not too much hook in your cutters side plate and you will have all the smoothness you'll need. Go with the Oregon LGX or Stihl Super Comfort and you won't go wrong. But I have used the Oregon Vanguard chain and you won't find a smoother chain than that with its huge hooded depth gauge. Get the .063 gauge Vanguard and you will have lots of durability.

 

[HolmenTree]

Cheaper drive teeth tend to wear faster and thus causing premature stretch. The oilamatic(sp?) system by Stihl also puts more bar oil in the rivet area. Maybe the "lighter" chassis is to blame for this on the oregon chain?

Yes Stihl tried putting holes in their drivelinks then went to a slot just another optical illusion as Hans Peter Stihl said about his safety chain[ I still can't believe he admited that]. All these additions to the drivelink did was make them weaker and didn't offer any good advantage of extra oiling. Oregon developed their "oilomatic" system on the first LG in the early 1980s and today it is still the same design because it works so good. All it is , is the 2 little curvy indentations on the 2 top corners of the tie-straps, feeding the raised channel behind the strap, oiling the 2 rivets on every link of the chain. Works very well.

If your not happy with the durability of the .050 Oregon then run the .063. You will then have a perfect balanced cutting system ,.063 chain,bar,tipand rim sprocket with alot less stress on the chasis.[ remember the high speed camera?]

Baileys sells .063 bars from 16" up.

 

[Kenskip1]

saw Chain

Here is my opinion.Last week I went cutting some hard dry dead Texas Oak. I was armed with my Husky 51.It has an Oregon 34 chain 16 inch.My fellow wood cutters used Stihl 026 pros, 2 of them. They were using the stihl chain.I went through 2 tanks of gas and they were swapping out chains.I gas up and went back to work. I let my friend use my saw and he was impressed.Shameful to say that my 51 out cut them both. What this all simmers down to is who is doing the sharpening and using what type of equipment.Proper cutting angles along with correct depth gauge settings are most important.Speaking of angles, I use what the manufacture recommends. Just my .02 cents worth, Ken

 

[ShoerFast]

Come on Shoe you gotta do better then that. You say you just have to adjust the Stihl chain a couple of times slightly when new and then your done? For petes sake I have run lots of Stihl chain like everyone else here who has used it , have sharpened the teeth right down to the laser top plate mark and have continually adjusted that chain through its whole life.
I must give Stihl credit, they do do a good job pre stretching their chain on the assembly line for the chains initial breakin period for the first few minutes on the saw. But chain tensioning is always an on going thing no matter whether its Stihl or Oregon. Like other members here I don't see any stretching problems with the Oregon chain.

By the way Shoe is that a Husqvarna on the back of your old truck in your sig?

Not at all.....

Of course a slight tweak now and then with Stihl chain, but you would run out of adjustment with Oregon chain,,, if it were not junk so soon!

Why everyone that has ran Oregon chain can feel the 'slop' in the rivets after some use, but of course you would have some sort of proff, as those that gave up on Oregon chain years ago won't go back with out it?

Here are a couple Stihl chains, the one on top, lets just say comming up on half-wore out?

And a new loop on the bottom....

The measurement of the new loop is 3.650" between 10 rivets. The measurement of the 50% loop is 3.674" between 10 rivets, and if you notice the heel of the cutter (the portion that the cutter rides on as it's rocked back in a cut) is Stihl fairly in good shape? Losing .014 per 10, or .0014 per rivet is a very acceptable loss! Superior metallurgy?

By the way Shoe is that a Husqvarna on the back of your old truck in your sig?

By all means no, I have service to haul trash!

Edit: or so, I tried to give the best measurement I could, very close enough to get an idea.

 

[SawTroll]

Here is my problems/question. I want a chain that is low vibration like Oregon
72 Vanguard, but is long in life like stihl rapid super. I just found stihl RAPID Super Comfort. Is that chain going to low vib like the 72V or ?????

RSC is probably just what the doctor ordered.......

 

[SawTroll]

All that and you prefer Stihl chain, correct?

Usually yes, but the margin is small........

 

[SawTroll]

.... Like other members here I don't see any stretching problems with the Oregon chain. ...

:agree2:

 

[2000ssm6]

If your not happy with the durability of the .050 Oregon then run the .063. You will then have a perfect balanced cutting system ,.063 chain,bar,tipand rim sprocket with alot less stress on the chasis.[ remember the high speed camera?]

Baileys sells .063 bars from 16" up.

No need to mail order, I get Stihl chains and bars for good prices and they are worth it. I want to try a reduced weight oregon one day but the Stihl bars are the best. I have a few odd ball oregon chains but they hang on the wall. They just wear too fast and can't hold a candle to Stihl imo.