chain selection 101

[58hydraglide]

Was reading a couple of threads on chain sharpening etc. last night and it posed a couple of questions I have that maybe some of you can help me with. I have played around with sawsfor many years and most of my cutting involves felling and firewood cutting. I am a construction contractor and if I need to rip wood I install a larger tooth blade in the saw. My crosscuts are usually don with a smaller tooth saw (I.E. cleaner cuts). The info I read on chain selection usually leads to a .325 chain for ripping which in my world would equate to a finer tooth sawblade.to me that doesn't seem to make any sense. Also for larger bars and larger trees I have read threads that say a skip chain can load up quicker than a standard chain can. My local husky dealer told me that a full 3/8 chain can break on larger bars, which does make sense considering more cutters =more tension on the chain.Of course the simple anwer for larger bars is to go to .404 but that is a rare commodity around here. This may seem like elementary questions but I will tell you other than keeping my chains sharp and well maintained I never research that much into the different types and why. I would love to hear everyones input.

 

[tek9tim]

.325 for ripping doesn't make a lot of sense, since usually you want a pretty good size powerhead. Look more, you'll find 3/8. Not sure what you mean by "skip chain can load up quicker", but since there's more space between the cutters, it loads up more slowly, more space for the chips to pile up. Unless you meant "loads up" in a different way. Never heard of full comp breaking on larger bars. But, haven't run full comp for cross cut on anything bigger than a 32", and even when I have run it on my 32, it's been for cutting smaller diameter stuff. The main problem with full comp on a long bar buried into a cut is the inability to clear chips. With 1/3 more cutters, 1/3 more chips get made per foot of chain travel, and there's 1/3 less space between cutters for the chips to ride. Maybe worn 3/8 full comp might fail running on a 42" bar mounted on a modded 088, but in the normal realm of saws that you'll likely be running, breakage isn't going to be an issue. As to .404, I can't say much. I have 1 bar that's .404, and haven't run it much. I have a lot more 3/8 chain I can run, and usually do.