Does an old chain cut faster than a new chain?

[Chainsaw Pete]

By the time a chain is near the end of its useful life, the cutters are 1/3 to 1/4 the length of a new cutter. I would guess this reduces friction in the kerf.

Does a properly sharpened (with the depth gauge correctly filed) old chain cut faster than a new chain?

 

[singinwoodwackr]

By the time a chain is near the end of its useful life, the cutters are 1/3 to 1/4 the length of a new cutter. I would guess this reduces friction in the kerf.

Does a properly sharpened (with the depth gauge correctly filed) old chain cut faster than a new chain?

no, they don't

 

[Colonel428]

Agreed. Old chains cut worse than new ones. I've heard old timers on here saying how last sharpening chains cut better than new ones but that just hasn't been the case in my experience. I'll sharpen a chain down to the witness marks and throw 'em in the garbage can after that. I keep a few for the rare stump cut I may have to make but that's it.

 

[PJwoodcutter]

What I have noticed is that they do at first but seem to dull faster than a new chain. Not sure why, maybe heat do to the cutters being so small?

 

[jblnut]

If you dive into the world of hot saw competition cutting you’ll notice their chains look like they’re one sharpening away from being completely worn out. There must be a reason they’re not running brand new chains ……

When sharpened properly I don’t really notice a difference from brand new to worn out. I’m not timing every cut by any means but I’ve gone from a very worn down chain to a brand new chain tons of times and don’t remember thinking the brand new chain was that much faster.

 

[mojo jojo]

If properly sharpened, YES.

 

[NSEric]

If you are really good at sharpening a chain it is faster right before it's wore out. It's not a huge difference but it shows up in timed cuts.
The cutters get narrower as they get shorter so the old wore out chain cuts a narrower kerf then the new one.

A couple of the newest best chains are hard to beat from new tho, they're really sharp out of the box. The husky X cut c83/c85 and stihl .325 23RS out of the box are hard to beat because they have a fast aggressive profile that's hard to match and are narrower than other chains which makes them fast like a worn chain.

 

[Hermio]

By the time a chain is near the end of its useful life, the cutters are 1/3 to 1/4 the length of a new cutter. I would guess this reduces friction in the kerf.

Does a properly sharpened (with the depth gauge correctly filed) old chain cut faster than a new chain?

My experience is that cutting speed increases as the chain is filed back until it is about 1/2 of its original length. After that, it seems to get slower. The narrower kerf reduces power requirements to a point, but chip clearing seems to get worse when there is little clearance between the kerf and the bar.

 

[pioneerguy600]

There is much more to it than just making the cutters sharp, there is chain chassis geometry involved.

 

[Squareground3691]

Chains cut best at 50 percent, smaller kerf equals less drag and better chip clearance , this rips and more that 50 percent.

 

[Chainsaw Pete]

If you dive into the world of hot saw competition cutting you’ll notice their chains look like they’re one sharpening away from being completely worn out. There must be a reason they’re not running brand new chains ……

Lol, the videos I've watched on youtube are the ones in which guys have mated a V-8 to a chain, and two husky guys (not a brand for the guys) struggle to pick up the saw, rev it up and literally drop it on the log. The saw cuts through like butter. Since they are really huffing to pick up such a heavy engine/saw, filing down the chain reduces weight....

 

[Tobystihl]

Less mass, less drag factor = faster chain.

 

[lone wolf]

Less mass, less drag factor = faster chain.

If all other things being equal, then yes. But not likely to happen.

 

[pioneerguy600]

Study a race chain closely, it will look like there is hardly any cutter /tooth left to sharpen ever again, it is the relationship between the cutters and depth gauges that allow for rapid cuts.

 

[Sidecarflip]

In my humble opinion, the raker height in relationship to the tooth and how the tooth is sharpened, determines more than anything else, the cut speed. That and how much grunt and actual speed the saw has. Not that I 'race' anything. Only race I have is for dinnertime.

 

[Hermio]

Less mass, less drag factor = faster chain.

I doubt that mass has anything to do with it. It is the kerf width.

 

[Squareground3691]

Study a race chain closely, it will look like there is hardly any cutter /tooth left to sharpen ever again, it is the relationship between the cutters and depth gauges that allow for rapid cuts.

Yup , about 1/3 of the chain left or less ,

 

[MacAttack]

I've often wondered this myself....when I was working in the tree cutting business the guys would use chains right up until the cutters were at the minimum length. As long as they filed down the depth gauges they seemed to cut as fast as a new chain.

 

[lone wolf]

I've often wondered this myself....when I was working in the tree cutting business the guys would use chains right up until the cutters were at the minimum length. As long as they filed down the depth gauges they seemed to cut as fast as a new chain.

So you think until you put a new one on!

 

[MacAttack]

So you think until you put a new one on!

I can only say "seemed to cut as fast", no empirical data to back it up. Me personally I like a new chain... but some of those guys could make an old chain cut like nobody's business.

I was also the guy at the tree service that made the new loops of chain. There were guys that would have me make new loops at least once a week, they didn't want to be bothered with fixing chains that got ran into rocks, nails or hidden concrete in old trees.