Hardest wood on chain

[Rudolf73]

In Australia I know that ironbark is rather hard. I once made a piston for a ryobi out of it….

And when you cut iron bark the end grain comes up nice and shiny – as if its been polished.

 

[garmar]

Dead on stump blackjack.

Black jack oak, aka: black oak, bastard oak.

I second and third this one. I have a black oak that looks like something out of a nightmare I've been putting off for a while now because they're a ##### to cut.

 

[gmax]

In Australia I know that ironbark is rather hard. I once made a piston for a ryobi out of it….

And when you cut iron bark the end grain comes up nice and shiny – as if its been polished.

Yes it sure is hard wood

 

[Swamp Yankee]

Shagbark Hickory around here

It's even worse after it has been skidded to the landing. The bark holds rocks and stones that are chain magnets, as if the wood wasn't tough enough. Kinda like biting into a black olive only to find the pit is still there.

Take Care

 

[TommySaw]

funny, I was going to ask what you guys thought of standing dead elm as I'm helping a friend fell a couple next to his house and cut them up for bonfire wood. Man It was tougher than I thought It would be, had me checking things out looking for something wrong.

 

[Arrowhead]

Another vote for Osage and the barbwire!

 

[slowp]

Pulled out of a mudslide wood--But somebody's gotta whack it up.

 

[sly13]

Around here for me it's Hedge. Great firewood though.Pops alot too.

 

[miking]

Definitely hedge for me. It's especially endearing if it has not only old fencing in it, but also tangled up in grape vines and poison ivy.

 

[wigglesworth]

Shagbark around my parts. I fell a 28" dbh shag, back in the summer, blocked it up, and managed to wipe out a couple chains on that 1 tree. Tough stuff.

 

[drill.daddy]

Dry red oak , or white oak dry , and gum espiecially dry .. you cant even drive a nail in dry gum . worst cutting i ever did was along an old fence row as it would appear , looked like the trees overtook the fence row many years ago and the fence was destroyed . leaving strands of babrwire in the old pine trees .

 

[volks-man]

In Australia I know that ironbark is rather hard. I once made a piston for a ryobi out of it….

pics please!!! that sounds awesome!

I'd have to go with long-dead red oak. The stuff that's long lost its bark and sapwood. Just partially petrified heartwood. What I call fossiloak - like cutting through dinosaur bones.

:agree2:
when i started burning, the first trees i ever cut were the hardest wood i have ever cut. they were 18-20" dead red oaks that were felled about 6-8 years ago and stacked up. the outer 2-4" was rot but the inner core was just as you described. i worked my way through several truckloads with my brand new echo cs-440 and safety chain.

 

[dingeryote]

Definitely hedge for me. It's especially endearing if it has not only old fencing in it, but also tangled up in grape vines and poison ivy.

LOL!!!
That's how ya end up cutting standing dead Hedge. Ya spray the windrow with Velpar to kill off the Grape vine, Poison Oak, Green briar,Burdock,and brambles so you can cut the trees in two years.
Velpar Kills EVERYTHING if applied properly in the spring.

Chains are cheaper than Prednasone.

Stay safe!
Dingeryote

 

[Steve NW WI]

funny, I was going to ask what you guys thought of standing dead elm as I'm helping a friend fell a couple next to his house and cut them up for bonfire wood. Man It was tougher than I thought It would be, had me checking things out looking for something wrong.

I cut a ton of dead elm, thought it cut pretty easily. "Here", anything that's been on the ground for any length of time will have a ton of sand on it, making for a lot of filing. I like to skid my wood out into the open field before brushing and blocking it, but I try to avoid it until I have snow on the ground to skid over. Dirt sucks!

I've been cleaning up a bunch of ironwood out back lately. I'd call it a little harder on chains than oak, but not horrible.

Is anyone paying attention to a common theme here? The better the firewood value (denser wood) the harder cutting it is. It's a problem I'll deal with happily! Besides, I hate getting pine sap on a nice shiny saw...

 

[dingeryote]

Steve,

Check out this thread.
http://www.arboristsite.com/showthread.php?t=112879&highlight=multicut

New chain from Oregon. It's 'spensive but is faster than RM/RMC and holds up as well or better so far, and files easy.

Sand? we gots sand!!! LOL!!

Agreed on Elm. I have never considered elm tough at all. Long dead or not.
Cuts about like Red Oak here.

Stay safe!
Dingeryote

 

[nate cutter]

railroad ties

 

[cbfarmall]

This is probably an experience unique to me, but...I was blocking up a fallen willow (rotted heartwood, fell right across my driveway blocking access. I had to file the chain every other cut. Used every bit of an 084 Stihl w/32 bar. Nasty wood, though--wet, heavy, smelled like piss, and lousy firewood. Had a lot of fun noodling when I was quartering it for the burn pile.

Chris B.

 

[bitzer]

I cut a ton of dead elm, thought it cut pretty easily. QUOTE]

I suppose I should have said "dead standing weathered elm". When its been standing for years and turns grey. I cut a ton of elm too, seems like a 70% or better die off in the last few years. The bark has to have come off quickly after it dies so its not rotten. Some of that stuff gets nearly petrified.

 

[Flintknapper]

Around here....Osage and Black Jack Oak (when dry or dead) are the hands down winner's.

I am not exaggerating when I say "I have literally seen sparks come off my chain". NOT GOOD!

 

[Rudolf73]

pics please!!! that sounds awesome!

Im sorry to say that I never got pics of the wooden piston... but it came out pretty good. I oiled the piston up well and it actually gave surprisingly good compression. The ryobi was a free string trimmer / wiper snipper and it ran for a while with the new piston. But in the end I got sick of pulling starting the ryobi – 15 pulls to get it started..... and thats just a ryobi thing. So i just used the stihl instead – always starts

I actually got the idea from an old man who told me how they used oak wooden pistons in 2-sroke motorbikes in the WWII in germany.