school me on different chains please.

[hpi_jeep]

so this is my first post here and im curious about getting a more aggressive chain.

for the past 4 years i have been cutting cedar trees and taking them to the sawmill when i have extra time on the weekends or if work slows down in the winter.

today i started playing with the drags on my chain and i have it cutting really well, i hear people talking about different types of chain can someone tell me about each kind?
also i hear people say "safety chain" please elaborate.
i have a MS290 with an 18" bar, i know some people say the saw is underpowered but for cedar (extremely soft wood) the saw does fine.
to be honest i dont know what kind of chains i run now, there oregon brand and i purchase them at lowes (nearly $8 cheaper apeice than my local stihl dealer)

 

[GASoline71]

I don't mean to be an a$$ here dude... but this topic has been bashed here over and over and over. Use the search function... trust me, you will have more than enuff reading.

Welcome to AS.

Gary

 

[computeruser]

Welcome to the site!

When you say a more aggressive chain, what exactly do you have in mind for the chain to be or to do? A sharp chain that can keep its speed up tends to produce the fastest cut times in most wood types. Gone are the days of the low-RPM, high-torque saws, where dropping the rakers would produce faster cutting. Most modern saws don't have the reserve torque to do that, so keeping your chain sharp and your rakers at a reasonable height so you can keep the saw up in its powerband is usually the best way to get good cutting speed.

As for safety chain, there are different ways to render a chain kickback-resistant. Kickback resistence can be built in with different designs of tie strap (as with Stihl RM2, Oregon 91VG), or special ramped drivelinks (the new Stihl RSC3 and RMC3, for example). Do a search, there are lots of old discussions on these chains and their pros-cons.

 

[jhellwig]

In my experience with cedar is that you could cut it with the chain on backwards. I have some chains that are severely trashed that will still cut through cedar but nothing else. RM is all I have ever run and many a cedar can meet it's match on one sharpening even if you are in the dirt alot. I am learning though that if you keep it sharp you wont stretch the chain out before you wear it out.

 

[Husky137]

I don't mean to be an a$$ here dude... but this topic has been bashed here over and over and over. Use the search function... trust me, you will have more than enuff reading.

Welcome to AS.

Gary

Gary, you are such an a$$!:hmm3grin2orange:

 

[hpi_jeep]

In my experience with cedar is that you could cut it with the chain on backwards. I have some chains that are severely trashed that will still cut through cedar but nothing else. RM is all I have ever run and many a cedar can meet it's match on one sharpening even if you are in the dirt alot. I am learning though that if you keep it sharp you wont stretch the chain out before you wear it out.

i agree it doesnt take much to cut it but the quicker i can make a cut the happier i am


sorry for being such a newB
i have been serching a muffler mod, so i know its there just figured i would ask anyway.
thanks for the help.


ohh and let me help ya gary :deadhorse:



hehe

 

[Indiana John]

For me, the Stihl RS chain is the way to go. It's a non-safety chain, and the Stihl brand chain will stay sharper much longer than the cheaper Oregon. As they say, you get what you pay for! My new MS290 came with the new RSC chain, and it's not bad for a safety chain. I don't really see much difference between it and the RS I'm running on my MS250.

 

[GASoline71]

Gary, you are such an a$$!:hmm3grin2orange:

Who me??? :biggrinbounce2:

Gary

 

[stihl 440]

Indiana John, Don't you mean RSC3. RSC is NOT a saftey chain. I liked RS too back when they made it in 3/8". RSC has really impressed me, I think it cuts a little faster.

 

[Canyon Angler]

See:

Stihl Chain Types

 

[SawTroll]

..... My new MS290 came with the new RSC chain, and it's not bad for a safety chain. ....

the RSC is not a "safety chain", it is a low-vibe chain, and should cut just as well as the old RS.

RSC3 is the reduced kickback version ("safety chain").

 

[SWE#Kipp]

Gary, you are such an a$$!:hmm3grin2orange:

Gary is not an ass ,,, just a bit unhappy cause he don't own a H*******a

 

[Indiana John]

Well, it looks like I was wrong. Or the guy told me wrong when I bought the saw. I could have sworn he said it had RSC on it, but I was looking thru the baggie that they gave me with the saw that had all the goodies in it (manual, scrench, etc.), and I found the box insert that the chain apparently came in and it said it was RMC3. I confirmed it by checking at the Stihl site referenced above. So either I misunderstood the guy, or he had it wrong. Either way it does seem to cut about the same as the RS I have on the 250, and the extra chain I got with the saw was also an RS. So when I change chains on it, I'll be able to compare the RS and RMC3 on the same saw and see if I can tell any real difference. I'm sure it won't do a plunge-cut as well as the RS, but I've never needed to plunge-cut anyway. I suspect that for normal cutting, the difference won't be enough to mention.

 

[GASoline71]

Gary is not an ass ,,, just a bit unhappy cause he don't own a H*******a

HAHAHAHA!

You're kiddin' right???opcorn: opcorn:

See... the censors even bleeped out the forbidden "H" word.

Gary