Scrounging Firewood (and other stuff)

[Ambull01]

SVK, I got a few new chains last week at my STIHL dealer and they hit the wallet pretty good.View attachment 384840

So same price as troylee. They're kind of pricey. May stick to Oregon. Although if they last longer may be worth it.

 

[mn woodcutter]

I have found that not all Stihl dealers price their chains the same. The stihl chains are far and away better than the others IMHO.

 

[SteveSS]

My local Stihl dealer charges bar length + $2.00 for chains. 18" chain + $2.00 = $20.00

 

[Ambull01]

My local Stihl dealer charges bar length + $2.00 for chains. 18" chain + $2.00 = $20.00

Good price. I'll have to visit my local Stihl dealers. Prices like that will make one of those chain tools unnecessary

 

[steved]

Ambull: @Philbert is da' man when it comes to anything related to chain. Be sure to check out the links he posted.

Hey @MustangMike or @steved How much does a Stihl loop of semi-chisel run for say a 60 or 72 count chain? Just curious.

If you catch a sale, you can get a " buy two get one free", which brings them down well under $20 a chain...and that's the more aggressive stuff, not the homeowner anti-kickback.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G730A using Tapatalk

 

[Philbert]

STIHL dealers are a bit more constrained when selling OEM stuff, due to their dealer agreements. But even this varies with the regional distributor. Some have chain sales once or twice a year. There is a famous dealer in Washington State that offers 'buy one loop, get one free', but cannot ship due to the STIHL rules. Some heavy users buy 10+ chains at a time to get a discount. Etc. Oregon and Carlton distribution and sales are less restrictive, so there is more pricing competition. I will bet that guys who have long term relationships with their dealers get better deals than unknowns who walk in the door and complain about MSRP.

You will always pay more if you have to have something specific (brand, model, size, etc.). You will generally pay less if you can be more flexible. Some guys only want new saws, and some guys look for a project they can rebuild cheaply. Same with chains. If you are willing to clean/sharpen/repair chains, and to invest some time, you can often get used chains inexpensively. You can score good deals on sales, and sometimes on eBay, if it is worth your time. Other times, once you add in shipping costs, eBay is no different than buying local, including sales tax.

Prices like that will make one of those chain tools unnecessary

No way Ambull - you are a 'gear guy' and have to have a set anyway!

Philbert

 

[svk]

Yeah I know. He seems to know his chains. I think I have chipper chain on the saw right now

Unless its a really old chain, it's not a chipper. Probably semi chisel or safety.

 

[svk]

If you can pick up loops of Stihl for around $20 then that's worth trying when I need more chains. I'm getting 60 DL for $15-16 and 68-72 for $17-19.

I got a few "used once" loops off eBay last year for about $11 apiece shipped. Still working through them.

 

[Philbert]

Unless its a really old chain, it's not a chipper. Probably semi chisel or safety.

From the Carlton book:


'Chipper' looks like a '?' (question mark) - cuts slowest, but cuts longer in dirty wood, as long as the saw has p0wer to pull it.
'Chisel' looks like a '7' (number seven) - cuts fastest, but slows down when leading point/corner gets dull or damaged.
'Semi-chisel' falls in between. Hybrid. The 'all-season radial' of saw chain.

Chipper worked better on the older, slower, high torque chainsaws of the '60s and early '70s. Newer saws spin faster, with less torque. Chipper is still sold for use on mechanical harvester machines, but I do not think that anyone still makes it for hand-held saws. Like svk notes, some semi-chisel chain with a large radius could look like chipper chain. The difference would be if the side plate was flat or curved.

Philbert

 

[SteveSS]

I got a few "used once" loops off eBay last year for about $11 apiece shipped. Still working through them.

I'll have to look into this. You really can't beat prices like that, as long as you can sharpen your own chains. That same Stihl dealer charges $7.50 per chain to sharpen.

I picked up a Timberline Chainsaw Sharpener a few weeks ago that I'm still trying to get repeatable results with. My first four sharpenings turned out great, but my last one is giving me a bit of trouble. It's very sharp to the touch and throws really nice wood chips, but it has a tendency to want to twist counter-clockwise in the cut. I think I know what I did wrong, but haven't had the time to check yet. Still recovering from travel last week.

I added up the costs, and figured that once I sharpen 19 of my own chains, that the sharpener has paid for itself. After that, I'm making money.

 

[Philbert]

I added up the costs, and figured that once I sharpen 19 of my own chains, that the sharpener has paid for itself. After that, I'm making money.

It is not just the cost. You also save the time going back and forth to the dealer. You don't have to worry about someone taking too much off, or overheating a cutter., Etc.

Philbert

 

[SteveSS]

It is not just the cost. You also save the time going back and forth to the dealer. You don't have to worry about someone taking too much off, or overheating a cutter., Etc.

Philbert

Very true. It's fifteen miles one-way if I had to go on a weekend. Any other day, it's just around the corner from where I work.

 

[svk]

Chipper worked better on the older, slower, high torque chainsaws of the '60s and early '70s. Newer saws spin faster, with less torque. Chipper is still sold for use on mechanical harvester machines, but I do not think that anyone still makes it for hand-held saws. Like svk notes, some semi-chisel chain with a large radius could look like chipper chain. The difference would be if the side plate was flat or curved.

Philbert

Using my 65 (with a maximum operating RPM of 7000) the performance of chipper vs semi chisel is indistinguishable. I can imagine with a ripper like a 550xp it would be a different story.

 

[Philbert]

Very true. It's fifteen miles one-way if I had to go on a weekend. Any other day, it's just around the corner from where I work.

That's why I like Oregon's slogan for their PowerSharp chain; "On the saw, On the Job, In seconds".

There are a lot of reasons to sharpen your own chain. Some has to do with cost. Some with understanding your tools and equipment. Some for guys who want their chains at custom angles. Etc. But guys who have only one chain, and cannot sharpen their own, have to stop working when the chain gets dull or hits something. Having extra chains to swap out, or the ability to sharpen in the field, are really important advantages, especially for guys who have limited time to cut, or have to travel a significant distance.

Philbert

 

[MustangMike]

On that note, did some cutting today (sorry, no pics). A friend had tried to drop an old dead Red Maple, and could not cut the notch out with his 16" Craftsman.

The tree was about 28" in diameter. I dropped it and cut it up for him, but it was a swampy area, and the tree was totally on the ground (no air). The 046 was making short work of it, till I rocked the chain. So I just fired up 044 #2 (also with a 24" bar) and kept going.

A previous time I was cutting the notch in a Sugar Maple and hit a nail, and I put down the 044 #2 and picked up the 046.

I like having the 4 saws, 2 w/20" bars and 2 with 24. It gives me redundancy, and I can take care of the problem when I get home.

Did all the limbing with the 362.

Since I am using square file, I have not purchased a round file chain in so long I don't know what they are going for, sorry!

 

[Philbert]

Round files are cheap. A little over a buck a piece if you buy them by the dozen on sale.

Square files are always more.

Philbert

 

[Marshy]

SVK, I got a few new chains last week at my STIHL dealer and they hit the wallet pretty good.View attachment 384840

Am I reading that correct, $17.99 for a gallon of winter bar oil?

 

[Axfarmer]

Am I reading that correct, $17.99 for a gallon of winter bar oil?

You are correct. I only use it my saws with long bars 25" 32" 36" to ensure good oiling in low temp cutting so it will last awhile. I am getting tired of Stihl price structure.

 

[Marshy]

Round files are cheap. A little over a buck a piece if you buy them by the dozen on sale.

Square files are always more.

Philbert

Are they more effort to maintain the edge over chisel or is it nearly the same just with a flat file?

 

[Ambull01]

If you catch a sale, you can get a " buy two get one free", which brings them down well under $20 a chain...and that's the more aggressive stuff, not the homeowner anti-kickback.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G730A using Tapatalk

Is there really a huge difference with anti-kick semi chisel vs regular semi chisel? I kind of like my face as it is so not really concerned it the anti-kickback is a tad bit slower. Under $20 a chain sounds great.