Stihl square ground versus Oregon round ground..... who was faster......

[Woos31]

Oh my chains are oregon skip square chisel, and I have one stihl round chisel skip for my 36" bar but it frustrates me because I'm OCD and can't file it to my liking as I know what it SHOULD look like then dummy fouls it up with inconsistent strokes lol. Only thing I can tell between the 2 is the oregon lasts longer because the grinder takes only a bit off to get the new sharp edges where on the stihl........again the dummy takes out way more with the file trying to get corners even and both sides filed even

 

[Big_Wood]

IMO if a professional tries square ground and is capable of sharpening it right it is an unprofessional decision to run round afterwards. square is without a doubt smoother and without a doubt fast cutting. way less stress on the body where i cut anyways. underbucking an 8'er on a steep slope with even the best round chisel chain will kill even the toughest of men. a properly sharpened square makes it effortless in comparison. i have no idea how beneficial it would be in eastern hardwoods so can't speak there but i would not go without my square ground chain cutting here. professionals choose it for a reason. the trick is finding those butter smooth stay sharp all day angles and a grind that self feeds like nothing. people focus on meeting the outside corner but the inside corner is just as important for a wicked square chain. firewood hacks should just run round filed. it's pretty silly to have a grinder to sharpen a chain 2-3 times a year. there are many professionals who run round and that's fine. it can be made to cut good IF a guy knows how. the most senseless thing i see though is a professional who insists on running a ported saw but runs a half assed filed round chain lol all to common and at that point, is the professional really a professional? i've seen alot of guys who think their round filed is bad ass but is a ****'n joke.

 

[SAWMIKAZE]

Mastermech did these .. its not scientific but to a firewood hacker the difference is hardly there.

 

[jimmycrackcorn]

I got on a square kick a few years back out here on the east coast. I bought all the different expensive files, bought the jigs, did all the reading, trial & errored with it, ground all my round over to square... I did this for about a season..

As most PNW guys slinging softwood will tell you, it's the bees knees.. That type of grind is ridiculously fast, especially when done correctly, Stihl or Oregon.. Still, even in hardwood, faster if done right.

But.. As it's been mentioned previously, it dulls pretty fast if your in the nitty gritty stuff or hardwood. Around here, we do a good mix of both hard & soft. I found it was just too time consuming to keep up with compared to round. At least on the job site it was & epecially when grinding the chain back in shape after hitting hidden treasures in residential stuff... hidden clothes lines, barbwire, nails, etc.. Although it was super impressive, I switched back to round after I had run through those loops...

I wish it was worth while as I loved the performance gain.. It just doesn't last long enough for my setup.

Not really an answer to this guy "VS" question, but maybe a question of my own. I find I can grind Oregon loop sharper than Stihl loop. Not a huge difference, but noticeable. However, only when using a Stihl branded file, weird right?

Another thing related to Stihl files is... Did Stihl up the quality of their files or something? I've been using these two 3/16 files for what seems like enternity on a couple crappy .325 saws we have. The newer Pfered's i have in that size gave up grinding a while back, like last year, but the Stihls just keep on grinding. (Obviously not like new, but they're still getting it done). Just an observation & was wondering if anyone else has encountered the same.

Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk

 

[Big_Wood]

Mastermech did these .. its not scientific but to a firewood hacker the difference is hardly there.

description says "new out of the box chain". i got a roll of CJX and a roll of RSFLK, they were both pathetic off the reel. if square performed like that i would not be running it. never seen a square chain that performed good out of the box.

 

[jimmycrackcorn]

Anyone use that ATOP guide?
I found I was better free hand.

It was alright to get used to the obvious different style of sharpening & create some muscle memory.. But like I mentioned above, I was more consistent free hand.

In its defense, I bought it used & think the rollers might have been worn a bit, so the angles weren't 100% legit.

Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk

 

[Trx250r180]

Took me several years before i found angles for square that were pretty fast sharp and lasted all day i was happy with ,square is not generally learned overnight .Is it possible to see the op's chain that is being used for testing ?

 

[Big_Wood]

Took me several years before i found angles for square that were pretty fast sharp and lasted all day i was happy with ,square is not generally learned overnight .Is it possible to see the op's chain that is being used for testing ?

the carrier adjustment of the srcarr bearing slide kit made is easy for me. tooth approach to the stone is critical and the stock silvey slide is very limited. i still can't get the angles i like from a pro sharp on an RS2 though but close enough. if i spaced the stone slightly lower i could but i don't think it's worth the effort. there are guys in camp who have been falling for 10+ years with a poorly setup grinder. like tooth approach to head on and the inside corner ends up way out on the end of the top plate. try to give them some pointers but i won't anymore cause they think they know it all already. there are some guys who can make their square chains cut alright but they're swapping chains 3-4 times a day even not hitting rocks. if i can stay away from rocks my chains will cut great half way into a second day. i only use them for one day though.

 

[Trx250r180]

You need to do the 45/45 lol

The key is to make a strong corner sir on a work chain ,and you will keep on working and not swapping chains so much .
Here is one i did the other day in 3/8 that was a round stihl i converted on the grinder ,,these angles seem to hold up good in softwoods ,notice the side cutter has very little hook ,this makes a stronger corner ,the top plate ends up about 20 degrees ,i would not enter races with these angles ,gotta give somewhere for longevity though ,i did try a round i had after running square for a while ,my experience it was a little slower ,and a lot more vibration cutting from being more grabby .

This .404 is my favorite now ,holds up a lot longer than the 3/8 does

 

[Trx250r180]

the carrier adjustment of the srcarr bearing slide kit made is easy for me. tooth approach to the stone is critical and the stock silvey slide is very limited. i still can't get the angles i like from a pro sharp on an RS2 though but close enough. if i spaced the stone slightly lower i could but i don't think it's worth the effort. there are guys in camp who have been falling for 10+ years with a poorly setup grinder. like tooth approach to head on and the inside corner ends up way out on the end of the top plate. try to give them some pointers but i won't anymore cause they think they know it all already. there are some guys who can make their square chains cut alright but they're swapping chains 3-4 times a day even not hitting rocks. if i can stay away from rocks my chains will cut great half way into a second day. i only use them for one day though.

I would like to get one of those slides for my grinder someday .

 

[Big_Wood]

I would like to get one of those slides for my grinder someday .

Last I talked to Shaun he had 2 left and wasn't sure if he was gonna make anymore. They are worth the $ for sure.

 

[Woos31]

Last I talked to Shaun he had 2 left and wasn't sure if he was gonna make anymore. They are worth the $ for sure.

Are those the ball bearing slide kits another member put together on a razor sharp grinder? If so, when I first joined in the group I saw that setup and it looked like the cat's a$$. I've only ever used a pro sharp silvey grinder but his setup you're possibly refering too looked very user friendly

 

[Big_Wood]

Are those the ball bearing slide kits another member put together on a razor sharp grinder? If so, when I first joined in the group I saw that setup and it looked like the cat's a$$. I've only ever used a pro sharp silvey grinder but his setup you're possibly refering too looked very user friendly

I believe that is the kit. I still prefer a pro sharp anyday but packing a grinder around is a pain in the ass so I'd never consider bringing a pro sharp or an SDM4 into camp. The RS2 and swing arms are much more portable. I got the srcarr RS2 with a foldable aluminum stand. Premium grinder for a guy who doesn't just have it setup in one spot.

 

[Big_Wood]

Right now I have an SDM4 given to me as well which I will use as a permanent shop grinder. The problem is the guy who traded it to me can't find it now lol. He's an old logger/hoarder and he says it is in his basement. He's just gotta find it.

 

[Woos31]

I believe that is the kit. I still prefer a pro sharp anyday but packing a grinder around is a pain in the ass so I'd never consider bringing a pro sharp or an SDM4 into camp. The RS2 and swing arms are much more portable. I got the srcarr RS2 with a foldable aluminum stand. Premium grinder for a guy who doesn't just have it setup in one spot.

Man I can only imagine trying to get a pro sharp around an aircraft or boat for camp! After awhile a guy may feel like tossin er in the drink.............. not really cuz Damn they're hard tuh find now days. Been interested in trying an RS2 like your set up though for comparison sake, but a pro sharp just does a dang good job and even a dummy like me can use it lol

 

[Big_Wood]

Ya, if you don't need to pack your grinder around I wouldn't even bother with anything else. Pro sharp is the top of the line.

 

[Square Cutter]

IMO if a professional tries square ground and is capable of sharpening it right it is an unprofessional decision to run round afterwards. square is without a doubt smoother and without a doubt fast cutting. way less stress on the body where i cut anyways. underbucking an 8'er on a steep slope with even the best round chisel chain will kill even the toughest of men. a properly sharpened square makes it effortless in comparison. i have no idea how beneficial it would be in eastern hardwoods so can't speak there but i would not go without my square ground chain cutting here. professionals choose it for a reason. the trick is finding those butter smooth stay sharp all day angles and a grind that self feeds like nothing. people focus on meeting the outside corner but the inside corner is just as important for a wicked square chain. firewood hacks should just run round filed. it's pretty silly to have a grinder to sharpen a chain 2-3 times a year. there are many professionals who run round and that's fine. it can be made to cut good IF a guy knows how. the most senseless thing i see though is a professional who insists on running a ported saw but runs a half assed filed round chain lol all to common and at that point, is the professional really a professional? i've seen alot of guys who think their round filed is bad ass but is a ****'n joke.