Anybody run Full Skip ?

[FredH]

Recently purchased a back up chain for my 441 Stihl . All the Dealer had in .063 was full skip , So I said " What the Heck , Why not " . Have not ran full skip since summer part time logging work in High School then a few years full time after High School in late '70's . Cutting up a log truck load of Hardwood I had delivered last spring , mostly madrone with a few oaks , any were from 8" to 24"+ in diameter .

Whoa Nellie , Now that is some Wood Cutting .:thumbsup: I have found my favorite chain to use now . Still kick myself thinking back when I sold my 041's , that I should of kept the 28" bar I had on one of them but the 25" on the 441 does the job .:cool2:

Fred H.

 

[s219]

I rarely run it anymore, but do have one loop to go on the 28" bar for my 461. I'd probably pull it out if I really had to sink all 28" of the bar in a softwood cut (where the chip clearing benefit of full skip is most needed and the added vibration and kickback potential is lowest). Up to now, the 461 hasn't had an issue pulling full-comp chains in hardwood with the 28" bar, so I haven't reached for the full skip loop at all.

 

[kenmac]

I thought those skip chains were used when your saw didn't have the power to run a full tooth chain. If that's the case, my small husky could probably benefit from using 1

 

[stuckmotor]

Fred,
Are you sawing boards with this chain? I once bought a chain that had half of the horozonal cutting edges ground off. It was for milling and did a surprizingly good job the one time I used it. The saw was a tiny Poulan.

 

[FredH]

StuckMotor : You mean like a Alaska sawmill ? Oh God , Heck No !! Use to run those in Forestry class in high school . Never figured out which end of the saw was the better position , Bar end or motor end . Both had their drawbacks

Kenmac : Our belief back in my younger years logging was just the opposite . Big saw , Faster Cut , Especially when talking trees that were 24"+ , with average being 32" to 42" . Sadly , those days are long gone around here , thus my departure from that industry years ago .

For the Casual user , they may not be a good thing , since as mentioned , they do have a higher kickback risk . It sure brought back memories though on that first log after installing it .

Like in the movie " Windtalker " or what ever it was called , " We were just a bunch of Young Fools back in then " !!
Fred H.

 

[adirondackmtnman]

Still kick myself thinking back when I sold my 041's , that I should of kept the 28" bar I had on one of them but the 25" on the 441 does the job .:cool2:

Fred H.

I have a dandy 041av I'll sell you if you're missing yours. Just finished up a crank-out restoration on it a few months ago. Nothing beats those old saws. Purr like a kitten. A very MEAN kitten.

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[cqaigy2]

I thought those skip chains were used when your saw didn't have the power to run a full tooth chain. If that's the case, my small husky could probably benefit from using 1

I suppose it would work like that pretty well. Typically seen it used on large softwood trees like 1st, 2nd growth fir, to help keep the kerf from getting plugged with chips. Also when cutting with the grain.

 

[stuckmotor]

You got it Fred, like an Alaska saw mill. I used to have an internet buddy who milled most of the wood for his house with a huge Stihl. I didn't even know skip tooth chains were used to cross cut.

 

[FredH]

Nah , I'll pass on the 041 , ( ) Should of kept the longer bar though . The 441 starts nice with the compression release but it just does not sound the same . When I sold them both on Craig's L. , Guy responded like in 2 hours , Was at my house in another hour . Fired up the newer one and He was impressed in 2 pulls . Older one fired on first pull , and He was like " Gimme , Gimme " !! . Older one really had that " Sound " to it .

As Cqaigy2 mentioned , We used them almost exclusively logging . Big trees , Softwood , Douglass Fir and a occasional cedar here and there .

My Mind / Memory misses those old saws , But my Body Does Not .

Fred H.

 

[s219]

Fred,
Are you sawing boards with this chain? I once bought a chain that had half of the horozonal cutting edges ground off. It was for milling and did a surprizingly good job the one time I used it. The saw was a tiny Poulan.

That is to take a narrower bite -- each cutter will only take half of the kerf -- but is still a full comp chain.

I have a variety of milling chains, and one of them actually alternates the cutter width for each three teeth in a row. It has a narrow to one side, narrow to the other, and then a full to clear the chip. Interesting design.

 

[stuckmotor]

Thank you S219. That's the first time I've seen it explained that way.

 

[adirondackmtnman]

My Mind / Memory misses those old saws , But my Body Does Not .

Fred H.

Yup. They're a great classic saw, but for everyday use, they're heavier than a dead preacher. Very reliable. Biggest complaint I've seen is that if you didn't keep the screws holding them together tight, they shook themselves apart and busted up the castings

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[FredH]

S219 : You still have that chain ?? Any way to get pictures , That would be kind of cool to see .


adirondackmtnman : Have a good story about the older of the 2 . Was up wood cutting in the snow . Was skidding logs down a hill to roadway , on the snow , it was easy . Had several logs already down and went for 1 more . During the entire morning , I had placed saw by a tree on opposite side of road without a problem . Last log came down hill but rather than sliding across road , it hit and stood on end then fell like 45 degrees away from my truck towards opposite side of road .

Yep , Saw took a Direct hit !! :shocked:

Literally Took Saw home in one of those Grocery paper bags , ( Except for bar ) . Went to Stihl dealer that afternoon . A Few used case parts , a few new case parts , and New Bar . Dealer took about 45 minutes getting it back together , took it out back and second pull fired right up . Only work I ever had done to it besides that was the annual tune up and a new intake manifold gasket . Had that saw for over 20 years and it was 3 - 5 years old when I bought it from same dealer . Hope my 441 gives me the same service .

Fred H.

 

[adirondackmtnman]

S219 : You still have that chain ?? Any way to get pictures , That would be kind of cool to see .

adirondackmtnman : Have a good story about the older of the 2 . Was up wood cutting in the snow . Was skidding logs down a hill to roadway , on the snow , it was easy . Had several logs already down and went for 1 more . During the entire morning , I had placed saw by a tree on opposite side of road without a problem . Last log came down hill but rather than sliding across road , it hit and stood on end then fell like 45 degrees away from my truck towards opposite side of road .

Yep , Saw took a Direct hit !! :shocked:

Literally Took Saw home in one of those Grocery paper bags , ( Except for bar ) . Went to Stihl dealer that afternoon . A Few used case parts , a few new case parts , and New Bar . Dealer took about 45 minutes getting it back together , took it out back and second pull fired right up . Only work I ever had done to it besides that was the annual tune up and a new intake manifold gasket . Had that saw for over 20 years and it was 3 - 5 years old when I bought it from same dealer . Hope my 441 gives me the same service .

Fred H.

I doubt you'll get the service life out of the new one that you did on the old one. Just not put together with the same heft, not to say the new ones are no good, they are, but there's just something about a lady with a little age under her belt...;-) The intakes were finicky on those, the studs tended to pull out of the fiber block between the carb and jug, but they were the ultimate in serviceability. Just very intuitively put together. As evidenced by your dealer getting yours back to work as quickly as he did. Mine is late '60's/early 70's best I can place it, and most of the cases were cracked from loose screws, but the old feller we got it from had bought it new. That put it at or greater than 40 years when I acquired it, and the previous owner hadn't done anything but routine maintenance on it. Ran like a charm, great compression, even the crank seals were still good (although I replaced them just because I was in the neighborhood.) They're a looker of a saw when they're in factory trim too. I can't tell you how many raised eyebrows and 'WOW!!!'s I've had upon people coming into my shop. Usually it's followed by another 'WOW!!!' when they feel how heavy it is. Then yet another when I fire it up. Most of the guys I know have never heard anything like it.

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[TomSeller]

The 441 starts nice with the compression release but it just does not sound the same .

I like the sound of my 441. I have a full skip for it but have never installed it.

 

[FredH]

adirondackmtnman : Wondering if I did one of those Muffler Mods on my 441 , if I could at least get it to sound a little more like one of the old saw's would be really cool . :thumbsup:

OH Yes , When you feel the weight , 16 - 17+ or more with a 24" and 28" bar , But still a Awesome Classic .

Fred H.

 

[adirondackmtnman]

adirondackmtnman : Wondering if I did one of those Muffler Mods on my 441 , if I could at least get it to sound a little more like one of the old saw's would be really cool . :thumbsup:

OH Yes , When you feel the weight , 16 - 17+ or more with a 24" and 28" bar , But still a Awesome Classic .

Fred H.

It would be louder, but I don't think it would sound more like the old ones, they topped out lower back then, and made their power at low RPM. I think that has a lot to do with their sound.

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[TomSeller]

The 441 is also a strato saw, that contributes to the different sound as well.

 

[adirondackmtnman]

The 441 is also a strato saw, that contributes to the different sound as well.

I notice a little tone difference between my 362 (strato) and the previous 361. A little quieter as well. Not a huge difference in sound from what my overused ears can hear though

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[stuckmotor]

That is to take a narrower bite -- each cutter will only take half of the kerf -- but is still a full comp chain.
I have a variety of milling chains, and one of them actually alternates the cutter width for each three teeth in a row. It has a narrow to one side, narrow to the other, and then a full to clear the chip. Interesting design.

Fred,
Are you sawing boards with this chain? I once bought a chain that had half of the horozonal cutting edges ground off. It was for milling and did a surprizingly good job the one time I used it. The saw was a tiny Poulan.

S219,
I finally figured out that we're talking about two different ways of grinding off half of the horozonal cutting edges. You meant that the horozinal edges were ground to half of their origonal width. On my chain, the horizonal part of the tooth was ground completely off on every other tooth on each side. Maybe that wouldn't total up to half of the teeth but, I thought it would. The way your chain is configured really is an interesting concept. I'd never thought about doing it that way.