Chainsawing charred hardwood

[OzKioti]

I'm in the process of splitting some hardwood for winter heating. I have a few very suitable felled trees, some years old, which have suffered superficial fire damage over the years, and have charred outers.

Problem - there are few things which dull a chain faster than sawing through charcoal to produce suitable rounds for the splitter. So, what's the answer?

I'm thinking of getting a stiff wire brush on my angle grinder and removing the charring around the circumference where I'm proposing to cut with the chainsaw. Tedious, for sure, but would save a few sharpenings of the chain.

I tried removing the charring with a mattock, and while it works removing loose and flaking charred bits, it still leaves some charcoal on the outer surface of the wood.

Any better ideas please? Or just be prepared for many sharpenings of a chain.

 

[Frankenkubota]

I don't have a solution for you, i burn thru chains because of sand so good luck.

I comment only because I've been noticing stihl is running commercials for their battery powered tools. There is a very brief scene where some real many actor guy cuts a piece of fire wood with the chain saw. It's not 2-3 seconds. I swear the end of the log that supposedly just got cut looks like it's been sitting out for years.

I do not have a dvr or i would record it and look close.

 

[jeff9366]

Tungston-carbide chains are available from Stihl, perhaps others.

I buy T-C for cutting old railroad ties.

T-C chains remain sharp two to three times longer but require special equipment to sharpen which my local Stihl dealer does not have. I periodically take the T-C chains to a larger Stihl dealer 40 miles away with the proper equipment to have them honed.

Mail order sharpening from non-still venders is available but shipping two directions costs more than sharpening.

 

[OzKioti]

Thanks Jeff. I'll assess how much I need to saw vs spending up on a TC chain. I note that the better TC chains have teeth which are full-length TC, compared with cheaper chains which have only TC tips on the teeth.

It's the old cost-benefit-time equation isn't it.

I'll have a closer look at just how much fallen hardwood is actually charred.

 

[Egon]

Verify Your Identity

 

[Jchonline]

I just learned to hand file my chains. Cutting charred is going to dull your chain faster than wood, but not like dirt.

 

[oosik]

When we burned firewood it was the volcanic ash lodged in the bark. From Mt St Helens - 1980 eruption. Sparks would come off the tip of the chain saw bar - just like a kids sparkler. Ended up debarking the entire length of each tree. Just another PITA.

 

[OzKioti]

I bought a very sturdy looking "Twisted Wire" attachment for my angle grinder this morning, and tried it out his afternoon removing charred sections from some logs.

It did remove most of the charring, but the chainsaw was dulled a bit towards the end. I'll run a file over it tomorrow, but probably cutting through around two dozen rounds of 22" hardwood is a fair enough ask for a chain between sharpenings.

The last big stump of hardwood I'm processing is a huge hollowed out stump, with charring on the inside, but I reckon that one last go with a freshly sharpened nearly-worn-out chain should do it, and then the chain can go to chain heaven.

Then a fresh new chain installed to do nice clean cuts...

 

[PuffyC]

You can buy a nice electric sharpener from HF for $30. Personally I’d rather do that than angle grind every cut I wanted to make. That sounds like torture.

 

[ArlyA]

You can buy a nice electric sharpener from HF for $30. Personally I’d rather do that than angle grind every cut I wanted to make. That sounds like torture.

Where I used to work had a HF one that I ran. Spend more.

 

[ArlyA]

We do trail work and normally cut close to the ground so we file sharpen in the field but this type of work is real hard to keep your chain good. Having just one dull chain per day is a dream of mine.

 

[oosik]

Even now I do quite a big of chain sawing. Fallen big 'ol pines. I get in a hurry and don't remove the bark. Result - dull chain. I have many alternate chains but will continue to use the same one and sharpen until it's "gone".

I talked to the service manager at the local JD dealership. They are the local Stihl dealer. Asked about the carbide chain. He said it's for firemen when they have to saw thru buildings, roofs, walls and all sorts of metal. Does not do as well on wood as a normal sharp chain. Plus it requires special tools to sharpen/hone the teeth. I've decided to stay with what I have.

The other "baddie" around here - rock the chain. Just the slightest touch on the basaltic lava bedrock will end in a string of four letter words. Usually a fallen tree is still elevated on its root ball. Slip a small log underneath and keep it up off the ground.

I can't remember a day when I didn't sharpen two to three times. Noodles turn to dust and it's time to get out the file.

 

[ericm979]

Semi chisel chain will stay sharp longer than full chisel when cutting dirty wood, though when sharp it does not cut quite as fast as a sharp full chisel.

 

[yomax4]

I just cut whatever whenever. Just cut the 20 rounds and re sharpen a time or 2 and your done. I'd think splitting the charred crap would be worse than cutting it.

 

[OzKioti]

I just cut whatever whenever. Just cut the 20 rounds and re sharpen a time or 2 and your done. I'd think splitting the charred crap would be worse than cutting it.

My log splitter doesn't care one way or the other what it's asked to do - clean wood, dirty wood, charred wood, fingers in gloves, as long as you don't ask it to try splitting across the grain! Occasionally it lets you know it's encountered a real knarly swirl of wood where a branch emerged from the trunk, so you just back off and try again from a different entry position.

Mind you, there are log splitters and there are log splitters. The cheapies you see advertised for $149 or thereabouts might be OK for small pine twigs, and I wonder how many folk have fallen for them, get them home, and find they're really not much good for anything. Mine is a 30 ton beast (even has a hydraulic lifting table for the big heavy rounds) and there's not much will slow it down.

 

[yomax4]

My log splitter doesn't care one way or the other what it's asked to do - clean wood, dirty wood, charred wood, fingers in gloves, as long as you don't ask it to try splitting across the grain! Occasionally it lets you know it's encountered a real knarly swirl of wood where a branch emerged from the trunk, so you just back off and try again from a different entry position.

Mind you, there are log splitters and there are log splitters. The cheapies you see advertised for $149 or thereabouts might be OK for small pine twigs, and I wonder how many folk have fallen for them, get them home, and find they're really not much good for anything. Mine is a 30 ton beast (even has a hydraulic lifting table for the big heavy rounds) and there's not much will slow it down.

I built a hyd lift for mine too and it's awesome. I'm thinking it's a 25 ton. Lots of mods