Chainsawing charred hardwood

[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