WinterDeere
Elite Member
THIS is why I have always owned at least one saw 85 - 125 cc. I am not patient, and don't like having to slow down for an underpowered saw running too much bar. A 462 is a great power plant for up to 24" bars, and would be a friggin' light saber with a 20" bar.The first time I used the 462, I actually pulled the saw and checked to make sure the wood wasn't rotten - nope, rock solid. It mowed through solid white oak so fast.
"Rakers" (really, "depth gauges") should be kept around .026" below teeth on most 3/8" full-chisel chains (eg. Stihl RS or RS3). If you're doing a scant touch-up with a round file between each tank of gas, you might go 3 or more sharpenings between having to lower the depth gauges. If you rock the chain, or prefer using an electric grinder, it's more likely they'll require a pass or three with a good sharp flat file on every sharpening, to keep them at the proper height for fast cutting.After a year, I made the mistake of using a 2:1 file on it though vs hand file. It took the rakers down to the point where I set the chain aside and bought a new one.
On all but my top-handle saw, I actually take my depth gauges down at least 20% farther than the factory grind, aiming generally .031" to .033" on RS chain, for faster cutting. But it takes more horsepower to turn the more aggressive grind, on the same bar length, and they can be more grabby in smaller branchwood. More reasons to favor bigger motors on shorter bars.
Whenever I find myself in a group situation, such as cutting with a partner or church clean up days (they owned a lot of woodland that needed yearly maintenance), people always seem amazed at how much faster my saws cut than theirs. The saws are stock, but I don't over-extend them with too-long bars, and I do keep them sharp. I'm spitting rooster tails of wood chips, while half the others are spitting dust from dull chains, or depth gauges set too high to take a proper bite on each pass.
I'm down to 4 chainsaws: top handle, pole, two regular. I had as many as seven at one time, but found I never really used them all.I have a 10 saw plan, maybe it's 12 now. I have pro saws from 25 to 137cc. I don't sharpen in the field, I just grab another saw.
I also don't sharpen in the field. If I manage to rock a chain on the 20" saw, I set that saw aside until lunch break or end of day, and just use the 28" for everything. I do a chain swap on each of the saws I've been running at lunch time, and then blow them out with compressed air and install another new chain when I'm home in the evening. I can sharpen the chains sitting in my warm shop on a Tuesday evening, rather than wasting daylight on a day in the woods. I use a bench-mounted chain grinder for tooth profile, and a hand file for the depth gauges.