Teach me about chainsaw chains

[signcrafter]

I've been using chainsaws for over 20 years now and never really learned about the different types of chains. When I need a new chain I just buy the replacement and call it good. But I know there are different types and wondering if I need to start looking into the differences.

My saws are an M18 with a 16" bar. Comes with a 3/8" pitch 56 tooth chain with a .043" gauge groove in the bar. Most bars I see are .050" gauge and the .043" seems a little more harder to find chains for sometimes. I need a new bar after getting it pinched today in a tricky leaning tree. Should I stick with the .043 or is there any reason to switch to the .050 gauge bar and chain? If that's even possible? But either way after I get a new bar should I just stick with the oregon 3/8" pitch chains or look into anything better? I only use the m18 for limbing and stuff like that.

I also have a echo cs-590 with a 20" bar with 3/8" pitch chain. I use this saw for bigger limbs and trunks. Should I just stick with the chain it came with or look into something better?

I'm also thinking about getting a 24" bar for the echo for a couple bigger trunks I have. I realize this is a pretty big bar for this saw but should work for the couple of bigger trunks I will take down. What type of chain should I get for this if or when I get the bar?

I've always just bought whatever chain matched up at the store so tell me what I need to know. Thanks

 

[101SCOUT]

You only have one choice in .043 gauge chain so that fixes that question, as for the echo you can get a couple different tooth styles for it. A semi chisel gives you the best of both tooth styles and stays sharp longer under most conditions. As far as a longer bar goes you wil probably need to go to a semi skip tooth pattern to reduce the amount of teeth in the cut but be aware that comes with more kickback potential.

 

[finn]

The Arboristsite has a pretty good chainsaw sub forum, and a Bailey’s catalog will help.

 

[TNToy]

A full chisel chain has a square profile to each tooth, whereas your stock style of chain will have a question mark looking shape to it, as viewed from the front up close.

Learn to sharpen your chains by hand with a file, regardless of chain type. A chainsaw is most accurately describled as pulling a linked belt of wood chisels through the tree at speed. Not saw teeth. A sharp chain produces chips. Small chisel shavings. NOT sawdust; if you see dust and the cutting has slowed, the chain is dull. A quality Stihl or Oregon saw chain only lasts an hour or two worth of cutting before it needs touched up with a file - this doesn’t take long and makes a world of difference

Also, if your chain hits the dirt behind your wood for all of half a second? Stop and sharpen it. You just dulled it that quickly. Dirt is an abrasive. Dirt is death.

A full chisel chain will cut through good clean wood shockingly quickly - it also takes noticeably more power to do so and most homeowner grade saws won’t do a great job of it. The sharp square corner to your teeth has two main downsides aside from requiring more powerhead to pull it. First, it dulls much more quickly in dirty wood. Second, it will case more violent kickback in the hands of a novice operator.

(By dirty wood, I mean wood anywhere down near the ground. Your roots and lowest section of truck can absorb metal nails or staples as most people know. But they can simialry contain a significant amount of dirt. In the core of the wood.)

If you have to trim a stump off flush with the ground, for example, plan to do so at the end of the day’s operations... and to sharpen your chain afterward. Personally, I have two chains for my medium-grade farm & ranch level Stihl. A Sihl “geen box” semi-chisel factory chain for limbing pruning and dirty stump work around the 5 acres of wooded forest we own, which is mostly Oak and Beech hardwoods. This is my beater chain.

I also have a “yellow” full chisel chain for it which is the one I’d run in a storm if a lot of tree needs to be removed from a road , or when I’m doing a lot of heavy firewood processing to feed our two wood stoves in the house and in the workshop.

 

[Firebrick43]

Smaller and battery powered saws use thinner gauge chain to keep the mass down somewhat and therefore make up slightly for the lack of power. I bet it would be hard to quantify the difference however for most.

As for a 24” bar, definitely get a full skip chain as it’s to big for that
Saw. I have a ms361 stihl which has maybe .75 hp on your saw and I don’t
Run a 24”. I only run it either a 24” or a 32” on my ms660

 

[pepi]

. Notch a tube with a chop saw. Here's how..

***** Good one **** !!

 

[signcrafter]

You only have one choice in .043 gauge chain so that fixes that question, as for the echo you can get a couple different tooth styles for it. A semi chisel gives you the best of both tooth styles and stays sharp longer under most conditions. As far as a longer bar goes you wil probably need to go to a semi skip tooth pattern to reduce the amount of teeth in the cut but be aware that comes with more kickback potential.

Since I need a replacement bar for my milwaukee is there any reason I can't go with a 16" .050" gauge bar and chain vs. the .043" gauge bar and chain it came with? Seems there are a lot more options for the .050" gauge bar and chains and they are more common and easier to come by. Would a .050 bar fit on the milwaukee that came with a .043 bar? Will the saw not be able to power a .050 gauge bar and chain?

 

[icthruu74]

Different saws will also have different bar mounts. I’d check with Oregon to see what they make that will fit that saw. Bailey’s also may be able to tell you what can run on that saw.

Update: I just looked on the Oregon website and they list exactly 1 bar for that saw. A 16”, .043 gauge, 3/8 lo-pro bar.

 

[upper_tanker]

A full chisel chain has a square profile to each tooth, whereas your stock style of chain will have a question mark looking shape to it, as viewed from the front up close.

Learn to sharpen your chains by hand with a file, regardless of chain type. A chainsaw is most accurately describled as pulling a linked belt of wood chisels through the tree at speed. Not saw teeth. A sharp chain produces chips. Small chisel shavings. NOT sawdust; if you see dust and the cutting has slowed, the chain is dull. A quality Stihl or Oregon saw chain only lasts an hour or two worth of cutting before it needs touched up with a file - this doesn’t take long and makes a world of difference

Also, if your chain hits the dirt behind your wood for all of half a second? Stop and sharpen it. You just dulled it that quickly. Dirt is an abrasive. Dirt is death.

A full chisel chain will cut through good clean wood shockingly quickly - it also takes noticeably more power to do so and most homeowner grade saws won’t do a great job of it. The sharp square corner to your teeth has two main downsides aside from requiring more powerhead to pull it. First, it dulls much more quickly in dirty wood. Second, it will case more violent kickback in the hands of a novice operator.

(By dirty wood, I mean wood anywhere down near the ground. Your roots and lowest section of truck can absorb metal nails or staples as most people know. But they can simialry contain a significant amount of dirt. In the core of the wood.)

If you have to trim a stump off flush with the ground, for example, plan to do so at the end of the day’s operations... and to sharpen your chain afterward. Personally, I have two chains for my medium-grade farm & ranch level Stihl. A Sihl “geen box” semi-chisel factory chain for limbing pruning and dirty stump work around the 5 acres of wooded forest we own, which is mostly Oak and Beech hardwoods. This is my beater chain.

I also have a “yellow” full chisel chain for it which is the one I’d run in a storm if a lot of tree needs to be removed from a road , or when I’m doing a lot of heavy firewood processing to feed our two wood stoves in the house and in the workshop.

I agree with most of what you said. I'm probably not understanding you correctly, but I have to disagree with your bold and italicized statement above. I compare chainsaw chains to drill bits. There are people who can make them last, and people that don't know what they're doing. I've made a full chisel last for around 8 FC or so, until one of the other wankers got ahold of the chain and beat the piss out of it. If there's one thing that gramps taught me, much like using a drill, it was to let the MACHINE do the work. Obviously, there are times when it needs a little extra "oomph," but for the most part, if you have a nice sharp chain, there isn't a need to put a ton of your weight on the saw to make it cut. I must also say that I do/did not work for any tree company, so I do understand that when time is money and chains are nothing to them, they don't usually care too much. I fully agree with your dust vs chips comparison, that's the easiest way to see if you have a dull chain or not.

Either way, I loved your post and most of what you said reminded me of when I was hanging out with my grandpa processing firewood. Thanks for that!

 

[SethB]

Since I need a replacement bar for my milwaukee is there any reason I can't go with a 16" .050" gauge bar and chain vs. the .043" gauge bar and chain it came with? Seems there are a lot more options for the .050" gauge bar and chains and they are more common and easier to come by. Would a .050 bar fit on the milwaukee that came with a .043 bar? Will the saw not be able to power a .050 gauge bar and chain?

That's what I did. The M18 uses standard Oregon bars, when the original chain dulled out, I bought a .50 Oregon bar 16" and regular Oregon chain. Runs just the same, chain cuts better as it's non-kickback safety and replacements are available widely.

 

[Bretny]

I too have had poor luck with Oregon chains. I only have stihl saws any more and either buy stihl chains or a brand called "carlton". Carlton is actualy cheaper than Oregon but I find hold and edge better.

There is actualy alot to sharpening a saw chain and many good youtube videos showing how to properly do it. I only hand file any more as I find the power sharpeners kind of burnish the tooth tip and they dont hold and edge very well.

 

[Lasu]

Seems there are a lot more options for the .050" gauge bar and chains and they are more common and easier to come by.

.050" 3/8lp is much more common, the tooth is bigger and lasts longer (cutting wood + sharpening) Ok for 30-50cc saws.

Stihl .043" 3/8lp on the right .050 63PM.

 

[Tduby]

Since I need a replacement bar for my milwaukee is there any reason I can't go with a 16" .050" gauge bar and chain vs. the .043" gauge bar and chain it came with? Seems there are a lot more options for the .050" gauge bar and chains and they are more common and easier to come by. Would a .050 bar fit on the milwaukee that came with a .043 bar? Will the saw not be able to power a .050 gauge bar and chain?

I’m not 100% sure but I think you would also have to change your drive sprocket.