Chainsaw question: I'm missing something...?

[WoodsDigger]

yeah, raker height has to be filed or you are just making sawdust

Yes , that sets how much the teeth can reach. I learned from a young man that nowadays they call them depth gauges. My dad called them rakers I do too.

 

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[DizzyDigger]

I've also got a Stihl, and when the chain needs sharpening I just drop it off at Wood's Logging and let them work their magic on it.

 

[Tesorodeoro]

I've also got a Stihl, and when the chain needs sharpening I just drop it off at Wood's Logging and let them work their magic on it.

I tried that and the local shop said no…but you can sharpen it yourself -> there is the grinder.

 

[unclemac]

a 3 pack of new chains costs less than $30.... $10 per chain is usually what it used to cost to have them sharpened.

 

[Tesorodeoro]

a 3 pack of new chains costs less than $30.... $10 per chain is usually what it used to cost to have them sharpened.

Dang. I can’t imagine it was ever profitable to throw away a chain after first use. Really kind of demonstrating how overly expensive it was to pay someone to sharpen your chains.

But I don’t know a logger that would run a new chain without sharpening it first and they certainly do not throw them away!

1 chain for my saw costs $48 it will last me all summer of casual use. 3-4 cords of firewood (when I was cutting more firewood). Now brushing saws..they go through chains quickly.

 

[unclemac]

have you tried the newer battery ones yet? I got me one for light duty use, boy howdy! I am a believer!

 

[releventchair]

have you tried the newer battery ones yet? I got me one for light duty use, boy howdy! I am a believer!

Raced to beat the rain today getting some leaves picked up. Rain did arrive.
Was eyeing a maple I pushed over but left above ground a while back I want to cut and peel for a pole.
Moved the Eletric chainsaw the other day and cleaned up it's oil pee .
Didn't make it to the battery in time tonight.
Dang it!

But the saw surprised me. Cuts pretty decent.

 

[unclemac]

it is my go to now for limbing and odds and ends... you know... anything under 8 inches...

 

[Tesorodeoro]

They have their place for sure. You want a wake up call with battery tools check out the latest DeWALT impact tools. 1/2” drive medium torque. 600 ft lbs tighten, 800 ft lbs loosen! Can even get one 1200 ft lbs I think.

Like the fact that these developments have come from the free market mostly. Gov. mandates on electric cars has partially pushed the development of batteries (I hate to admit).

Won’t replace my large falling saw though.

A sharp chain is likely a requirement with an electric saw.

 

[Ragnar24]

I have a Stihl chainsaw w/18" bar. Fairly new and not used much. I've had a few hundred railroad ties stacked up for lining the driveway since last year. Well started to move them and had angles to cut at curves. After 2 cuts it was running hot and puked the chain. I changed out chain and made 3 cuts and again same thing. I took bar & chain off and cleaned up everything to make sure bar oil was in the oiler. I fired it up and yep.... oil pouring on out. Put a 3rd new chain on and cut 9 ties and same thing happened AGAIN...!

So is something wrong with the chainsaw or maybe it doesn't like cutting the railroad ties possibly. Why I wouldn't know but is it possible maybe? I am NOT hitting any metal nor seen any sparks at all. I stay a long ways from the metal end plates.

Any ideas anybody....

Sounds like debris might have the oil plug for the bar stuck wide open or the plug itself is missing. This would cause the bar oil to leak out too fast. Also if the oil isn't thick enough it will just flow out too.

 

[searcher]

I don't think it's been mentioned, maybe I missed it.
Carbide chains are made for dirty, hard woods.

I worked a large job that utilized many old ties.
After a few issues, here's what worked-

Use multiple saws. First one will have time to cool off while you use the others.
Make sure all oilers are wide open and spit well.
Use thin bar oil. Also put some in a hand oiler and squirt the bar/chain ever so often
-Sharpen chains often- Even with carbide chains.
Clean and blow out all parts of the saw when you sharpen the chain.
Clean bars with kerosene, paint thinner or whatever you have that will cut the creosote.
-don't use gasoline- Unless you want to light your bar on fire...

If you can get a hold of a large timber saw, do it.
They cut well and are made for this.
Just be careful of the heat issue.
They can and will bind in ties, and throw you across the yard.
Don't put a lean person on a timber saw.
Dry lube the blade regularly.

Wear lots of clothes. Leave no skin exposed.
Wear a respirator, or at least a good dust mask.

 

[unclemac]

They have their place for sure. You want a wake up call with battery tools check out the latest DeWALT impact tools. 1/2” drive medium torque. 600 ft lbs tighten, 800 ft lbs loosen! Can even get one 1200 ft lbs I think.

Like the fact that these developments have come from the free market mostly. Gov. mandates on electric cars has partially pushed the development of batteries (I hate to admit).

Won’t replace my large falling saw though.

A sharp chain is likely a requirement with an electric saw.

shucks... I don't have a problem with any mandates or new tech.... when I went to school it was all blackboards and chalk, pencils and paper.... things change and it is up to the next generation to decide what world they going to live in.

 

[WoodsDigger]

shucks... I don't have a problem with any mandates or new tech.... when I went to school it was all blackboards and chalk, pencils and paper.... things change and it is up to the next generation to decide what world they going to live in.

I tell my grandsons that when I took technology it was called "shop".

 

[unclemac]

...shop is where we made dope pipes...and no one seemed to care...

 

[WoodsDigger]

...shop is where we made dope pipes...and no one seemed to care...

That's funny my first idea with the spot welder and tin shears. I made a star out of the tin and prof caught me spot welding a penny to the center of the star. Spot welder was unharmed but he had a blown fuse I'm certain. He said is that intended to be a weapon , quick thinker I said Christmas decoration he went nuts again.

 

[Dejure]

I have a Stihl chainsaw w/18" bar. Fairly new and not used much. I've had a few hundred railroad ties stacked up for lining the driveway since last year. Well started to move them and had angles to cut at curves. After 2 cuts it was running hot and puked the chain. I changed out chain and made 3 cuts and again same thing. I took bar & chain off and cleaned up everything to make sure bar oil was in the oiler. I fired it up and yep.... oil pouring on out. Put a 3rd new chain on and cut 9 ties and same thing happened AGAIN...!

So is something wrong with the chainsaw or maybe it doesn't like cutting the railroad ties possibly. Why I wouldn't know but is it possible maybe? I am NOT hitting any metal nor seen any sparks at all. I stay a long ways from the metal end plates.

Any ideas anybody....

I cut a bunch of ties for a retaining wall years back. The tar like substance in the ties beat up on the performance of the saw pretty hard.

Looking back, it might be more non-hardening oil would help. It could be motor oil, transmission oil or mineral oil. It should act, somewhat, like a solvent, and the oil wouldn't hurt the ties, not even a bit.

EDIT: Now that I read about the "buried in diamond encrusted rock and plated with carbide" part of the puzzle. . . . Yeah, the dull chain makes sense. No chain is going to like that. No blade is going to like that. Still, it's all do-able. Oil, cut, sharpen. Oil, cut, sharpen. . . .

 

[Tesorodeoro]

shucks... I don't have a problem with any mandates or new tech.... when I went to school it was all blackboards and chalk, pencils and paper.... things change and it is up to the next generation to decide what world they going to live in.

Off topic, but I’ll loop back around.

The next generation will (in my opinion) continue to happily live in their reality where high capacity batteries are immaculately conceived in a zero emission green lab, from rare earth minerals that are mined using carbon neutral power in the US, and where electricity is an unlimited resource that never is interrupted for more than a couple hours.

Send me a natural disaster and I’ll take that gas powered chainsaw all day long (along with a generator and water pump), even if it means having to cut a bunch of nasty contaminated railroad ties.

Send the folks hit by the recent eastern storms some electric chainsaws and see what they say about it. They have their place, but it’s not there.

Mandating all chainsaws are electric in a state routinely hit by natural disasters (earthquake, fire and flood) would be just plain mean spirited, ignorant, or both.

Now if your talking about requiring kids use ball point pens in school instead of pencils....I have your back.
And cleaning those dusty chalk board erasers..let’s not go back there.