BBT Chainsaws - handy to have on the tracks!

[happy john]

I'm just looking at a cheap thing purely to have on the tracks and in the scrub. It seems silly to spend big dollars on a saw when I have 4 to pick from. As for firewood at camp I have it all ready and split so as to not disturb anyone and keep it covered with a tarp ready for the morning.

 

[Czechmate]

comparing chainsaws is always going to be a tricky thing because sharpness of the chain is everything

also how old the chain is and whether the depth gauges have been filed along with the saw teeth

What one person considers sharp, others wouldn't even attempt to use without attention

My mates stepdad wont sharpen his saw at all for like 10 tanks of fuel then buys a new one

This is madness as the chain is blunt after 2, and with regular sharpening and tightening a swiss made chain should last for 50 odd tanks

 

[happy john]

I know of a mowing contractor that gets a new chain made up after every few jobs for around $60. He is to lazy and incompetent to sharpen his own yet he earns 80k a year.

 

[Boogieboots]

This raises an interesting question for me now. Along with my cordless I have an electric chainsaw. I mostly have cut green stuff in the garden with the leccy and would be only around 3 or so hours at most but probably 6 or 7 years old. l but have never sharpened either. I do have a file and guide but have never used it. How often should I sharpen them and know when they are getting dull?
And buggered if I know how. I guess there will be some good tutorials on YouTube for that.

 

[Czechmate]

Every two tanks is good with a medium to large stihl

Maybe every 3 or 4 with a smaller saw

Which would be about an hour and a half's continuous cutting

Sharpening is a bit tricky to get used to, i find a simple file in a handle the easiest to get a good result with, the fancy setups seem to make it overly complicated

You kindof need to feel the grain in the steel of the teeth and rasp till it feels smooth

Sounds like gibberish i know

 

[Old.Tony]

^ as above. I do mine more frequently but I don't sharpen as much. I just prefer that when my saw touches wood, it bites really well every time, so mine gets a tiny bit of filing after every tankful.

If I do some cutting (like I did a couple of days ago) and don't finish a full tank, I still give the blade a swipe with the file, I just don't press as hard or as many times. You can see and feel the teeth of the saw when it's ultra-sharp - and a sharp saw is an efficient saw.

I used to neglect my chain and the saw would not cut straight or quickly. It would rub the wood more than cut it, so it would heat the wood and the chain, causing the chain to stretch even faster. Keeping the chain in prime condition means not only do you enjoy a better cut, but everything lasts longer.

The key is not to file away too much, and never use a machine unless the chain's actually blunt. Rakes must be filed at the same time as the teeth are sharpened - but you don't have to remove a lot from the rake.

The most important part to sharpening the chain is ensuring that the cutters are all the same sharpness and size, or you'll get vibration from the saw, particularly when cutting hard timbers. You should also ONLY file from the inside of the tooth to the outside, and I even withdraw the file to move it backwards for the next 'swipe' rather than allow the chance of the file to drag on the tooth.

Here's a Youtube video showing the details of the correct way to sharpen a chainsaw. They pay attention to everything that you need to bear in mind to have a GREAT saw blade.

[YT]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWcckW3ghFg[/YT]

And here's a YT vid of someone using the exact same sharpening tool that I use, although they're not doing it entirely correctly - they're dragging the file backwards in the tooth.

[YT]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2txewgs6sEk[/YT]

I've a forest full of ironbark about 15 mins away, and I've tried taking a new bow saw to it - the bow saw is about as effective as a child's plastic saw on the wood. Forget a hatchet, and even a super sharp axe struggles to get through it. If your saw is not super sharp, you leave black marks on the wood - but if the saw has been maintained properly, it slices through the wood nicely. And the wood's fantastic in a campfire or my slow combustion heater - it lasts for ages!

 

[MANNING]

https://youtu.be/OLnC1dgrYmQ

 

[ben85]

I have had cheap 62cc 20" baumr ag brand chainsaw for years. Hasnt done a ton of work but its done a good job and still going well.
Only thing is it leaks bar oil if its left to sit for a while.

Sent from my SM-G360G using Tapatalk

 

[happy john]

https://youtu.be/OLnC1dgrYmQ

 

[MANNING]

Throw that on Ya '22 HJ - We Need Some Slabs For The Bonfire

 

[happy john]

Choice of 4 chainsaws, what should I bring? Manning?

 

[Boogieboots]

Man I swear I posted a reply and the thx for the info you blokes posted on sharpening the other day! Well here it is again.......thanks! I am gonna practice on my electric as it won't matter if I screw that up

 

[KevinE]

comparing chainsaws is always going to be a tricky thing because sharpness of the chain is everything

also how old the chain is and whether the depth gauges have been filed along with the saw teeth

What one person considers sharp, others wouldn't even attempt to use without attention

My mates stepdad wont sharpen his saw at all for like 10 tanks of fuel then buys a new one

This is madness as the chain is blunt after 2, and with regular sharpening and tightening a swiss made chain should last for 50 odd tanks

Not really. Just put a brand new like for like chain on each saw, use the same bar on both saws, then video both saws cutting the same piece of timber. It'll be pretty easy to see which saw has the nads.

I'm currently doing a similar thing with chains. Trying to workout a replacement for Carlton N1 .050 3/8LP - the candidates are Stihl 63PM & Oregon 91VS.

It has been pretty clear cut in my case - the Stihl chain is brilliant for tree removals, where the quality of the cut isn't too important - it cuts VERY fast, which surprised me a bit, coz it has teeth like Chad Morgan. The Oregon chain wins hands down where delicate pruning is required & the cuts need to be tidier. Neither hold a candle to the old N1 though.

 

[KevinE]

I know of a mowing contractor that gets a new chain made up after every few jobs for around $60. He is to lazy and incompetent to sharpen his own yet he earns 80k a year.

$60 for a chain???

Jesus wept! What's he got? an 880 Magnum with a 6' bar?

Chain is only about 45C a drive link ATM.

 

[KevinE]

So would you say an equivalent - like the Ryobi 36V (with new brushless motor) - would be worth having?

No.

 

[Czechmate]

pretty sure the only electric chainsaw worth having is makitas biggest 36v

think its this one

https://www.makita.com.au/products/.../18v-x-2/duc353z-36v-18vx2-brushless-chainsaw

 

[Boogieboots]

pretty sure the only electric chainsaw worth having is makitas biggest 36v

think its this one

https://www.makita.com.au/products/.../18v-x-2/duc353z-36v-18vx2-brushless-chainsaw

I have the brushed motor model, you can see the firewood I cut on pg 3 this thread. I would have bought the brushless one you mention if it was available then, but mine does a good nights worth of firewood using only half the charge on my batts. I recharge overnight and top up my main camping batt during the day.

 

[Czechmate]

That one youve got is just as good as the new one if not better

I prefer the brushed makita electric motors because they tend to be made in japan not china

Makita are constantly updating their range at the moment, there are a LOT of electric chainsaws available and a lot of them are now discontinued models

 

[KevinE]

350TES & 360TES after a hard day at the office yesterday.

 

[Czechmate]

I friggn love my echo cs3400
Starts so easy every time, heaps of grunt, tough as guts