Do you know about cutting efficiently with a chainsaw? Is rocking best? (1 Viewer)

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e9999

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Been wondering about this for a while. A quick search on google and youtube did not show anything specific. So, I thought I'd ask the ultimate authority on things big and small: MUD! I have done a bit of chainsaw cutting but am no expert by any means, so hoping for more knowledgeable opinions.

Picture you are bucking a tree. Let's say medium size for a homeowner, like smaller diameter than the length of your bar.
I have seen discussions suggesting that it's better not to push down hard on the saw but rather to let it do its work with maybe a bit more pressure than just its own weight. Both to avoid excessive wear and maybe even to speed up the cut. I can buy that. Intuitively that sounds OK, especially the less wear bit. (Although not necessarily obvious. As a counterexample, think drilling in metal. You want enough pressure.)

What I am curious about, don't know, and have not yet experimented with properly, is this. What is going to give me the fastest cut: keep the chainsaw bar at a pretty much constant angle to the horizontal -which would maximize the number of teeth cutting wood- or do a rocking motion (tip up then tip down etc) which would mean a smaller number of teeth in contact and probably more pressure on the teeth? Or does it not matter? What do you think? (And, yes, I realize there are more important issues going on in the world right now...)
 
Sounds like you are thinking things out.

I do not consider myself an expert but have cut a lot of stuff, some of it pretty big, over 40 years and these are some of the things I have learned.
Keep a sharp chain. It is not that hard to keep one sharp with the proper file.
A sharp file also helps so I hardly use one more than twice for sharpening the saw.

Don't rush it and keep in mind that the saw is replaceable and can do some major damage to you so always be ready to drop it and run like hell.

If it seems like it is going to be dangerous don't do it. ( I am still working on that one.
 
I imagine the answer may well depend on how sharp the chain is. Usually, I do keep my chains very sharp -I should get a life-, but of course after a bunch of cuts they will lose some of that.
Maybe the answer to the rocking question is simply that it makes no significant difference if the chain is sharp. Would not be surprised....
 
Oak dulls a blade fastest IMO.
I have accidentally let the tip of the saw slightly hit the ground and after that I would hardly cut.
The real pisser is when I have done it right after I had sharpened it.

If I have a fairly large tree I like to get it high enough that I can rotate the blade around 180 degrees or more while cutting then when about halfway through finish it off with a straight down cut.

A big worry when cutting has been kick back.
I have heard horror stories but in all my years have never had it happen.
 
Good question and good answers.
Back when my dad was trying to teach me how to use tools in general, his sage words of wisdom were, 'if your working harder than the tool, your doing it wrong'.
So if you pushing the saw through the wood. there is something wrong.
I like to move the position from about 45 deg, to horizontal and then down to -45. This keeps the saw blade from getting pinched when your just cutting horizontal. and I can use the tip, the middle and the butt end where its most efficient.
I also prefer the carbide tip blades, so that I can spend more time cutting and less time sharpening/changing chains.
Thanks
Bobmo
 
Oak dulls a blade fastest IMO.
I have accidentally let the tip of the saw slightly hit the ground and after that I would hardly cut.
The real pisser is when I have done it right after I had sharpened it.

If I have a fairly large tree I like to get it high enough that I can rotate the blade around 180 degrees or more while cutting then when about halfway through finish it off with a straight down cut.

A big worry when cutting has been kick back.
I have heard horror stories but in all my years have never had it happen.
Generally, in training classes, they teach one to stand to the side of the saw rather than directly behind/above it when cutting down/perpendicular to the ground to reduce the risk of a kick back. At least in the two courses I have been through they did. Rocking the saw was never discussed at all. Keeping a sharp blade is the key as you will not have to try some wonky technique to get through a log, it will eat through with little effort.
 
I have ZERO experience other than watching those lumberjack completion on tv while I was younger...never saw any of those guys rocking their chainsaw when making their 1in slices.
 
Yep, that is a good point, of course. I would think that we would see all the pros using the technique in vids by now if it were dramatically better. I just can't quite shake the notion off, though. I did find myself just a couple of days ago using rocking while pruning limbs by hand. It just feels better / faster somehow. But that is probably my imagination..
 
The rocking you see is usually the result of repositioning the dogs by some one with a large saw with enough power to not stall when forced into the wood. Or maybe some one in a hurry to go get a beer or has a dull chain. There is no substitute for a sharp chain!
 
EDITED for correctness in future searches (thank you @stayalert ) Stihl chains are green (anti-kickback) and yellow (professional grade for speed). I have always used the yellow chains and kept them sharp. No real issues with the old 028 blasting through every tree imaginable when the blade is sharp. Dirt is a spectacular abrasive that turns the chains into a rotating butter knife. On the body of the chainsaw there is a jaw that eats into the tree, then the blade pivots from that point. Slow and steady will get things proper.
 
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IN the mountains where I live a chainsaw gets used as much as any tool I have in the shop. I burn about 9 cord of firewood a season to heat my house and shop. I run three saws for redundancy. The first thing I would add is to make sure you have an appropriately sized saw for the job. Using a small saw to cut larger wood (still smaller than the bar) will force you to rock forward and back at times. A larger saw is always better. I run stihl saws but I am a fan of the 455 rancher that I have for most general purpose bucking and cutting. A newer user will start with safety type chains, the green ones references earlier. They will work fine but need to be sharpened a good bit more. They have the safety teeth that limit kickback. These are great for felling trees as it keeps the saw in the bite when you push it up to the dogs. For bucking wood that is on the ground (and if you're comfortable with it) get your self a skip tooth chain. This is a chain that has less teeth, spaced farther apart. What that will do it go through that static wood like *Hit through a goose. It will kickback a little from time to time but it will cut the time of cutting in half.


I've always considered the rocking back and forth of a saw to be poor form and make the work harder. I consider this to be holding the saw and moving it forward and back. My technique is to put the bar flat down on the log initially, run the saw until the tip goes down a good ways into the log and reposition and let the weight of the saw carry it downward in the cut. The saw should essentially cut without you needing to put force in any direction. If it doesn't then you need to change your angle or sharpen your saw.

As with everything there is a good amount of experimenting here but I have seen people let a chainsaw work them to death. Constantly bent over forcing a saw. I also think it's dangerous to be over the bar of the chain. If you ever have one break and come after you, you'll know what I mean there.
 
Stihl chains are yellow (anti-kickback) and green (professional grade for speed). I have always used the green chains and kept them sharp. No real issues with the old 028 blasting through every tree imaginable when the blade is sharp. Dirt is a spectacular abrasive that turns the chains into a rotating butter knife. On the body of the chainsaw there is a jaw that eats into the tree, then the blade pivots from that point. Slow and steady will get things proper.

The above info. is great info but BACKWARDS with regard to green and yellow....See below:

.....from Stihl"

ANSI B175.1 Chain Saw Kickback Standard
STIHL’s green and yellow color code system serves to identify STIHL bars and chains with different kickback reduction characteristics. Green (go) marks those products which are designed to reduce the risk of kickback injury and comply with the ANSI B175.1 kickback standard. STIHL’s low-kickback chain features a green tie strap that identifies each loop as “low-kickback” chain that meets the ANSI standard. Recommended for both the experienced and inexperienced chainsaw user. Yellow (caution) marks products with increased risk of kickback injury. They are for use only by persons with extraordinary cutting needs and experience and specialized training in dealing with kickback conditions.

....end of text from Stihl


The yellow chains cut MUCH faster than the green.

As for rocking? Not into it. seems like a waste of energy and introducing more variable cut...more variable = less safe....LOL Dirt sure IS a spectacular abrasive...also embedded nails, screws, and barbwire fence really dull things quick. Sharp = faster AND safer. I have lots of loops for each size bar I have and switch chains often...Sharpen them at night or on the weekend or whatever...make saw chips not saw dust....
 
I have to admit I'm not very good with a hand file and sharpening a chainsaw. But a friend bought an electric bench top sharpener with a grinding wheel @around $50 similar to this:

Amazon product ASIN B001MWS9VC
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and I was able to use it to successfully sharpen his and my chains. Amazing how they just sliced right through the oak with large flakes coming off instead of fine sawdust. Do this and you won't worry about rocking the saw to get through the wood. When you do think about having to do this you know it's time to sharpen.
 

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