Knowledge You Can Build On — Est. 1998
Ripping with a chainsaw - what chain?
Carole in VA
>Having a terrible time with chip (ribbons of wet wood!) clearance when ripping. Would a full skip tooth or half skip tooth chain help any? The chips are not building up in the kerf but seem to bunch up in the opening at the bottom end of the bar...between the bar and the housing.
Re: Ripping with a chainsaw - what chain?
MikeinCapeMay
>Your dealer can supply chain specifically for ripping. Be careful because that style chain is more prone to kick back. I have that style on my Stihl and it requires occasionally pulling ribbons of shavings from between the housing and bar, down low.
You gotta.....
tdaniel
>tilt the saw. If you try to saw with the bar parallel to the log the chips will be too long and will bunch up in the chain guard so just lift the rear end of the saw about 15 degrees and see if that helps. Don't even think about ripchain or skiptooth yet.
TD
Re: Ripping with a chainsaw - what chain?
Terry Quiram
>Carol
Most chains are ground at a 30 degree angle. Ripping chains are ground at 20 degrees. If you sharpen your own chains gradually decrease the angle until you get what you want. A 20 degree chain will really haul you know what on a cross cut as well.
Terry
Ding!
Carole in VA
>So that's why I didn't have as much of a problem with it on the last log! On that one I had the saw tilted more. Never drew a connection though beteen saw attitude and shaving length. Duh! Thanks, TD!
No ripping chain needed...
Peter Teubel
>Two things I do to rip a log clog-free. 1) remove the chain catcher (if you have one) and 2) keep the chain speed up but cut SLOWER. This keeps the ribbon volume low enough to exit the clutch houseing with enough speed to keep clogging to a minimum. On my Stihl, I actually have to lift the saw a bit while ripping so I don't take too much of a bite. Also, clear away the pile of ribbons under the saw. I find that putting the log on a waist-high platform the pile o' ribbons take while to build up that high. I never rip on the ground.
Re: Ripping with a chainsaw - what chain?
Russ Fairfield
>Bill Grumbine shows you how to deal with that problem within the first 5-minutes of his video. You might want to shut the saw down before doing that, but the idea is the same.
Neither a skip or a ripping tooth will eliminate the long ribbons because you will be adding nothing to break them up. Ribbons are a fact of life when slicing a chunk along the grain.Some saws can handle them and some can't. Stihl is one of those that clogs up easilly. Husky does a better job of of clearing chips at the drive sprocket.
The best solution is to get the wood up off the ground for the slicing cuts. That lets the ribbons fall away. Otherwise you will just have to keep them cleared away from the area under the saw.
Someone has already suggested sawing at 45-degrees to the grain, but any angle where the tooth travels up against the grain will help break up the ribbon. It doesn't do a thing for Maple.
Before you run out and buy a skip-tooth chain, remember what TD said about having 2 teeth in the wood at all times as being the safest way to use the saw. Doubling the tooth spacing only means that the diameter of the smallest "safe" wood will have to be twice as large to keep those 2 teeth engaged.
I don't know what saw you have, but beginners with a chainsaw and skip-tooth chains do not mix. They cut faster, take a bigger bite per tooth, require more horsepower, and more muscle power to control.
Save the "funny" chains for the pros with big engines and big arms. Do what Bill says in his video.
Re: Ripping with a chainsaw - what chain?
Carole in VA
>Thanks, Russ. I will look at Bill's video yet again tomorrow. The only thing I remember him saying was to rock the saw and keep the chips cleared, but maybe I missed something. I don't remember that piece of cherry he was cutting producing the ribbons that this maple is putting out! I did follow his directions about looking at the grain and making the first cut about 3/4 of the way then slabing off the sides. I think you are right about the "funny" chains - leave them to the pros! I have an 18" Stihl saw...I'll just be really conscientious about keeping the chips cleared. At least it is very easy to start! LOL
Re: Ripping with a chainsaw - what chain?
MP Wall
>With my old saw I find that if I start the cut with a good up angle on the bar and then pivot over the top and keep moving the angle up and down it shortens the ribbons to a managable level for the saw to clear. Different saws and blades will have different happy angles so experiment safely to find the right one for you and the saw. The bits about raising the work also help, I often cut on pieces hanging off the back of the trailer so that the chips fall where they may.
MP Wall
