Happy... and then Sad

[Bart_]

You know how when you're frugal you milk all the life out of your chains till one day you say time to go, you're outta here. On goes a spanking new chain, full size even teeth, cuts like a new saw compared to the worn undersized nubs from before. Happy!

Then you hit a hidden pocket of dirt in the trunk within the first few cuts. Sad. You notice the great cutting disappear just as you see dirt come out. Amazing how instantly the chain goes loose.

I tried varsol in a flat pan, jiggling each link joint with my varsol paint brush, flipped the chain over did the other side. While no dirt was visible when I removed the chain, a respectable little sand dune of grit formed in the pan. I oil revved the chain to throw rinse oil through the chain and it loosened a tad more. Fingers crossed.

How do you deal with this situation?

 

[Vicente]

I just sharpen my chain and life goes on.

 

[flushcut]

I have never cleaned a chain. Dirt happens dull chains happen it’s part of the job IMO, file grind and keep cutting.

 

[islandarb]

Ping yar, file and roll on. Shit happebs. You are good.

 

[evo]

Shit, only time I think I’ve cleaned a chain was when I couldn’t buy one so took one of my old ones that was gummed up and a little rusty. Just soaked it in saw gas and sprayed it with a little canned lube is all.

 

[27RMT0N]

Once I hit a sap pocket so big and nasty in the trunk of an old doug fir while making a face, that it poured onto the bar and chain of my 661 and totally locked it up. Took at least an hour to cleanup the mess on the saw, bar and chain from that one...

 

[Dan Cobb]

I

I just sharpen my chain and life goes on.

I always blurt out an expletive first, then sharpen my chain.

 

[evo]

Once I hit a sap pocket so big and nasty in the trunk of an old doug fir while making a face, that it poured onto the bar and chain of my 661 and totally locked it up. Took at least an hour to cleanup the mess on the saw, bar and chain from that one...

Pinesol can be used to cut bar oil and help with this

 

[Vicente]

I
I always blurt out an expletive first, then sharpen my chain.

Sometimes that happens as well, only time it's ever really bummed me out though was when I hit a big eyebolt that was put in at a really extreme angle and broke several teeth off of my brand new 28" chain.

 

[oldoakman]

One time I ruined several chains on an Elm that had a cavity filled several decades prior. The cavity work was top notch professional and the tree gave absolutely no indication that I had a filled cavity. The concrete column was about 6-8 inches in diameter where I hit it and extended from just below ground level to 12-14 feet up.

 

[Vicente]

One time I ruined several chains on an Elm that had a cavity filled several decades prior. The cavity work was top notch professional and the tree gave absolutely no indication that I had a filled cavity. The concrete column was about 6-8 inches in diameter where I hit it and extended from just below ground level to 12-14 feet up.

Ouch that'll hurt the profit margin.

 

[SeanRuel]

I have a client who very helpfully told me he filled this nice sugar maple with concrete 20 years ago. No indication at all now, kind of amazing! Hopefully It has many years left, I've been wondering how to leave a long term note for people cutting way in the future, open to suggestions!

 

[southsoundtree]

Once I hit a sap pocket so big and nasty in the trunk of an old doug fir while making a face, that it poured onto the bar and chain of my 661 and totally locked it up. Took at least an hour to cleanup the mess on the saw, bar and chain from that one...

I was taught that you can make your back cut to go slightly uphill toward the hinge in big, old firs that likely have pitch pockets, thus allowing the pitch to drain away from your bar and chain.

Never employed that technique.

 

[southsoundtree]

I have a client who very helpfully told me he filled this nice sugar maple with concrete 20 years ago. No indication at all now, kind of amazing! Hopefully It has many years left, I've been wondering how to leave a long term note for people cutting way in the future, open to suggestions!

Aluminum wire and aluminum tag.