Which chain do you use?

Serf Life

Serf Life

Been here much more than a while
Location
Maine Island
Full chisel, semi chisel, square...?
Full comp, semi, full skip?
Which saws with which chains?
Do you notice one to stay sharper than others? etc etc
 
We use all full chisel chains, on all saws. Semi chisel stays sharp longer in dirty wood, but full chisel cuts faster. On our ground saws, we run Stihl RSK chain, which is an especially aggressive tooth profile. It cuts faster than anything ese we’ve ever seen, but it kicks harder too, and it generally more challenging to use.
 
Skip tooth chisel on everything. .325. .050. .058. .063. I even found some Carlton (Baileys woodsman pro) chisel for the top handles.
 
Square ground full comp Stihl PS/RS on everything(200t-394xp) except my little battery makita top handle right now. That one reason that one has something different because it has the semi chisel chain that came on it, doesn't get used a lot, and semi can't be converted to square. That will be upgraded to full chisel square ground when the time comes.

My chainsaw mill has square ground oregon chain. I very much prefer Stihl chain as it is more durable, but I got a killer deal on a 100 ft roll of LGX at the time so I gave it a shot.

Square chain has a lot of adjustability with the angles and how aggressive it is. The more aggressive it is the faster it dulls. Super aggressive and it goes real quick in the dirt. Dial the angles back and it holds up better. Semi chisel is king as far as durability in the dirt(carbide chain aside) A dialed back square chain up holds better for me than round while cutting firewood logs that have been drug through the dirt at the lot. More metal supporting the leading edge.

The sharper a chain is can me a couple different things. That can translate into faster cutting. More importantly it can translate into less energy required of the saw which means less wear and tear. Fast is fun, but a smooth self feeding chain that doesn't require a lot of effort to get through the log is where it is at. That's where adjusting the angles of the cutter and tuning the rakers comes in. That goes for all chain, but especially square.
 
Stihl RSC full comp full chisel 3/8 .050 on the 362 and 066. The 3120 gets 3/8 .063 semi skip. The 346 gets .325 .050 RSC. The top handle gets the little .043 chain. I personally think Stihl chain is superior for cutting hardwood which is 90% of what I use it for.
 
355T- 14" semi chisel full comp .050
346XP- 18" semi chisel full comp .050
562XP- 24" round chisel full comp .058
576XP AT- 28" round chisel full comp .058
395XP- 36" round chisel full comp .058
All 3/8th pitch. .058 seems to be all the husqvarna dealers stock around here. Stihl dealers sell .050 or .063. I've heard stihl chains stretch less and stay sharp longer...
 
Stihl RS on everything but my 136 Husqvarna and 272xp . The 136 still wears its 22 year old original chain and the 272 has a 24" Husqvarna skip and a pair of 3/8 .050 Husqvarna chains for 20" that I bought with it new in 1998 . They are the toughest chains I ever owned , slow to dull and seldom takes more than a stroke or two to set them right . Haven't used them in a bit so I'm not sure but I think they are semi .
 
Stihl 3/8s full chisel all day long, 361 gets it, 461 gets it, best chain out there! Stay away from that husky crap, friggin garbage chain that doesnt last at all. Oregon is pretty decent though i like their stuff too
 
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