Chainsaw Chain Types Explained
Which chain is best on a chainsaw?
The chain is the key element in every chainsaw. Quality and speed of wood sawing depends on type of cutting tool installed on the machine. For first-time chainsaw users, selecting a saw chain seems to be a complicated process, because you need to know what kinds of this part there are, its characteristics, etc.д. In this article we will consider main factors that should be taken into account to choose a good chain for a chainsaw.
Those who have faced wood sawing know that wood can be cut either lengthwise or crosswise. It is therefore different chainsaw chain types available: for cross and rip cuts. In both cases the difference in resistance of the material will be significantly different. For the longitudinal cut, the teeth are sharpened at an angle of 5 to 15°. cross sawing requires the tool to be sharpened at an angle of 25° to 35°. The illustration below shows how to determine the sharpening angle of the tines.
What type of chainsaw belongs to, you can find out from marking on it, besides, sharpening angle is determined visually.
Chains for longitudinal sawing are seldom used, because it is much easier to cut a billet on a circular saw. Because of low demand, the manufacturers of this tool are not particularly engaged in its improvement, and to find on sale a chain for longitudinal sawing is quite difficult. Most chain saw buyers choose a tool with a transverse type of cutting, and it is the most popular among professionals and home craftsmen alike. But, before you choose a chain for a chainsaw, you should study the main parameters affecting the performance and quality of the tool.
Selection Criteria
The quality of budget and brand name chains is very different. Many owners of cheap home chainsaws prefer to operate their equipment with more advanced sawing headsets from leading brands STIHL, Husqvarna, and Oregon. Unofficial rating recorded an increase in consumer demand for similar products of Hammer and PowerSharp brands.
The standard bar length of a 2-2.5 l household saw.с. is 40-45 cm. The size of high-performance counterparts of the professional class is up to 70 cm.
The higher price level of brand-name bars and chains is compensated for by the high quality of demanding sawing jobs, increased service life, and performance stability throughout the manufacturer’s designated service life.
How to choose.
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Which one is better
we have chosen the parameters, now let’s see what is the best chain for a chainsaw and why. It’s a hotly debated question, because.к. everyone wants to use only the best, but which criteria determine which chain is better and which is worse? Better is faster, or better is safer?
All types have advantages and disadvantages. For example, a chainsaw with a seating size of 1.5 mm and a pitch of 0.404 inches, the most dangerous. It has a high kickback, it’s hard to control, but at the same time, it has the best cutting speed and performance.
We think it is up to the consumer to decide which chainsaw chain is better and which is worse, based on their experience. We can only tell you the facts.
Chain width and depth of cut
When they say chain width, they don’t mean the thickness of the link, but the tail that moves in the bar groove. It comes in different designs: smooth, with holes for capturing oil and lubricating the tire. The most common have a thickness of 1.3 mm. Used in non-professional utility saws.
1.5 to 1.6 mm thick tail is used for long-duration, heavy-duty tools.
The wider the width of the chain, the higher the quality of the saw and the wider the bar on it is.
The depth into which the cutting tooth sinks in one pass is called the depth of cut. It depends on the height of the cutting edge profile. There are low profile (0,635mm) and high profile (0,762mm) teeth. In addition, the depth of cut depends on the height of the limiting tooth.
Size of chain
It always depends on the size of the bar that is mounted on the machine. If you accidentally buy a chain smaller than your bar, you may not be able to put it on. If it is larger than the guide bar, you will not be able to tension it. Both do not allow for inappropriate chain sizes. They are usually stated in inches and have the following values: 10″, 12″, 13″, 14″, 15″, 16″, 18″ and higher.
The chain length is determined by the number of links. Links refer to the connecting links that go into the bar groove, not the cutting teeth. When buying, you can tell the salesperson either the length of the part in inches or the number of links that make up the part. Some manufacturers indicate the number of links in the sawing element instead of the length. As a rule, this number has nothing to do with the thickness of the tail, pitch and profile height. For example, a low-profile chain with a 1.3-mm thick drive link may consist of 72 links, 56 links, or another number of links.
What’s the best product to buy
The question arises when there is a need to cut wood, but you lack experience and knowledge. Experts recommend following these tips:
- Understand the amount of work to be done and the material to be dealt with. For a cross cut you choose a chiseled tool, for a longitudinal cut you choose a chipper.
- Know the chainsaw’s specifications, especially the bar length and pitch. It is not necessary to choose a concrete brand, this factor is not decisive.
Where to buy a machine, everyone chooses for himself. It is best to visit specialized outlets, talk to a sales manager, decide on the package, hold the tool in your hands, and check the price. There is an option to order products online in the Internet-shop. The main thing is not to encounter counterfeit. That’s the advantage of a brand-name store, where there is minimal chance of buying a poor-quality Chinese-made product instead of a brand-name one.
Is the sequence of cutting links important??
In the usual version, when the saw is manufactured in the factory, it is customary to put two driving links per cutting link, thereby making the total of cutting teeth 50%. Then the productivity of the machine is on the same level and the quality of cut is not too bad, but to reduce chain the cutting links can be put not every step but one or even two steps later on, increasing the total number of cutting links to 37,5. A chainsaw will be cheaper, but the quality of cutting will deteriorate greatly, so it is better not to pay attention to such devices.
Similar chains are much more expensive and have a specific purpose. to cut through frozen wood or contaminated material. In all other situations money will be wasted, because there is no point in using carbide tips for simple wood.