Windsor Chain Query

[Al Smith]

Just to mention ,at one time Oregon made 1/4" chain in chisel .This was before 3/8" low profile was ever thought of . They offered it in both skip plus full compliment .

Because it was made for small saws the consumer advocate and safety nazi Ralph Nader was instrumental in getting it taken off the market .

I ran it on my s-25 Poulan and you could really see the difference in cutting speed .

 

[18 stoner]

Just got delivery of 4 loops of the windsor this morning. Was super fast from Scotland- total of 20 hours from me ordering, him making the loops and it turning up on my doorstep!

It is full skip, with a cutter every 3 links. Got one on the 660 now, just need to go and play

No doubt i will let you know what i think

 

[Magnus]

I was wrong. This Carlton chain is not a full chisel, it is a tiny bit rounded on the side so it should be conciddered Semi chisel.

I have used several loops of this and actually like it better than Oregon or Windsor, but it is nor full chisel.

 

[Cut4fun]

I was wrong. This Carlton chain is not a full chisel, it is a tiny bit rounded on the side so it should be conciddered Semi chisel.

I have used several loops of this and actually like it better than Oregon or Windsor, but it is nor full chisel.

Could I see a pic of the cutter Magnus.

I took a Windsor semi chisel and messed with its cutter one time trying something and actually took 6 seconds off one cut time in 11" poplar with a 33cc saw compared to the stock chain.

 

[Magnus]

Here you go:

 

[Al Smith]

Definitely semi chisel .

 

[Cut4fun]

Reminds me of that Windsor I like in LP.
Thanks for taking the time to snap and post a pic.

 

[Magnus]

It is hard to tell from the pic, but side plate is almost straight, and the rounded corner is less rounded compared to Windsor and Oregon.

 

[woodworkingboy]

I think that the Stihl full chisel would still hold up better than Oregon semi-chisel, in less than clean conditions.

 

[Magnus]

Stihl has full chisel 3/8 Hobby?

Chisel in general cut very well in clean wood and is IMO best fit for bucking/ felling.
When limbing with it it tends to grab the trunk and act up so you don't get clean following smooth movement and that will slow you down something terrible in smaller wood with much branches.

With semichisel you can follow the trunk get nice cuts especially when trunk is between you and bar in your forward motion (right leg).
It seems to be a bit more tollerant to dirt too, but will not get as fast as the chisel can.

 

[Cut4fun]

TT, Stihl only makes two chains in 3/8lp, the regualr and the safety version. The designation for the regular 3/8lp .050 is 63pm (or possibly 63pmc now). The master link will be yellow indicating the standard chain without the stupid safety bumpers on the rakers. If they hand you a chain with a green master link then hand it back.

And IMO the Stihl 63pm is the fastest 3/8lp chain available. I won't run anything else.

Here is a post by skwerl on stihl 3/8lp.

All the stihl 3/8lp I have looked at Magnus has been semi chisel.

 

[Al Smith]

I might point out the reason a few of us are so interested in chisel chain for small saws .

It has nothing to do with practicality but more to do with cut speed in a contest type of situation . .

 

[18 stoner]

I might point out the reason a few of us are so interested in chisel chain for small saws .

It has nothing to do with practicality but more to do with cut speed in a contest type of situation . .

Cheers for that Al, i was starting to wonder why you guys seem so obsessive about it

Having said that, i do prefer full chisel myself, always seem to be able to get a better edge on than semi. Although, i would rather give a less experienced guy a saw with semi on it, even if its just so it stays sharp longer (they never seem as particular where they shove the bar!)

 

[Cut4fun]

I might point out the reason a few of us are so interested in chisel chain for small saws .

It has nothing to do with practicality but more to do with cut speed in a contest type of situation . .

Al I have a nice square chisel loop of 325 063 unfinished racechain. I just dont want to buy a bar and 325 drum sprocket and oiler gear for the 200. If you have a 325 set up for the chain, I will get the DL count for you and you can try it out to compare.

 

[Al Smith]

Thanks on the .325 but I'll pass .

My idea is to just make the 200 a little screamer working type saw . Chances are this upcoming GTG might be the last time for the bumble bees to race unless somebody else takes up the cause .

They are kind of neat to fool with but most just run the 80's and 100 plus ,no little saws at all .


To a point you can trick file a semi chisel but try as you might it will never cut like a real chisel chain .To do so though would be a waste of time for a tree service type individual .

I think next week sometime I'll put in an order to Baileys and try several brands of chains . A ready made loop is pretty cheap for these little saws . In addition I'm going to do the Butch trick and hang a 16" on that little gem just in case I decide to do something other that cut 8 by 8's .

 

[Cut4fun]

Chances are this upcoming GTG might be the last time for the bumble bees to race unless somebody else takes up the cause .

I read about this GTG over at racesaws and talked to the landowner today in a email and he said even though the guy that puts the gtg together is not going to continue after this year, he the landowner plans on trying to keep this type of racing gtg alive.

 

[18 stoner]

Finally got there!

It has taken a while i know, but managed to get a go with the skip.

I got stuck into some beech, some of it full bar length so had a good run. The 660 pulled 36" relatively easily, without loosing much RPM. If anything, the verticle cutting speed is possibly slower than with full comp, however, the saw keeps a more regular speed and therefore easier to use, and seemed to oil slightly better too.

I dare say this is like preaching to the converted, but what it leads me to thinking is, why isn't skip chain more available in the UK? It certainly does have its place here!

 

[Al Smith]

Only a guess on my part but I believe the UK is swamped with regulations regarding what types of equipment can be used or sold .

I notice very few people know much about saw modifications etc that we on these shores just take for granted .As well , the type chains etc which are readily available here are not to be found over yonder .

Skip chain can have a tendency to be grabby on small cuts which may have something to do with why it can't be found . To be truthfull though ,it is rare in the part of this country I live in because this is not big timber country such as the PNW . I just order if from an on-line supplier and have it in a few days .