Full chisel as oppose to semi chains

[DJ’s Timber]

G'day Guys

I am just about to fit a new 20" bar and chain to my C/S that that I just picked up today to replaced the bar that I buggered up on my last outing.

I notice that they supplied me with full chisel rather than the semi chisel that I normally get, so I rang them and asked what the deal was. They apologized and said that they were out of stock and won't have any in till the end of the week and I could swap them over then.

The prob here is that I will be cutting about 2 cubes of dry Redgum logs up for firewood on Wednesday. They said that the full chisel should be okay in dry Redgum.

So my question is should I return them and get some elsewhere which is a pain as it's a hike to get them elsewhere or just use the 1 chain and swap the other one over when they have some new stock in.

I have only used full chisel in wet Pine before and that was using a mates bigger C/S. Has anyone used full chisel chains in hardwood and what is it like?

[natural edge]

it will cut a lot quicker but doesnt like dirt

[BobL]

it will cut a lot quicker but doesnt like dirt

+1

It is supposed to dull quicker than regular chain but once again that depends on how gritty the outside (and insides) of the logs are. I milled 2 clean logs (13 slabs) with full chisel before it needed touching up.

Cheers

[notenoughtoys]

G'day Guys

I have only used full chisel in wet Pine before and that was using a mates bigger C/S. Has anyone used full chisel chains in hardwood and what is it like?

Ideally Dj you would have both chisel and semi chisel in your kit and use the appropriate chain for the job. In green clean timber and softwoods you'll appreciate the speed that chisel will cut but it's like your chisels at home, the finer the point, the easier they are damaged/dulled so you'll find yourself needing to sharpen more often. In dry or dirty wood you would use the semi chisel chain as it may not cut as well but it holds it's edge better and is a bit more forgiving. It is also easier to use for inexperienced as the chisel is a bit "aggressive" hence more likely to grab and pull in at low revs.

If your ripping with a 20"+ bar you might want to consider skip tooth chain, you'll find it clears the wood better, sometimes more is less and less is more.

Bob K

[notenoughtoys]

I think you mean "semi-chisel"?

yep, fixed thanks

Bob K

[DJ’s Timber]

Thanks guys I knew that full chisels don't like the dirt but was interested to hear people's opinions on using full chisels on hardwood as my experience with full chisels has mainly been with clean softwoods.

In the end I decided not to cut the firewood this week and to take both sets back and swap them for the semi chisels once he has them in. Most of the redgum that I cut for firewood has been laying around in the paddocks for years and it also seems to have a bit of silica in the wood due to the stony area that it grows in.

[BobL]

Thanks guys I knew that full chisels don't like the dirt but was interested to hear people's opinions on using full chisels on hardwood as my experience with full chisels has mainly been with clean softwoods.

In the end I decided not to cut the firewood this week and to take both sets back and swap them for the semi chisels once he has them in. Most of the redgum that I cut for firewood has been laying around in the paddocks for years and it also seems to have a bit of silica in the wood due to the stony area that it grows in.

Good decision DJ. Even the silica dust than blows around the paddocks acts a fine abrasive that will dull edges in no time. The guy at BILs yard who brings the logs in reckons if you can its worth peeling as much of the bark off as you can as this is usually where this stuff sits.