Was chain sawing a dead Monterey Pine today & had a few basic questions

[Danny D.]

Was chain sawing a Monterey Pine today and have a few basic questions:

My main question is about the chain:

I was stupid, it seems, and I had been buying chains from Home Depot, who only sells the Y62 chain for my 18-inch Husky 445, which I only recently found out, really takes an H72 (which Lowes sells) chain:

So *maybe* that's why my chains kept falling off while cutting?

What damage could I have done by running at least two chains (maybe 3) that were, in effect, the wrong chains because Home Depot sold me a Y62 instead of what Lowes sold me, which is the H72 for that Husqvarna 445 chainsaw.

[Danny D.]

Danny D. wrote, on Mon, 29 Sep 2014 05:33:43 +0000:

Another question I have is what are these "20" numbers indicating that are stamped on the chain on the metal "iceberg" parts below the waterline?

[Danny D.]

Danny D. wrote, on Mon, 29 Sep 2014 05:33:43 +0000:

Another question I had was what do you guys do once you cut a 20 inch log to length to make it more manageable?

Do you guys slice the thing down the middle lengthwise with the chainsaw?

[Danny D.]

Danny D. wrote, on Mon, 29 Sep 2014 05:33:43 +0000:

I also had to slice a limb off an oak and wondered if this is the proper way to cut it (as I've seen this 'style' when the road crews limb the trees):

How *close* to the body of the tree is that cut supposed to be? And, should it be vertical? Or inward sloping? Or outward sloping? Or, does it not matter?

[Danny D.]

Last question is about sudden oak death. Does *this* look like sudden oak death to you?

[Joe Jones]

On Mon, 29 Sep 2014 05:39:24 +0000 (UTC), "Danny D." wrote in

Yes, "slicing" helps a lot.

[dadiOH]

You could and if you do you'll find it much more efficient to use a rip chain.

[dadiOH]

No it is not. You want to cut it closer to the main trunk...a stub like that will just rot. If the bark ever grows over it, it will encapsulate whatever rot their is. You want to cut just outboard of the branch collar. Here's an explanation and pix...

Wikipedia too...

[Terry Coombs]

There are 3 main things to consider when buying a chain - pitch , drive link thickness , and number of drive links . Most saws run either .325 or

3/8" pitch , .050 or .062 thickness , and the number of drive links varies with length . The 2 parts that you might have damaged are the drive sprocket and the bar and both are easy to replace . The main things people do to chains are run them too tight and run them dull , both will stretch the chain and make it fall off ... the best way I found to gauge sharpness is to check the chips . Large coarse chips indicate a sharp chain , small or "sawdust" chips indicate a dull chain . If your cut wanders it could be 2 things , either the bar is worn or the chain is duller on one side . If the chain can be wiggled sideways more than just a tiny bit , the bar is probably due to be replaced . I've been buying my chains from an ebay seller , cheaper than HD or Lowes for a better quality chain . I also buy a chain with a "professional" tooth profile - they cut much more aggressively , but they WILL kick back and are not intended for Joe-the-average-homeowner to prune his maple trees . I've currently got 3 saws , all run well , and all were given to me by people who couldn't keep them running/cutting well . They all needed a carb cleaning and new chains/bars , one also needed a new drive sprocket . But I'm set add more to the 3 cords I have cut/split/stacked when the weather cools off some more . Oh , and to answer your question about slicing lengthwise , it's much more efficient to split that wood with either a maul or hammer and wedge . Good aerobic exercise too !

[Danny D.]

Terry Coombs wrote, on Mon, 29 Sep 2014 07:39:49 -0500:

So, by changing the number of drive links only, from 72 to 62, I could have damaged the sprocket and bar?

I'll look for a wider-than normal bar groove, and, for the sprocket, I guess, I look for visible damage?

[Pico Rico]

who is your preferred e-bay seller?

[Pico Rico]

you just missed the meeting, but perhaps you can find someone knowledgeable to fill you in.

[Stormin Mormon]

links only, from 72 to 62, I could

groove, and, for the sprocket, I

A variety of chain sizes, as Pico wrote. I'd be concerned if you took off .325 chain and put on 3/8, that would risk damaging the sprocket.

If the same bar handles 72 and 62, it sounds like the 72 link is .325 and the 62 link is 3/8.

Homelite also makes "lo pro" chain which is a different size altogether.

Yes, to look for visible damage. Also perhaps pull the side piece, look if the links and sprocket mesh nicely, or too big / small of spacing.

. Christopher A. Young Learn about Jesus

.

[Pico Rico]

I cannot take credit for that informative post by Terry - but of course I KNEW all that and COULD have posted it . . .

[Danny D.]

Pico Rico wrote, on Mon, 29 Sep 2014 07:31:05 -0700:

I'm in the propane south skyline group, but they don't send me anything by way of events.

So I had not known about that - but it would have been useful.

Thanks. PS: Are you local?

[micky]

You had to stop and put the chain on many? times.

[Danny D.]

Pico Rico wrote, on Mon, 29 Sep 2014 07:50:57 -0700:

I never knew *anything* about chain saws, having grown up elsewhere, and only bought this place in the mountains when I retired (to rest, I thought).

The Husqvarna 445 owners manual lists "Technical Data" on page 32 where it has a table which lists, for the 18-inch chain saw, two "low-kickback" chains, the *only* difference being the "drive link thickness".

1. Chain type = Husqvarna H30/H22/H23
2. Bar length = 18 inches
3. Pitch = 0.325 inches
4. Drive link thickness = 0.050 inches (1.3 mm)
5. Maximum nose radius = 10T
6. Drive link count = 72
7. File size = 3/16 inch (4.8 mm) 85°:30°:10° 0.025 inch (0.65 mm)

It also lists an H21 "chain type" where the only difference is the gauge and the file size:

1. Chain type = Husqvarna H21
2. Drive link thickness = 0.058 inches (1.5 mm)

And, another "chain type" of H25, where the file size and sharpening dimensions also change, which presumably means the edges are angled differently:

1. Chain type = Husqvarna H25
2. Drive link thickness = 0.058 inches (1.5 mm)
3. File size = 3/16 inch (4.8 mm) 60°:25°:10° 0.020 inch (0.65 mm)

What I need to look up are these confusing preceeding "H" letter classifications.

It's even more confusing than that, because the are "trailing" letter classifications also, apparently.

For example, I had written in the manual the original chain that came with the chainsaw (which I had bought at Lowes) was a 72DL (whatever the DL means), while this latest Oregon chain is just H72 with no trailing letters.

The bad news was that the two (or three?) 62-link chains I bought from Home Depot didn't explicitly say they fit the Husky 445, but this Oregon box (from Lowes) says it fits Husqvarna 445 & it lists the right dimensions as:

1. Chain type = H72 (fits Husqvarna 445, among others)
2. Bar length = 18 inches
3. Pitch = 0.325 inches
4. Gauge = 0.050 inches (1.3 mm)
5. no nose radius is provided
6. Drive link count = 72
7. File Size 3/16 inch (4.8 mm) (no degrees are provided)

Googling to make sense out of all this, and, remember, I had trusted the Home Depot people and they steered me to the 62-link chain, I find this, which I'm reading (I'm on hold with Oregon (aka Blont) right now.)

[Danny D.]

Danny D. wrote, on Mon, 29 Sep 2014 16:38:46 +0000:

Oh my! The plot thickens.

I had a nice conversation with a technical support lady at "Blont International" (parent company of "Oregon"), who informed me that I bought the *wrong* chains from Lowes, even though the specs are the same!

She told me that the Oregon H72 chain that I had bought fits a "standard" bar, while the Husky 445 chainsaw comes with a "micro-lite" bar (that's Oregon's brand name for it anyway) which takes a Husqvarna H30 chain, which converts to an Oregon G72 chain.

She said all the dimensions are the same except the "body of the chain has a narrower curve cutter which takes a smaller bite, needing less power to turn".

She said that, over time, the Oregon H72 will wear the micro-lite bar groove, whereas the Oregon G72 chain will fit.

I understood everything she said, but, she couldn't explain how, if only the *outside* part of the chain (i.e., the "cutter") is larger, then

*how* is that going to wear the *groove* in the bar???

Anyway, when I asked her to fix her packaging, we went over what the package *should* say, so as not to lead the *next* person astray.

Since one asterisk was already used (but not on the 445), we came up with either of these two expressions for marketing to mull over:

Fits Husqvarna 445**

1. ** ensure your model has a standard bar or
2. ** ensure your model does not have a micro-lite bar

When I asked her which store sells the right Oregon G72 chain, we found none in my general vicinity; so, when I asked her to replace my chain for me, she agreed, and I will send my used chain to: Blont International, attn: (her name) 4909 International Way, Milwaukee Oregon, 97222 (800-223-5168)

In summary, it's very confusing that the Oregon package says *nothing* about the Oregon H72 *not* fitting a micro-lite bar, and the Husqvarna owners manual says nothing about the chain *having* a micro-lite bar!

The one question she didn't answer was *how* can a chain with essentially the same dimensions (except for the cutting edge thickness) *damage* the thinner grooved micro-lite bar?

[Danny D.]

micky wrote, on Mon, 29 Sep 2014 12:07:17 -0400:

When I asked the technical support lady at Oregon (at 800-223-5168) what would happen when I put the Oregon S62 chain on a sprocket that takes the Oregon G72 chain, she said it would "chatter and jump around on the drive sprocket grooves".

She said it would eventually damage the "grooves" in the drive sprocket (depending on whether it was a "spur" sprocket or the other kind of sprocket, I didn't catch the name of the two types of sprockets).

What type of sprocket does this look like, to you?

Does it look damaged?

[Pico Rico]

Not so local that I can stop by and help. :)