Narrow kerf chain for Firewood ?

[Flyguy]

I process and split firewood for my own home use and have recently upgraded from a rubbish B&Q cheepie chainsaw to a MS 261 and am VERY pleased with the change.

 

However I have also noticed that I am producing much more sawdust !

Not only is this a pain to get rid of, but its also [presumably] loosing me wood that would otherwise be burnt.

 

So the question is - does it make sense to get a narrow kerf chain [and bar?] to cut firewood with ? If so any recommendations ?

 

Does the professional firewood community use narrow kerf bars for this reason or are they more trouble (and cost) than they are worth ?

 

Feedback much appreciated...

[doobin]

If your're running .325 pitch, then your 261 will benefit from quicker cutting and a narrower kerf if you switch to 3/8 Picco sprocket, bar and chain. Would recommend a 12" 3/8 Picco bar in either 1.1 or 1.3mm gauge. 1.1mm is noticeably faster on green birch, but may not be up to the job on seasoned timber.

 

Regarding loss of firewood, well, are you of Scottish descent?

[gensetsteve]

I would stick with what you have a thinner bar and you will need to sharpen more often and I find they clog with saw dust and jam. If you really want to waste less wood you will need a saw bench with tct blade. I measured the cut once on a .325 blade and it was 8mm but dont worry it still only works out at 3% on a ten inch log.

[Flyguy]

If your're running .325 pitch, then your 261 will benefit from quicker cutting and a narrower kerf if you switch to 3/8 Picco sprocket, bar and chain. Would recommend a 12" 3/8 Picco bar in either 1.1 or 1.3mm gauge. 1.1mm is noticeably faster on green birch, but may not be up to the job on seasoned timber.

 

Many thanks for the info. Very useful.

 

Yes, the 261 is currently running a .325 - and its certainly not slow now ! So a faster cut would be impressive indeed.

 

 

Regarding loss of firewood, well, are you of Scottish descent?

 

No - Yorkshire !

 

Obviously its not such a big deal as firewood is more like a hobby for me. But I imagine that it might be significant for someone actually making a living from firewood.

Edited February 7, 2011 by Flyguy

[Rob D]

 

No - Yorkshire !

 

Obviously its not such a big deal as firewood is more like a hobby for me. But I imagine that it might be significant for someone actually making a living from firewood.

 

 

Ho ho!

 

You can get an Oregon bar for your 261 that runs Oregons 95VPX (I think it is). This is .325 .050 chain but the kerf is the same as a lo pro 3/8 picco type chain.

 

I used it with the MS260. It's good - is it much faster... or less sawdust? Hard to tell really... and that sort of tells you something!

 

Personally I would concentrate on perfecting your chain sharpening rather than sawdust reduction. There is always room for improvement.

[Sniffy]

I scoop up all my chippings ,let them dry out in the shed and then chuck them in the stove when we are going out .This keeps it ticking over without using up all those lovely logs

 

Mark

[Flyguy]

Thanks for the suggestions and advice. I get the impression that narrow kerf bars are likely to be more trouble will not significantly reduce the sawdust issue.

 

I have been drying out some of the sawdust, mixing it with molten wax and then filling this into egg boxes to make fire lighters. These work really well and save a lot of faffing with newspaper and kindling. But obviously dont use much sawdust.

 

It also goes into the guinea pig hutch as bedding which gets rid of more. Except that a few days later it comes out again in an even less appealing state !

 

I've been splitting for next winter and there are bags and bags of the stuff and must admit that I have resorted to just throwing it in the bin !

 

I like the idea of using it to bank the fire however. Will give that a try.

 

Any other suggestions ?

[twistedhicap]

are you usin bio chain oil ? or not if not i wouldnt use it with animals as it will end up causing issues from skin complaints through to death !

[morten]

Ho ho!

 

You can get an Oregon bar for your 261 that runs Oregons 95VPX (I think it is). This is .325 .050 chain but the kerf is the same as a lo pro 3/8 picco type chain.

 

Using a 0.005" (1.3 mm) gauge .325" chain as opposed to a standard 1.6 mm gauge chain gives you a 0.3 mm reduction in kerf width. With a 8 mm kerf, that results in 3.8% less sawdust.

 

Hardly worth the effort, huh?

[Flyguy]

are you usin bio chain oil ? or not if not i wouldnt use it with animals as it will end up causing issues from skin complaints through to death !

 

Hmmm... Hadnt considered that. I must admit that it is just regular [mineral] bar oil.

 

However all 4 guinea pigs have been living on it for over 3 years (essentially all their lives) and they all seem healthy, glossy coated and apparently happy. If you count eating loads and squeaking for more as contentment !

 

And I have never had a reaction to neat bar oil on the occasions I have accidentally spilt a little onto my own skin. And its obviously much more dilute than that in chain saw dust.

 

Obviously, I wouldnt want to risk hurting them. But also wouldnt want to stop unnecessarily given that its not been a problem so far....

 

 

Do you have any references that document the harmful effects I could read up on ?