I’ve seen skip make longer chips that clog easier than full comp and smaller ones too. I ran full comp on a 42” bar in oak and it cleared pretty well.
Twice the teeth to actually carry the wood chips out of the log.
Many operators neglect that fact in favor to sharpen less teeth.
Full complement loops on long bars, just stay conservative with setting the rakers!
Clogging occurs in the bar sprocket or chainsaw sprocket most, if not all, of the time. I would say slightly more often in the bar sprocket.
I agree, most problems occur with the bar buried.
The same here, I blip between cuts to clear the chips. Sometimes it is too late. I was blipping all day yesterday to clear chips. Probably a dozen times, or more, I had to rake the saw across a log several times to get it unstuck. It is annoying.
Only one time (at the end of the day), did a saw clog up so bad it was unusable, as mentioned in my opening paragraph.
My chains are sharp...until they are not. Like yourself, I like to utilize the saws power too.
Do I force the saw....No. Do I lean on the saw with a slight pressure and the dogs in the wood...Yes
The 3120 locked up so hard and fast I thought it seized up. I was actually taking the bar out of the wood, went to blip it to clear chips and BAM. It won't even turn over.
No vintage saws for me. The bigger saws seem to jam more (76cc and up); the 660 with 36" bar seems to clog the most. I run full skip on the 660 and 3120.
You may have excessive play in the bars nose sprocket allowing chips to get in between the bar and sprocket jamming it.
I find that pressure on the front handle is OK, pivoting around the saws dawgs not so much.
On logs that are smaller in diameter than Your bars length, start Your bucking with the saws dawgs against the logs bark, then pull back a little to allow easier chip clearance and prevent chips to catch on to the chain catch and being pulled under the clutch cover.
Interesting. I figured less teeth meant less chips to clear. Maybe I will try full comp. I would rather sharpen extra teeth than mess with clogged sprockets.
As said on
@mdavlee 's reply, more teeth = better clearance, but keep in mind to keep the depth gauges conservative.
Imagine the space between two teeth on a full skip loop filled with wood chips going through the log, the chips will create a lot of resistance and "pack up"/compress, they will literally enter each and every crevice there is in the chain and bar potentially resulting in a jam.
LOL!!! Seriously though, I have thought about modifying the clutch cover like some people do for noodling.
Noodling is a completely different thing, don't mess up Your saws clutch covers for bucking cuts.
Well, I see you have never met Thomas...
I have never met any Forum member, period.
Hope to do so though!
Go to about 1:14-15. I am on the left and Sasquatch (Hedgerow) is on the right.
Cookie cutting is not the same as everyday bucking!
I know that I don't behave the same because my play chains aren't set up the same as my work chains.
- Check for bar nose sprocket play, sprocket has to turn freely but shouldn't have too much side play
- Stay off the saws dawgs, once in the cut pull the saw back a little
- Try full complement chains
- Try not to bury Your bars, if the woods diameter requires it utilize a longer bar or start Your bucking cut from around the log technically reducing the logs diameter and giving the bars nose room to breathe