Hardest wood on earth

[huskihl]

The video I posted in the first page of this thread was one of the 2 major branches off this main iron bark trunk section.
It is rotten up the middle but I am gearing up to take some slabs off it.

The land owner saved it from the fire wood cutters for me.

So looks like my first milling job will be in a 4 to 5' thick chunk of some of the hardest wood there is.


View attachment 27070

Not gonna lie...that sh!t looks hard as hell

 

[Terry Syd]

All I do with porting is.

Squish reduction, widen intake, widen exhaust, muff mod. Don't touch the transfers.

In OZ that is a fairly good approach to 'porting'. If you don't increase the transfer time/area (and indeed you slightly decrease it when you remove the base gasket) you retain the maximum delivery ratio down low (torque) where you need it. Squish reduction bumps up the torque with compression, widening the intake and exhaust within limits allows better breathing (higher horsepower) without compromising the powerband. Muffler mod and AIR FILTER mods will allow more horsepower.

That said, there are some saws that do require more time/area on the transfers to get the benefit of other mods, but those are the exceptions to the general rule in OZ.

EDIT: I should have mentioned getting the ignition timing and carburetion dialed in, but those are a given for anyone that is modding an engine.

 

[danimal]

Yeah, I do a lot of that. I like a saw that can noodle without clogging up the sprocket side cover, I've modified a few side covers to handle that kind of work.

Only way to noodle is w/a modded clutch cover. Ya have to be able to evacuate them noodles. Especially inboard clutches.

 

[Iron.and.bark]

In OZ that is a fairly good approach to 'porting'. If you don't increase the transfer time/area (and indeed you slightly decrease it when you remove the base gasket) you retain the maximum delivery ratio down low (torque) where you need it. Squish reduction bumps up the torque with compression, widening the intake and exhaust within limits allows better breathing (higher horsepower) without compromising the powerband. Muffler mod and AIR FILTER mods will allow more horsepower.

That said, there are some saws that do require more time/area on the transfers to get the benefit of other mods, but those are the exceptions to the general rule in OZ.

Any particular saws that are exceptions you can name?

Good point on the air filter, lots of my personal saws end up with the intake elbows (wish I could find more) from the old solo 670-603's and k&n pods.

 

[Terry Syd]

Any particular saws that are exceptions you can name?

Good point on the air filter, lots of my personal saws end up with the intake elbows (wish I could find more) from the old solo 670-603's and k&n pods.

Do a high RPM (WOT) check with the air filter off, then do the same test with the stock air filter. See if there is any drop in the WOT with a clean stock air filter, if there is, then you can damn well figure there is a bigger drop when the air filter gets dirty.

As far as a particular saw for transfer time/area, I'm a firewood hack not a builder, so I have limited experience in different models. I had to do some big time mods to get my homeowner, clam shell Husky 450 to run like I wanted it to - but it surprises everyone who tries it. Too bad it has a 13,000 limiter I'd love to bump the compression up from 143 lbs to 200 lbs. - I use the RPM limiter as a 'dull chain indicator' (I usually run an 18" bar with 8 pin and 5.6 degrees of cutting angle).

I suppose you have to see how the saw is cutting and then decide if you want to move the powerband up a bit to take advantage of the breathing. In such a case, I wouldn't raise the transfers, there is much to gain by making the transfers wider. If you raise them, then that reduces the 'effective stroke of the engine'. There is usually plenty of room to widen them in a chainsaw, especially in a four-port.

 

[Brewz]

My main consideration for a saw now days is can I add a K&N to it.
The totally unrestricted air flow just makes them run so well, and with an outer ware cover, they can be used for days in dusty wood with no change in tune due to a blocked filter.

I have one on my 066, will be fitting one to the 2100 when its rebuilt and will be putting one on the 064 when its rebuilt as well.

Porting is mostly about increasing air flow in the motor, but if you cant get it in or out as fast as the motor can, its wasted work

 

[Iron.and.bark]

Do a high RPM (WOT) check with the air filter off, then do the same test with the stock air filter. See if there is any drop in the WOT with a clean stock air filter, if there is, then you can damn well figure there is a bigger drop when the air filter gets dirty.

As far as a particular saw for transfer time/area, I'm a firewood hack not a builder, so I have limited experience in different models. I had to do some big time mods to get my homeowner, clam shell Husky 450 to run like I wanted it to - but it surprises everyone who tries it. Too bad it has a 13,000 limiter I'd love to bump the compression up from 143 lbs to 200 lbs. - I use the RPM limiter as a 'dull chain indicator' (I usually run an 18" bar with 8 pin and 5.6 degrees of cutting angle).

I suppose you have to see how the saw is cutting and then decide if you want to move the powerband up a bit to take advantage of the breathing. In such a case, I wouldn't raise the transfers, there is much to gain by making the transfers wider. If you raise them, then that reduces the 'effective stroke of the engine'. There is usually plenty of room to widen them in a chainsaw, especially in a four-port.

Thanks terry, nothing wrong with being just a firewood hack (I am just a chainsaw milling hack who has the good fortune to have learnt from a BMW race mechanic) would you mind elaborating on the 450 mods you did?

Widening transfers sounds like a reasonable proposition, except on the dolmar saws. They seem to be designed to have a much higher primary case compression ratio (not sure if I have used correct terminology). The lower transfers seem to be from visual inspection 2-300% larger than the uppers. Presumably this is designed in conjunction with the long strokes to force a high speed charge into the combustion chamber. :/

 

[Terry Syd]

The 450 is based on the 445, it is essentially a bored out 445. The transfer windows needed to be 9% larger just to account for the increase in displacement. I had also raised the cutting speed by using a bigger carb and port work on the intake and strato, 2 degrees more blowdown, muffler mod and better air filter. Then there was a restriction in the transfer tunnel. Long story, but I increased the port window width 12.5% and then had to rebuild the entire tunnel structure to get it to flow. One point in the tunnel had to have the area increased 22%.

The larger area in the lower transfer is to keep from having a choke point in the tunnel. It is FLOW that matters, not velocity. If the lower transfers have 2-300% larger area than the ports, then there should be plenty of metal available to blend in the windows with the lower transfer. If you made the transfers say 10% wider, you would roughly raise peak torque 10% higher in the powerband (provided you had enough flow at that higher RPM).

Primary (crankcase compression) works in conjunction with the transfer time/area. The higher the crankcase compression, the higher up the powerband the maximum delivery ratio (peak torque) will occur. A higher crankcase compression will also NARROW the powerband. That is why saws generally have a lower crankcase compression.

A lot of this information is discussed more fully in the porting thread if you get interested in modding.

 

[Deets066]

Here's his mildly modded 090 in the same wood

That *s-word was hard

 

[Deets066]

I'm not sure what this wood is but it's the hardest that I've found.

 

[Wood Doctor]

I'm not sure what this wood is but it's the hardest that I've found.

That color reminds me of Osage orange (also called hedge apple), but I've never seen it that large in diameter. Farmers in Illinois used to use it for cattle fence. It has huge thorns and is halfway between a tree and a bush, kind of like mulberry.

 

[Deets066]

That color reminds me of Osage orange (also called hedge apple), but I've never seen it that large in diameter. Farmers in Illinois used to use it for cattle fence. It has huge thorns and is halfway between a tree and a bush, kind of like mulberry.

It's really tight grain, I never saw the tree, only the 38" diameter log with no bark.
It's harder than oak by a good stretch

 

[Deets066]

Ok, so we've determined that the Aussies have the hardest timber...... What about the softest???



And you can't say Ohio

 

[Deets066]

Here's some bass wood, bout as soft as it gets. Unless you leave it lay for a year, then it's softer yet

 

[Deets066]

Here's some more bass, well... The first log anyway

 

[Guido Salvage]

As the East Coast distributor for Snellerized Wood, I can say without a doubt it is the softest.

 

[Guido Salvage]

Hardest wood? Mr. Wiggly on the wedding night...

 

[Wood Doctor]

Willow comes to mind when softwood discussions pop up. But, basswood might still take that cake. We used to make model airplanes out of dry basswood when I was a kid. Balsa might have been stronger, pound for pound.

 

[Brewz]

Rock hard wood full of corrosive sap and snakes and scorpions....hmmm I don't think I am headed to Australia anytime soon

Was cutting dry grey gum today which was testing the saws.
As I was cutting, these were coming out from under the loose bark by the dozen.
About the size of the palm of a mans hand, but fairly timid, I scooped up about 10 of them and moved them to a safe spot.

I needed a go pro to record them as well as the big venomous centipedes scurrying out in all directions as I cut.

 

[Wilhelm]

I guess You are used to such creatures, but I'd be dropping my saw and run away!

I got chills from just looking at your picture.