Has anyone ever tried this cutter shape for milling?

[Eduardo K]

I came across a pdf version of Will Madoff's Chainsaw Lumbermaking book (1982 version) and his comments on ripping chain have me interested. This book has been around for and while and was wondering if anyone has sharpened a chain like this and milling with it.
I'm less concerned with finish than with durability and cut speed. I assume the 90* top plate would mean less lateral movement of the cutter while in the cut, resulting in a slightly narrower kerf and better finish. The 40* side plate angle is what has me interested. The 90* and 40* is close to the profile of a chisel. I'm guessing it would feed well, I'm just not sure about the speed and durability.
Based on the comments I've read in this forum, square filing is the way to go for speed. I don't have the skill or a grinder that can sharpen square. I have an opportunity to buy an Oregon grinder at a good price and wondering if its worth it to try this profile with some chisel chain.

Thanks,
-e

 

[Wonkydonkey]

I think Your 90* is really 0*

I go for around a 0* to 5*, the thing I’ve noticed is you do get a better finish the nearer to 0*
when I use my jolly knockoff grinder the tooth cuts for longer without the need for filling, but once I’ve started to file it I need to file it more, the file gives the tooth a different angle to the grinder iirc it’s set for 60/65* so that’s a 35/40* angle on the tooth

it’s been a while so my memory is not at its best

 

[huskyhank]

I have tried the 90* angle chain and various ripping chains way back when. Nearly all my milling has been hardwood whereas Malloff seemed to cut mostly softwood - at least that what his book seems to show. This is not a criticism of him or his book. He was the grandaddy of chainsaw milling and that is a great book.

Ripping chains do cut smoother by a little bit, but regular chain cuts faster. If you are careful in maintaining feed pressure and angle of saw to the log, you can make cuts about as smooth as special chains. Get a steady load on the saw and keep it there the whole cut. It certainly gets you close enough for any wood that will see a planer or jointer later on.

 

[Woodslasher]

I have tried the 90* angle chain and various ripping chains way back when. Nearly all my milling has been hardwood whereas Malloff seemed to cut mostly softwood - at least that what his book seems to show. This is not a criticism of him or his book. He was the grandaddy of chainsaw milling and that is a great book.

Ripping chains do cut smoother by a little bit, but regular chain cuts faster. If you are careful in maintaining feed pressure and angle of saw to the log, you can make cuts about as smooth as special chains. Get a steady load on the saw and keep it there the whole cut. It certainly gets you close enough for any wood that will see a planer or jointer later on.

+1 I ground up some special milling chains according to the angles Bob on AS recommends and ran those a few times, but when I went to use them about 2 weeks ago I must’ve forgotten to sharpen some of them after the last time I used them because the 1st one cut like I recalled but the 2nd one absolutely sucked. Since I was only planning on finishing the cut I tossed on my regular chain instead of chancing another ripping one, it surprised me because it was a good 2-3 times faster than the sharp milling chain. It was quick enough that I wound up making another pass and it left a pretty decent finish too. If my helper knew how to keep a steady pressure I’m sure it would have looked even better.