Need help clearing chips

[Hinerman]

I was cutting a big oak today. I kept having trouble with the chain jamming up with saw chips. It was more than one saw; 50cc to 116cc. The chain is not loose. The 3120 locked up so hard I couldn't turn the crank over; I am going to have to remove the clutch to get the chain and bar off to get it cleaned up.

This also happened on a hackberry a few months ago; locked up 3 saws before I finished the tree. It happens on other trees at various times. Sometimes there is no trouble with clogging at all.

All my chains are round ground with the exception of the 3120. Stihl chain only comes in square grind in .404 full skip; brand new chain.

What is the cause and what is the solution? Because it is a royal PITA at times, especially in the Summer!!!

@Hedgerow
@Philbert
@Deets066
@mdavlee
@Moparmyway

I know there are more chain gurus out there too.

 

[mdavlee]

Bqck out of the cut from time to time is about the only thing I know that works 100%

 

[crowslayer17]

Try pulling back so you have some clearance between the wood and saw when you hear the rpms dropping.

 

[Deets066]

Depth gauges might be a little low. Pulling too much chip at one time maybe.

 

[Dub11]

Pics of you doing work.

 

[Wilhelm]

Depth gauges might be a little low. Pulling too much chip at one time maybe.

I was going to suggest this.

Have You determined where the clogging occurs.
Bar groove, bar sprocket, chainsaw sprocket?

I often get bar and chain jams on my Husky small mount saws, though only if the bars tip was buried.
This does not happen on my D009 mount saws with the same or identical chain.

This may sound stupid, but I got used to "blip" the saws throttle after each bucking cut out of the wood.
The intent is to clear chain, bar, sprocket and clutch cover from chips, as well as give the B&C oil a chance to get inside the bar groove and on the chains drive links.
I do this with all my saws and jams caused by wood chips are very rare.

I mostly buck turkey oak, but also oak, beech, ash, hornbeam, locust.
I tend to keep my chains fairly sharp and self feeding so no or very little pressure is needed to make them cut.
Since my big saws wear 18-24" B&C primary setups I do lower the rakers more than is recommended to utilize the individual saws power.

P.S.:
Are You possibly forcing Your saws through bucking cuts utilizing the saws spikes?
If so, You might be provoking chip jams by forcing the chain to bite off more wood than it can carry out and You may be consequently pulling Your saws engine rpm down too much reducing centrifugal force which is basically the only thing that "clears" wood chips on modern saws.

P.S.2:
Wow!
I never ran one, but I imagine locking up a 3120 with wood chips is not that easy - that thing is bound to have the power to tear itself apart.

P.S.3:
Do You experience wood chips jams on vintage and modern chainsaws equally?
I wouldn't know from personal experience, but vintage chainsaws seem to be a different animal compared to modern chainsaws.
What saws do You own and which jam the most?

 

[Wilhelm]

Mr. @Hinerman , I got this clicking the link in Your signature

 

[Wilhelm]

Re-reading Your original post I dare assume that the chip jams are provoked by Your cutting style.

It would help to see a couple videos of You cutting/bucking wood.

 

[rogue60]

I think it's technique.
You get a feel for it you can feel the chain/bar clogging with chips, the power head will also start to be pulled down in revs over working trying to keep the chain moving eventually if nothing is done the chain will lock up with chips packed tight under the chain and in around the sprockets.
When you get the warning sign's things are about to lock-up you lift in the cut and let the saw piss rev a few seconds to clear it self.
Or as said above you lift and back out of the cut some and piss revving to clear it.
The worst thing you can do when you feel it happening is back off on the trigger keep it WOT.

A way to free it up is holding the saw tightly and using the bottom of the bar pulling the chain backwards hard over a log that can free them up sometimes and get you back up and running if not to badly locked up.

 

[Philbert]

Sounds very frustrating. Could be the condition of the wood (wet) also contributes to it?

Philbert

 

[huskihl]

Only times I’ve had it happen are with a fresh chain with lower depth gauges and the bar is buried. Can’t get rid of chips fast enough. Bigger sprocket might help

 

[Xr650jkallen]

Are you cleaning your gullets out when sharpening? If the gullet has a big hump in it, I've seen wet wood pack in under the tooth.

 

[Czed]

Take the clutch cover off that's what the Amish do.

 

[Hinerman]

Bqck out of the cut from time to time is about the only thing I know that works 100%

Been doing that when I can catch it in time. You are right, it works, but is annoying as hell, especially with a big saw.

Try pulling back so you have some clearance between the wood and saw when you hear the rpms dropping.

Good idea, will try it. I normally have the dogs in/on the wood, especially with bigger saws.

Depth gauges might be a little low. Pulling too much chip at one time maybe.

You might be right, especially on the smaller saws. I cut so many different types of wood it is hard to have chains set up for all different types. It seems there is a fine line on too little or too much raker height

 

[Hinerman]

Pics of you doing work.

LMAO; well played turdhead!!!!

 

[Hinerman]

Mr. @Hinerman , I got this clicking the link in Your signature

View attachment 275707

I will remove it. It was a video of me racing @Hedgerow and beating him. I guess whoever made the video lost their youtube account.

 

[mdavlee]

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.

 

[Hinerman]

I was going to suggest this.

Have You determined where the clogging occurs.
Bar groove, bar sprocket, chainsaw sprocket?

I often get bar and chain jams on my Husky small mount saws, though only if the bars tip was buried.
This does not happen on my D009 mount saws with the same or identical chain.

This may sound stupid, but I got used to "blip" the saws throttle after each bucking cut out of the wood.
The intent is to clear chain, bar, sprocket and clutch cover from chips, as well as give the B&C oil a chance to get inside the bar groove and on the chains drive links.
I do this with all my saws and jams caused by wood chips are very rare.

I mostly buck turkey oak, but also oak, beech, ash, hornbeam, locust.
I tend to keep my chains fairly sharp and self feeding so no or very little pressure is needed to make them cut.
Since my big saws wear 18-24" B&C primary setups I do lower the rakers more than is recommended to utilize the individual saws power.

P.S.:
Are You possibly forcing Your saws through bucking cuts utilizing the saws spikes?
If so, You might be provoking chip jams by forcing the chain to bite off more wood than it can carry out and You may be consequently pulling Your saws engine rpm down too much reducing centrifugal force which is basically the only thing that "clears" wood chips on modern saws.

P.S.2:
Wow!
I never ran one, but I imagine locking up a 3120 with wood chips is not that easy - that thing is bound to have the power to tear itself apart.

P.S.3:
Do You experience wood chips jams on vintage and modern chainsaws equally?
I wouldn't know from personal experience, but vintage chainsaws seem to be a different animal compared to modern chainsaws.
What saws do You own and which jam the most?

I was going to suggest this.

Have You determined where the clogging occurs.
Bar groove, bar sprocket, chainsaw sprocket?

I often get bar and chain jams on my Husky small mount saws, though only if the bars tip was buried.
This does not happen on my D009 mount saws with the same or identical chain.

This may sound stupid, but I got used to "blip" the saws throttle after each bucking cut out of the wood.
The intent is to clear chain, bar, sprocket and clutch cover from chips, as well as give the B&C oil a chance to get inside the bar groove and on the chains drive links.
I do this with all my saws and jams caused by wood chips are very rare.

I mostly buck turkey oak, but also oak, beech, ash, hornbeam, locust.
I tend to keep my chains fairly sharp and self feeding so no or very little pressure is needed to make them cut.
Since my big saws wear 18-24" B&C primary setups I do lower the rakers more than is recommended to utilize the individual saws power.

P.S.:
Are You possibly forcing Your saws through bucking cuts utilizing the saws spikes?
If so, You might be provoking chip jams by forcing the chain to bite off more wood than it can carry out and You may be consequently pulling Your saws engine rpm down too much reducing centrifugal force which is basically the only thing that "clears" wood chips on modern saws.

P.S.2:
Wow!
I never ran one, but I imagine locking up a 3120 with wood chips is not that easy - that thing is bound to have the power to tear itself apart.

P.S.3:
Do You experience wood chips jams on vintage and modern chainsaws equally?
I wouldn't know from personal experience, but vintage chainsaws seem to be a different animal compared to modern chainsaws.
What saws do You own and which jam the most?

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.

 

[Hinerman]

Sounds very frustrating. Could be the condition of the wood (wet) also contributes to it?

Philbert

I think you are on point. The hackberry that clogged 2 50cc saws and a 60cc saw was very very wet. Other times I have cut hackberry without a single issue. Although parts of it were dead, the oak yesterday was wet also. It was a blow down and growing out of a creek bottom; I was walking around in mud all day

 

[Hinerman]

Are you cleaning your gullets out when sharpening? If the gullet has a big hump in it, I've seen wet wood pack in under the tooth.

Yes, my gullets are clean.