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Semi chisel self feeding: rakers vs. hook?

davidwyby

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This Duracut stayed sharp well in very hard eucalyptus but doesn’t cut worth a hoot on my ported 3120 new out of the box. I took the rakers down to about .030” until it kinda started to bite and vibe a little, but still slow and no self feed.

@huskyboy 5A10A85A-A296-43D8-87F4-C83CA72914C6.jpeg

 
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mitchm1

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4668d6da267e3b19f0176f21d40fdd28.jpg

I think that’s 58 degrees self feed at .030 great


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mitchm1

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Need to go a little deeper in the gullet too
What angle are you using for your hook?


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Wonkydonkey

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From your pic, it looks a bit to vertical, ie no hook.
It’s a trade off with more hook and faster cutting with it dulling quicker.

Although if duracut is the same as our multicut, it has more chrome on the top plate so it would stand up better in hard n dirty wood.

using one of them stihl progressive depth gauges also changes how the tooth meets the wood, it puts a ramp on the front of the dg. I find my chains cut much better.
They also have the soft and hard setting. So if the hard don’t cut wel, you can use the soft setting.
I’ve only found one chain that I use the soft setting, and that’s a Carlton chipper chain A3. It just didn’t cut toffee on hard, it made my head hurt till I used the soft setting
 

JimBear

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This Duracut stayed sharp well in very hard eucalyptus but doesn’t cut worth a hoot on my ported 3120 new out of the box. I took the rakers down to about .030” until it kinda started to bite and vibe a little, but still slow and no self feed.

@huskyboy View attachment 311680

Yes, that semi-chisel Durajunk chain out of the box is as slow as molasses’s in January. You can hook it and/or lower the depth gauge/raker but it gets grabby & not very smooth. It’s that low kickback feature that creates some of that “slow”though.

You can use a dremel tool & .030” cutoff disc/wheel to eliminate those awkward safety bumps if you want to spend some time on the chain. For the cost - gain it wasn’t worth the money to me, basic semi-chisel non-low kickback Stihl chain seems to last just as long in the dirty old hedge posts I use it in.

Yes, the Stihl chain was less expensive than the Duracut. Almost unheard of scenario but that’s was the case.
 

rogue60

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I bet it will be ok once I fix it. I’m pretty impressed with the stay sharp. The Stihl square stayed sharp pretty well too though and cut a lot better and smoother.
I'm sure once sharpend properly it'll cut better than out of the box like most chain I just never knew Duracut was safety chain. I've never run safety chain on anything over 40cc myself.
All those safety humps are doing is taking up room blocking chip flow past the rakers.
Remember hogging out gullets they pack with chips from cutters upstream not the cutter above the gullet.
 

Wilhelm

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Semi-chisel chain and fast cuts do not really go hand in hand.

I have yet to encounter a semi-chisel chain that cuts anywhere close to the performance of an average full-chisel chain.

For me and what I cut semi-chisel is slow cutting and doesn't hold its edge any better than full-chisel.
Yes, I know - that is a bold statement!

Also, semi-chisel is by nature much more power consuming than full-chisel.
Meaning, You need more power to run semi-chisel than You need to run full-chisel under identical circumstances.

My (limited) experience relates to new out of the box and round filed chains.

In regards to those drive link safety humps that line up with the rakers , IMHO they have no to merely minor negative performance effect.
The tie straps safety humps on the other hand interfere with cutting performance and chip clearance!
 

Wilhelm

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Also, dude You need a SLOW saw for that stuff You are dealing with!

High chain speed is killing Your cutting performance!
By reducing chain speed You will reduce chain slip and chatter which in turn will generate a more steady bite.
 

davidwyby

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I agree.
I had 8 pin sprockets on by mistake from softer wood and didn’t have 7s to put on. You can feel the chain “skate” and not bite and then when it bites, it cuts if it doesn’t stall.

I might try the stock 3120 tractor saw or stock 288 when I get it built.
 

Wilhelm

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I agree.
I had 8 pin sprockets on by mistake from softer wood and didn’t have 7s to put on. You can feel the chain “skate” and not bite and then when it bites, it cuts if it doesn’t stall.

I might try the stock 3120 tractor saw or stock 288 when I get it built.
Yes, stock 288 with 7pin should do fine.
That is if a 288 is similar to an 181.
I don't know how a 3120 compares.

I once ran a neighbors 181, she pulled my 36" B&C setup buried in beech slow but with authority - and she had a 8pin on.
If she had been my saw I would have swapped to a 7pin and just held on to her for the ride.

Distinguishable sound to that saw too.
 

RI Chevy

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I think finding a good balance between hook AND raker makes for a great cutting work chain.
Just me. I go by feel. Plus some semi-chisel chains are better than others out of the box.
Worst OOB chain for me was Archer. I had to re-profile the cutter so it was usable. Best for me is Stihl RM.
 
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