Cutting oak.... causes a crust on the chain?

jjmk98k · March 30, 2005, 08:05:39 PM

I was cutting up some Oak today and noticed my chain seems to have gathered some sort of crust on it. I have the oiler on my Husq 350 set at max oil flow. seems even though my saw uses the oil, when I rev it against a fresh cut , i don't see it throw the oil like my lil 141 does.

I never noticed this on my chain from any other wood I have cut recently, and i never have cut this much oak at once...

any ideas?

West Texas · March 30, 2005, 11:13:40 PM

We have that problem here in West Texas where there is a lot of dead emory oak that is very hard wood. You just have to be patient and not push the saw into the wood too hard or it will leave what look like burn marks on the chain teeth.

jjmk98k · March 31, 2005, 09:36:33 AM

for as HUGE as this tree is, I have no choice other than to be patient, it's was well over 200 years old, i stopped counting rings when i hit 125....

I let the saw to the work with minimal pressure added, no need to smoke a saw or chain just cause I was in a hurry.

oldsaw · March 31, 2005, 08:38:02 PM

I've steel brushed it off, scraped it off, but you can usually soak it in diesel or kerosene to soften it and get it off with a parts brush.

redpowerd · March 31, 2005, 08:41:00 PM

wondering mabie sharpen it up and run it thru some poplar

works for bands

jjmk98k · March 31, 2005, 08:49:36 PM

OK, so I am not the only one who has had this happen then....

The chain still cuts fine, but no doubt this crust adds drag to the chain...

rebocardo · April 01, 2005, 02:40:47 PM

Usually when the crust forms (I cut mostly red and white oak) it is because the chain is getting hot (lack of oil), tensioned too tight (heat), or dragging in the kerf on the back cut when cutting from both sides of the tree because the chain is rubbing the wood because it is angled. That last one might be what you are experiencing.

I spray my chain with PB blaster, let them soak, then use dish soap and hot water along with a brush to rub the chains down, blot with a towel, and then oil them again before I sharpen. I noticed when I cut a hickory it really built up from all the water/sap. The water literally dripped from the ends of the hickory logs in puddles. Maybe the species of oak you are cutting is closely related to hickory?

I do not think it makes much/any difference in the cutting, I just do not like dirty chains :-)

jjmk98k · April 01, 2005, 03:51:57 PM

rebocardo, thanks for those hints and tips. i was educated a while ago that i kept my chains too tight, so I loosened them up a bit.

The oiler is set to max and it does use one tank of oil per 1 tank of fuel.... so that seems right.. perhaps its because of the chain rubbing. and like I siad, it was only this tree that i ever experienced it on. Cutting maple, ash or what ever , i never noticed it near as bad as this oak.

Ill try that PB blaster on the chain, it's great stuff!

DonE911 · April 01, 2005, 05:37:15 PM

I've been milling alot of red oak and get that crust no matter the oil flow to the bar and chain. The crust causes all kinds of issues when sharp'n the chain with files or the grinder. There may be cheaper ways to get it off, but I just spray a little "grease lighting" on the chain and let it soak long enough to go turn on the water hose... the pressure from the hose takes care of it after the cleaner does the work and its all clean and fresh for the sharp'n . works good on pine tar too.

I buy the greased lightning at home depot by the gallon... fairly cheap stuff. I use it to clean just about everything, so its not just for the chainsaws.... I often clean my saws by spraying them down with the stuff and wash it of real quick... looks like a a new saw afterword. Just be sure to get the water out after rinsing it off.

StihlDoc · April 06, 2005, 11:26:12 AM

The crust is a normal occurance caused by resins in the wood building up on the chain. Easy Off oven cleaner also works well for removing pitch and resin build-up from saw chains.

jjmk98k · April 07, 2005, 10:27:10 AM

Thanks again all, I am glad it's not "just me" having the problem..

bassfisher · April 10, 2005, 10:55:36 PM

one solution to the crusting is the addtion of 8 ounces of dishwashing soap to each gallon of bar oil. can't take credit for this one, was told to do it by one of the local backwoodsmen as various woods will tend to crust chains under different conditions.
laugh all you want, it works and leaves your hands soft....

lucky_cutter · April 11, 2005, 12:14:04 AM

If I come home with dishpan hands my wife will think I'm cheating on her. Soft hands she might like.

rebocardo · April 19, 2005, 12:25:40 AM

I tried the dishwashing soap today (Ajax) mixed 4 oz. with a 1/2 gallon of oil. Very poor results. Once mixed it turned the oil into something that looked like pink soupy water (using red Poulan oil) and looked like oil from an engine with a blown head gasket. The bar ran far hotter and the chain did not even last one log on the mill. The crud piled onto the side of the chain worse then ever (wood was very green). Worse of all, when refilling the saw I noticed the oil tank was full of foam bubbles.

Dish soap is suppose to break up oil and grease. I think it does exactly that on chain saw oil too. I would not recommend it to anyone, I am dumping the rest of the mix into the waste oil.

Gypo Logger · April 19, 2005, 07:31:21 AM

This shake and bake look of the chain is caused by cutting ring porous woods such as Oak and Ash. My theory is that the porous wood sucks in the oil like a straw and dries the chain out. The brownish color may be caused by the tanin in the wood. With the oiler set on high and a well oiled start by goosing the saw a few times before entering the cut usually remedies the situation.
Hope this helps.
John

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redpowerd · April 19, 2005, 08:30:08 AM

rocka, what kinda bar you got there?

DonE911 · April 19, 2005, 08:33:38 AM

I was thinking about that "Dawn" commercial that shows the grease spreading away from the soap when I read that dish soap post.

I'm glad rebocardo tried it before I did. I wonder if regular old liquid soap ( like for your hands ) would have the same result?

beenthere · April 19, 2005, 09:23:11 AM

I can't quite fathom the idea of using oil to lubricate the chain, and at the same time adding 'soap' that breaks down the oil so it cannot lubricate. Something about this idea doesn't sound quite right.

But I'm all ears if it works.

I get some slight 'burnished' look on my chains (could call it a crust which I think is the topic) from the oak (white and red) that I cut, but have never found it to build up where I thought it was a problem sharpening the chain or that it gets any degree of thickness to it. Maybe I am missing something (not the first time :D )

Gypo Logger · April 19, 2005, 09:43:14 AM

Hello Redpowered, it's an Oregon 20" Rollernose bar about 30 years old. I got it brandnew from Z4lunch.
John

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