Chainsaw questions

I guess we can talk about chainsaws, I know most of you guys own one.

I've got this Poulan 44cc (46cc?) chainsaw with an 18" bar.

I've cut several small trees with it. The other day I decided to cut down this cherry tree that finally gave up the ghost last fall. It was about 16" at the base and 10 feet tall.

I hope I never have to cut a cherry tree down again! This is hardest wood I've ever cut. Luckily I work with a women who's husband operates his own sawmill and deals in high end wood and was happy to remove it from my property so I didn't have to cut it up.

Eventually the blades on the chain got dull and it would barely cut. I bought one of those 12V sharpeners and sharpened the teeth on the chain.

By this time the cherry tree is gone so I proceeded to cut up a dead pine that had fallen. Now my chainsaw is going through the pine like nobody's business. Like butter.

So I got back to what's left of the cherry tree (some branches the guy didn't want) and after cutting 4" branches into two sections, the chain is so dull it won't even cut through a dead pine tree.

Questions:

Since I got the chain somewhat hot cutting down the cherry tree, is it possibly the chain has lost its temper? And that's why it went dull quickly?

I bought a new chain at Lowe's just in case.

I was wondering if it's possibly to heat the chain up on a stove eye and get it hot then dip it in cold water. Has anybody had any luck doing this?

Also the chain sometimes comes off the bar. Is this a sign the bar is bent? Chain just getting loose? Too tight? Or something I'm doing causing it to come off?

Chains are cheap, I keep several on hand when I plan on cutting up dead falls or clearing brush on my farm. I have one of those chain sharpeners and use it when I have a rainy day to sharpen all the chains on hand. A loose chain will come off the bar so check your owner's manual on properly adjusting the chain. Cherry is considered a hard wood and pine a soft wood so the cherry would tend to put a hurt on chain fast. Also you saw might be a bit small and under powered for cutting the cherry up.
Tom

Dead wood can be very hard.

Regarding losing the temper on the chain links, I think that, if anything, you may have done that with your sharpener. Very easy to do; if they turn blue, you've done it. I sharpen mine with a 5/32" round file, trying to take the same number of strokes on each tooth. It usually only takes three or four strokes if you don't let them get too dull.

cpurvis said:

Dead wood can be very hard.

Regarding losing the temper on the chain links, I think that, if anything, you may have done that with your sharpener. Very easy to do; if they turn blue, you've done it. I sharpen mine with a 5/32" round file, trying to take the same number of strokes on each tooth. It usually only takes three or four strokes if you don't let them get too dull.

Click to expand...

Yes at some point the chain turned blue or purple while trying to cut this tree down. So I figured I destroyed it in the process.

I might as well put my new chain on and throw the other one away.