The cost of the fire Firing Your Oven Discuss The cost of the fire in the Oven Management forums; Carioca, Do you use a standard chain when cutting iron bark? We have switched to a skip tooth chain and ...

[Wiley]

Carioca, Do you use a standard chain when cutting iron bark?

We have switched to a skip tooth chain and find for our needs it works well, but then our hardest wood is madrone/arbutus, I have had some experience with iron bark in the S Pacific and eucalyptus when I lived in California. The gum wasn't that hard to cut when wet but dried was much harder to cut and split. I would think that in spite of the high cost a carbide chain might be worth the investment if I was cutting iron bark and such like regularly.

Wiley

[berryst]

wow, some of you are using a lot of wood.

I have a 36" x 28". I use a lot of variety. Mostly I use douglas fir, some maple and a little cedar to get things started.

I use about 30 to 35 pounds of wood but I'm going to measure to make sure. I just use what is lying around. There is a lot of wood here in the northwestern US. Madrone is the best but I save that for burning inside the home because it lasts so long. I burn a lot of wood for heating...about 2 cord a year. I don't pay for wood just cut it in the back yard. Once in a while a neighbor needs to get rid of a tree.

Currently I'm working on a covered space for a picnic table. 20'x15' I'm hand splitting cedar shakes. I use the electric log splitter. The hand froe just didn't hold up.

Berryst

[carioca]

Originally Posted by Wiley

Carioca, Do you use a standard chain when cutting iron bark?
....
Wiley

Hello Wiley,

no, so far I've been using the standard Stihl chain - and I've got a bucket full of these soaking in oil for the day when I get around to sharpen them...

But I'll have a look for carbide-tipped chain that you mention.

Cheers,

LMH

[stidik]

Jim,
Your post is extremely interesting and helpful. I'm almost done with a 36 in. Pompeii, so your post answered some of my questions
Thanks,
Stephen