Lubricating Saw Chain
In General:
Saw chain revolves around the bar at approximately
50 feet per second, depending on engine type, size and
bar length. That means extreme friction wherever any
two parts rub: rivets against drive links, tie straps against
drive links, drive links against cutters, and the entire
chain against the guide bar. Without proper lubrication
between the friction faces, the parts will rapidly
deteriorate and eventually wear themselves out.
All chain saws have chain oiling systems. Some are
automatic and some are adjustable automatic. With
either the oil is pumped into the bar groove, where it is
“scooped” up by the passing drive link.
The Advantages of Oilomatic
®
Chain:
STIHL saw chain has the patented Oilomatic
®
system. An oil channel incorporated into each drive link
allows the oil to flow directly between the friction faces
and lubricate the most critical flexing components.
Oilomatic
®
means longer life for both the bar and the
chain, and also less frequent sharpening.
A further development of the Oilomatic
®
system is
the oil reservoir next
to the channel on
3/8” extended pitch,
.325” .063”, 3/8” .063
chain provides more
oil to distribute
along the chain
groove and guide
rails as the chain
travels along the
bottom of the bar.
54
Chain length depends on the length of the bar and is
measured by drive links. Each STIHL bar has the number
of required drive links stamped into the tail of the bar.
Tie straps connect the cutters and the drive links
together with rivets. A tie strap with rivets already
mounted is called a preset tie strap.
Cutters: Each cutter has the cutting edge itself and the
ramp in front of the cutting edge, called the
depth gauge,
which leads the cutter into the wood and determines
how large a “bite” the cutter will take. If the depth gauge
is too high, the chain will cut very slowly; if the depth
gauge is too low, the cutter will grab too much wood and
jam, perhaps causing kickback. On saw chains, cutters
are positioned so that each right-hand cutter alternates
with a left-hand cutter.
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