TRINITY'S 3rd annual 2012/2013 icing challenge

[DetectorGuy]

G-men...This info was not in the [glow=red,2,300]master dive plan[/glow]... but still consider it an olive branch from the friendly folks up North .

[popolarbear]

Did we ever figure out what the Ice challenge is this year?

[scubafreek864]

I think that the jury is still out on that one...  ;D

We will know when we find it next weekend... Hint, hint, hint.  >  ;D

[Hydro]

Ice on tonka is 20 inches.. big pressure ridge in the main lake.. ice is just about perfect and clear right now.. at least one ice boat was talking advantage of the conditions.... did two holes and ran out of gas.. gonna grind off my rakers tomorrow as its not agressive enough bite.... vis was about 10-15 great light penetration for cloudy day

[DetectorGuy]

If I had to do it all over again, I would have cut less off the rakers. I made the mistake of cutting them off completely before even trying it. That was too much. It cuts like a banshee until I get all the way through the ice, then the teeth are like paddles with no rakers to "block" each of the teeth from grabbing a big gulp of water. It bogs my saw right down. I took a hint from Trinity and marked the depths on the side of the bar so I can do a plunge cut off to the side and confirm the ice thickness. After I know the thickness I cut the hole 2" less all the way around before getting into the actual water.

[Hydro]

Hurmm well theres a pond I can test cut to check.. thanks for the tip... with the rakers set for wood it is just no good.

[Terry]

                      Hey Guys, Sorry I couldn't make it yesterday, I've got the fever, (and no not what some of you suggested) should be good in a couple days.
                      On those rakers Joe/John, each raker is attached to the tooth immediately behind it, and sets the bite, by grinding them down (a lot or at all) it will allow the tooth to stand up and take a more aggressive bite. On my old McColloh I ground them a little and tried it and it speeded up nicely, so I ground them again, and the speed didn't change, but now if I leaned the saw into the ice, and pushed it hard it would stop the chain. I tried the same thing with my huge husky, with 4" more bar and twice the cc's and she's done fine, even during the punch-thru you can really lean into it and she'll just keep going.
                    I didn't want to start by commenting that Johns tool is no doubt just too little, (It bogs my saw right down)  :-* Although John is right on that the more you grind the rakers, the more of the lake your going to bring above the ice, once you punch thru.
                    I have about half of the vertical height (or slightly more) of the rakers ground on the husky, I dont know that I would grind them to nothing. I remember bringing my saw back into the shop for something shortly after I ground them, and the service guy looked at it and asked, "who ground the rakers?" I said "I did".  He said, its not legal in like 37 states. I asked why, and he said with the rakers ground (at all) or especially to nothing, the potential for kickback goes up the more you grind off, (and the potential to snap/derail the chain) and he said with a smaller guy like me handling such a huge tool, to make sure to never put it into wood. I told him not to worry, been running a chainsaw for decades AND I'd tried it, ohhh, and she'll really cut but its pretty jumpy, not smooth like a regular chain. He laughed and said, "ya well someday when you drop over dead and your older pharmacist brother ends up with your huge saw, it might be a different ending". He said anytime you grind the rakers it shound be marked to not use on wood.

[DetectorGuy]

Terry, I'll bite if you drop the "big tool" analogies... I didn't want to get tangled up in the conversation about "size" of saws, but I hate to miss the opportunity to come in first place again  > :-X... How much ice can you cut through with that big Husquvarna... 30" maximum cutting ability from what I see on photos with you holding your "big" saw. I might have been misled by the black magic marker stating the depths on the side of the bar on your "big saw". I realize an electrician measured and marked them so the chances are high that there was a layout mistake :-* Well if we get more ice than 30", give me a call and I will come and cut the rest of the depth with my "little" saw. If we get more than 36" of ice, I will need to resort to unconventional means and methods as mine will only cut up to 36" thick ice.

[DetectorGuy]

If you look closely at the last photo of my saw standing straight up in the ice you can see the rakers are missing all together (not recommended). You can also see that when I emulated Terry's idea of marking the depths on the side of the bar, I took it a step further. While no one cuts ice with the bar completely perpendicular to the ice sheet, I also marked the bar for the saw to be at 22 degrees from the ice. The number shown in black ink is the depth of the ice... The line on either side of each number relates to whether the saw is vertical or at a 22 degree angle (to compensate for hypotenuse). Now if I wouldn't have cut the rakers off and had more horsepower like Terry's saw, the depth markers would not be so important.

[Terry]

I already took the bait,  Shooter"


Terry, I'll bite if you drop the "big tool" analogies...



                      Sounds like the honey badgers are about as hungry as a real honey badger.                   

                      I'll be fresh back from Tobaggo by Feb. 23 and no doubt ready for a good reality check, lets plan the Millacs run for that weekend. I know it's a ways out but let me know if your in. It would be fun if we (ever) get more then 30" of ice again, (and I'd be forced to bring in John with his long, although underpowered tool  :-\) to try drilling say 1.25" dia. hole in the ice in a remote area (of a remote lake) and see what that much ice would think of, say a single stick, for a REALLY BIG BOOM! It would be fun to listen to Steve squeal about what a "butchered hole" that would be too. All BS aside John, I was in a saw shop (Twin City Saw) talking with them one day, and told them that I used, a mighty 395W, mainly cutting ice, the manager said, " that's an awful lot of saw, for cutting ice"