Icing chain saws

[DetectorGuy]

I made the mistake of cutting the rakers completely off the new 36" chain before even trying it out. It cuts like a maniac, but maybe takes off a bit too much at a time. I think the trick is to not cut through the ice thickness right away. Its the water getting "pumped up" that bogs the saw down. I hate to admit it (but I took a cue from Trinity) and marked the side of the bar with 4" increments to contorl the depth of the cut fairly close. As so many have told Trinity over the years (many, MANY years) that size doesn't matter so much. The last pic is of Nate taking a break in a hole he was cutting with a 18" saw.
I would do some research on what you want to get before purchasing. Here are some things to think about when putting together a saw: The pitch of the saw versus what is available on the proposed bar (these can be anything but they need to match each other). The width of the kerf in the bar versus the thick of the chain (these can be anything but they need to match each other). The number of teeth per foot of chain (skip tooth is better in my opinion but mine is not). Length of bar (hence the maximum depth of cut with out "double cutting it"). Horsepower of the saw (more is better).