Skip Tooth vs. Full House: When to Use Skip Chain in Australian Hardwood

Most chainsaw chains you buy off the shelf are "Full House" (Standard). This means there is a cutter on every available link pair.

But if you look at the saws used by professional arborists or millers running long bars (24" to 36"+), you will notice something missing: Half the teeth are gone.

This is Skip Tooth chain. And if you are cutting big Australian timber, it might be the upgrade you didn't know you needed.

The Logic: Chip Clearance is King

A chainsaw doesn't just cut wood; it has to transport that wood out of the cut.

Imagine you are burying a 28-inch bar into a massive Red Gum log.

  • Every single tooth takes a bite of wood.

  • That chip has to ride in the gullet (the space in front of the tooth) all the way to the end of the cut to be ejected.

  • The Jam: If you have too many teeth (Full House), the gullets fill up with chips before they exit the cut. The chips get compressed, creating friction. The saw bogs down, not because it lacks power, but because it is "constipated" with sawdust.

The Solution: Skip Tooth

Skip Tooth chain has a wider spacing between cutters.3 It typically removes every second cutter.

 

  • Full House: Left Cutter – Drive Link – Right Cutter

  • Skip Tooth: Left Cutter – Drive Link – Drive Link – Right Cutter

The Advantages

  1. Better Chip Clearance: With fewer teeth, there is huge empty space between them. This allows the chain to carry large amounts of chips out of a long cut without clogging.

  2. Higher RPM: Fewer teeth in the wood means less drag. Your saw keeps its RPMs high, which keeps the cooling fan working and the clutch engaged.

  3. Faster Sharpening: There are literally half as many teeth to file.

The Disadvantage

  • Vibration: With fewer teeth stabilizing the chain, it can vibrate more, especially when starting a cut.

  • Rougher Cut: It leaves a slightly rougher finish (not ideal for fine pruning, but fine for felling).

The Australian Rule of Thumb

When should you switch from Standard (Full House) to Skip Tooth? It depends on your Bar Length.

Bar Length Recommended Chain Why?
12" to 20" Full House (Standard) Short travel distance. Chips clear easily. Full House is smoother.
24" to 28" Semi-Skip / Skip The "Grey Zone." In hard Ironbark, Skip helps prevent bogging.
32" and up Skip Tooth (Essential) Essential. A Full House chain will almost certainly stall the saw in dense wood.

The Verdict:

If you are running a big bar (24"+) and find your saw is bogging down even though the chain is sharp, don't buy a bigger saw. Try a Skip Tooth Chain. It’s the cheapest horsepower upgrade you can buy.

[Shop Skip Tooth Chains]