iDRY Vacuum Kilns

Sponsors:

pitch and gauge

Started by bedlam, July 07, 2006, 08:50:06 AM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

bedlam

Could someone post the difference and advantages related to the gauge and pitch of chains? I can buy either a .50 or .58  gauge. not sure which would be better and why.
Thanks in advance .
Al

leweee

Check this out  http://www.madsens1.com/Oregon2.htm  ;D

Welcome to the forum.  ;D chain gauge should match with the bar you will use. :P
just another beaver with a chainsaw &  it's never so bad that it couldn't get worse.

rebocardo

What saw are you using, how long is the bar length, and what is its main use going to be?

For most people, the full comp safety chain gives the best all around performance and many if not most of the larger consumer saws (16-20" bars) use the .050 gauge.

bedlam

Many Thanks for the advice. And the link helped alot. I have a Johnsured 2054. Presently have a 16 inch bar and chain on it.Id like to go with a 20 inch to saw some of my larger stumps.Ill be buying a bar and chain combo, thus why I was wondering about the gauge . Ill go with the smaller.
Any links to good sites online to buy from?
Thanks again...

Rocky_J

Bailey's. Best prices and best service on the 'net. And as a bonus, they even help sponsor this fine forum!
8)

jokers

bedlam,

The only concerns for you regarding chain gauge should be what is easiest for you to obtain at the best price and what gauge are any of your other saws/bars/chains for the sake of potential interchangeability? .050 gauge is far more popular than .058 in most areas and the components of the chain are identical with the exception of the width of the drive tangs. In theory .058, having a wider bearing surface, should be easier on the drive sprocket but in reality it isn`t a big deal.

Noone else addressed pitch for you. Pitch, in a general sense(mathmatically also), relates to the size of the tooth and consequently to a few other characteristics such as how fast will the chain cut, how long are the cutters themselves(relating to how much use you may get), how much horsepower does it take, and how much kickback potential does it have.

Taller cutters have a higher kickback potential as they travel around the end of the bar, especially if the bar has a large radius nose. Typically .325 bars have a smaller nose radius than what is necessary on a 3/8 pitch bar so .325 chain coupled with a small nose bar could be considered safer in this area.

3/8 almost always has longer cutters which relates to longer useful life under most circumstances. The one exception that comes to mind is Oregon Vanguard chain whose performance seems to drop dramatically toward the second half of tooth life. Vanguard does however offer excellent performance initially while offering pretty good kickback reduction, it might be a good chain for the rental market.

3/8 chain takes a bigger chip than .325 under almost all circumstances so it does cut faster and it also takes more HP. Your 2054 is sitting on the fence between the .325 and 3/8 when it comes to power. Depending on how much force you put on the saw in the cut could determine what pitch is best for you but I would go with the 3/8 and let the saw rev as freely as it can while still sufficiently loading the motor.

Another factor in choosing chain pitch is what pitch sprocket do you currently have on the saw and are you going to change it out? It`s always a good idea to start new chain with a new sprocket and have two or three chains that you evenly rotate throuugh the life of the sprocket, but if you aren`t going to change the sprocket you must stay with whatever pitch you are currently running.

I agree with Rebocardo`s statement to the extent that most operators using bars between 16" and 20" get the best performance from full comp chain. I disagree that safety chain gives the best performance or that it is even a viable option for even a moderately skilled operator.

I`ll also give a thumbs up to Bailey`s on the price and variety of chain and bars. I recomend that you buy a better bar such as an Oregon PowerMatch, Pro Lite, or Windsor Speed Tip and stay away from the cheap laminated bars that they offer. I also don`t feel that the price of the Woodsman Pro bars is warranted for bars under 36"

Woodcarver

Another thumbs up here for Bailey's.  Great service at a reasonable price and a forum sponser to boot.   8)
Just an old dog learning new tricks.......Woodcarver

MFinity

Life was soooo much simpler when I was a lad.  ::)

The choices regarding what pitch and gauge to use were few -

Pitch:fastball, slider, or curve (or, spit for those of you living life on the edge)
Gauge:  12, 16, 20, or .410 

;D


Al_Smith

I too will give Baileys a thumbs up.I place several orders per year with them.

Now then,not to step on anyones toes but full ramped safety chain is soooo slow.It is okay for those less experianced with proper saw operations.Full comp chisel is the way to fly once you gain a little time at the helm,so to speak.

One good reason for running .050 by 3/8" is the fact that Baileys often times has popular sized loops on sale.For example a 72 driver loop[20"] for about 10 bucks or so.Now how can you beat that?

rebocardo

I agree with all that Al. I stayed with safety chain until I was "un"nervous enough and had enough experience where I would not kill myself with full comp.  I still wack myself in the shin once in a while when going to cut a 3" branch with full skip and the saw grabs it instead of cutting it and pulls the whole thing back towards me.

Thank You Sponsors!