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Help me pick out a 20" bar and chain

Started by kellysguy, June 28, 2015, 07:39:56 PM

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kellysguy

Husky 365 that has a badly worn 20" bar. I figure that I like the saw so I might as well buy a new 20" and keep this one for "hazardous duty"  ;D.  I want a decent bar and chain (maybe skip tooth?) but I don't want to spend top "pro" grade money. I also suck at filing chains and I'm still learning. I wouldn't mind buying top notch stuff but not until  know what I am doing. Nothing more than semi-chisel.

Yeah yeah yeah, I know, "It all depends on what you plan to cut".....

Well, I plan on cutting wood..... ;D for everything else...hopefully I'll be using the old bar and chain. :D

DDDfarmer

What area are you in?  I'm in Ontario and this is where I buy from, http://www.cutterschoice.com/shop.aspx    I use the forestry pro bars, I'm no forestry pro myself but I do like to use good equipment.
Treefarmer C5C with cancar 20 (gearmatic 119) winch, Husky 562xp 576xp chainsaws

Pine Ridge

I've had good luck with oregon power match bars and oregon lpx chain on my 372 XPs, i run 20" bars on the two i use. They are decently priced. The lpx chain will dull quickly in dirty wood, but cuts pretty fast in normally clean wood. The sharpening will come to ya in time, get good file, file handle, flat file and raker gauge. When i was younger everybody told me how to file a chain, and after i hit a million rocks i can now sharpen freehand pretty good, just like everything it takes practice.
Husqvarna 550xp , 2- 372xp and a 288xp, Chevy 4x4 winch truck

SawTroll

Quote from: DDDfarmer on June 28, 2015, 08:43:55 PM
What area are you in?  I'm in Ontario and this is where I buy from, http://www.cutterschoice.com/shop.aspx    I use the forestry pro bars, I'm no forestry pro myself but I do like to use good equipment.
An issue with web-sites like that is that you often don't really know what you are buying - only what somene called it....
Information collector.

lumberjack48

  I loved the bars that had the one rivet exchangeable roller nose, fast and easy to change in the field. The roller nose lasts 4 times longer if you don't grease it. I mean don't ever touch it with a grease gun. I had to throw my grease guns out into the woods. My crew would not listen, so i took every one i could find and threw-em in the woods as far as i could. Run full chisel chain all the time or you'll never learn how to sharpen it. Its act-chilly easier to sharpen then the semi chisel chain is.  Just make sure the top edge of the cutter is sharp from the outer edge to the very tip. If you file to high your cuter will start to look like its starting to lay down. If you file to deep it will start to look like a big nose sticking out. Watch real close when your filing and you'll see right away what i'm talking about. You want just a little bit of the file higher then the cutter. Once you learn what your doing wrong, [[ You Got It ]] Make sure to cut the rakers, 25 thou. in hardwood, 30 thou. in softwood.
This is a bar i would buy, replaceable nose is reasonable
http://www.cutterschoice.com/templates/product.aspx?ProductGuid=41031&GroupGuid=122

Third generation logger, owner operator, 30 yrs felling experience with pole skidder. I got my neck broke back in 89, left me a quad. The wife kept the job going up to 96.

SawTroll

Quote from: lumberjack48 on July 08, 2015, 02:04:48 PM
  I loved the bars that had the one rivet exchangeable roller nose, fast and easy to change in the field. The roller nose lasts 4 times longer if you don't grease it. I mean don't ever touch it with a grease gun. I had to throw my grease guns out into the woods. My crew would not listen, so i took every one i could find and threw-em in the woods as far as i could. Run full chisel chain all the time or you'll never learn how to sharpen it. Its act-chilly easier to sharpen then the semi chisel chain is.  Just make sure the top edge of the cutter is sharp from the outer edge to the very tip. If you file to high your cuter will start to look like its starting to lay down. If you file to deep it will start to look like a big nose sticking out. Watch real close when your filing and you'll see right away what i'm talking about. You want just a little bit of the file higher then the cutter. Once you learn what your doing wrong, [[ You Got It ]] Make sure to cut the rakers, 25 thou. in hardwood, 30 thou. in softwood.
This is a bar i would buy, replaceable nose is reasonable
http://www.cutterschoice.com/templates/product.aspx?ProductGuid=41031&GroupGuid=122

I agree with most of what you said there, specially what you said about filing chisel chain and looking closely at what you are doing - but the rakers need to be taken gradually deeper as the cutters are filed back. Use a progressive raker guide, like the Husky ones.
I agree with your initial raker settings though, and that is where the soft vs. hard options of those guides start (on new chain).  :)

I wouldn't say the tips last 4 times as long when not greasing them, but I stopped greasing them over a decade ago. The bar oil will keep them lubed, if you never greased them.

Also, I wouldn't buy a bar that I don't know what really is - but if you have used several of those and like them, I assume they are OK.

Be aware that vendors that are having products rebranded for them some times change their products and even suppliers without notise though.
Information collector.

Cut4fun

Quote from: SawTroll on July 01, 2015, 04:42:04 PM
An issue with web-sites like that is that you often don't really know what you are buying - only what somene called it....
Quote from: DDDfarmer on June 28, 2015, 08:43:55 PM
What area are you in?  I'm in Ontario and this is where I buy from, http://www.cutterschoice.com/shop.aspx    I use the forestry pro bars, I'm no forestry pro myself but I do like to use good equipment.

Not in this case Niko.

Name brand bars with their logo is all.  Great bars IMO. 
We have a thread with which  FPB is made by which top brand maker.  ;)

Dixon700

For about the last 9 years I've had stihl saws I've ran stihl rollomatic bars with great luck. They seem to last long before wearing out. I've thought of trying a shindawa lightweight bar though.
Ms 460 mag 25" b/c muffler modded 010av  14" b/c
94 case 580sk 04.5 ram 2500

SawTroll

OK, it may just be that I don't know that brand - do they have their own factory, and where is it?
Information collector.

Dixon700

Also have mostly run stihl rapid super chains.
Ms 460 mag 25" b/c muffler modded 010av  14" b/c
94 case 580sk 04.5 ram 2500

Cut4fun

The ones they showed F pro are German made and I have them branded under Carlton too.

The even better at cutters are  branded F pro ultra are Japan made tsumura or here Total Super.

sandsawmill14

i only run the stihl roller tip bars and stihl full chisel chain most of the time but i run stihl saws.  the stilh chain loops are only about $3 higher than the oregon chain and i like them better. IMO you would be better of getting a husky pro grade roller tip bar as it will last for years as long as you keep your oiler working properly. far as the chain oregon full chisel cut FAST right out of the box better than the stihl i think but seems to dull faster I dont really notice it cutting as i sharpen after every tank of gas but i get less days out of the oregon chain. but if i need chains when the truck comes by the mill i will get a few while hes there to save a trip to town.  oregon is good chain i just prefer the stihl.
if you are not familiar with running saws over 60cc be VERY CAREFUL if you go with the chisel type chains kickback is dangerous!!! you can google chainsaw kickback if you need a picture :o
i know i talked about stihl but my brother runs a 395 husky and you can change stihl to husky and i still stand by what i said as we make no difference between the 2 companies
hudson 228, lucky knuckleboom,stihl 038 064 441 magnum

SawTroll

Quote from: Cut4fun on July 08, 2015, 09:07:49 PM
The ones they showed F pro are German made and I have them branded under Carlton too.

Sounds familiar (and fits with the looks). I understand those are very heavy bars of good quality?
Information collector.

weimedog

I'm going to get skewered when I say the following.... Sugihara.. love them. But the distribution got effed up and now they are too expensive for what they are. Used to get them for $55-60 $bucks. IF they were still in that price range I would still buy them. SO this last year or two I've been hunting options.... cheap and expensive. AND have decided there are two bar brands I like that I can get locally. Stihl and Total. With the Stihl I have to take "crap" from my friends, use .050 chain, and also have to use an adapter from bailey's. Total is priced right, looks right, and right now is my choice.... with Oregon chain. BTW I'm also a fan of Stihl brand chain as well.... but in the interest of keeping things consistent I use .058 Oregon lgx.
Husqvarna 365sp/372xpw Blend, Jonsered 2171 51.4mm XPW build,562xp HTSS, 560 HTSS, 272XP, 61/272XP, 555, 257, 242, 238, Homelite S-XL 925, XP-1020A, Super XL (Dad's saw); Jonsered 2094, Three 920's, CS-2172, Solo 603; 3 Huztl MS660's (2 54mm and 1 56mm)

JohnG28

Walt, you sure you don't just take out the yellow link in the Stihl chain?  :D
Stihl MS361, 460 & 200T, Jonsered 490, Jonsereds 90, Husky 350 & 142, Homelite XL and Super XL

SawTroll

Quote from: weimedog on July 10, 2015, 08:56:36 AM
I'm going to get skewered when I say the following.... Sugihara.. love them. But the distribution got effed up and now they are too expensive for what they are. Used to get them for $55-60 $bucks. IF they were still in that price range I would still buy them. SO this last year or two I've been hunting options.... cheap and expensive. AND have decided there are two bar brands I like that I can get locally. Stihl and Total. With the Stihl I have to take "crap" from my friends, use .050 chain, and also have to use an adapter from bailey's. Total is priced right, looks right, and right now is my choice.... with Oregon chain. BTW I'm also a fan of Stihl brand chain as well.... but in the interest of keeping things consistent I use .058 Oregon lgx.

Try some LPX, it is a little fasre and smoother than both RS and LGX - but no big deal.

Total is rebranded Tsumura (although it hasn't always been), likely the best bar brand out there - and rebranded for others as well (at least Jonsered, Carlton and Laser).
Information collector.

barbender

I have both Oregon Power Match and what used to be Windsor Speed Tip bars, both good bars. The Windsors, I don't even know who owns or makes them anymore or if the quality is the same as they seem to have something new painted on them every 6 months.
Too many irons in the fire

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