Chain Gauges

[AlfA01]

We get .058 for Husky and .063 for larger Stihls. Small saws come with .050. I was thinking to weed out the .058 chain and keep .050.

Then again, I'd have to get rid of my Husky C-85 X-cut chains and that's not going to happen. Lol. So, I'll be running .058 for a while.

One difference is price. Just comparing eBay prices, you can get a 36" Tsumura in .058 for less than a 28" in .050.

 

[Wilhelm]

I generally run .058" because all my mid and big saws came with it, 18" to 36" bars.
This enables me to run .058" & .050" chains.
I am buying .058" chains, .050" is what I was given - thanks @SOS Ridgerider and @Dub11 .

I have a 20" .050" B&C setup in .404", it is a hard nose bar with round tooth chain.
I got it to try .404", it is OK on my PS-7900 but round tooth is not very fun to run, it's slow.

My small Sachs-Dolmar 105 & 108 run .050" 3/8" Low Profile.
I won't even bother getting regular chains for them anymore.
My SD108 is already running a Stihl Rapid Picco Duro 3, the SD105 will get one too once I spend the regular chains I have for them both.

It is simplest to keep one gauge, if I ever go back to keeping B&C's simple I will go to all .058" on my mid and big saws.

Availability of .058" is good in my area, even better online.

.043" = 1.1mm
.050" = 1.3mm
.058" = 1.5mm
.063" = 1.6mm

 

[qurotro]

I'm using .058 husky bar and 0.063 stihl chain. 3/8 and .404 only available in 0.063 here. And OEM husky chain is 0.058 but no one buy them...

 

[acornhill]

To many chain and bar choices for me, I think there are like 15 different size chains out there now, I use
3/8 x 050 LP on most of my small saws
3/8 x 050 on most medium saws
.325 x 050 on some medium saws
3/8 x 058 on some bigger saws
404 x 050 on some older big saws
404 x 063 on some big saws
I have a roll of 404 x 058 I have never used
I have some 3/8 x 063 I never use



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[Al Smith]

They've kicked gauges around for decades .My avatar saw has .404 58 thou .Trying finding that now of days .They once made .404 in 50 thou .On the other end of the spectrum the 16" bar on my 024 Stihl has .325 by 63 thou .go figure . I've got a 12" bar for a Stihl MS 200T that runs 3/8" lo pro with a 43 thou bar which is also pole pruner size chain .

 

[Bryan Barrow]

I’ve been running .050 because it’s what is available almost everywhere. Also, I have no idea what the price difference is because I’ve never bought anything but .050. However, @3browns brought up a very interesting point. How does a .058 or .063 oil better if it’s being supplied with the same amount of oil as an .050? If you run .058 or .063, does that mean you have to turn the Oiler up to supply more oil?


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[MustangMike]

Presuming your oil pump has the capacity, a higher volume of oil will fit between the two drive links if the groove is wider. I also find that it is harder to "jam the tip" with wood chips with the wider bars (this often seems to happen in some woods when your tip is buried).

Also, the wider drive links on the chain should improve the life of your sprockets.

Running thinner drive link chain in a wider groove bars results in a very messy operation, oil all over the place. Also, since the drive link is too narrow, it will likely not oil the far end of the bar as well (the driver will cut through the oil instead of moving it down).

My 36" bars are .050, but I rarely bury the tips on them. I prefer .063 for my 24" and 28" bars.

 

[3browns]

I’ve been running .050 because it’s what is available almost everywhere. Also, I have no idea what the price difference is because I’ve never bought anything but .050. However, @3browns brought up a very interesting point. How does a .058 or .063 oil better if it’s being supplied with the same amount of oil as an .050? If you run .058 or .063, does that mean you have to turn the Oiler up to supply more oil?


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EXACTLY!!!

If your oiler is maxed out and struggling with say a 28" bar running .050 I can't see how running a heavier gauge will magically cure the problem, much less running even a LONGER bar AND heavier gauge but that is essentially what I have heard and read before

If you have more volume left in your pump and you turn it up on a longer bar with heavier gauge then that makes sense but frequently that bit of info is missing from a thread like this

Not trying to rag on anyone; just trying to educate myself and understand more about the saw universe

I run .050 for the same reason; that's what came on my first and third saws and what I think of as normal hobby chain

Thanks as always for input and clarification

 

[andyshine77]

The theory is the slightly wider driver will carry the oil down the bar better, just like a paddle. This is why there is a notch in the front of the chain driver, it acts as a paddle/scoop to move the oil down the bar. Also the reason it's recommended to use a round file and square up that notch about half way through the chains life. The wider driver should also be a little more stable In the bar groove. In hard wood with a good strong powerhead the thinner driver will get chewed up quicker as well. I run .050" because it's common and works well enough, but the wider gauges are better. If you're starting out fresh I'd go with the wider gauges.[emoji111]

 

[Wilhelm]

. . . .
I have a roll of 404 x 058 I have never used
. . . .

They've kicked gauges around for decades .My avatar saw has .404 58 thou .Trying finding that now of days .They once made .404 in 50 thou .On the other end of the spectrum the 16" bar on my 024 Stihl has .325 by 63 thou .go figure . I've got a 12" bar for a Stihl MS 200T that runs 3/8" lo pro with a 43 thou bar which is also pole pruner size chain .

The man has a roll of it, make him an offer.

 

[Al Smith]

FWIW I have one of the last rolls of .404 by .058


skip chisel chain Baileys ever sold and some full comp chisel and chipper .That saw in the avatar won't see much use if I live to be a hundred and neither will the bar ,I'm set
In the 12-15 years I've had that saw and bar I might have used it less than a half dozen times .

 

[BK13]

I try and run everything at .050 too. But on the longer stuff .063 carrys oil better.

So where's the breakover point? 28"? 32"? I don't know that I'll ever own something over 28", but you never can tell...

 

[Dub11]

So where's the breakover point? 28"? 32"? I don't know that I'll ever own something over 28", but you never can tell...

Good question. I guess it depends on what you cut. Nice green soft wood or dried hard nasty stuff.

 

[MustangMike]

I prefer the .063 on my 24" and 28" bars.

 

[RI Chevy]

Why only those 2 Mike? Because that's what you have? Or is it because .063 is stronger and oils better?
If my theory is correct then you would prefer .063 on any bar 24" or larger. . 063 is clearly the better choice for 32" and 36", and so on up the line...

 

[MustangMike]

I agree with you Jeff, but I could not (easily at my price) get the 36" Light bar in .063.

In 20", I think .050 is fine!

 

[Wilhelm]

After last Thursday I believe the whole "wider gauge oils better" to be a placebo.
I used a A041 converted to K095 3/8" LowProfile .050" laminate bar running PowerSharp on my PS-550, it spewed oil from the bars tip unlike any other B&C setup I own.

As noted, this particular bar has been converted to fit K095 and got a new oiler hole drilled and ground - it's pouring oil but is just .050" gauge.

Think about it, modern saws turn the chain at speeds of 22 meters per second (and up!), there is no time for the oil to fill up the space in a single drive link tang, a negligible wider gauge won't make much of a difference either.

If You use .050" and find that Your B&C setup doesn't oil too well, first check how well the saws oiler slot aligns to the bars oiler hole.
My PS-550 & Sugihara bar were misaligned by 50%, the bars oiler hole was higher than the saws oiling slot.

Just sayin'

 

[RI Chevy]

I agree with you Jeff, but I could not (easily at my price) get the 36" Light bar in .063.

In 20", I think .050 is fine!

I am not sure if I understand your theory then. If I understand correctly, and money was no object then you would have .063 from 24" on up to 36"?
I am just not sure why you prefer. 063 on just 24 and 28? And not on 32 and 36.

 

[MustangMike]

for 24" and 28" it was the same price. For 36" my source could not obtain it, and I was not going to pay a lot more to get it.

Something about what the warehouses carry, talk to them.

 

[RI Chevy]

Hmmm. Very odd. You would think that 32 and 36 were tailor made for .063 chain. Weird...