Long bar - Skip tooth chain?

[ajschainsaws]

Ok fair point I was thinking about taking the 6100 to maximum cutting length and see how much this saw has got in there

 

[huskstihl]

It's all personal preference.
Skip bores just fine

If anything, chip clearance is a bigger deal with bore cutting. When the chain jambs up on a bore cut, the power head gets shot out, usually right at u'r nuts.

 

[Wilhelm]

I want to get a long bar for my Makita 7910 to help out a buddy cut up a large silver maple and willow. I usually run a 24" bar but from his description I may need something longer. I have done the oiler mod and it really oils now. I have a line on a 32" GB in 3/8" .050 105 dl.

Please excuse my ignorance, but I am wondering what chain to get for this bar? It's not green wood, it's been down since fall. Never bought a chain this long. Should I get a Skip tooth. Is that in order? Or What chain?

The 7910 is muffler modded and will probably have the 272 coil installed by then. I don't plan on using this set up often, just trying to help a buddy out this spring.

Go full comp with confidence!

Dolmar PS-7900, stock other than a mild muffler mod, 36" Iggesund Forest R2 bar, 3/8" .058" 115DL full complement Carlton chisel chain, in a semi dry walnut root ball (unearthed about a year earlier):

I had no issues regarding power, oiling (stock oiler mind You) nor chip clearance.

If skip tooth is hard to come by in You area just get Yourself a full comp loop, put it on Your PS-7910 and enjoy the ride!

Besides, it is easy to grind off every third tooth if You feel the need for a full skip chain!

 

[KiwiBro (deleted)]

I feel 32" is pushing it for my 7900 with the stock oiler output, especially bucking gum logs, especially dead ones. Prefer skip chain now in gums because clearance is a problem with full comp' chain for me. Was going to do the oiler mod and may still do so, but am probably having to buy a bigger saw anyway, if I can afford it.

 

[Shawn Curry]

Full skip can be a bit rough in small diameter wood, but cuts great as long as you have 3+ cutters in the wood at a time.

The "three in the cut rule" - I first heard of that in regards to bandsaw blade selection, and for the same reason.

I also prefer skip for 28" and up. My guess is, you will sharpen them both, and then choose skip.

 

[mdavlee]

Semi skip

 

[Backtroller]

Since I first posted this I've gotten rid of both the 24" and the 32" and went with a nice and light Sugi 28". I wish I would have done that from the beginning...I would have saved a lot of money. I shortened the 105dl skip to 93dl and will make a full 93dl for it too. I'll buy a few more of each.

After it's ported I think that this bar and chain(s) combo will be perfect in any wood.

 

[KiwiBro (deleted)]

Since I first posted this I've gotten rid of both the 24" and the 32" and went with a nice and light Sugi 28". I wish I would have done that from the beginning...I would have saved a lot of money. I shortened the 105dl skip to 93dl and will make a full 93dl for it too. I'll buy a few more of each.

After it's ported I think that this bar and chain(s) combo will be perfect in any wood.

Is it just me that finds it interesting how our bar length choices seem to float around over time? I started with a 20" Tsumura, then 24" then 32" and find the 32" seems to stay on the saw nowadays and I use a smaller saw with smaller bar instead if I want less reach rather than change bars.

If I could find a 18" picco bar for the small saw, I'd probably give the 20" Tsumura bar away.

Essentially, each saw seems to end up wearing the maximum sized bar it can handle.

 

[Wilhelm]

My 36" B&C setup has a total of a few cuts on it!
Both my PS-6400 & PS-7900 wear a 20" B&C main setup, which equals to 18" on the PS-7900 due to the large US style spikes.

I bucked up about 18 cubic meters of oak, beech and hornbeam logs these last two/three weeks with my PS-7900@20" - it fits my needs perfectly!

I have yet to order and receive my own firewood logs and am considering to order "large diameter" logs on purpose just for the fun of it.

My PS-7900's handling goes downhill with the 36" B&C setup!
But PH power and oiling are not an issue.

I might like a 24" or 28" B&C setup for my PS-7900, but 20" is more than sufficient and having lesser B&C sizes makes it easier to track and store spare chains and bars.

 

[Jon1212]

Is it just me that finds it interesting how our bar length choices seem to float around over time? I started with a 20" Tsumura, then 24" then 32" and find the 32" seems to stay on the saw nowadays and I use a smaller saw with smaller bar instead if I want less reach rather than change bars.

If I could find a 18" picco bar for the small saw, I'd probably give the 20" Tsumura bar away.

Essentially, each saw seems to end up wearing the maximum sized bar it can handle.

Very good post, and very valid points made.

My preferences in 3/8 are;
20" for 60cc's
24" for 70cc's
28" for 80cc's
32"+ for 90cc's
I have been running a 32" RW Oregon on my 395, and though I know the saw will handle much more, (as with all my saw set ups) I prefer to operate under the "more power is better" theory.

The upside to CAD is that [we] can try every bar, and chain set up without having to remove a single bar nut......LOL!

 

[Philbert]

I shortened the 105dl skip to 93dl and will make a full 93dl for it too. I'll buy a few more of each.

Let us know how the different chains compare in your cutting?

Essentially, each saw seems to end up wearing the maximum sized bar it can handle.

I think each saw has a sweet spot in the combination of: powerhead, sprocket, bar, and chain. Might not be the longest bar. Might have to do with balance vs capacity. But the right combo will also vary in the type of cutting one does, the type of wood, etc. One guy's 'limbing saw' is another guy's 'all around saw'.

One of my saws (50cc) came with a 20 inch bar that I felt was too long, so I got a 16 inch bar for it. Kept them both, and use it like a socket set - switching out components according to the task. Some guys have dedicated saws for specific tasks - mine get used for a variety of things.

Philbert

 

[huskihl]

My first real experience with chip clearance was a couple weeks ago. My 066 with 36" square filed lpx and my 7900 with 28" square both were very slow noodling poplar. Crosscutting, I can bury the bars and load the motor. But I really had to dog in and pull up on the rear handle to keep noodling. I need to try a couple loops of skip

 

[mdavlee]

I like 28-34" for 70cc. 50" for 90cc if I need a real long bar.

 

[stihl saws]

Very good post, and very valid points made.

My preferences in 3/8 are;
20" for 60cc's
24" for 70cc's
28" for 80cc's
32"+ for 90cc's
I have been running a 32" RW Oregon on my 395, and though I know the saw will handle much more, (as with all my saw set ups) I prefer to operate under the "more power is better" theory.

The upside to CAD is that [we] can try every bar, and chain set up without having to remove a single bar nut......LOL!

Very solid advice there. The more you play with stuff, the more you understand what makes a good combo.

 

[stihl saws]

My first real experience with chip clearance was a couple weeks ago. My 066 with 36" square filed lpx and my 7900 with 28" square both were very slow noodling poplar. Crosscutting, I can bury the bars and load the motor. But I really had to dog in and pull up on the rear handle to keep noodling. I need to try a couple loops of skip

I have no experience with square filed, but the biggest problem I have noodling is keeping the noodles clearing the clutch cover. West coast style or not.

 

[huskihl]

I have no experience with square filed, but the biggest problem I have noodling is keeping the noodles clearing the clutch cover. West coast style or not.

The best I've used for noodling is a 7900. The taper inside allows them to flow through nicely. If a guy noodles alot, I'd pick up an AM clutch cover and cut off the lower left 1/3. Then they just fall out

 

[stihl saws]

I've got a 6400, but haven't tried it noodling yet. Always ran Stihl saws. Haha!

 

[huskihl]

I've got a 6400, but haven't tried it noodling yet. Always ran Stihl saws. Haha!

Other than power, the 6400 will noodle as good as any. Very few sharp corners inside the cover

 

[CR888]

If the wood in question is really dry/hard, skip will be faster & less taxing on the power head but will be blunt a LOT faster. The more cutters you divide the work between, the longer you chain will last. Yesterday I was bucking a dead well seasoned swamp gum and I had RM in both skip & f/c, initially skip was faster but would dull 2x+ faster. This was pretty nasty wood which I could easily stall my M/Mind ms660 with 18" b/c by lifting the r/handle with dawgs set. Went through 8 freshly ground chains in not much over an hours work!

 

[KiwiBro (deleted)]

Went through 8 freshly ground chains in not much over an hours work!

Crazy stuff some of the dry gum. I've only six, 32" chains, most of which are skip but when bucking a dry gum for firewood recently, it was about one chain per 1.5m of log if that. The sort of ugly bastid log where the grain does a full 360 degrees around the log in about 1.5m too. But it was big and I wanted to see if it was just the first 4" of sap wood that was spiraling. Tried splitting it today but gave up after about an hour. I should have not even considered it as firewood after I was producing noodles just cross cutting it. Am very glad I saved out a 5m log from it though because the grain is all over the place and has that fiddleback type of figure going on. Looking forward to slabbing it but not looking forward to sharpening multiple 72" loops, even the mega-skip RX ripping chain that has relatively bugger all cutters.