Runnning a saw is FUN when…

[jcarlberg]

…the darn thing has power.

Bucked darn near a full cord this afternoon. Just yesterday finally got around to putting a 28 inch bar on the 390 XP. It was like a whole new world opened up. Not really huge wood but the saw was nicely balanced with the longer bar (originally came with a 20). Sure, the saw is heavier than (say) my MS 400, but it cuts so much faster that it’s basically a wash.

Anyway; just a nice afternoon in the woods. About 24 degrees; great for working!

 

[Woodwackr]

A 20” on a 390 would be good…with at least a 9t sprocket

 

[Sloughfoot]

…the darn thing has power.

Bucked darn near a full cord this afternoon. Just yesterday finally got around to putting a 28 inch bar on the 390 XP. It was like a whole new world opened up. Not really huge wood but the saw was nicely balanced with the longer bar (originally came with a 20). Sure, the saw is heavier than (say) my MS 400, but it cuts so much faster that it’s basically a wash.

Anyway; just a nice afternoon in the woods. About 24 degrees; great for working!

Big name brand saws come with bars two sizes too small and small off brand saws come with bars two sizes too big.
Silliness.

 

[IffykidMn]

…the darn thing has power.

Bucked darn near a full cord this afternoon. Just yesterday finally got around to putting a 28 inch bar on the 390 XP. It was like a whole new world opened up. Not really huge wood but the saw was nicely balanced with the longer bar (originally came with a 20). Sure, the saw is heavier than (say) my MS 400, but it cuts so much faster that it’s basically a wash.

Anyway; just a nice afternoon in the woods. About 24 degrees; great for working!

How does the weight difference feel around cord 5-6-7-?

 

[jcarlberg]

How does the weight difference feel around cord 5-6-7-?

I’ll let you know when I get there!

But early impressions are less overall work when cuts are quite a bit faster. JMHO of course!

 

[Outback]

I took a cord out of 1 tree in under an hour and a half including loading time and noodling the bottom quarter of the tree into quarters. Two ported 395's with 28" bars. It was a big doug fir, didn't take the top or the last bit of the bottom. I don't pick up saws that heavy if I can avoid it now. I had my sisters boyfriend to help load it, but I did all the cutting. The trip can be real quick if your young.

 

[IffykidMn]

I’ll let you know when I get there!

But early impressions are less overall work when cuts are quite a bit faster. JMHO of course!

I do not disagree for big wood I like a 90cc standing in one spot bucking all day but somewhere around tank 5-6-7 I am running out of steam and switching to a 70cc I can go a few tanks longer.

So I always questioned my choices of which saw actually cut more wood at the end of a long day of cutting.

 

[jcarlberg]

I do not disagree for big wood I like a 90cc standing in one spot bucking all day but somewhere around tank 5-6-7 I am running out of steam and switching to a 70cc I can go a few tanks longer.

So I always questioned my choices of which saw actually cut more wood at the end of a long day of cutting.

Usually if I work with my 50cc for a day I love it, or the 67cc for a day I love that one, etc etc etc

 

[Woodwater]

I always questioned my choices of which saw actually cut more wood at the end of a long day of cutting.

The one wich is ported.

 

[davidwyby]

I prefer to “stand up and buck” with a 90cc around 32” to reaching with a 70cc.

 

[jcarlberg]

I prefer to “stand up and buck” with a 90cc around 32” to reaching with a 70cc.

I still only know about 1% of what there is to know, but I keep learning. Totally agree; I am finding my first couple of days working with a 28 inch bar to be a totally different experience - less reaching, much more balanced saw, power to burn for what I am doing. Just this evening I started bucking the biggest tree I've ever cut (fallen green ash in our local forest). For around here, it's pretty big wood. So nice to be working with a properly set up saw, I just can't get over it. Best part is the tree has been laying for awhile so is dry & will be good to split and sell sooner than later.

 

[Jusgunn3]

I try to use the smallest saw I can for the job, so in smallish stuff the 346xp gets the work. That wears a 20” .325 bar with and pulls it with ease, the 359 wears a 24”. The 365sp wears a 28 and I have a 32” on my 390xp, it gets heavy after a while for me but it tears through the big wood. My 2100CD will wear a 36-44 for the big trees. All ported saws so they can handle the B/C being a little bigger than stock. Oh and they are all fun to run, except when the chain is dull!

 

[davidwyby]

I tend to run longer bars in smaller and softer wood and shorter in hard wood. I cut a large variety of sizes and hardnesses.

For example, 359, 24” for working small trees or firewood, but if I’m gonna bury 24” in dry hard eucalyptus or coast live oak, I use 70cc. Or the 359 buried I run 20”. 75-80cc I might fell and limb 32” softwood, buck logs to length, but 32” buried firewooding is 90cc.


Big Euc…395 36”/3120 42” square ground four oh four!

…but then I might run 42” 3/8” skip on the 395 felling.

 

[IffykidMn]

I do not disagree for big wood I like a 90cc standing in one spot bucking all day but somewhere around tank 5-6-7 I am running out of steam and switching to a 70cc I can go a few tanks longer.

I prefer to “stand up and buck” with a 90cc around 32” to reaching with a 70cc.

might be true at 6ft?, if you stood 5-7" would you still want a 32" for the ground reach?

 

[davidwyby]

might be true at 6ft?, if you stood 5-7" would you still want a 32" for the ground reach?

Nope. Prolly 28”?

 

[Woodwackr]

Nope. Prolly 28”?

I'm 5 -10...well used to be...used a 24. Most of the 6' guys used 28s

 

[hacskaroly]

I'm 5 -10...well used to be...used a 24. Most of the 6' guys used 28s

Shoot, then that means I will need a 36" bar at least being 6'8"...

 

[jcarlberg]

Shoot, then that means I will need a 36" bar at least being 6'8"...

I’m 5’8” so if I put a 36 on the 390 the combination is actually taller than me

 

[Catbuster]

might be true at 6ft?, if you stood 5-7" would you still want a 32" for the ground reach?

At 5’6, I like a 28 for reach. 32 is a little unwieldy unless I really need it due to wood size. 25 is good, a little lighter for working overhead, but I prefer the 28.

I’ve also noticed that the length of the spacing of the front handle to the back handle matters. The shorter that is, the more “flickable” the tip of the bar is, and it’s one of the reasons I’ve found I like the 1128s over my 441s lately, the powerhead is shorter and I don’t have to work my arms as hard moving around.

 

[IffykidMn]

A 20” on a 390 would be good…with at least a 9t sprocket

I prefer a 24" on a 592 with an 8 pin

some individuals are short some tall, young and old, some buck on the ground others in piles/decks or in the tree, from doug fir to eucalyptus, some it is one tank a day others it may be 10. not one size fits all.