CS gauge: how much tolerance?

[rsser]

Have a CS with .050 chain and bar. And a new spare chain.

Just ordered a replacement Oregon chain/bar combo from the US. It was the right spec for my Husky 345e acc. to Oregon's charts, but digging deeper in Oregon's literature, their chain is .048 gauge (narrow kerf, .325 pitch).

So will the spare .050 work in that do you think? Or too tight/ not worth the risk?

[BobL]

Have a CS with .050 chain and bar. And a new spare chain.

Just ordered a replacement Oregon chain/bar combo from the US. It was the right spec for my Husky 345e acc. to Oregon's charts, but digging deeper in Oregon's literature, their chain is .048 gauge (narrow kerf, .325 pitch).

So will the spare .050 work in that do you think? Or too tight/ not worth the risk?

How worn is the spare chain?

[rsser]

Hi Bob, thanks for replying.

As posted, the spare chain is new ... so no wear.

The context is this:

The Husky manual says to change the bar after every 2 worn chains and the saw is at that point. The new chain is #3.

Just as an aside, with a sharp older chain and a light touch I'm not getting wandering much so I don't think the orig bar is all that worn. But the US deal ($60) looked too good to pass up. A bar and chain for $10 more than the local mower/CS guy wants for just the chain. OK, he's charging what the market will bear and I'm no longer playing ball down here.

[Krunchie]

Im on to about the 5th or 6th chain on my bar *I do tend to chew chains a bit (rocks and other nastier stuff) your bar is not worn out until it is proper knackered. I dress my own bars and I have had little to no trouble with them chain after chain after chain

[rsser]

Thanks K.

Doesn't answer my q. but I guess you're saying I can continue with the first replacement chain and orig. bar.

By 'dress' are you saying you file the bar? What kind of file do you use?

By knackered, what's the signs? The cut can wander but that can be down to several things.

My concern is that unwittingly I've now got chain incompatibility.

[Krunchie]

Thanks K.

Doesn't answer my q. but I guess you're saying I can continue with the first replacement chain and orig. bar.

By 'dress' are you saying you file the bar? What kind of file do you use?


By knackered, what's the signs? The cut can wander but that can be down to several things.

A knackered bar will have pitting or excesive grooves near the tip/roller and near the sprocket

My concern is that unwittingly I've now got chain incompatibility.

i do have 2 .050 thou bars and chains 20''

[BobL]

Hi Bob, thanks for replying.

As posted, the spare chain is new ... so no wear.

In this case the 0.050" chain would not fit the 0.048" bar but you could spread the rails on the new bar so both the 0.050" and 0.048" gauge chain would fit. However, spreading the rails is more difficult than compressing them and why potentially mess up a bar for the cost of another chain. I would have stuck to a 0.050" gauge bar but anyway what's done is done.

The context is this:

The Husky manual says to change the bar after every 2 worn chains and the saw is at that point. The new chain is #3.

That just does not sound right. Usually it's "change the drive sprocket after every two chains". If a bar and chain are well oiled, and the bar is well maintained a bar should last for about a dozen chains.

Provided the bar rails are even in height and not badly chipped or burred the end of a bar is signaled by the bottom of the chain drive links on a new chain coming close (<0.05") to the bottom of the bar groove. This can be measured with a vernier caliper with a depth gauge.

[rsser]

Thanks Bob.

[BobL]

Thanks Bob.

No worries and a belated happy birthday for the the other day.

[Karl Robbers]

I was unaware of a .048 gauge chain even being made. Are you sure it is not .043 as that is a standard gauge, (although I thought it was only used on 1/4" pitch). Your Husky 345 would have originally used oregon 95vp chain which is .050 gauge and I would imagine that your replacement bar will also be the same.
As to the manual saying that a bar should be changed every two chains, that goes in the same bin as the statement to "only use Husqvarna oil" or "only use Stihl oil". Sprockets should probably be closely examined at this point, (hard to judge when you run multiple chains, but you get to know what to look for).
As BobL posted, a bar is worn out when the rails are so worn that a new chain rides on or very close to the bottom of the groove rather than on the rails, even when the groove is sloppy you can either close the rails in, (woodland pro make a beaut tool for this), or use the next gauge up chain.
I think there has probably been a misprint or misunderstanding and you should be okay.

[rsser]

Karl, thanks.

Yes, I did some more digging and I'd say that .048 as listed in the online catalogue I found is inconsistent with everything else I've read. Must've been a typo.

Anyway, the combo will arrive soon and I'll measure the drive link thickness.

Thanks for the birthday wishes Bob. Was a good day, not least for prepping two big lumps of English Elm destined for bowls.

On another matter, the CS gets used as much in ripping mode as X-cut and I wonder whether it's worth dropping the filing angle from 35º to 30 or 25.

[BobL]

Karl, thanks.

Yes, I did some more digging and I'd say that .048 as listed in the online catalogue I found is inconsistent with everything else I've read. Must've been a typo.

Anyway, the combo will arrive soon and I'll measure the drive link thickness.

Thanks for the birthday wishes Bob. Was a good day, not least for prepping two big lumps of English Elm destined for bowls.

On another matter, the CS gets used as much in ripping mode as X-cut and I wonder whether it's worth dropping the filing angle from 35º to 30 or 25.

Why not keep one chain at 35 and one at 10º for ripping - but only if you want a better finish.

[rsser]

Thanks.

Finish is not an issue. Assumed that a lower angle would reduce clogging in the cut and the CS side-cover. Wrong again?

[BobL]

Thanks.

Finish is not an issue. Assumed that a lower angle would reduce clogging in the cut and the CS side-cover. Wrong again?

Its the other way. Higher angle means chain makes more of a side bite which creates a slightly bigger kerf and helps keep the sawdust flowing.

[rsser]

Messes with my mind, this stuff.

How about: lower filing angle reduces the length of the cutting edge and therefore the volume of the shavings for a given rate of chain speed. In principle anyway, all other things equal. Sure, the resulting diff. btwn 35 and 25 degrees eg. is prob. SFA.

Anyway, the replacement Oregon chain and bar combo have arrived and as Karl suspected, it's 050.