How is bar length measured?

[rsser]

... by usable length or total length?

Thanks in advance.

[DJ’s Timber]

Usable length

[Bleedin Thumb]

I thought is was how many blokes can line up to it whilst still having space for their beers.

[BobL]

Watch out for "claimed useable length" and "actual usable length". I have a 340 Homelite CS that supposedly has a 20" bar but it only has 19 1/4 " of usable length and when I bought a new a 20" Orgeon bar for it, that is actually 20 1/16" long. It means my new spare chains for the old bar don't fit onto the new oregon bar.

[rsser]

Thanks for the info guys.

I was looking at an ad for a saw that listed a 16" bar. So that would mean it may only have 12-13" usable?

[BobL]

Thanks for the info guys.

I was looking at an ad for a saw that listed a 16" bar. So that would mean it may only have 12-13" usable?

Could be either way. The seller could have got a tape measure out and measured the actual bar :( or could be reading the manual, or could have measured the actual cutting length.

[DJ’s Timber]

Thanks for the info guys.

I was looking at an ad for a saw that listed a 16" bar. So that would mean it may only have 12-13" usable?

More than likely to be 15"-16" usable cutting length.

In 99.9% of bar sizes, it's the amount of bar that is sticking out the front of the machine, not the length of the overall bar.

[rsser]

Thanks DJ. Sorry, I misread your first reply.

Thanks Bob for the heads-up.

Any recommendations for a consumer chainsaw with a 16"-18" bar? (Huskies and Stihls are out of my range; I used to have a Poulan that worked well but they don't seem to be around any more.) Would a 40cc motor be enough to run the full length of a 16" bar in our hardwoods?

[BobL]

Thanks DJ. Sorry, I misread your first reply.

Thanks Bob for the heads-up.

Any recommendations for a consumer chainsaw with a 16"-18" bar? (Huskies and Stihls are out of my range; I used to have a Poulan that worked well but they don't seem to be around any more.) Would a 40cc motor be enough to run the full length of a 16" bar in our hardwoods?

It depends what and how often you intend to mill. 3 or maybe 4 short (<2 m long) moderately soft logs a month you might get away with for a year or two before it dies. Milling is really hard on pro chain saws let alone consumer saws. I've used a plastic bodied saw to mill short logs but it really knocks the stuffing out of them. If you decide to use a consumer saw I would
- take it easy while milling and don't force the saw and just wear the extra time it takes to cut
- Use good bar oil and Up the bar/chain oil flow to a maximum and consider adding an aux oiler.
- Use a low profile narrow kerf chain.
- flipping the bar after milling every second log
- keep the saw vey well maintained ie keep air filter and air fins clean, .
- warm the saw up a bit before you start and let it cool down properly at the end of every long cut,
- don't let the saw run out of petrol ( ie it doesn't cool down properly).

[rsser]

Thanks Bob.