Thread: How is bar length measured?

Usable length

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

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.

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?

Originally Posted by 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?

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.

Originally Posted by 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?

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.

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?

Originally Posted by 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?

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).

Thanks Bob.