# Advice on Bar size milling 395 XP



## PEDDERA (Aug 13, 2015)

Hi there 

I'm chasing some advice on what bar size to purchase for my 395. I looking at buying a 50" GB bar for milling or a 56". I want to be able to slab a least a meter wide. With dogs still attached to the saw and not clamping over the sprocket I will lose a bit of width. So should I go 50" or just go with 56"? Any advice would be appreciated.


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## Iron.and.bark (Aug 13, 2015)

Your profile says your from w.a. (we're breeding BobL).

What are you wanting to mill?

Shorter the bar and chain the less load on the power head (not to mention chain safety issues). So if you are going to use a 395 would buy a 36 or 42" bar for regular use and use a highly modded .404 chain with a 50" (though personally think even this would overstress the power head). GB bar would be around 400 au last time I checked.

Oh and get all the safety gear you can, pants especially.


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## PEDDERA (Aug 13, 2015)

Yep WA . Jarrah at this stage. I have a 36 already works a treat ! Have a log that I had to quarter as the 36 wasn't big enough. 

Yeah GB was around the $500 mark plus skip chain 

New to slabbing trying to get my head around it. 

Safety what no shorts


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## Iron.and.bark (Aug 13, 2015)

Are you slabbing paddock jarrah or bush jarrah? Jarrah on farms (paddock) is often less dense and will mill easier.

$500 is to much, there is a big dealer markup on these bars. Beat them down or better yet get a cannon one off eBay (For pretty much same priced delivered). My 72" is a GB, 60" cannon I used to have was definitely superior. 

As for pants, I mean reinforced chainsaw pants / chapps. Get them from your husky dealer etc The damage these massive chains can do is not pretty and I thank the day I bought them.


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## BobL (Aug 13, 2015)

90cc saw maxes at ! 42" bar in my book. A longer bar is OK for occasional cuts but not if you're doing a lot of these big cuts.

I wouldn't worry about skip chains to get get started. 
Just get regular chain and if you get excited they can always be modified as required.
FWOW I stopped using skip chains after 30 logs worth and discovering progressive raker setting.
As for safety chaps, try this place http://www.labonville.com
Even with freight from the US they work out cheaper than any sort of local buy and the quality is superior.
Don't get the racing chaps though - they are too hot for the Aussie climate.


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## kimosawboy (Aug 13, 2015)

BobL is giving you good advice...
I have a 395 I use for milling and usually I use a 38" or 40" bar for most things..Milling fir/cedar and other softwoods its OK but for arbutus/maple I would not push bar length. I have other bigger saws for anything that requires a longer bar (twin 2100 and a 84" bar in the works)
Enjoy milling
G Vavra

PS loose the dogs


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## PEDDERA (Aug 13, 2015)

Thanks for the advice. Looks like the 50 is not the way to go. 

BobL I have found normal chains just fine but that's just what the dealer recommended. 

Thought it would be better to get advice from here where the advice actually comes from people that do it. 

I will be losing the dogs soon as I get home. 

Thanks again everyone for the advice


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## BobL (Aug 13, 2015)

PEDDERA said:


> Thanks for the advice. Looks like the 50 is not the way to go.
> BobL I have found normal chains just fine but that's just what the dealer recommended.
> Thought it would be better to get advice from here where the advice actually comes from people that do it.



Unfortunately not many dealers know much about milling


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## Iron.and.bark (Aug 13, 2015)

Great perspective in this thread 

BobL is the like the retired university professor with his calculating analytical approach to milling (you can't change the laws of physics )  great fun to contrast to my approach. I listen to the heart beat of the saw.

I "like" skip chain and the way it makes the saw sound and feel in the cut.

As for bar length I think 42" is the max a 3120 factory spec likes, so as for the 395...

Also my 690 solo did at least 80 slabs with 50" bar and is only being rebuilt because of a crank case leak. Probably cut close to 1000 slabs between my father and myself with it. Crank was less than 1 thou out! Obviously it a torque motor design to pull that size bar with a 90cc block.


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## Jimbo209 (Aug 14, 2015)

For the WA blokes here I have the mittyvac mv8500kit, if you need


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## BobL (Aug 14, 2015)

Iron.and.bark said:


> Great perspective in this thread
> 
> BobL is the like the retired university professor with his calculating analytical approach to milling (you can't change the laws of physics )  great fun to contrast to my approach. I listen to the heart beat of the saw.



Oh I like to listen too 
And I also like to feel, which is why I don't like winches. Tacos, temp gauges etc are supplemental to the sound and the feel of the saw.


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