Are forester bars ok for milling?

[gnef]

What gauge are ALL of you getting on those long bars? 0.050? 0.063?

At a certain point, I believe the longer bars are only offered in .063. I believe the 42" oregon is only .063. I do have a Stihl 36" that is .05, but that is the longest that I personally have that is .05, everything longer than that for me is .063.

 

[TheLaundryMan]

I've been milling with the 56" forester bar with my 661 for over a year now. I think it has been a great value, and I even bought a second one recently to keep as a backup.

I will admit that it probably isn't as good as a GB or Canon, but it also doesn't cost nearly as much as either of those!

A couple of issues to keep in mind though. I've found some increased wear on the tail end of the bar where the chain hits right after the rim sprocket. I believe that is primarily due to low tension when the chain gets warm and stretches a bit in the cut - I've seen the chain lift off the bar when revving for subsequent cuts. I try to keep it tight, but with 168 drivers, a little bit of stretch multiplies very quickly. I do expect to wear through the bar eventually, which is why I went ahead and bought a spare, and I also have a spare tip that I keep on hand, just in case. I also used calipers on the groove, and found it a bit wider than .063 as compared to my other bars, but it didn't both me too much - I might get a bar squeezing tool and tighten it up a bit in the future if it causes me any problems.

Thanks! Super helpful. I got the bar and a chain. Let my drill bit get hot getting through the bar so I need to pickup another drill bit. Hopefully get to milling this 44 inch stump tomorrow. There’s a bit of extra room in the channel but it’s not serious for now. I definitely need to pickup a bar squeezing tool before I put a ton of hours on it.

Now I gotta rig up a anti sag device like the great BobL made. It’s got nearly 1/4 inch sag in it at room temp. Can’t imagine how far it’ll droop when it’s hot.

all my bars (not sure what happened. End of sentence just disappeared. All my bars are 0.063 after reading in here it seemed the opinion was its better for oiling in long bars

 

[TheLaundryMan]

Well I had some good success today. It’s just over 4ft long and 42 inches wide at the wider parts. Really liked using skip chain, cut through it quickly even at the widest spots. Time to rig up a proper aux oiler. (I used a water bottle with a hole cut in it I zip tied to the mill. Cinched the zip tie down a bit when I started a cut to start the oil flow. I counted 110 rings on this old stump. Really wish whoever cut it down didn’t that out that pie piece you see missing but I’ll make something decorative there when it’s all dried.

thanks for the tips everyone!

 

[gnef]

I actually really like the auxiliary oiler I fabricated. I bought a square plastic container from US Plastics, put in a 1/4" ball valve for on/off, and then to a needle valve to control flow to a plastic line that just drips on the tip of the bar. let me know if you want any pictures!

 

[Pepster]

Bought another Forester today, 20" this time (have the exact bar in 24").

$45 & solid steel you just cant beat these bars in this inflation ridden world!

My Shindaiwa 695 will pull the same bar (but 24") like a Freight Train, but @ 13.2 lbs (pho) it was definitely front heavy.

Figured the 20" would be a better balance for bucking (I put the 24" on my 272xp).

 

[Pepster]

Shindaiwa 695 (68cc) with 20" Forester.
Excellent balance now!
One of my absolute favorite saws!

Better buy the Forester now before they shoot up 25%!

 

[ammoaddict]

Shindaiwa 695 (68cc) with 20" Forester.
Excellent balance now!
One of my absolute favorite saws!
View attachment 981539
Better buy the Forester now before they shoot up 25%!

I got an email a couple days ago about 10% off on the Forester website.

 

[Pepster]

I got an email a couple days ago about 10% off on the Forester website.

Stihl chains are 25% higher here locally than last month.

I bought both my Forester bars locally @ my Stihl dealer.

I'd suggest you take advantage of 10 % off.
You cant buy a Oregon single rivet laminated bar of any length for $45!

I like these bars!

 

[3000 FPS]

I think it depends on the Forester bar you buy. They have some good bars and some cheap bars.
For milling with a long bar what I have is an Oregon bar. Around 48 inch. I have some 20 and 24 inch bars that are made by Forester but they are the better grade bar that they make and if I remember right they were not a lot cheaper than an Oregon bar. So if you buy a bar I would go with something like an Oregon or the better grade Forester bar.

 

[Pepster]

I think it depends on the Forester bar you buy. They have some good bars and some cheap bars.
For milling with a long bar what I have is an Oregon bar. Around 48 inch. I have some 20 and 24 inch bars that are made by Forester but they are the better grade bar that they make and if I remember right they were not a lot cheaper than an Oregon bar. So if you buy a bar I would go with something like an Oregon or the better grade Forester bar.

They dont get better than the two I posted.
I gave $45 for 20" posted above.
$50 for the 24" I posted previously in this thread.
Solid steel (not laminated) heat treated to 56 rockwell hardness.
Swiss made bearings.
Replaceable sprocket.

 

[Pepster]

I'm not the biggest Oregon fan AT ALL!
I've had horrible luck with them.
I've read that people like them.
I have 2 on hand with sprocket failure (out of the 3 I own).

Can you show me a 20" $45 Oregon Bar?
Online?

 

[3000 FPS]

They dont get better than the two I posted.
I gave $45 for 20" posted above.
$50 for the 24" I posted previously in this thread.
Solid steel (not laminated) heat treated to 56 rockwell hardness.
Swiss made bearings.
Replaceable sprocket.

I think you are right. I say go for it then.

 

[Pepster]

I think it depends on the Forester bar you buy. They have some good bars and some cheap bars.
For milling with a long bar what I have is an Oregon bar. Around 48 inch. I have some 20 and 24 inch bars that are made by Forester but they are the better grade bar that they make and if I remember right they were not a lot cheaper than an Oregon bar. So if you buy a bar I would go with something like an Oregon or the better grade Forester bar.

Tsumura costs very little more than a cheapo Chinese made Oregon.
Day & Night difference in Quality!
View attachment 981562

 

[3000 FPS]

I'm not the biggest Oregon fan AT ALL!
I've had horrible luck with them.
I've read that people like them.
I have 2 on hand with sprocket failure (out of the 3 I own).

Can you show me a 20" $45 Oregon Bar?
Online?

I probably own around 40 Oregon bars that I have collected over the years. I like them.

 

[3000 FPS]

Tsumura costs very little more than a cheapo Chinese made Oregon.
Day & Night difference in Quality!
View attachment 981562

Yep without a doubt those are good bars.

 

[Pepster]

18" Tsumura.
Oregon Clutch drum.
Rim drive, .325.

 

[ammoaddict]

Stihl chains are 25% higher here locally than last month.

I bought both my Forester bars locally @ my Stihl dealer.

I'd suggest you take advantage of 10 % off.
You cant buy a Oregon single rivet laminated bar of any length for $45!

I like these bars!