Chain advice Stihl 08

[nosmoth]

This recent buy is awesome. My wife refuses to let me use my new toy. She was out all day today so I sneaked out to the back and demolished a huge number of large branches so easily. However I need some advice.

What chain spedification do I need and can I buy bulk chain and link it up myself? I used to race bikes years ago and we had a problem churning up chains until a guy who worked in the shipyard got us a massive length of industrial chain that was awesome.

What is a hard nosed bar? Can I use a hard nose job and get one that is better than the stihl one?

I am confused by the references on ebay. For example...

You are bidding on 1 (one) saw chain of 67 drive links, .063" guage and .325" pitch. It is an Oregon chain with full chisel cutters from the super chisel range, it in fact is 22 LP. This chain is very common on Stihl models that are running .325" pitch with .063 gauge. Oregon reccomend its use on saws up to 60cc engine size. This chain can be used on any chainsaw that are running on .325" pitch and .063" guage. I am unsure of some other chainsaw applications but 67 drive links is the correct amount to fit a 16" bar on a Stihl MS240,260,270 and 280 (024,026,027,028). ...

What does all that mean? Please will some xpert help me?

 

[Dan Forsh]

Okay, stihl no expert, but I'll tell you what I know:

Gauge doesn't matter to your sprocket, but pitch does. Pitch doesn't matter to a hard nose bar but gauge does. A hard nose bar doesn't have a sprocket in the tip. If you have a sprocket nose bar then both pitch and gauge will matter to it.

Pitch is the pitching of the drivers, if it doesn't match either the drive sprocket, or if you have one, the sprocket tip of your bar the two won't mesh correctly.

Gauge it the thickness of the drivers. This only needs to match the groove in your bar. 0.50 in an 0.63 bar will be too sloppy.

Hard nose bars are old tech.

Okay so far?

 

[Dan Forsh]

Oh yes,

The drive link count determines the chain length to suit the bar, but this can vary dependent on the pitch, so I know that a 74 drive link chain in .325, 0.63 suits my 18" Stihl bar, but the drive count may be different for a different pitch, say like the .404 on my Stihl Contra, for the same bar length.

Someone will come along and explain this in much better detail than I can

Dan

 

[Diesel JD]

Correct...sprocket nose bars...the nose sprocket, chain sprocket(drives the chain on the saw) all must match in pitch...the chain and bar must match in gauge. So if you have a Stihl for teh standard mount, 16" bar, .325 pitch you need to make sure you have the appropriate gauge in teh chain. You can get hardnose bars, Stihla nd otherwise for your saw if it is the standard mount, yes they are old tech, but they work well if you match the bar length to the saws power, I don't know what kind of power the 08 makes, but it would probably do well with a small hardnose like 13-16" or a sprocket nose 16-20" if its the power range I'm thinking of. You can buy chain in bulk here www.baileys-online.com or at Madsens, just google Mdsens logging supply. You'll need some way to drive out rivets, new chain presets and tie straps which usually come with 25' 50' and 100' saw chain reels. A few extra doesn't hurt. A rivet spinner is the preferred tool for making chains, its a useful addition to any shop. I love mine. A chain breaker....is optional at best. You may know more tricks for making chians than I do if you worked with race bikes. Just figure that your punches and rivet spinners have to be quite a bit smaller than with your bike chains. Be sure you talk to the vendor and get the right chain or get it figured out from these guys here what you need exactly before you order. Saw chain reels are heavy! And you do not want to have to pay shipping back because you got the wrong chain. Good luck!
J.D.

 

[rickyrooster]

stihl 08

I Believe The Stihl 08's Came Out With 3/8 .050 Chain Or .404 .063 Chain When New Not The .325 .063 Low Profile Chain You Are Refering To In The E-bay Add You Are Talking About. I Would Check Out The Saw To See What You Have And Replace It. It Would Be Less Expensive That Way. Good Luck Rick!