Consolidating chain types, recommendations?

[Spring1898]

Hello All,
Been learning more about chains lately and have been thinking of consolidating so that I can eventually buy in rolls.

SO. Stihl seems to use 050 and 063. Husky seems to like 058 and 063 for longer bars?

So that made me think 063 as a good universal gauge since I can easily get bars for both brands in that gauge and getting both 325 and 3/8? Any downsides? I didn't really look into cost difference in gauge much but it didn't seem like there was much between 050 an 063.

For saws, right now I have 30cc and 50cc, and hopefully soon a 70cc all Stihl (I don't mind Husky, just happen to find better deals on used Stihl this time round)

 

[Ted Jenkins]

Back in the day I kept a roll of .050 chisel bit, .58 chisel bit, .063 chisel bit, 050 semi chisel bit, and .063 semi chisel bit. Actually not that bright. Now I do not use any chisel bit chain for any reason. Chisel bit is a little faster, but if you consider how many times they have to be sharpened then they are slower. I start out with .050 3/8 semi chisel bit with the rakers aggressive then after a few hundred cords and the bar get wobbly it is time for the .063 semi chisel bit. As I think about my saws that I keep only one out of two ever get rebuilt so for most who do quite a bit of cutting they are likely to scrap out a saw after 300 cords. Some of my bars that are still usable are more than 20 years old. So if you keep them greased and well oiled they will last many years. So 3/8 sprockets are available for most setups. With that being said pick a size and go cut your wood until you drop. If you buy a roll and only use 75 feet of it then sell a couple of chains to your buddies and call it a day. A roll of chain is about 75 % cheaper than buying individual chains. Thanks

 

[Spring1898]

Semi chisel is probably all I would need. Not sure if I could get away with 3/8 for all the saws though.

To throw something else in the mix, about 2 years ago I acquired about 64 chains of various pitch and gauge, along with some climbing ropes (which I don't imagine I will use), and a chain grinder with a hydraulic chain holder.
Paid next to nothing for it all. Seller was getting out of the lot clearing business and sold all of his stuff. Friends were in on the deal and wanted all the saws, I think I made out better since I paid around $100 for everything that was left which was the piles of chains, ropes, and the sharpener.

Anyway after briefly going through the piles;
About half the chains are 18" .325 - 050
a couple are 18" .325 - 058
10 or so are 20" .325 - 063
15 are 24" 3/8 - 050
Most are in good shape. After cleaning them up and resharpen I would guess that on average the chains would have about 70% left (some more, some less, some mostly used up).

So I could go .325 - 050 for 50cc and smaller, and 3/8 - 063 for larger?
Any argument for 050 or 063 in smaller saws.

 

[svk]

Personally I try to keep as many chains as possible in the same gauge. I don't pay as much attention to brand or cutter type (although I prefer Stihl full chisel if I can get them on sale).

-All but two of my 3/8 bars and chains are .050. I don't run long bars (longest I have is 28") so I see no need for .063 (which is harder to find around here anyhow). Those two .058 bars are only for specific cutting so I just keep them and their chains separate anyhow.
-All of my 3/8 low profile are .050
-I have one saw that runs .325 and it's .050
-I converted my one 1/4" saw to 3/8 LP as the chains are so much cheaper that I paid for the conversion in my first three chains.

Rather than buying in bulk I just pick up loops as I see them on sale so I'm not holding onto a big roll of chain.

 

[CR888]

^^What he says is good. I also try to keep chains in the same gauge. I run lo pro in 050 & .325/3/8&.404 in .063. This way you can mix and match bars by changing tips as you please. If your not careful & own plenty of saws, chain can become a big mess fast.

 

[SawTroll]

With the saw sizes involved, I don't think it is practical to standardize on one pitch, and then it isn't practical with gauge either, in this case. Anyway, the is no point in standardizing gauges between different pitches (unless you run hard-nose bars, which mostly isn't very smart).

What you can do though, is to standardize on one gauge in each pitch. Based on the fact that you are in the US, and the saws are Stihl, what looks most practical is .050 in 3/8" Picco (for the 30cc saw), .063 in .325 (for the 50cc saw), and .050 in (regular) 3/8" (for the 70cc saw).
It is in fact hard to see how you ended up with anything else in the first place, on the saws you already have, unless you have .043 on the 30cc saw?

 

[Spring1898]

Well like I said, I happened into those chains for next to no money. So for the same reason I don't feel it is a waste if I don't pick a pitch/gauge for bulk that matches those. Husky's aren't out of the realm of future possibilities either.

So with that, would you pick 063 or 050 for the 3/8 pitch? Would 063 be better for a future possibility of a saw larger than 70cc?

 

[SawTroll]

Well like I said, I happened into those chains for next to no money. So for the same reason I don't feel it is a waste if I don't pick a pitch/gauge for bulk that matches those. Husky's aren't out of the realm of future possibilities either.

So with that, would you pick 063 or 050 for the 3/8 pitch? Would 063 be better for a future possibility of a saw larger than 70cc?

If it is about Stihl chain, .063 makes most sense, as the gauges cut the same kerf anyway with Stihl chain, and there are possible advantages with the wider bar slot. If the chains are Oregon, .058 and .050 cut a slightly narrower kerf than .063, so then is a "+/-" question.

Regarding the chains you listed, be aware that the dl count may vary even though the called length is the same - so you need to know the dl count as well as the pitch and gauge to determine if they fit a certain bar and drive sprocket set-up.

 

[Philbert]

Welcome to A.S.!

I have looked at standardizing on one chain (type/pitch/gauge) for a 'fleet' of various saws, and decided against it.

First, I think that each saw has a 'sweet spot' with the right combination of power head; bar length; chain pitch; and sprocket size (teeth).

This is what you want to find, because the primary goal is optimizing the cutting. It makes no sense to put the same chain on a 70cc and 30cc saw. It would be like putting the same tires on a 4X4 off-road pickup truck and a Prius sedan.

Secondly, if you are patient, and shop carefully, you can often get loops of what you need on sale, for less then buying chain by the roll.

1) I would decide what chains are best for each saw.
2) Then sort through the chains you have, and clean up the ones that will work (including loops that can be re-sized to fit).
3) Post the remaining chains on the Trading Post here, CraigsList, eBay, etc., to trade, or sell for $ to buy the chains you need.

That way you will end up with what you really want / need. If you have 2 saws that run the same pitch chains, but different gauges, it might make sense to standardize the gauge. But, since guide bars are more $ than chains, I would wait until the guide bars are worn out / used up first.

Philbert

 

[Spring1898]

And this is not something I am planning on doing very soon. Just trying to learn the ins and outs of chains and use that information to help make a future decision. For the types of cutting I would anticipate doing, I don't know that specific fine tuning of my saws would merit individualized chain setups. The flexibility of making my own chains is something I enjoy also. And this does not preclude adding specialty chains if/when necessary.

3/8 063 seems to make the most sense since it would be one type of chain for anything 60cc - 90cc and bars from 20" and up.
Don't know that 063 vs 050 would make much of a difference in bars under 20" in 325. I have about 30 chains in 050 18" but the 50cc saw has a 063 bar at the moment. Could just buy an extra 050 bar.

As far as the chains I picked up, of the ones which are the same spec I am pretty sure they were all used on the same saws/bars. So I will make sure, but am fairly certain the drive link numbers should all be the same. They are also all premade loops as the original owner wasn't one to make his own.

As far as bulk chains themselves, any good thread to learn about ins and outs of oregon vs stihl etc, and the product lines of chains under each?

 

[svk]

And this is not something I am planning on doing very soon. Just trying to learn the ins and outs of chains and use that information to help make a future decision. For the types of cutting I would anticipate doing, I don't know that specific fine tuning of my saws would merit individualized chain setups. The flexibility of making my own chains is something I enjoy also. And this does not preclude adding specialty chains if/when necessary.

3/8 063 seems to make the most sense since it would be one type of chain for anything 60cc - 90cc and bars from 20" and up.
Don't know that 063 vs 050 would make much of a difference in bars under 20" in 325. I have about 30 chains in 050 18" but the 50cc saw has a 063 bar at the moment. Could just buy an extra 050 bar.

As far as the chains I picked up, of the ones which are the same spec I am pretty sure they were all used on the same saws/bars. So I will make sure, but am fairly certain the drive link numbers should all be the same. They are also all premade loops as the original owner wasn't one to make his own.

As far as bulk chains themselves, any good thread to learn about ins and outs of oregon vs stihl etc, and the product lines of chains under each?

Just to clear the air, there is no need to run .063 chains until you are running bars over 30 inches for a significant portion of your cutting. Not saying it hurts to run on shorter bars, but there is no benefit over .050 or .058. If .063 is more commonly sold in your area then that would make more sense to set up your chains to that gauge. I think it varies by area as far as what gauge is most commonly carried. As a rule I find the best prices on .050 chain and it is commonly available in my area so that is why I only buy bars of that gauge unless forced to do otherwise (such as my .404 saws which use bars that are NLA). Although with that being said there can often be steals on .058 as well which seems to be less common around here.

Philbert brings up a good point. If you do "standardize" there is a market here on the trading post or Craigslist locally to move the stuff that doesn't match what you are going to use in the future.

 

[ChoppyChoppy]

Loops are usually cheaper if you shop around. A roll of chain runs about $300. With shipping around .22/driver.

Can get 72 driver loop for $15 (or less) for about .20 a driver.

We carry rolls just because we make chain for many different lengths of bars, but we charge $26.50 for that 20" loop too.

 

[Philbert]

Don't know that 063 vs 050 would make much of a difference in bars under 20" in 325. I have about 30 chains in 050 18" but the 50cc saw has a 063 bar at the moment. Could just buy an extra 050 bar.

For some reason STIHL furnishes .325/.063 chains on a lot of saws with 16-20" bars. Does not 'make sense' when they furnish 3/8/.050 chains on larger bars. Don't ask me to explain it, because I can't.

But if I had more than 3 good chains of a certain size (pitch/gauge/DL), I would look at buying a guide bar to match.

*Remember, you don't have to run only one bar/chain combination on any saw. Think of it like a socket set, where the powerhead is the 'ratchet', the guide bar is the extension, and the chain is the socket. Choose the combination best suited for the specific task. No big deal / no foul if you have a 50cc saw that runs 3/8/.050 on a 16" bar AND .325/.063 on a 20" bar (just to make some numbers up).

BTW, I L-O-V-E to scrounge / recondition / rehab saw chain! You may be able to 'make' your own loops out of the chains you have, if you have/get a spinner/breaker set.

http://www.arboristsite.com/community/threads/philbert-meets-the-stihl-rs3.202969/
http://www.arboristsite.com/community/threads/philberts-chain-salvage-challenge.245369/
http://www.arboristsite.com/community/threads/baileys-chain-breaker-and-spinner.144859/

Philbert

 

[Spring1898]

Appreciate all the good advice.
That is one reason why I was thinking it might be easier to buy a new bar especially for the 30 or so 18" 325 050 chains.
Normally I run 16" on a 50cc, but don't know if it is worth it to break down 30 chains to save 2". Probably not safe to mix and match the pieces into a new chain either?

One of my friend's has a Husqvarna 450, I will have to see if he can use the 325 058.

For the 325 063 20", With the 70cc saw I don't imagine a need for running a 20" bar on the 50cc saw. But I guess it wouldn't hurt to just buy a bar for them in case I only bring one saw?

As to the most common in my area, I don't really know. I am more of an internet shopper for these sorts of things, so that makes them all equally available. There is also the possibility of moving a couple times in the next 10 years anyway.

 

[svk]

I wouldn't run the 70 cc saw with .325 chain. Better off selling it as a lot or spinning it down to fit your other saw and buy a cheaper .063 bar.

To me a 50 cc is great with a 16" chain and decent with an 18". I personally would buy a spinner and breaker and make them the length you want. 30 chains will cut you an awful lot of wood, especially if you hand file.

 

[Philbert]

I am more of an internet shopper for these sorts of things, so that makes them all equally available.

No.

STIHL chain is not sold on the Internet, unless someone buys some overstock, or closeout, or used, or marks it up from retail. The full lines of Oregon and Carlton chains are offered by a number of sellers.

Philbert

 

[Spring1898]

Didn't know that, but for how much more Stihl chain seems to cost, I probably wouldn't buy that anyway.
Carlton and Oregon seem to be the next best thing. Some people seem to put Carlton over Oregon, but then there seem to be different product lines under those which I don't understand yet.

 

[bmwpowere36m3]

Maybe I'm crazy... but how much cutting are you doing? Sounds like you have a f-ton of chains. Why not just use what you got? I mean, if the chains don't meet your needs (pitch, gauge, length)... then it doesn't matter how cheap they were.

Consider the cost of bars, sprockets and time/$ to resize them if needed.

 

[Spring1898]

Well part of it is that they don't meet the gauge/length, they just happened to come as a package deal.
I could either acquire the appropriate guidebars to make them work, spin down the ones that do work that are too long, sell the ones I won't use.

Mostly I have been picking the brains of people here to supplement my browsing of the forums.

 

[bmwpowere36m3]

My confusion is what are you trying to accomplish? Use the chains you got, standardize to one size, convenience, "project", cheap, etc...

You got two saws both with good bars, I assume? Third saw I wouldn't worry about till you get it. So without buying new bars, just use the chains you got and adjust their lengths to suite. That'd be the cheapest.

If you need new bars anyway, then that changes things.