Do i go with .325 Narrow Kerf or 3/8LP?

[jchipps]

All the saws I've ever owned, and currently own have run regular 3/8" / .050 chain, so I know nothing about these smaller bar/chain profiles.
But I recently purchased a small saw, just to have around for light duty stuff.
It's an older Husqvarna 141 (mid 2000's)

I'm trying to figure out what Bar/Chain options I have, that will allow me to run NON-safety chain.

So far the only small profile chain I've found that is NON-safety is .325/.050 Narrow Kerf at Baileys (Woodland Pro 20NK)
Does anyone make a 3/8LP chain that is NON-safety?
Which one performs better ? .325NK or 3/8LP (pros & cons?)

PS- What Husqvarna Bar would fit the 141 and run .325/.050 Narrow Kerf?

Would a regular .325 Bar/Chain (not narrow kerf) be too aggressive a set-up for that little saw?

 

[ericm979]

Baileys make a non safety 3/8 LP which I use on my brush saw. OTOH Stihl 63PS3 is a very good cutting chain for limbing, cutting noticably faster than the Baileys stuff in small wood and staying sharp for a long time. It's safety chain but the only drawback to safety chain is slow bore cuts. I don't find myself doing bore cuts with small saws so I don't see it as a problem.

The 141 being a 40cc saw can use either .325 or 3/8LP. I have used both and other than the .325 being less grabby on small stuff I don't feel a lot of difference. I think the extra teeth of the .325 make up for it's being slightly wider kerf. The .325 might go a little longer between sharpenings but chain quality will have a lot to do with that. I use 63PS3 on a 43cc Stihl MS241CM and it rips for a saw that size. 3/8LP is probably a safer bet for you.

 

[Huskybill]

On my smaller 40 cc+ saws I was running 325” .050” LG/LP chain full chisel. Keep it razor sharp. I know the new chain letters change.

 

[cscltd]

In Canada we has the Stihl 63ps- non safety and 63ps3-safety for 3/8 lo pro .050
or could use Stihl new 23RSP .325 .050
I think the 63ps would be fastest cutting on 141

 

[SeMoTony]

All the saws I've ever owned, and currently own have run regular 3/8" / .050 chain, so I know nothing about these smaller bar/chain profiles.
But I recently purchased a small saw, just to have around for light duty stuff.
It's an older Husqvarna 141 (mid 2000's)

I'm trying to figure out what Bar/Chain options I have, that will allow me to run NON-safety chain.

So far the only small profile chain I've found that is NON-safety is .325/.050 Narrow Kerf at Baileys (Woodland Pro 20NK)
Does anyone make a 3/8LP chain that is NON-safety?
Which one performs better ? .325NK or 3/8LP (pros & cons?)

PS- What Husqvarna Bar would fit the 141 and run .325/.050 Narrow Kerf?

Would a regular .325 Bar/Chain (not narrow kerf) be too aggressive a set-up for that little saw?

I recently got a couple raisman lp loops 98 dl for a 30" bar, from HL supply. 3/8 .050 for milling. The Narrow Kerf is much faster than 3/8 .063 on my 046 Stihl ph even tho each is square chisel with the learning curve of sharpening vs. semi chisel file sharping.
Hope you find what serves you best.

 

[Stihl-Pioneer]

I’m pretty sure Oregon 91VXL is a non safety chain.


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[Squareground3691]

Got a Cannon 20” narrow kerf bar and Sthil PS 3/8 low pro chain and rim sprocket conversion works real well on MS 250

 

[Franny K]

What have you determined to be acceptable for sprockets? What is on it, what is on the parts sheet, what is available aftermarket. If it is like the Husqvarna 36 I have there is an Oregon rim drive kit, no oiler drive parts needed, 6 tooth 3/8lp spur from Husky not sure what else is on the parts sheet. Baileys has universal mount bars for .325NK if you are against minor modifications to make Husky small mount ones work, I suspect that saw has the Oregon 041 mount often called Poulan.

The Upstart 3/8lp (which offers inexpensive bar and multiple chain package deals on ebay) seems to be a copy of Oregon 91vxl which has nothing that you would call a safety feature other than the shape and size of the depth gauge. The bumper drive link chains seem to have narrower depth gauges so perhaps all choices are sort of safety.

 

[Squareground3691]

Run 7 pin sprocket, you might have to do’s little research but there’s probably a set for ur application the Sthil PS chain is like a race chain but works real well

 

[ericm979]

In Canada we has the Stihl 63ps- non safety and 63ps3-safety for 3/8 lo pro .050
or could use Stihl new 23RSP .325 .050
I think the 63ps would be fastest cutting on 141

I can find 63PS in non safety but not 63PS3. The 3 version is supposed to perform a little better than the regular PS stuff though I have not compared them. I might try some regular PS next time I buy these chains.

 

[Franny K]

63PS means 6=3/8lp 3=0.050 gauge drive links P=picco stihl trademarked term used when there is a larger similar thing S= super=chisel tooth 3= bumper drive link=safety feature.

 

[Squareground3691]

That’s the Cannon set up on the MS 250 little clean up on intake and exhaust and duel port muffler mod she runs good

 

[ammoaddict]

Husqvarna 141 should have an A041 mount 3/8 LP bar, there is really nothing wrong with low kickback chain, most of it cuts very well.

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[esean]

I've seen some tests where PS3 crosscut just as fast as PS, though I've never compared them directly. I do use PS3 and it bore cuts just fine.

 

[Pioneer]

The Stihl 63ps will cut faster in larger wood, but the 23 RS pro will be smoother in smaller wood. I have 23 RS pro on my ms250 with a 16 inch bar and like it quite a bit.

 

[jchipps]

What have you determined to be acceptable for sprockets? What is on it, what is on the parts sheet, what is available aftermarket. If it is like the Husqvarna 36 I have there is an Oregon rim drive kit, no oiler drive parts needed, 6 tooth 3/8lp spur from Husky not sure what else is on the parts sheet. Baileys has universal mount bars for .325NK if you are against minor modifications to make Husky small mount ones work, I suspect that saw has the Oregon 041 mount often called Poulan.

The Upstart 3/8lp (which offers inexpensive bar and multiple chain package deals on ebay) seems to be a copy of Oregon 91vxl which has nothing that you would call a safety feature other than the shape and size of the depth gauge. The bumper drive link chains seem to have narrower depth gauges so perhaps all choices are sort of safety.

The way the saw is currently set-up (which I believe to be original) is an HL-180-56 Bar w/3/8 x .050 LP chain, running on a 3/8 spur sprocket.
There's an OEM clutch drum available for this saw with .325 x 7 Rim Sprocket, which I've ordered so I'd have various options, since it was relatively cheap.

As far as Bar Mount SIZE for the 141 I have no clue what it's actually called. There seems to be a bunch of conflicting info in all the research I've done on the web, as usual.
I've seen it referred to "Small Mount", I've seen it referred to as "25", and I've also seen it referred to as K095 which I'm sure is BS since that's what my 272XP mount size is!

I believe the bar mount size is the same as the older models 36, 41 etc., and the newer models 435, 440, 445 etc., so whatever they are, is what it is, but I still don't know what it's called?

The bar I'm considering is the HLN-250-66 if I go with .325NK chain. But I'm not even sure if that bar is the correct mount size for a 141 or not?

In a nut shell, I want to set the saw up with a correct mount 16" bar, and run a NON-safety chain that is readily available.
So far I'm leaning toward .325 narrow kerf mainly because I know Bailey's has .325 NK chain that is NON safety, and I like the fact that the .325 chain sharpens with a 3/16 file rather than the little 5/32 for the 3/8LP.
But I'm still open to more information and suggestions.

I know lot's of folks will swear by the safety chain and claim it cuts just as good etc., which might even be true in some cases, but I'm just an old school ex-logger, who's ran saws all my life, and I just don't care for any of the safety chain .... to each his own.

PS- Thanks to everyone for all the info and suggestions so far!

 

[Chevboy0167]

Some info...

 

[Huskybill]

http://www.acresinternet.com/cscc.n...e3ff025b54b874a188256b520019ecd9?OpenDocument

 

[J D]

I think you'll find your 272XP is a D009 mount. The 445 series saws are K095 which is very similar to (& much more prevalent than) the K041 your 141 needs. You should be able to use a K095 bar by filing the holes towards the outer edge so the oil will pass through the top one to the groove, however this will leave you with a slightly larger than standard hole that may clog with fines or possibly leak a bit of oil depending on your saws design. A thin metal plate or some foil tape usually solves that.
Anti kickback chain isn't all that bad, it was originally intended to be anti-vibration & it does make for smoother cutting if you don't need to bore with it.
What type of cutting do you plan on doing with it? The "best" chain depends a lot on your intended application(s)

 

[jchipps]

I think you'll find your 272XP is a D009 mount. The 445 series saws are K095 which is very similar to (& much more prevalent than) the K041 your 141 needs. You should be able to use a K095 bar by filing the holes towards the outer edge so the oil will pass through the top one to the groove, however this will leave you with a slightly larger than standard hole that may clog with fines or possibly leak a bit of oil depending on your saws design. A thin metal plate or some foil tape usually solves that.
Anti kickback chain isn't all that bad, it was originally intended to be anti-vibration & it does make for smoother cutting if you don't need to bore with it.
What type of cutting do you plan on doing with it? The "best" chain depends a lot on your intended application(s)

Yes you're correct on the D009 for the 272XP. My mistake. I was getting confused with my 55 which is the K095 mount.
I think I'm gonna go with the Husqvarna XF-250-66 Narrow Kerf .325x.050 bar, which I "believe" has the correct mount. Bailey's shows it fitting quite a lot of husqvarna saws, including the 141.

The XF-250-66 is the newer version of what used to be HLN-250-66. Every Lowes and Rural King around here have the XF-250 NK bars in various lengths, so I'll just have to get one and check it for proper fit.

If it fits correctly, I'll hit Bailey's up for some WPP-20NK chain and give it a try.