After looking at the many guide bars that have been made from the early 1900s to today. Ive started to wonder about the varying profiles or silhouettes of guide bars.
The early ones seem to be much taller, when viewing them mounted on the saw.
The radius of the tips were much bigger. Some would even start out shorter (height-wise) at the mounting holes and slowly get bigger getting closer to the tip. Making almost a wedge shape.
More modern bars seem to either have perfectly parallel guides, or have a swell in the middle of the bar. With the tip and mounting holes sides relatively the same height.
Then there are the bars which I see most on poulans. The bars are very skinny, or short (height-wise, not length), with a very sharp tip. Or small radius tip.
Just wondering why all the different shapes? Do some offer advantages like weight/balance, low kick back, stiffness, better cutting when using the whole bar, better chip clean out, better heat distribution, straighter cuts in large stumps?
Are they just for looks and style points?
We're the older bars taller because of more primitive lamination and milling technology? Or possibly because the saws requires a larger mounting surface? Or because the older chains needed a large radius to turn around?
The early ones seem to be much taller, when viewing them mounted on the saw.
The radius of the tips were much bigger. Some would even start out shorter (height-wise) at the mounting holes and slowly get bigger getting closer to the tip. Making almost a wedge shape.
More modern bars seem to either have perfectly parallel guides, or have a swell in the middle of the bar. With the tip and mounting holes sides relatively the same height.
Then there are the bars which I see most on poulans. The bars are very skinny, or short (height-wise, not length), with a very sharp tip. Or small radius tip.
Just wondering why all the different shapes? Do some offer advantages like weight/balance, low kick back, stiffness, better cutting when using the whole bar, better chip clean out, better heat distribution, straighter cuts in large stumps?
Are they just for looks and style points?
We're the older bars taller because of more primitive lamination and milling technology? Or possibly because the saws requires a larger mounting surface? Or because the older chains needed a large radius to turn around?
