Narrow curf bar&chain on medium saws

[John Paul Sanborn]

I've talked to a number of people who really like this setup. I'm thinking of doing it with my 346 when I use up my stock of chain.

Anyone out there doing it?

 

[Newfie]

Both of my 346's came set up with the narrow kerf bar and the 95vp(H30) narrow kerf .325 chain. I love it. I even swapped a 55 over from 3/8's I like it so much.

 

[kf_tree]

Both of my 346's came set up with the narrow kerf bar and the 95vp(H30) narrow kerf .325 chain. I love it. I even swapped a 55 over from 3/8's I like it so much.

how much use do you get out of those 346's? do you use them on the ground or for climbing? i'm thinking about picking one up and getting it modified to climb with on big removals. i just can't see myself picking it up to use on the ground though.

do you have a full range of saws?

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

I think the 346 is the best all around rear handle saw P:W and rpm are the best I've seen.

I have an 020, 346 and 385 and that's all I really need.

 

[Newfie]

how much use do you get out of those 346's? do you use them on the ground or for climbing? i'm thinking about picking one up and getting it modified to climb with on big removals. i just can't see myself picking it up to use on the ground though.

do you have a full range of saws?

I'm a strictly on the ground type of guy. I get a ton of use out of them. Limbing, bucking firewood or smaller trees. I'll pick up a 346 before the other saws unless its big wood,say over 16-18 inches.
Netree and I cleared 1 1/2 acres on one job, I think we used the 372 for 3 or 4 hemlocks over 24" DBH. Everything else was 346's all day long. Light and fast. I do have big saws also, 372,288 and 3120.

 

[jamie]

slightly bigger

we tend to use 254/357s as a small saw. on another note, i got myself a wee 353 for small jobs on the side, and was wondering about the consequences of uppin the chain from a .325 to a 3/8?

i can get 3/8s shain off my boss a lot cheaper than i can .325 in teh saw shop.
any thoughts, sorry for changing the direction of the thread.

jamie

 

[kf_tree]

jamie

actually it's moi that changed the direction of the thread, your on target.

jps.....newfie......are your 346's stock or tweaked? and what size bars do you run on them?

thanks

 

[kf_tree]

we tend to use 254/357s as a small saw. on another note, i got myself a wee 353 for small jobs on the side, and was wondering about the consequences of uppin the chain from a .325 to a 3/8?

i can get 3/8s shain off my boss a lot cheaper than i can .325 in teh saw shop.
any thoughts, sorry for changing the direction of the thread.

jamie

i agree with the 357 as a small saw, i just sent a 357 to ehp.....but a 346 at 10lbs could be a sweet saw. theres been alot of talk about them taking mods real well in the chainsaw forum. i think i might have to try one.

 

[Stumper]

Jamie, I have run both .325 and 3/8s on several 50cc class saws. I really see no good reason for the existance of .325. I once converted a Husky 40 to 3/8s low profile I didn't time the cuts before and after but I liked the 3/8ths low pro on that saw. On the 50cc saws the standard 3/8ths works marvelously.

 

[Newfie]

jps.....newfie......are your 346's stock or tweaked? and what size bars do you run on them? thanks

Mine are bone stock, haven't even fiddled w/ the mufflers. I'm running 16" bars but have run a 20" on occasion w/ ok results, not something I'd make a habit of.

 

[jamie]

ok,

thought that may be the case, when the chain pegs it, i'll get a new bar and help myself to a chain or 2 and sprokets from work.....dont worry, i will give it back......honest..... :angel:

jamie

 

[Kneejerk Bombas]

Jamie, I have run both .325 and 3/8s on several 50cc class saws. I really see no good reason for the existance of .325. I once converted a Husky 40 to 3/8s low profile I didn't time the cuts before and after but I liked the 3/8ths low pro on that saw. On the 50cc saws the standard 3/8ths works marvelously.

What planet are you from that 3/8s work anywhere near as good as .325 on a 50cc saw???

 

[Stumper]

What planet are you from that 3/8s work anywhere near as good as .325 on a 50cc saw???

The planet where knotheads are isolated in Wisconsin, Minnesota and the District of Columbia.

 

[Kneejerk Bombas]

I may be a knothead, but I know not to run 3/8s chain on a 50cc saw (unless it's undergone some serious modification).

 

[P_woozel]

I run .325 on my 346's and it works great. I wish I could get a roll for the same price as I get my 3/8 chain though.That and I should have another grinder setup for .325 about halfway through a tooth I see maybe I should have the wheel dressed a little different than for 3/8 teeth.

 

[Stumper]

Psst.... Mike. Have you ever actually tried it? My saws aren't seriously modified-I grinned when I opened the exhausts on a couple of them. On the Husky 40 I went narrow kerf before NK .325 was available-I simply converted to 3/8s Low Profile. That was a decent little saw but it wasn't in the 50cc class. My Jonsered 590(49cc) gets with it with standard 3/8ths on a 20inch bar. I run a 7 pin sprocket. An 8 pin .325 would be comparable in "gearing". The PP330 is 54cc and came stock with a 22 inch bar and 3/8ths 7 pin sprocket. (Yes, it will pull that in buried bar cuts but performance won't match a 70cc class saw. In 14 inch wood it will keep up with 60-70cc class saws if they are also equipped with a 7 pin. The 70cc saw will of course pull the chain with an 8 pin in that size wood). I have one saw that is equipped with .325-A beat up 50cc Dolmar that I bought with that equipment that I haven't gotten around to changing (I have the bar and rim just haven't done it). A good saw, it cuts well-but not superior to the Jonsey with 3/8ths.
Remember the old Homelite Super EZ? A great 'lightweight' 45cc saw of yesteryear. Slow in the RPM department by todays standards but torquey. The standard equipment was a 16 inch hardnose bar and 3/8ths chain.

.325 comes in a variety of tooth sizes but generally the teeth are similar in size to 3/8ths cutters but they are closer together-good for smoothness in the cut but not good for performance-there is less than optimum chip clearance IMO.

 

[Tree Machine]

I'm going to be experimenting with a carving bar, running 3/8 LP chain & 7 pin sprocket on one of my 346's. On the other I had considered standard 3/8 .058 , like on the big saw, over my current .325 .058

Just yesterday in chainsaw forum there was a guy who'd been running 3/8 chain on his 346 and was finishing up that run of chain so he could go back to .325 . 3/8 chain, he communicated, had a bit too much heft.

It was enough to convince me to sticking with the regular .325. IMO, chip clearance with .325 chain is just fine.

As far as running thin-kerf 3/8 low profile on a 346 XP, I can't wait. I believe the power is going to stress the chain, and I believe there will be more chain stretch and more frequent tensioning, but we'll see how that goes.

 

[Tree Machine]

how much use do you get out of those 346's? do you use them on the ground or for climbing?

I gave up the top handled saws over a year ago. I climb with the 346, and one or two Silkys.

Very much looking forward to the narrow-kerf power ported 346 climbing saw. It should sizzle. Sizzle is good.

 

[clearance]

TreeMachine-pretty hard to one-hand a 346. Nevermind, nothing beats an 020 for climbing, only use a big saw for blocking it. Why use a saw smaller than 60-70cc for firewood or falling and bucking? I was bucking firewood for about 10 hours this weekend with my 371xp. Thought about this thread and wondered why use a 40-50cc saw unless thats all you have. Was going to use my 394 but I should save that for falling and bucking bigger wood.

 

[P_woozel]

A modded 346 cuts with or better (depending on chain) than a 440 or 372 into 16-20" of wood, varying obviously with regard to species. Why work the extra weight of a larger saw if cutting time is the same?