Your opinion on the optimal gauge/pitch for 14"/20"/25" bars

[grsmitty]

Hello Everyone!

This is my first post and would like to take this opportunity to thank those who have contributed their knowledge to the site. I've been lurking the site for a few months and have already learned quit a bit from browsing the posts but have decided to get in on the action and pick a few brains over some specific chainsaw questions I've had.

Lets say you have an electric saw with a 14" bar, a 440 with a 20" and a 461 with a 25" what would you consider the optimal pitch/gauge be used with each? 3/8 .050 (picco for 14") good enough for them all or do you think .063 or .325 would be even theoretically better for the 20" and 25"?

I have access to rolls of chains of all sizes (.050/.058/.063 in 3/8 and .325 as well as some 1/4 carving chain) and was wonder if there was a consensus on this.

I assume once you get into 90-125 cc/32"+ .404 is the only pitch option for the heavier duty work.

Thanks again everyone for your sacrificed brain cells!

 

[Jonny Quest]

I have the "other" orange saws -- but since you asked...

I run .325 pitch and .050 gauge on my small saw (Husqvarna 353). Bar sizes are 16, 18 and 20 inches. I also have a 16" bar in the small Husqvarna mount that is 3/8 pitch and .050 gauge, but I don't have any chains for it...yet. The .325 pitch is a narrow kerf chain and I believe it is somewhat equivalent to the Stihl PICCO chain. However, PICCO in a .325 pitch, Stihl only offers .063 gauge. If you want the .050 gauge, you are looking at 3/8 pitch.

I run 3/8 (.375) pitch and .050 gauge on the 372XP and 390XP (20, 24, 28 & 32 inch bars)

That has served me well.

JQ

 

[Ryan'smilling]

On your small saw, you could run 1/4" or 3/8lo profile (aka picco) in 043 or 050 gauge.

The 440 and 461 are really best suited to run full sized 3/8 pitch, which is way different than lo profile. Pick your gauge, it doesn't matter, so long as the bars match the chain. Yes, technically you could run 325 on those saws with a nine pin rim, but it's kinda a silly setup. Same story with 404; yes it can be done, but it'll cut slower. If you have a buttload of dirty skidded wood that needs bucked, you might consider 20" 404 on the 461, but only if 3/8 semi chisel isn't getting it done for you.

 

[hseII]

3/8” x 0.063” if it’s available for anything 60cc & more.

0.325” x 0.063” for the 50cc.

3/8”p x 0.050” for Top handles & pole saws.

More Oil is never a bad thing unless you are trying to stop leaks.


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[Franny K]

Is the electric saw battery or heavy duty plug in? What is the brand and model of what you call carving chain. True carving chain differs from the 25ap or 13rm commonly found. 1/4 pitch has tiny drive links hence details pretty easy so probably not optimum.

Really need to be in the large mount Husqvarna bars to find 0.063 gauge, not the small mount,.

There are cc and length limits in the Oregon literature.

 

[IthacaMan]

I use .325 x .050 on small saws and 3/8 x .050 on bigger saws. I like the skinnier .050 chain as it will cut faster because the overall width is smaller and is the most common in my area.

 

[Ryan'smilling]

I use .325 x .050 on small saws and 3/8 x .050 on bigger saws. I like the skinnier .050 chain as it will cut faster because the overall width is smaller and is the most common in my area.

The cutters are the same size for chains of those pitch regardless the gauge.

 

[Franny K]

The cutters are the same size for chains of those pitch regardless the gauge.

.325 by .050 can be narrow kerf, good for up to 55cc or standard up to 62cc. 95 vs 20 in Oregon.

While often the .325 cutter is the same size as the 3/8 one or seems that way it seems to be higher compared to the bar or rivets.

 

[IthacaMan]

The cutters are the same size for chains of those pitch regardless the gauge.

The cutters are riveted to the outside of a thicker driver on .063 than .050 there for pushing the cutters further away from center. All of the different .325 chains I have seen have smaller cutters than .375 [ 3/8] chain.

 

[ericm979]

On your small saw, you could run 1/4" or 3/8lo profile (aka picco) in 043 or 050 gauge.

The 440 and 461 are really best suited to run full sized 3/8 pitch, which is way different than lo profile. Pick your gauge, it doesn't matter, so long as the bars match the chain. Yes, technically you could run 325 on those saws with a nine pin rim, but it's kinda a silly setup. Same story with 404; yes it can be done, but it'll cut slower. If you have a buttload of dirty skidded wood that needs bucked, you might consider 20" 404 on the 461, but only if 3/8 semi chisel isn't getting it done for you.

This.

I use .050 for all my 3/8LP and 3/8 saws. I'd use either .050 or .063 gauge chain. .058 is less common than the other two so it will be harder to find bars and chains.

 

[BrettS]

I run 3/8 .058 20" on my 372, 325 .063 16" on my 026, 325 .058 16" on my 350.

 

[GoBigRed]

I use 3/8 .050 for everything. LP for the smaller saw. I’m sure there are better sizes but for what I do I just like keeping them all the same.

Some are full house and some full skip. Most are full chisel and some are semi. None are safety chains. The things in this paragraph are what I’m more concerned about. But to each their own.
Just find what works for you and go for it

 

[Cliff R]

For 40cc and under 14-16" bars (I much prefer 14") and 3/8" LP.

For 45-55cc 18" .325".

60cc and up 3/8" (.375) full comp 20-24" and skip from 28" and up unless it's being used on the 395XP, MS-660 or 2100. They do fine with longer bars without having to go to skip chain..

That's how all my saws are outfitted and they ended up that way after over 40 years of cutting a ****-ton of trees and firewood. I've actually developed a strong liking for 3/8" LP on the smaller saws, and have moved the .325 and 3/8" (.375) larger saws mostly over to semi-chisel instead of full chisel. The semi-chisel cuts smoother and stays sharp considerably longer in dirty material. Since a lot of what we cut here are tops left over from logging operations and wood that's but dragged, skidded or pushed around some it just works better. If you are in really clean wood nothing at all wrong with full chisel cutters.......FWIW.......Cliff

 

[jellyroll]

14'' 3/8 LP .043 on my Echo CS-306 saw.
18'' .325 NK .050 on my Stihl 024 AVS.

 

[hseII]

I use .325 x .050 on small saws and 3/8 x .050 on bigger saws. I like the skinnier .050 chain as it will cut faster because the overall width is smaller and is the most common in my area.

Gauge has no bearing on cutter width.


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[IthacaMan]

Gauge has no bearing on cutter width.


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The cutters are riveted to the outside of a thicker driver on .063 than .050 there for pushing the cutters further away from center.

 

[Franny K]

The cutters are riveted to the outside of a thicker driver on .063 than .050 there for pushing the cutters further away from center.

That would seem to be the case where the preset tie straps do not share the same part number. Really need call out brand and product code.

 

[ericm979]

The cutters are riveted to the outside of a thicker driver on .063 than .050 there for pushing the cutters further away from center.

Yea I thought that too. Go measure a .050 chain and get back to us.

 

[TRTermite]

The cutters are riveted to the outside of a thicker driver on .063 than .050 there for pushing the cutters further away from center.

Stihl chain makes the drive link at .063 thick where the tie straps rivet the chain together. the gauge is swaged (or ground) down to the gauge thickness where it runs in the bar groove. Philbert once did a nice presentation on this somewhere.. so I always wondered why Stihl even sells anything but .063 in the 3/8"/.375 chain.

 

[link]

Stihl chain makes the drive link at .063 thick where the tie straps rivet the chain together. the gauge is swaged (or ground) down to the gauge thickness where it runs in the bar groove. Philbert once did a nice presentation on this somewhere.. so I always wondered why Stihl even sells anything but .063 in the 3/8"/.375 chain.

Stihl makes the chains at every thickness, .043, .050, .056 and .063.
I prefer using chains at .050 at my 50 to 80ccm saws, at smaller saws I use .043 - thats a "lot" of performance increase.