Narrow Kerf tech.

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chugbug

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I have been asking around a little about whats avail. and what works and what doesn't work with NK bars and chains for my 346, and it seems like were a little limited with whats avail. out there . Does the stihl MS260 use an NK bar and chain , what other saws come factory with it ?? Oregon seems very limited with only the 95VP and then you got woodland pro 22NK, a much better choice . I've have been told not to run a regular chain on a NK bar as the rails are thinner and it will wear out the NK bar quicker . Just seems like its odd stuff and not much avail. for it . Any more ideas???
 
I had a partner P511 that ran NK, as you say only 95vp in Oregon, we dont get woodland pro 22NK over here so I can't compare.
Both my saws run .325 058 now so I don't really have any problems.
I think 95vp is OK for the type of saw that runs it, smaller displacement type homeowner machines.
 
Does anyone make .325 NK with a chisel tooth? The NK I tested was not and regular .325 chisel chain walked all over it. I did not like the .325 NK smei_chisel at all. It was much slower than .325 chisel.
 
So is Nk pretty much a husky idea ?? And the only one using it ??


Husky/Oregon idea, has been availiable for both medium and small Stihl mount at different times as well, but no longer as far as I know. Stihl never offered it themself, and Carlton has been the only manufactorer except Oregon for chain, and except for Oregon and Husky (Husky makes their own, in addition to the rebadged Oregons) for bars.

Carltons NK bars has a rumor of beeing very wimpy, I would not recommend them, even though I never used one myself....:chatter::Eye::Eye:
 
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Does anyone make .325 NK with a chisel tooth? The NK I tested was not and regular .325 chisel chain walked all over it. I did not like the .325 NK smei_chisel at all. It was much slower than .325 chisel.

No-one does - the strongest saws the NK variety makes sense on is the not-to-hot stock 50cc ones, like the 353 and 260 (borderline on those) - but it surely does not on the stronger ones like the NE346xp or 5100S.

That is my perception, but where the limit is will of course vary with several factors, like the wood, bar length etc.

They work great on the 339xp!
 
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My testing showed .325 chisel chain to be much more efficient than .325 NK on the Dolmar 420. The narrow kerf doesn't make up for the loss of efficiency of the semi-chisel cutter on the NK chain. If someone would make a .325 NK chisel, it would likely cut very well. Until then, I won't run it.
 
So , Where does that leave me ?? Buy a good regular .325 Oregon power match bar at 42.95 and run 20 LP and throw the NK stuff out the window ? Or buy a Arbor pro combo in NK for 23.95 with 20nk chain ?
 
No-one does - the strongest saws the NK variety makes sense on is the not-to-hot stock 50cc ones, like the 353 and 260 (borderline on those) - but it surely does not on the stronger ones like the NE346xp or 5100S.

That is my perception, but where the limit is will of course vary with several factors, like the wood, bar length etc.

They work great on the 339xp!

I agree the NK works great on a 345/350 or other similar saws, But on the 5100 or anything with more power it seems to slow you down. I do love it on certain saws though!
 
go wear out what you've got, then switch.

or use that as backup/different length/root cutter.

if you stay with .325 you'll have an extra option.
 
chugbug If I would like to suggest the ArborMax bar and chain combo in .325 chisel, your choice of length. The 20" bar and chain is $19.95. Heck the chain alone is $12.95. It might not be the best bar in the world but for 7 dollars, that's pretty good. I have one and so far its works fine. Cut really well.

I also like the 20" bar on my 5100 for the reach.

I am going to try a 24" PowerMatch .325 on my 262.
 
I have the Arbor-Pro NK bar&chain combo( 23.95 )on the way including a 20NK chain in 18'' and thought I made a mistake on my choice ?? Maybe I should have gone with the regular bar and chain , not sure ?? I also have a loop of 20 LP that will fit if I want to try it .
 
I have the Arbor-Pro NK bar&chain combo( 23.95 )on the way including a 20NK chain in 18'' and thought I made a mistake on my choice ?? Maybe I should have gone with the regular bar and chain , not sure ?? I also have a loop of 20 LP that will fit if I want to try it .

for that price, run any kinda chain you wish on it.
 

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