.325 narrow kerf chain?

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MS460WOODCHUCK

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My new 346 has the HU30 chain which I think is the narrow kerf bar and chain. Is this what everyone is running on their 346 or do you run a regular .325 chain. Can I run a regular .325 chain on a narrow kerf .325 bar? Can I buy a full chisle narrow kerf chain for this saw?

Just full of questions tonight are'nt I?
 
I run Bailey's Woodsman Pro 20NK (Carlton manufactured) on my 346. It's a semi-chisel chain, but it cuts pretty darn fast & holds up extremely well under conditions that are less than pristine.

You can run a regular .325" chain on a .325" NK bar without any problem.
You might have a clearance issue running .325" NK chain on a regular kerf .325" bar.

BTW, do your new saw a big favor by swappiing out that E-Tech catalytic muffler:blob2: with the non-cat version. You can save the original muffler to temporarily re-install if you should ever have to put the saw in the shop for warranty service.

Vince
 
I run Bailey's Woodsman Pro 20NK (Carlton manufactured) on my 346. It's a semi-chisel chain, but it cuts pretty darn fast & holds up extremely well under conditions that are less than pristine.

You can run a regular .325" chain on a .325" NK bar without any problem.
You might have a clearance issue running .325" NK chain on a regular kerf .325" bar.

BTW, do your new saw a big favor by swappiing out that E-Tech catalytic muffler:blob2: with the non-cat version. You can save the original muffler to temporarily re-install if you should ever have to put the saw in the shop for warranty service.

Vince

I don't think (but don't know for sure lol) that it has a e-tech muffler. How can I tell? It just say's 346xp on it, it does'nt say e or e-tech on it anywhere and it has a grey fuel cap not a green one.
 
I don't think (but don't know for sure lol) that it has a e-tech muffler. How can I tell? It just say's 346xp on it, it does'nt say e or e-tech on it anywhere and it has a grey fuel cap not a green one.

You should be good to go then. I believe the recoil decal would say e-tech on it if it was.
 
Mine came with the narrow kerf bar and 95vp chain, but I have run stihl rs chain on it and woodsman pro 20rc and they both work well. Currently I have a 20" nk arborpro bar with 20nk chain on it. I like this combo when I am noodling and I like the reach.
 
Don't just nibble, take a big bite. Swap that baby to 3/8 and don't look back.
 
Don't just nibble, take a big bite. Swap that baby to 3/8 and don't look back.

I ran a muff modded, but otherwise stock 346xp with 20" 3/8 at our last gtg. Was blown away by how well it pull it. Not 20" wood, but up to 16" stuff. Maybe not the best for every one, but it got me rethinking my set-ups.
 
I ran a muff modded, but otherwise stock 346xp with 20" 3/8 at our last gtg. Was blown away by how well it pull it. Not 20" wood, but up to 16" stuff. Maybe not the best for every one, but it got me rethinking my set-ups.

I did run it in some bar length Hickory last weekend with that same 20'' 3/8s setup. It did fine just letting it cut, couldn't lean on it though,,,,which I didn't expect too much. Honesty, that 346 with a 20'' bar could probably do 100% of my cutting, and I wouldn't hesitate to run a 20'' on it if it was my only saw,,, but the 372 is funner in the bigger stuff anyways :msp_biggrin:.
 
I did run it in some bar length Hickory last weekend with that same 20'' 3/8s setup. It did fine just letting it cut, couldn't lean on it though,,,,which I didn't expect too much. Honesty, that 346 with a 20'' bar could probably do 100% of my cutting, and I wouldn't hesitate to run a 20'' on it if it was my only saw,,, but the 372 is funner in the bigger stuff anyways :msp_biggrin:.

Yeah, your set-up kind of messed up my thinkin. :dizzy:
 
I did run it in some bar length Hickory last weekend with that same 20'' 3/8s setup. It did fine just letting it cut, couldn't lean on it though,,,,which I didn't expect too much. Honesty, that 346 with a 20'' bar could probably do 100% of my cutting, and I wouldn't hesitate to run a 20'' on it if it was my only saw,,, but the 372 is funner in the bigger stuff anyways :msp_biggrin:.

It's not really a "lean-on" kind of saw anyway, but definitely very capable. And hey, 2 less teeth to sharpen on an 18" bar, 3 less on a 20"!!!
 
It's not really a "lean-on" kind of saw anyway, but definitely very capable. And hey, 2 less teeth to sharpen on an 18" bar, 3 less on a 20"!!!

I like the 3/8 set up myself. Thats what I switched my 260pro over to and enjoyed it. I've never been to fond of the .325 chain but will run it on this saw til the original bar is wore out at least.
 
I like the 3/8 set up myself. Thats what I switched my 260pro over to and enjoyed it. I've never been to fond of the .325 chain but will run it on this saw til the original bar is wore out at least.

It's always a good idea to get your money's worth out of it ;) And you can also do a fair comparison of the two. If you run the NK setup for a while then swap to 3/8, you can decide which you like better, as opposed to swapping out from the start. I still think the 3/8 is a better deal on that saw.
 
I just called Bailey's to order a couple of chains and they wanted 13.99 to ship them lol. Told them to forget it.
 
I run Bailey's Woodsman Pro 20NK (Carlton manufactured) on my 346. It's a semi-chisel chain, but it cuts pretty darn fast & holds up extremely well under conditions that are less than pristine.

You can run a regular .325" chain on a .325" NK bar without any problem.
You might have a clearance issue running .325" NK chain on a regular kerf .325" bar.
.......
Vince

I never had a chance to try that chain, but I dislike 95VP/H30 on the NE346xp etc - it somehow doesn't do the saws justise, and I mostly use chisel chain anyway.
 
Baileys chain prices and shipping has really skyrocketed lately. Dont know what length bar you ended up with on your 346. I chose the 18" 72DL for mine in .325 and was fortunately rewarded with a sale by Edge and Engine this summer for the aforementioned Oregon LPX in .325 72 DL for ten dollars a loop. Made out like a bandit, bought enough for free shipping. Will cover my two 50 cc saws forever. But forget my fortune, the LPX is good chain period! Try some.
 
I just ordered a couple loops of LPX from eBay, $20 ea., free shipping. He's got other lengths as well.

My ported 346 XP should arrive in a few days, first thing I'm going to do with it is make some videos of cuts with Oregon VPX (narrow kerf), LPX, and BPX. I'm mainly interested in the comparison between VPX and BPX, since the dead ash I'll mostly be cutting rapidly dulls the LPX. I've already got lots of .325 bars, so 3/8ths will have to wait, and besides based on other videos here at AS it appears that a 346 XP will not benefit from 3/8ths unless it has a pop-up.

After I determine the fastest semi-chisel chain, the real fun starts: I'll be bolting on a Zama C3-EL42 carb (357 XP carb) for some before and after videos.
 

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