Bar lengths ?

[ralawler]

I don't know if this has been brought up before but I got to thinking about it.
Lets say you run a 70ccish saw like i do and a 20" bar. now it makes since that the longer the bar the more power it takes to pull the chain. Now heres my question, If you are running a 20 inch bar burred all the time wouldn't that be harder on the saw say than running a 28" bar that's not. being that the tip of the 28" is threw the cut and this should give better chip discharge and not be as binding on the chain.

 

[mattmc2003]

I would think that if both the 20" bar and the 28" bar are cutting say....20" wood, the 20" would still cut faster, cause they are cutting the same wood, plus the 28 is pulling more chain. It may not be very noticeable, but it would be slower anyway. But the time would be made up very easily if you have to walk around the log and cut the leftover from the smaller bar everytime.

 

[volks-man]

I don't know if this has been brought up before but I got to thinking about it.
Lets say you run a 70ccish saw like i do and a 20" bar. now it makes since that the longer the bar the more power it takes to pull the chain. Now heres my question, If you are running a 20 inch bar burred all the time wouldn't that be harder on the saw say than running a 28" bar that's not. being that the tip of the 28" is threw the cut and this should give better chip discharge and not be as binding on the chain.

i notice that the saws cut slightly faster with some tip exposed.
to add to your question:
do stihl bars cut better because of the slight round of the top and bottom of the bar rather than being straight from tip to tail?

 

[computeruser]

Theoretically, you have more possibilities in terms of chip discharge with the top and tip uncovered, but this presumes that you want the bar to come all the way through the cut. Oftentimes, this is not desirable, either because of the operator's preferred technique or because of cutting conditions - tangled blowdowns, for example.

Given the choice, I don't want a bar that comes out the other side of things any more than necessary, so if the job can be done with the 20" bar, that's the one I'll choose. Longer bars are heavier, it takes longer to sharpen the chains that fit them, and they invite you to inadvertently stick the bar tip into things.

Sure, I could have run a longer bar...but why?

 

[ralawler]

Theoretically, you have more possibilities in terms of chip discharge with the top and tip uncovered, but this presumes that you want the bar to come all the way through the cut. Oftentimes, this is not desirable, either because of the operator's preferred technique or because of cutting conditions - tangled blowdowns, for example.

Given the choice, I don't want a bar that comes out the other side of things any more than necessary, so if the job can be done with the 20" bar, that's the one I'll choose. Longer bars are heavier, it takes longer to sharpen the chains that fit them, and they invite you to inadvertently stick the bar tip into things.

Sure, I could have run a longer bar...but why?

Good points. I just find in felling larger trees that I have much easyer time useing a longer bar. But the oak I fell this week I couldn't have reached threw with a 36" bar I did the job with a 20" buy makeing a deep face cut then walking the saw around for the back cut. Only problem is I got deeper into my hinge than I won'ted. I knew this would probably happen so I started a wedge before I got have way around. Then applied another towards the end of the cut. Tree fell perfectly. There was enough hinge left to keep it from twisting on the stump.

 

[SawTroll]

Theoretically, you have more possibilities in terms of chip discharge with the top and tip uncovered, but this presumes that you want the bar to come all the way through the cut. Oftentimes, this is not desirable, either because of the operator's preferred technique or because of cutting conditions - tangled blowdowns, for example.

Given the choice, I don't want a bar that comes out the other side of things any more than necessary, so if the job can be done with the 20" bar, that's the one I'll choose. Longer bars are heavier, it takes longer to sharpen the chains that fit them, and they invite you to inadvertently stick the bar tip into things.

Sure, I could have run a longer bar...but why?

Totally agree - "overbucking" often is the key when the bar looks a bit short....

 

[BloodOnTheIce]

Theoretically, you have more possibilities in terms of chip discharge with the top and tip uncovered, but this presumes that you want the bar to come all the way through the cut. Oftentimes, this is not desirable, either because of the operator's preferred technique or because of cutting conditions - tangled blowdowns, for example.

Given the choice, I don't want a bar that comes out the other side of things any more than necessary, so if the job can be done with the 20" bar, that's the one I'll choose. Longer bars are heavier, it takes longer to sharpen the chains that fit them, and they invite you to inadvertently stick the bar tip into things.

Sure, I could have run a longer bar...but why?

Ehh, the Dolmar is nice, give me more shots of the Wheel Horse!

 

[BobL]

do stihl bars cut better because of the slight round of the top and bottom of the bar rather than being straight from tip to tail?

A rounded bar increases the attack angle of the cutter and helps it bite better.
But the same effect can be easily obtained by dropping the rakers a touch.

The rounded bar profile would also help distribute tension and thus wear away from the nose but this effect would be minimal.

Since the chain rises significantly from the bar to cut, a rounded profile might also help distribute ware across the bar?

Another advantage comes on really long bars used for milling because the rounded profile, although heavier suffers from less bar droop - I will post some pic of this in the milling forum later today!