Bar size question

[woodsrunner]

Hi guys,
I'm interested in doing some chainsaw milling and wondering what bar size you folks think might be maximum for use with a husky 395xp. The wood would be hardwoods (red oak, white oak, chestnut oak, walnut, cherry and poplar). I sold a bunch of timber in the spring and most of the stuff I would be milling would be the cut offs from the butt logs. Some of those butts are in the 48 inch range and there is some nice stuff left and I hate to see it go to waste. (Not really sure what I will do with it yet, tho). Anyway, I have 385 and could easily trade up to a 395 with my local dealer for not much money. I don't really want to go to a 3120 unless I absolutely have to because I would like to use the saw for other felling and bucking chores. Let me know what you think.

Woodsrunner

 

[BobL]

For most folk it is not just what size power head/bar but what size power head, mill and bar combination, and how much effective cutting length you end up with.

To cut 48" wide slabs you will need an effective cutting length a few inches more than 48". Unless you make your own mill, the next size mill up from 48+, is 56". You can always run a shorter bar, but I would run anything shorter than 54" (if one is available).

If you are not making slabs, a 48" trunk can still be milled with an effective cutting length that is about 1.4 (probably more like 1.3) times shorter than 48". This means you could probably get away with 48" bar in a 48" mill. Some log turning is required but if you don't have many it will be worth doing.

If you could afford it I would get a 56" mill and two bars, something like a 36 or 42" bar, and a 54 or 60" . The 395 will be great on the shorter bar and should also be OK (albeit a little slower) for the occasional use on a bigger bar.

That way, for cutting up most stuff you are not lifting around the bigger bar. They do get heavier as the day gets longer.

I haven't cut any this big yet but when I finally get around to milling stuff wider than my current limit of 39.5" I will still cut the first lot of slabs on a trunk with the shorter bar, and then switch rails and bar just for the widest cuts and then switch back for the remaining narrower ones.

 

[guitarborist]

I run a 42", 30" and 17" bars. I use the 42 for wide stuff, as I get the log smaller I run a smaller bar. With the 17" I cut board up to 12" wide, works great, saves time and energy. So like BobL said get more than one size.

 

[woodsrunner]

Thanks for the replies, guys. I have a GB mill 66 inch (still on its way). I want to be able to do live edge slabs with this out of these big butts. It may be a little big but I figured this size mill would give me some flexibility for the future and allow me to do some crotches and stumps etc. Still don't have the saw trade made yet.
BobL, I want you to know how much I've enjoyed your posts. I especially appreciate the time and effort you go to to share your experiences with good photos and good written descriptions. It really helps us newbies who want to learn.

 

[zopi]

See? Even sawyers know that size matters...