pinemartin
tightwad
Here is a jonsered 920 with a 20" and 36" bar in the same wood being used by the same guy. Who ever has a stopwatch can (not me) can tell the time difference if any.
Teach me not to pay attention. I assumed it was the same saw, different bars, on the same log...
The second log is much larger.
A wise man uses no more bar than needed to get the job done. Some still feel the need to try to impress the girls though...
Every inch of extra bar and chain is more weight the engine must accelerate and more friction it must overcome. Not to think of the poor sap at the handle that must lug it about the woods.
The smaller stock saws will notice bigger losses with extra bar than bigger higher output saws. I calculated out losses on chain once and depending on the chain, gearing and RPM it was easy to loose between 0.5 and 1hp or a little more on a work saw just spinning the chain. to a 40-50 cc saw thats a big percentage of the output, but not so much for a ported 100cc saw.
Here is a jonsered 920 with a 20" and 36" bar in the same wood being used by the same guy. Who ever has a stopwatch can (not me) can tell the time difference if any.
A wise man uses no more bar than needed to get the job done. Some still feel the need to try to impress the girls though...
Every inch of extra bar and chain is more weight the engine must accelerate and more friction it must overcome. Not to think of the poor sap at the handle that must lug it about the woods.
The smaller stock saws will notice bigger losses with extra bar than bigger higher output saws. I calculated out losses on chain once and depending on the chain, gearing and RPM it was easy to loose between 0.5 and 1hp or a little more on a work saw just spinning the chain. to a 40-50 cc saw thats a big percentage of the output, but not so much for a ported 100cc saw.
A wise man uses no more bar than needed to get the job done. Some still feel the need to try to impress the girls though...
Every inch of extra bar and chain is more weight the engine must accelerate and more friction it must overcome. Not to think of the poor sap at the handle that must lug it about the woods.
The smaller stock saws will notice bigger losses with extra bar than bigger higher output saws. I calculated out losses on chain once and depending on the chain, gearing and RPM it was easy to loose between 0.5 and 1hp or a little more on a work saw just spinning the chain. to a 40-50 cc saw thats a big percentage of the output, but not so much for a ported 100cc saw.
You did a thread about the amount of tons of chain the saw threw around in a given time, Thats what sold me on shorter bars.
Here is a jonsered 920 with a 20" and 36" bar in the same wood being used by the same guy. Who ever has a stopwatch can (not me) can tell the time difference if any.
I think that video answers the question rather pointedly
Short answer.....YES! Less surface area=less drag, resistance, friction = less power needed to maintain chain speed, which allows more down pressure to be applied= more cut speed. And less chain weight helps as well.
You will not notice it probably too much if your power head has power to spare during the work, but when its nominal power is consumed by the sawing department, the additional friction will slow it down, no doubt about it.
You don't see many hard tip bars on smaller saws, there's a reason probably.
A wise man uses no more bar than needed to get the job done. Some still feel the need to try to impress the girls though...
Every inch of extra bar and chain is more weight the engine must accelerate and more friction it must overcome. Not to think of the poor sap at the handle that must lug it about the woods.
The smaller stock saws will notice bigger losses with extra bar than bigger higher output saws. I calculated out losses on chain once and depending on the chain, gearing and RPM it was easy to loose between 0.5 and 1hp or a little more on a work saw just spinning the chain. to a 40-50 cc saw thats a big percentage of the output, but not so much for a ported 100cc saw.
But again it can’t make a noticeable difference just adding or subtracting 2 inches.
Ok, this isn't "in the cut" but I'm to damn old and lazy to go further.
I just finished up 10 200T's for a customer. Grabbed the first one and recorded tach speeds with new bars/chains.
Set with 16" 14,040 RPM
with 14" 14,160 RPM
with 12" 14,600 RPM
with 12" 14,600 RPM (12" .43ga) Firgured why not give it a try.
with no B/C 15,120 RPM
So yes at full throttle, no load, the bar/chain combo is providing a load, how much this will effect cutting speed I couldn't answer without looking at torque curves. Even then it would depend on the size of wood you are cutting.
In the extreme's 16" vs 36" of course it'll make a difference. To those min/max'ers it'll make a difference. To those timing their cuts within .001, it'll make a difference. To those in the woods, not so much. I think the weight factor of carrying the extra poundage over an 8 hour day would be a bigger factor there.
In a single cut it likely won't, but at the end of the day it will. If you are in doubt take a new 16 inch 3/8 chisel chain on 16 inch bar with stock 50 cc saw and run it, then switch to a 20 inch bar and new chain of same brand and the difference will be noticed easily. A good part of it just in spool up and chain speed, as pointed out above it can be seen on a tach.
If the bar you run clears the tip it will be more efficient and have more availible power to put into the wood than a longer bar will.
Some tall guy slike long bars for reach so they don't need to bend over as much, thats a different story again
With longer bars you have more cutters in the wood at the same time, this is the main drag in the saws hp. The fewer the # of cutter in the wood at the same time= higher possible chain speed.
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