How much effect does the guage of a chain have?

[BLACKeR]

another dumb noob question, i assume the drive sprocket has to match the bar sprocket in pitch. are saws pretty standard with what pitch they run out of the box? i have a husky 359 on the way and want to get a 16" bar and some extra chain for it from baileys. but since i dont have it yet im not sure what pitch to get. do all 359's come from husky with a standard pitch? or do i need to wait till i get the saw to know for sure?

ive been searching, and reading and learing more about chainsaws from here the past 2 weeks than i thought possible. my eyes are crossed, my wife has left me, and the dogs are looking really hungry...and i still dont know crap.

 

[CaseyForrest]

Welcome Blacker....

Im not familiar with Husky, but I would think the 359 comes with 3/8 chain.

You are right, the bar tip and the sprocket need to match. The bar rail groove needs to match the chain gauge, but the sprocket doesnt care what the chain gauge is.

 

[klickitatsacket]

When I first started on here I learned a very cool thing about gauge that I did not realize and will now pass it on to others as I do not see it mentioned.

.050, .058 and .063 all have the same kurf in the wood because the drivers are all .063 in the chassy of the chain and only thinned down under the chassy.

There is one exception to this rule. Carlton .050 is a true .050 all the way up through the chassy and thus the kurf is .013 thinner than the other .050 chains made by Stihl and Oregon.

 

[BLACKeR]

the smaller the gauge the lighter the chain, so less Hp is needed to spin it. so whats the benifit of the larger gauge chain? especially if the drivers in the body of the chain are all the same? i could see a smaller gauge chain stretching quicker with a higher HP saw. but it doesnt seem like this would be much of an issue if all the drivers are the same width. is this an example of a unstandardized industry with manufactures in several different countries, or is there an actual difference. i realize you guys get sick of going over and over this. i have searched this till my eyes have bleed and the conclusion i come to is that everyone has a set up they like for no other reason other than they like it. i just want to make sure im not missing something.

oh and whats better husky or stihl:hmm3grin2orange:

i should have never gotten on here...you guys are all sick.

 

[klickitatsacket]

you hit the nail on the head. It is a matter of under standardizing.

I really do not think though that so little taken off of the drivers is going to do much when it comes to the weight. At least not in comparison to the differance in kurf like on the Carlton chain.

 

[thomas72]

Posted in the wrong thread.

 

[SawTroll]

I'm probably wrong, but to get a little more life from a bar, and keep it cutting reasonably straight, I'd move up a guage after the bar was worn out. For a worn out 50 guage bar a 58 gauge chain would fit nice & tight......I did this when I was logging, trying to save the extra $.....Or sometimes just to make it threw the week, untill I could buy a new bar & chain for my saw.

Crooked cutting may occur even with the wider chain gauge in a worn bar, as they tend to wear wider at the top of rails than at the bottom......

...not worth doing imo, unless you are in a pinch.

 

[SawTroll]

I don't think it makes much of a difference, If you don't buy your
chain on-line, then I would see what is the most available in your area.
In my area you don't really see any .058 chain, on the shelfs for sale.

Right on, availiability is what really counts....:censored:

 

[SawTroll]

That is correct, 3/8 LP or Picco can not be used on a regular 3/8 bar and rim/spur.

I believe that the Oregon 91 series is the same as Stihls Picco chain.

That's right!

....but a few actors in the market confuses the picture by calling the 3/8" low profile .365, and the ordinary 3/8" .375 - both are actually .367.......

 

[SawTroll]

Welcome Blacker....

Im not familiar with Husky, but I would think the 359 comes with 3/8 chain.

It comes with either 3/8" or .325 - I believe it is up to the different distributers, maybe even the dealers......

 

[SawTroll]

When I first started on here I learned a very cool thing about gauge that I did not realize and will now pass it on to others as I do not see it mentioned.

.050, .058 and .063 all have the same kurf in the wood because the drivers are all .063 in the chassy of the chain and only thinned down under the chassy.

There is one exception to this rule. Carlton .050 is a true .050 all the way up through the chassy and thus the kurf is .013 thinner than the other .050 chains made by Stihl and Oregon.

I learned the same, at the same time, in a tread here.

Before that, I had gone trough several differnt stories about this issue, here and on other forums - but I believe that the true answer finally came to the surface in that tread....:rockn: :rockn:

 

[Crofter]

Quote:
Originally Posted by klickitatsacket
When I first started on here I learned a very cool thing about gauge that I did not realize and will now pass it on to others as I do not see it mentioned.

.050, .058 and .063 all have the same kurf in the wood because the drivers are all .063 in the chassy of the chain and only thinned down under the chassy.

There is one exception to this rule. Carlton .050 is a true .050 all the way up through the chassy and thus the kurf is .013 thinner than the other .050 chains made by Stihl and Oregon.
I learned the same, at the same time, in a tread here.

Before that, I had gone trough several differnt stories about this issue, here and on other forums - but I believe that the true answer finally came to the surface in that tread....

I learned the same, at the same time, in a tread here.

Before that, I had gone trough several differnt stories about this issue, here and on other forums - but I believe that the true answer finally came to the surface in that tread....:rockn: :rockn:

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Some of that information may be true in some manufacturers chain but it is not the most common scenario. I have seen it posted that at one time the Carlton chain in 50 guage was 50 all the way up the drive link so the chain was thinner in the kerf. I believe that poster was Walt Galer. Carlton chain now is .58 in the upper part of the drive link in both 50 and 58 and is merely thinned down to 50 in the drive tang. .63 is .63 all the way so is thicker in the kerf by 5 thou. 50 and 58 share the same rivet preset but 63 is a different rivet. I am including a pic of Carlton 50 guage that shows the reduced thickness only on the drive tang not the whole drive link. Oregon follows the same pattern and rivet system and the parts will interchange. I am not certain what the case is with Stihl as I have never made loops out of it. In the picture you can see the sharp line where the thickness changes from the drive tang to the body of the drive link. The low pro chain may use a different system! don't know there.