290 chain. .325 or 3/8? sorry........

[outdoortype]

Ok Windthrown, measure the tooth....

The fact that you see .325 bars on Ebay with consistently worn paint means nothing in reguard to chain pitch. If the .325 really wanders in the kerf that much, the major manufacturers would have corrected it or done away with it. I don't doubt your experience with the 290 and chain pitch. I just don't think you've cut enough dead hardwood with one. Don't you run a 25" bar on your 361?

 

[Justsaws]

Okay, am I understanding this correctly. These are the complaints.

The .325 haters have an issue with the bar getting hung up in the kerf?

The chain not clearing chips fast enough?

The chain wanders through the cut?

It is slow?

The saws mention are less than 60cc and mounted to bars 20" or less?

I have to say that I do not understand some of those issues being pitch related but to each their own. I have not experienced the bar drift and float with .325 but I think I understand what they are talking about.

Locally 290/310s come with .325 x 18"/20" and the 390s with .375 x 20". The owner can request a different setup.

Same deal from what I have seen when I am in Virginia.

I voted .325 as I do not like .375 on a 290/310s barely like it on the 390s.

 

[Messenger]

MS 290 w/ 3/8"

mountainlake ---

You need to personally contact one of the most important Voters of all!

How about the STIHL Factory itself !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

STIHL has, without a doubt, "dumped" about a blue jillion of these MS290's sold with 3/8" on the unsuspecting public. Many sold w/ 18-20" bars.
How dare they! An immediate call to the Federal Authorities is in order!

Your call, with all the wisdom & knowledge you've acquired on this subject, is desparately needed to correct a gross oversite at the Factory.

ML, STIHL Mfg. has done a ton of testing on each saw/B&C combo it makes.
If they offer it, it works. Period.

Maybe the 290 you ran was a turd. Or bad chain, who knows....

We have sold a Ton of MS290's [95% going out the door with 3/8".]
NEVER any complaints or problems with cutting speed or chain use. Never!

A 290 is no MS440--but the buyer paid nowhere near as much.

RPM is NOT the deciding factor in the cut.
TIME is! Sometimes we incorrectly & automatically relate the RPM & Time as one. Not so. 3/8" is a bigger chain.
Racing saws, etc. don't get the Trophies for RPM -- but for the quickest Time.

[as a side note-- I have a MS250 w/.325" & a Mac PM10-10 w/3/8". Yea, slow old Mac... the STIHL is higher RPM. But cutting thru the log, the MAC will eat it alive. Much quicker.]

The discussion is NOT about pulling a bigger Pin sprocket. It's about what Joe
ChainSaw uses to cut with -- a stock set-up 99% of the time.

A stock step-up works just fine for it's intended purpose -- w/ 3/8" & 20" !
STIHL Factory's bank account votes so.

 

[Smokerr]

Apparently I am missing something, having cut wood for something like 40 years, I guess I am just a newbie at this.

My MS270 comes with .325 chain, and I have not been able to make it pinch (well actually I did several times when I was stupid enough to cut a round when the entire weight of the log was causing the cut to collapse.) Oddly, I found that cutting from the bottom up cured that.

I am sure the 3/8 would stop that Pinchas entire of course when a log bends down.

However, I guess I will go on my ignorant ways and stick with the OEM .325 chain it came with, and not spend all that money to convert it (and of course try not to put myself in a position where I pinch it)

 

[mountainlake]

mountainlake ---

You need to personally contact one of the most important Voters of all!

How about the STIHL Factory itself !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

STIHL has, without a doubt, "dumped" about a blue jillion of these MS290's sold with 3/8" on the unsuspecting public. Many sold w/ 18-20" bars.
How dare they! An immediate call to the Federal Authorities is in order!

Your call, with all the wisdom & knowledge you've acquired on this subject, is desparately needed to correct a gross oversite at the Factory.

ML, STIHL Mfg. has done a ton of testing on each saw/B&C combo it makes.
If they offer it, it works. Period.

Maybe the 290 you ran was a turd. Or bad chain, who knows....

We have sold a Ton of MS290's [95% going out the door with 3/8".]
NEVER any complaints or problems with cutting speed or chain use. Never!

A 290 is no MS440--but the buyer paid nowhere near as much.

RPM is NOT the deciding factor in the cut.
TIME is! Sometimes we incorrectly & automatically relate the RPM & Time as one. Not so. 3/8" is a bigger chain.
Racing saws, etc. don't get the Trophies for RPM -- but for the quickest Time.

[as a side note-- I have a MS250 w/.325" & a Mac PM10-10 w/3/8". Yea, slow old Mac... the STIHL is higher RPM. But cutting thru the log, the MAC will eat it alive. Much quicker.]

The discussion is NOT about pulling a bigger Pin sprocket. It's about what Joe
ChainSaw uses to cut with -- a stock set-up 99% of the time.

A stock step-up works just fine for it's intended purpose -- w/ 3/8" & 20" !
STIHL Factory's bank account votes so.

This whole topic is if the stock 290 pulls a .325 or a 3/8 better. It doen't have the power to pull the higher chain speed and slightly wider kerf of the 3/8 in bigger wood ( I've run several and every one cuts better with the .325). Far as what comes from the factory, my Rancher 55 came with a 3/8 and was a dog, switched to .325 and it cut way faster in anything over 6" oak. Now if your cutting softwood all the time 3/8 might work. This getting pinched and wandering is just bs. I run .325 and 3/8 all the time and have no problem with either one. Steve

 

[Smokerr]

Well I was trying to be kindly sarcastic, but BS works well.

Narrower chain should cut better.

If I watch what I am doing, no pinch.

If I don't watch what I am doing, pinch.

Width of chain she no a make any difference.

 

[BarkBuster20]

well i was speaking from direct experience when i said my 310 was pulling a 25 inch b&c with a 3/8 chain just fine while completely burried in doug fir. now it is obvious that those of us residing in the great pnw prefer longer bar and chain setup and it seems a bigger chain as well then our eastern cousins. i voted 3/8 though its the smart choice. a 290 with a 18 inch B&C with a 3/8 chain will ear through hardwood as well as softwood.

 

[SawTroll]

They don't offer the 290 ot 310 here (for good reasons I believe) - but there must be a reason the 390 comes with 25RMC stock, despite a power rating of 4.6hp here (guess it is muffler related).

Btw, they dumped them (390) at less than MS250 price here a couple of years ago - but just handling one in the shop made me disgusted - that series of saws is not for me, regardless of price........:yoyo::yoyo:

 

[outdoortype]

What Messenger and Windthrown can't seem to understand is the 290 can't overcome the extra load of a wider chain and larger sprocket in hard wood. Go cut some Oak or Hickory with both setups and you'll see what we mean. And that's why Stihl specs offer both setups.

 

[Tim Carroll]

Windthrown and Messenger both kinda right but not completely. My 029 will not pull 3/8 chain in northern Red Oak. It would bog the saw out with a 20" bar on it. The .325 bar is wider, the paint does wear off and it will pinch in the cut sooner and the 3/8 B/C is probably a better choice in softer wood but it wouldn't't be the best choice for me. The Dolmar 5100 also runs better in oak with the .325 B/C but that is a narrower gauge bar and chain (.050) than the Stihl setup (.063)and is not any wider than the 3/8 setup for that saw. I guess I'm saying that it depends on what you are doing for the best setup.

 

[2000ssm6]

Go cut some Oak or Hickory with both setups and you'll see what we mean.

Be there, done that, rather have the 3/8".

 

[windthrown]

What Messenger and Windthrown can't seem to understand is the 290 can't overcome the extra load of a wider chain and larger sprocket in hard wood. Go cut some Oak or Hickory with both setups and you'll see what we mean. And that's why Stihl specs offer both setups.

:bang: :bang: :bang: 3/8 chain runs better for me on a 290. Plain and simple. In Oregon White Oak, Pacific Madrone, Bigleaf Maple, and several other hard-ass woods. I will put Pacific Madrone up against ANY hickory or other dense wood that you guys have out there, wherever you are. It compares to eastern hickory in density and strength. We have more than just pansy-ass sofwood out here in the PNW. I ran a lot of tests on chains and saws over four years when I managed an 85 acre tree stand with mixed western and some eastern tree species. I also salvaged and cut a lot of firewood (10-20 cords a year) from slash piles and windthrow (where I got my user ID here). I thinned, felled and bucked up thousands of trees. For the first 2 years there, I used mostly a 290, with 20 inch bars and RM full comp chain, 3/8 and .325.

Two reasons I believe that 3/8 works better than .325. The first is that there are more cutters per inch in .325 than on 3/8 chain. In fact, .325 has 12% more cutters than 3/8 chain. As for 3/8 chain being wider, comparing the cutting widths, I do not notice any difference between standard 3/8 and standard .325 chain width. Comparing my Stihl semi-chisel 3/8 to my Stihl semi-chisel .325 right here, side by side, they are almost the same width from outer cutting edge to outer cutting edge. So I do not get this notion that 3/8 chain has the extra loading? I believe its the other way around, and due to having more cutters per inch, its the .325 that sucks up more torque.

The second reason I mentioned before that y'all gaffaw at is that the .325 does not cut as stright. The .325 bars pinch on me far more often than with either standard or picco 3/8 chain. I also noticed that most used .325 bars out there have an abnormal amount of paint worn off of them, far more than used 3/8 bars. Hell, one .325 bar I have has no paint left on it at all. Gone. Similar to many used .325 bars I have seen. So its 3/8 for me on all my saws, not just the 290. Standard 3/8 on my larger saws, and low profile 3/8 on my smaller ones.

BTW: This argument is about standard .325 bars and chains, not NK. I tried to find NK .325 for my Stihls and posted queries here on AS some time ago, and it seems that the .325 NK stuff does not exist for Stihl saws. As for why Stihl offers .325 and 3/8 for the 290, I do not know. Why they offer 0.063 and 0.050 bars and chains defys me as well. I use mainly 0.050 3/8 bars and chain, but the Stihl .325 is all 0.063. Maybe its a European or east coast thing, like using short bars. Go figure.

 

[SawTroll]

....
So I do not get this notion that 3/8 chain has the extra loading? I believe its the other way around, and due to having more cutters per inch, its the .325 that sucks up more torque. ....

I would agree if both sprockets were the same diameter, given the cutters are equally wide.

.....
I also noticed that most used .325 bars out there have an abnormal amount of paint worn off of them, far more than used 3/8 bars. Hell, one .325 bar I have has no paint left on it at all. Gone. Similar to many used .325 bars I have seen. ....

Laminated .063 bars are wider than laminated .050 bars, so at least for those it actually makes sence, again given the cutters are equally wide.

That is probably why Stihls .325 bars bind more often than the 3/8" ones as well (in the US) - but I have never experienced any trouble with the .063 3/8" bars we get here..........

 

[CHEVYTOWN13]

Yeah, we folks over here on the left side have to cut some tough stuff. We have tons of hard woods. Me fave is Canyon Live Oak. I just found out it was also used for axles in the wild wild west!!!! And wagon wheels!!!

I really do like cutting canyon oak

http://www.gardenguides.com/plants/plantguides/trees/plantguide.asp?symbol=QUCH2

 

[outdoortype]

:....
Two reasons I believe that 3/8 works better than .325. The first is that there are more cutters per inch in .325 than on 3/8 chain. In fact, .325 has 12% more cutters than 3/8 chain. As for 3/8 chain being wider, comparing the cutting widths, I do not notice any difference between standard 3/8 and standard .325 chain width. Comparing my Stihl semi-chisel 3/8 to my Stihl semi-chisel .325 right here, side by side, they are almost the same width from outer cutting edge to outer cutting edge. So I do not get this notion that 3/8 chain has the extra loading? I believe its the other way around, and due to having more cutters per inch, its the .325 that sucks up more torque....

So then why do they put .325 chains and smaller sprockets on smaller displacement saws? I meant no offense to you or the types of wood out there. But I've ran several 029 supers with 18" bars and .325 chains. IMO, increasing the sprocket size and or widening the kerf would slow the saw too much.

 

[Evan]

id say if its that borderline and 3/8 chain on the 290 makes it inadeguate for the job then you need to be lookin for a bigger saw.

 

[peter399]

Use 0.325 for the first 10 secs when the air filter is clean then switch to 3/8 picco micro.

 

[BarkBuster20]

im going to be running a 3/8 chain on my 026 as well with a 16 inch b&c

 

[husky46cc]

We have sold a Ton of MS290's [95% going out the door with 3/8".]
NEVER any complaints or problems with cutting speed or chain use. Never!
---------------------------

Hmmm. Just curious, but doesn't the above post really answer the question without any doubt?

 

[TreePointer]

We have sold a Ton of MS290's [95% going out the door with 3/8".]
NEVER any complaints or problems with cutting speed or chain use. Never!
---------------------------

Hmmm. Just curious, but doesn't the above post really answer the question without any doubt?

Are those usually sold with 20" bars? The reason I ask is that I'm considering switching the drum & spur on my 290 to a 3/8" rim sprocket to simplify my bar and chain types among my saws. I like running a 20" bar (more reach. less bending over).