3/8 x .050 vs 3/8 x .063 Chain?

[West Texas]

What are the performance comparisons for these two chains? I've been using 3/8 x .050 chain on my 360. But I got a new 361 today and it came with a 3/8 x .063 bar and chain???

Tom

 

[MacDaddy]

I like to run 50 because when it gets worn down and cutting fast you can turn it into a race chain but 63 has a little more life to the carcase just remember to keep all saws running the same guage it cost less

 

[West Texas]

Thanks. That's what I was doing. I've converted all my saws to 3/8 x .050 and been happy with them. I'm a firewood guy, not a pro. And I wanted to use only one guage for economy purposes too.

Tom

 

[SawTroll]

..to Stihl Norway

Over here we are stuck with the .063 on Stihl saws in 3/8". They refuse to import bars and chain in other gauges, and even Oregon which is the only real option here (as far as I know) refuses to import anything else with D025 mount in 3/8".

Contrary to what I believe is the case with Oregon, the Stihl .063 is a bit sturdier (and heavier) than the lesser gauges. It also cuts a slightly wider kerf, which I think slows the cut down a tiny bit. I doubt that the difference is noticable to the user doing normal work, though.
The bars will also be slightly heavier.

 

[Max]

The drive link gauge should not have any bearing on the width of the kerf.
The cutters control the width of the kerf.

 

[SawTroll]

The drive link gauge should not have any bearing on the width of the kerf.
The cutters control the width of the kerf.

I know that, but I have been told here at AS that the cutter is wider on the .063 Stihl chain.

 

[Max]

You are right then. If indeed the cutter is wider, the kerf is wider.

 

[klickitatsacket]

the cutters are rivitted to the outside of a thicker driver there for pushing it further away from center. So unless the outside edge of the cutters are taken down the same distance then the total width of the assembly has to be wider. a cutter being a certain width can be the same but you have cutters on both sides of the drivers to make up the total kurf. If you thicken and piece then the whole is made thicker. To illistrate this; what would happen if your drive links were 1" thick? How wide would the kurbe then?

 

[Max]

Thanks for that Dean! I did not think of the gauge spacing the cutters further out!

 

[Lobo]

On anything below a 60cc - 65cc saws I dont really think it matters much that you are not using .063 gauge chain as .050 is good for that hp and torque especially with Stihl chain. On anything over 70cc then I believe that .063 in hardwoods becomes a concern for good ruggedness & longevity.

However I still maintain that Stihl chain material is harder than Oregon making it more work to manually sharpen. On the plus side though it seems to hold its edge better, cuts longer and runs truer.

But what the heck do I know.

 

[Lawn Masters]

You're right about the Stihl chain being harder. I've got all 3 brands here, and believe me, Stihl is THE hardest I've got. oregon is softest, with carlton chain being a good midground between hardness and ease of sharpening. carlton holds a nice edge for me, as does Stihl chain, and they both work well, so I dont really care much beyond the fact that they do cut, and I can earn my money with em.

 

[jokers]

On anything below a 60cc - 65cc saws I dont really think it matters much that you are not using .063 gauge chain as .050 is good for that hp and torque especially with Stihl chain. On anything over 70cc then I believe that .063 in hardwoods becomes a concern for good ruggedness & longevity.

However I still maintain that Stihl chain material is harder than Oregon making it more work to manually sharpen. On the plus side though it seems to hold its edge better, cuts longer and runs truer.

But what the heck do I know.

I don`t know, what do you know? How could you possibly rationalize that Stihl chain runs any truer than any other chain?

Stihl chain isn`t any harder or more wear resistant than any other chain on the market, it simply has more chrome on the cutter making it harder to file. I do agree that for general purpose use, thicker chrome does make it hold an edge longer, but it also comes at a premium in price when discussing Stihl chain.

FWIW, I have a significant stock of chain(none for sale BTW), both NOS and current manufacture chain including Stihl, Windsor, Sabre, Townsend, Oregon, and Carlton which allows me to compare old with new. All of the older chain is pretty much on par with the current Stihl chain in terms of hardness of the cutter, ie; it has thicker chrome. Given that Sabre, Townsend, and the original Windsor no longer exist, the market has been distilled to basically Oregon(also current Windsor), Carlton, and Stihl. There is a notable difference between the Stihl offering and Oregons current chain in regard to the cutter`s perceived hardness, but this is normally only obvious when cutting dirty or highly abrasive wood, Oregon chain in clean wood seems to give a satisfactory service between sharpenings. I haven`t found current Carlton to be significantly different from current Oregon despite what I keep reading here.

What this newer, more cheaply made Oregon has done is to bring the cost of a roll of chain down significantly and it`s had a sympathetic market effect on the more expensive Stihl chain. So it`s all good. Unless you don`t know how to sharpen.

Russ

 

[Lobo]

I don`t know, what do you know? How could you possibly rationalize that Stihl chain runs any truer than any other chain?

Stihl chain isn`t any harder or more wear resistant than any other chain on the market, it simply has more chrome on the cutter making it harder to file. I do agree that for general purpose use, thicker chrome does make it hold an edge longer, but it also comes at a premium in price when discussing Stihl chain.

Russ

Russ I am basing that on past experience, like anyone else if you purchased a mukaluk or a homonite or other brand in the past excluding Stihl it came equipped with what was an Oregon bar in disguise under the house name. When it needed replacing chances were it would be an Oregon because it was so commonly available ''perhaps Windsor also years back'' what I am saying here is that Stihl bar and chains for me seem to run truer longer than most other combos used. Is it as simple as the material itself or is it a combination of factors such as steel, heat treatment, manufacturing process, quality control, as you mentionned the chrome etc.etc. That is what I have based my comment on. Obviously like everyone else my sharpening has improved over 45-50 years.

I am not discrediting Oregon or Carlton or anyone else, I am saying there is a difference that I have found and I do not have a problem paying extra for the Stihl or any other brand and product in anything if it my view and experience it is better.

Some guys like blondes, some like brunettes, some like red heads and unfortunately some like none of the above. Different strokes for different folk because of different experiences.

 

[jokers]

Lobo,

I was only challenging your assertion that Stihl chain runs truer than other brands, this given the context that this thread is about chain not bars.

I agree with your opinion that buying a better product normally pays dividends, as in the case of Stihl ES bars, but only if you can buy for significantly less than retail, because you can buy two Oregon PowerMatch bars at any number of places for the retail price of one Stihl ES bar, and the Oregons will outlast the one Stihl bar. So then, what is the better value?

But like I said, my challenge was related to your statement regarding chain.

Russ

 

[ehp]

I also think it depends on what factory made the chain, I use oregon made here in Ontario and like it, I tested the Stihl chain back in 1998 and 1999 in the winter times cutting in the bush, they gave me alot of chain and I had to keep track of the number of trees I cut , how many times I had to file , did it break just whatever happened. They told us that we were to be able to cut up to 300 trees between filing but I most times never got past 60 trees in the real cold weather, the tooth would chip cutting the rock maple which you cut more of than any other tree

 

[SawTroll]

Thanks for that Dean! I did not think of the gauge spacing the cutters further out!

Ditto that!

 

[SawTroll]

........ However I still maintain that Stihl chain material is harder than Oregon making it more work to manually sharpen. .......

That may be so, but I don't find Stihl chain any harder to sharpen than Oregon, at least not in a normal maintenance context.
You just have to be extra careful the very first time you put the file to a toot on Stihl chain, as the file doesn't seem to find it's correct place at the tooth as easily as on Oregon.

 

[SWE#Kipp]

I agree with you SawTroll, Stihl chains don't seems harder file for me either, though always use files in good condition and always clean the chain before sharpening, i clean spare chains in gasoline and the chains on the saws by sawing on top of a stump (crosscut ??) to get rid of oil and sawdust

 

[ErrolC]

After reading the disagreements on the hardness of stihl chain...I went downstairs to run a wee test on some Carlton which I used to use (I've found Carlton to last a fair bit better than Oregon in my work), against stihl which I now use...did a fairly crude drop test with a 20oz hammer and quality punch on the inside of the cutter face and there is definitely a visible difference in cutter hardness, as left by the punch dot..can post pics in better light tomorrow...for those interested

058 & 063 gage will result in a stiffer bar in most cases...providing the bar is of relative gage itself...also get less stretch due to reduced rivet pin wear as a result of a larger wear surface area. chains don't actually stretch they wear their rivets loose.

I clean my chain by spinning the tip in a pool of water...but the timber I work is contaminated with course river sand and needs regular degritting...I use a detergent squeezy bottle and spin the chain on its side and squirt near the tip to flush the chain if a pool isn't close handy. looking at getting a roll of tungsten carbide cutter chain next..a bit pricey at about $750 for 25ft roll but been asured it'll last more than 10 times longer

 

[smokechase II]

I asked a salesperson/mechanic at baileys a month ago what he thought was going on with the chain quality thing. Even though baileys doesn't deal in most stihl saws/parts directly, he still, (some pun intended), said he thought it was more of a stihl upping their chain quality than Oregon had gone soft.
Could that be the case?

Also, anybody have any experience with the after market 044/440 top end cylinder piston rings bearing gaskets that baileys offers?

Although I've only rarely run the wide kerf chains/bars. I've noticed that many loggers do prefer the 58 or 63 gauge. I've been told that it is just easier to work with a wider kerf on big timber.