Bar and chain

[ShaneLogs]

A 20" 3/8 Oregon Lite bar with a replaceable sprocket tip on it. A Stihl Rollomatic E, ES, or an E-Lite bar would be really good on that saw too. It all depends on what your cutting like what WhiteSpider said, a semi-chisel or a full-chisel chain would be really good on a MS290 too. You could also think about running a skip chain on it too.

 

[Philbert]

Remember that it is an MS 290. For firewood. Bar and chain should not cost more than the saw . . .

Philbert

 

[ShaneLogs]

Remember that it is an MS 290. For firewood. Bar and chain should not cost more than the saw . . .

Philbert

Well that's not totally true, you can spend lots of money on different size bar and chains and different sprocket rims too for all different firewood cutting types. You can never have enough bar and chains for different occasions

 

[Wood Doctor]

A 20" 3/8 Oregon Lite bar with a replaceable sprocket tip on it. A Stihl Rollomatic E, ES, or an E-Lite bar would be really good on that saw too. It all depends on what your cutting like what WhiteSpider said, a semi-chisel or a full-chisel chain would be really good on a MS290 too. You could also think about running a skip chain on it too.

The more I think about it, the more I like the idea of semi-chisel chain with a Farm Boss. On the other hand, low-profile might be going too far. Using 3/8 pitch semi-chisel with an 18" bar should work rather well.

Heck, men, if you drop it down to low-profile, 3/8 semi-chisel with 050 gauge, then you have the same configuration as my Craftsman 42 that I have hiding in the closet in fear that the forum will find out that I own it.

 

[Philbert]

Heck, men, if you drop it down to low-profile, 3/8 semi-chisel with 050 gauge, then you have the same configuration as my Craftsman 42 that I have hiding in the closet in fear that the forum will find out that I own it.

Out of the bag now . . .

Lot of wood has been cut with Sears saws and sharp chains. Even low-profile 'safety' chain.

Philbert

 

[Wood Doctor]

Out of the bag now . . .

Lot of wood has been cut with Sears saws and sharp chains. Even low-profile 'safety' chain.

Philbert

Philbert has emphasized rather slyly that sharp chains mean more than the horsepower that is driving them. I have to agree with that. Put a dull chain on an MS660 and even the big dog will tell you to buzz off, regardless of bar length.

 

[zogger]

The more I think about it, the more I like the idea of semi-chisel chain with a Farm Boss. On the other hand, low-profile might be going too far. Using 3/8 pitch semi-chisel with an 18" bar should work rather well.

Heck, men, if you drop it down to low-profile, 3/8 semi-chisel with 050 gauge, then you have the same configuration as my Craftsman 42 that I have hiding in the closet in fear that the forum will find out that I own it.

Poulans, old or new, are absolutely the best cut for the buck bargains out there, either used or bought new. (well, maybe earthquakes now...)


I think guys who hate them and yank their arms off trying to start them, etc, would do the same thing with top of the line pro saws.

 

[Wood Doctor]

Poulans, old or new, are absolutely the best cut for the buck bargains out there, either used or bought new. (well, maybe earthquakes now...)

I think guys who hate them and yank their arms off trying to start them, etc, would do the same thing with top of the line pro saws.

I've had friends tell me that Baird-Poulan use to make saws for Sears that were designed to fall apart after 50 hours. In order to preserve my friendship with them, I just keep my mouth shut or change the subject. Some of these "50-hour" saws have been running for nearly 20 years. Here's just one of them:




I spent about an hour cleaning this saw up and giving it some TLC. Supposedly it was dead as a hammer. After I finished restoring it, the engine started on the third pull.

 

[steved]

Poulans, old or new, are absolutely the best cut for the buck bargains out there, either used or bought new. (well, maybe earthquakes now...)

I think guys who hate them and yank their arms off trying to start them, etc, would do the same thing with top of the line pro saws.

That's all my grandfather has used since I can remember...when he gets one that pulls hard, he puts it back in the trailer and gets a backup saw out, when that one gives trouble, he gets another out, and another, and another. When he's done for the day, he goes back and pulls all of them apart, cleans them, and puts them back together for another day...its something really stupid simple that causes them to start hard (want to remember a wood chip in a reed valve).

I watched him cut wood with the one antique Poulan he has, its no Pro Stihl; but it cut firewood none-the-less and all of his saws are yard sale specials that probably cost him no more than $10 each...and it kept right up to my newer Homelite and my dad's MS180. He was cutting side-by-side with myself and my dad...he's over 90...

(The Homelite is my backup saw for limbing, my primary saw is a 391)

 

[ShaneLogs]

The more I think about it, the more I like the idea of semi-chisel chain with a Farm Boss. On the other hand, low-profile might be going too far. Using 3/8 pitch semi-chisel with an 18" bar should work rather well.

Heck, men, if you drop it down to low-profile, 3/8 semi-chisel with 050 gauge, then you have the same configuration as my Craftsman 42 that I have hiding in the closet in fear that the forum will find out that I own it.

Semi-chisel works great for cutting firewood. Semi-chisel will hold an edge better and longer then any other chain when the wood is dirty. I run semi-chisel on a few of my firewood saws and they work real nice! I reccomend it for sure!

 

[TreePointer]

Semi-chisel vs. full chisel? Try a loop of each. Then you'll know what you like for the wood you normally cut.

 

[russrock7]

Is my bar toast?

MS290 3/8 16" original Stihl bar. The tip gets smoking hot. There is a small gap on one side, maybe you can see it in the picture. If I spin the sprocket one way it moves freely, the other way I can feel it catch for a second, then with more force it will move past.

Thanks.View attachment 304450View attachment 304451

 

[TreePointer]

MS290 3/8 16" original Stihl bar. The tip gets smoking hot. There is a small gap on one side, maybe you can see it in the picture. If I spin the sprocket one way it moves freely, the other way I can feel it catch for a second, then with more force it will move past.

Thanks.View attachment 304450View attachment 304451

Your chain pitch matches your bar pitch, right? Chain is 3/8 and not 3/8 Low Profile (LP) and not .325?

If you can still sling bar oil off the tip onto the ground (saw is oiling properly), then your bar is likely toast (worn sprocket bearing). Try a new bar.

 

[russrock7]

Oiler is working(needed a new worm gear) and they are all 3/8, a new 33RSC60 Stihl chain and new Stihl 3/8 sprocket. I guess I'm going for the hat trick next. Maybe I can find a less expensive option than a Stihl bar.

Thanks for the feedback. I was hoping someone could tell me how to make the bar workable, maybe get the 3lb hammer on it or something, lol.

Anyone know how that gap is created? I bought this saw used at a pawn shop and have now, officially(after the bar purchase), spent more fixing it than it is worth...but I learned a lot doing it so...it still sucks!

 

[Brushwacker]

Could anyone give some good advise for a bar and chain to use with my Stihl farm boss MS 290? I have the stock set but I feel I need something more for all the hard wood I cut.

For me, if I had only a 290, my preference would be a 3/8 pitch 20" sprocket nose Stihl bar and RM Stihl yellow lable chain. 20" bar is a little harder on the saw then shorter, but quite a bit easier on my back when cutting wood laying on the ground which is a majority of my cuts. 3/8 pitch chain takes less time filing but I wouldn't toss ,325 for 3/8 as it works good also. If you cut a lot of wood a 2nd and 3rd chainsaw are nice to have and you can match the size saw to the size wood your cutting and work more efficiently. A small short barred saw is great to have for cutting small stuff up in the air and the occasional cut you feel necessary that will likely dull the chain. Big cc saws really speed things up in big wood and take the wear and tear better then pushing a smaller saw through it.

 

[Cheesecutter]

Oiler is working(needed a new worm gear) and they are all 3/8, a new 33RSC60 Stihl chain and new Stihl 3/8 sprocket. I guess I'm going for the hat trick next. Maybe I can find a less expensive option than a Stihl bar.

Thanks for the feedback. I was hoping someone could tell me how to make the bar workable, maybe get the 3lb hammer on it or something, lol.

Anyone know how that gap is created? I bought this saw used at a pawn shop and have now, officially(after the bar purchase), spent more fixing it than it is worth...but I learned a lot doing it so...it still sucks!

Check out Bailey's bar/chain combos. They have some pretty good deals on nonbranded and closeouts.

 

[Cheesecutter]

I wouldn't mess with trying to fix that bar. I had a bar split wide open when sprocket bearing went bad like that. I was lucky the chain hit the log I was cutting when it flew off.

 

[ShaneLogs]

I would just replace the tip on that bar if I was you, I have had sprocket tips blow up on me before. Always good to get the changeable sprocket tips.

 

[Philbert]

MS290 3/8 16" original Stihl bar. The tip gets smoking hot. There is a small gap on one side, maybe you can see it in the picture. If I spin the sprocket one way it moves freely, the other way I can feel it catch for a second, then with more force it will move past.

Tip looks fried. Time for a new bar.

Sometimes junk gets caught up in a sprocket and can be cleaned out. On most bars, it is technically possible to rebuild even a 'non-replaceable' tip sprocket, but it is rarely done and parts can be hard to find. From your photo, the tip of the bar itself looks bent/splayed and it would be hard to bring that back, plus it probably means that the rails, etc., are also quite worn, etc.

Philbert

 

[russrock7]

Thanks for the advice. Now I'm looking for a new bar 16" .050 3/8. My bar model number is 3003 812 8913, I can't find one so will another bar work?
How about a 3003 000 8813 or a 3003 008 8913. They are all 16" .050 3/8 bars. I think one has a replaceable sprocket, is there any other difference? Will they work with my 33RSC60 chain?

EDIT: Never mind, I finally found a website with the information. My fear was the oil hole would not line up, but I found a cross reference that showed it will fit, and I bought it!