Gauge Question

[mking7]

can someone tell me about gauge. I bought a Stihl 361 a while back and when I got a new chain I didn't know what gauge I needed. I had to look on the bar. It's 20" ES bar on it and it says .063 so now I know what I have. Is there an advantage to different gauges or is one of those 'it is what it is' things...

 

[Lakeside53]

It's like you say ' It is what it is", mostly... Out here (NW) on a 361, pretty much everything is 3/8 .050. Out East (of the Rocky Mt), it's mostly .325/.063. You can also get 3/8 .063 if you like.

So, is 3/8 0.063 longer lasting or stronger than 3/8 .050, not in my experience.

o.k. everyone, disagree...

 

[fishhuntcutwood]

Gauge is the thickness of the chain's drivers, and should match the bar's gauge. You'll see .043, .050, .058, and .063. Thicker guage, heavier chain. I run .050, and I think it's plenty strong.

Jeff

 

[dingo]

They change guages just to make it more complicated, we have run .050 for years and haven't had any problems. I am definately not an engineer, but looks like it would take more power to sling a heavier chain

 

[Freakingstang]

They change guages just to make it more complicated, we have run .050 for years and haven't had any problems. I am definately not an engineer, but looks like it would take more power to sling a heavier chain

so tell me what .008 difference equals in weight on a 68 driver(18") chain. Doubt it is much to make a noticalble difference.

I have always run 3/8 058 as that is what is predominant in my area. That and I feel the extra .008 thickness makes the chain stronger and last longer....right

 

[dingo]

Yep, that makes sense, I've had the thicker guage too, but the cutters are the same. We have chains stretch the pins before the drivers slap. I doubt that the power is much of a factor, true. We have predominately 050 on the heavier saws and 063 on the lighter saws sold here, can't explain it

 

[Freakingstang]

Yep, that makes sense, I've had the thicker guage too, but the cutters are the same. We have chains stretch the pins before the drivers slap. I doubt that the power is much of a factor, true. We have predominately 050 on the heavier saws and 063 on the lighter saws sold here, can't explain it

lol you would think it to be the other way around....

 

[dingo]

Exactly.............

 

[skwerl]

IMO the different gauges are a holdover from years past, where operators would move up to a larger gauge chain as their bar groove wore wider. Today's lubricants and improved bar materials pretty much eliminate that as an option. But we still have the various gauges. I'd like to see at least one gauge disappear from use, no need for so many. I run .050 on everything.

 

[dingo]

IMO the different gauges are a holdover from years past, where operators would move up to a larger gauge chain as their bar groove wore wider. Today's lubricants and improved bar materials pretty much eliminate that as an option. But we still have the various gauges. I'd like to see at least one gauge disappear from use, no need for so many. I run .050 on everything.

That makes sense, now what are we going to do with the metrics they throw out. Seems like I am always going to a conversion chart.

 

[Kneejerk Bombas]

so tell me what .008 difference equals in weight on a 68 driver(18") chain. Doubt it is much to make a noticalble difference.

I have always run 3/8 058 as that is what is predominant in my area. That and I feel the extra .008 thickness makes the chain stronger and last longer....right

In the weight difference calculation, you need to consider the extra bar weight too.
And as for chain strength, the different chains are the same, only the part of the driver that fits into the bar grove is thinner. The rest of the chain is identical.

 

[sedanman]

I needed a Husky part for a repair job so I went to pick it up myself and chat with the shop owner. Conversation went form business in general to how the companies dealt with online sales to the pros and cons of various brands. When we got around to saws and chain I asked if Husky was still using .058 on most of their models. He answered that Husky would sell them with .050 or .058 but he ordered .058 because LOWES ONLY SOLD .050 CHAINS. He reasoned that if someone bought a saw from him, they couldn't go to Lowes for a new chain.

 

[tek9tim]

Here's my 2 cents:

I run .050 gauge on my short bars (32") and .063 on my long bars (36" & 42") the theory being that the wider gauge has more stability. That, and my dealer didn't even stock bars over 32" in .050. Works for me.

As to the weight, it would stand to reason that the drivers on a .063 chain would weigh 25% more than those on a .050 chain. (Difference of .013, 25% of .050 would be .0125) But since that's maybe a third (depending on cutter composition) of the chain's total mass, it wouldn't be too much heavier. Technicially, yes, you would have slower acceleration due to the added mass, and less overall performance, due both to the extra weight, and to taking a slightly wider cut. I'd say that if you're running a short bar, run narrow chain. Get all you can out of your saw.

 

[West Texas]

As long as the bar and chain are the same gauge it really doesn't matter. Some people say that a .325 cuts faster on a short bar and that a 3/8 cuts faster on a longer bar. I have two 361's and have run .325x.063 bar and chain as well as 3/8x .050 bar and chain. I run .325x.063 square chisel chain with 16" bar on one for most of my work; and a 3/8x.050 20" bar and chain for the larger stuff. Just my preference and I have lots of both types of chain.

 

[bwalker]

In the weight difference calculation, you need to consider the extra bar weight too.

Wouldnt a 063 gauge bar be lighter than a 050 bar given they are the same bar with different width grooves? Or are the bars differant? I always thought they where the same.

 

[Lakeside53]

Wouldnt a 063 gauge bar be lighter than a 050 bar given they are the same bar with different width grooves? Or are the bars differant? I always thought they where the same.

yes, same bar, wider grooves. But when you add back in the chain, I bet it's a wash. o.k., someone want to weight all this stuff?

 

[Kneejerk Bombas]

If the .063 bar is the same width as the .050, then the rails are .013 thinner! This would be a much less durable bar.

The drivers weight (and the entire chain) is the same. The drivers all start out as .063, then just the lower portion of the driver is stamped down to the smaller sizes.

The width of the chain is identical. Proof of this is that they use the same preset tie straps. So there is no stability issue.

 

[Lakeside53]

If the .063 bar is the same width as the .050, then the rails are .013 thinner! This would be a much less durable bar.

That would seem logical, but does it follow in practice? I don't run both chains/bars. So.... can someone check the thickness both .050 and .063 bars with a micrometer, just so we know if they are in fact the same!

The drivers weight (and the entire chain) is the same. The drivers all start out as .063, then just the lower portion of the driver is stamped down to the smaller sizes.

Not sure... if the weight is to remain the same, the lower portion would have a bigger area on the .050. I think they are machined to the same area dimensions, which would indicate a slightly lower weight chain for the .050. I need to dig up that scale...

The width of the chain is identical. Proof of this is that they use the same preset tie straps. So there is no stability issue.

yes, which adds to your argument that the bar rails wear quicker on the 0.063 if they are the same thickness bars. I think we need to revisit whether the bars are the same thickness.

 

[Kneejerk Bombas]

I have been corrected via PM. The presets are the same for 050 and 058, the 063 is a different part number.

 

[Kneejerk Bombas]

I measured the two different bars and the 063 is 013 thicker, the rails are the same.