Got bow bar mounted...pics soon to follow

[Diesel JD]

Well, I mounted that bow guide I was telling you all I purchased on ebay. I went to a saw shop in teh outlying areas and purchased a set of chain guards top and bottom and the double spurs that make these things reasonably safe to operate. He only charged me $10 for them..cool...and I picked upa 75lp Oregon chain for it...only thing is...it's too long. I told him it was 89DL and instead he made it 90, now it sags about 2" as tight as the chain can be adjusted. I wonder if I need to take 1 or 2 links out to make it work...any ideas? Also, for anyone else planning to do this...if you are runninga STihl saw, you will ahev to cut part of teh clutch cover in order to make the bow fit, and you'll also have to take teh chain catcher off. You'll need a torx bit to do this. I will add pics as promised later...man it looks wickedly cool. I can finally see how you can use this think correctly without killing yourself. Looks liek it will make my firewood cutting chores easy. One last question...who knows how to adjust the oiler on anMS390/039? Thanks and I will try and get pics on tonight or tomorrow,
J.D.

 

[Lakeside53]

The oiler is adjusted though the hole in the bottom of the saw. Just turm it up full.

Hey, where are the pictures?

 

[pyromaniac guy]

thanks in advance for the pics man. looking forward to it

 

[458_lott]

Diesel,

Take the links out. Don't run it with that much play. The chain may jump off. It won't come all the way back as it will stop at the bottom guard, but the thing will whip and may catch your leg about shin high. Should you throw a chain, they usually get hung up on the bumper spikes on the front of the bow or the lower chain guard. Scares the beejesus out of you, but usually doesn't bite you. Have fun. As I said earlier, you will never look back. I honestly do not understand why anyone would buck-up firewood with a bar when a bow is so much faster and infinitely easier. Again, you have to pay attention to what you are doing and where you put the bumper spikes, but you have to pay attention anytime you are using a saw anyway. Accidents happen because the conditions exists. (Usually operator error)

Michael

 

[Diesel JD]

Pictures for you all: Thanks for teh info...where do you mean in teh bottom of teh saw Andy on teh Q about the oiler?

 

[Lakeside53]

Damn, that belongs in a horror movie..

 

[fishhuntcutwood]

Damn, that belongs in a horror movie..

That thing is out of control!:jawdrop:

JD, turn the saw over, and on the main body of the saw, not the handle, there should be an "E" with a widening curve behind it. This will sit next to a deep hole with a flat head screw at the bottom. That'll be your oiler adjustment.

Jeff

 

[Lawn Masters]

That thing is NUTS!

 

[sedanman]

The guards are not long enough for that bar. It has to be impossible to cut anything with the top and bottom of the bow. ONLY the front can be exposed. A kickback will cut you in half with those "guards" installed.

 

[Diesel JD]

I wish they were longer, and maybe I will get some better ones. I think they arent there to protect you in the event of kickback, they are there to keep you from walking into the chain if you slip. It shouldn't kick back anyway as long as that spur is firm against what I'm bucking right? My understanding was that people eliminated the gurads adn cut with the top and bottom of the bow and that was how people got hurt or killed?

 

[pbtree]

Cool!

 

[Joseph]

The Guards You placed are way too short, You are Inviting an Incident.

Regards

Joseph

 

[wagonwheeler]

Looks good JD! I'm just not used to seeing them w/ guards but plan to run them on mine as well.:greenchainsaw: (hey, we need a bow smiley!)

I'd only pull one link at a time. They can make quite a difference but it's hard to say w/o looking at it.

Chaser

 

[458_lott]

The top guard is o.k. The bottom guard could be a little longer, but it is safe as it is as long as you keep the saw away from your thigh. It is good that it runs all the way to the clutch cover. Keep the bumper spikes buried on the downside of the log and you won't get kickback. DON'T LET THE TOP PART OF THE BOW COME IN CONTACT WITH ANYTHING WITHOUT THE BUMPER SPIKES FIRMLY AND PROPERLY PLACED. It will come back on you extremely quickly. Again, a bow is no more dangerous than any other bar if you use it appropriately. Just pay attention to what you are doing at all times. I know that I have said that a million (o.k., several) times, but just use your common sense. If you have been using a chainsaw and understand their function (which, of course, you have) you will be fine. I certainly understand the worry about liability because a rookie will get into trouble very quickly with a bow. They look unorthodox, but I am telling you, there is nothing like them for bucking-up wood. I guess I tout them so much because running them from sun-up to sundown for so many years, I thought they were just standard fare for people that have to make a lot of cuts (cutting pulp wood into 5 foot lengths and firewood into 16" lengths equals many cuts). Your back will thank you for your conversion to a bow and your wallet will thank you for the amount of wood you can cut compared to a bar in an equal amount of time. No more stopping to remove a pinched bar. Time is money. Enjoy and be prudent.

Michael

 

[wagonwheeler]

Here's my 361 w/ baby (12") bow. That's a 84dl skip chain I put on to estimate dl count. 77dl is my guess at this point and I'm picking up a .063 77dl today to give a try (not a skip of course). Hope to get a busted sprocket cover as well since I don't plan to mod my 361 cover. And I gotta make a shim for the AV bolt that my chain catcher was under to keep it snugged properly.

If your guy w/ guards has any more I may need a set. Will check locally first, there MUST be some around since none are on any saws!

 

[Joseph]

wagonwheeler,

Chain Bar Repairing has part and makes New Bow Bar and other bars.

See URL;

http://www.chainbar.com/index.html

Regards

Joseph

 

[superman_36]

I wish they were longer, and maybe I will get some better ones. I think they arent there to protect you in the event of kickback, they are there to keep you from walking into the chain if you slip. It shouldn't kick back anyway as long as that spur is firm against what I'm bucking right? My understanding was that people eliminated the gurads adn cut with the top and bottom of the bow and that was how people got hurt or killed?

that bow will hurt you even if you have the spur in the wood right
also the longer gaurds will help if it kicks back on you
i will tell from past experince it will only take one time and that bow will be coming off
if any one wants a bow blade i have 4 of them 2 new ones 2 used ones
cheap don't need them any more

 

[wagonwheeler]

Bow a no-go on 361

Well, it doesn't fit perfect and my concern is the cutters are going to eat up the side of the case due to a bulge in the case profile. Pics attached (one w/ bow, one w/ bar). Hope yours isn't as tight in this area as mine Diesel. If you need some new RS in .063 I've got 80dl still open as I was leaving it open till I knew exactly how many dl I needed, but it's moot now.

 

[pyromaniac guy]

ok, please excuse my stupid question here, but i gotta ask it:

wouldn't a bow bar be about a million times more likely to kickback due to the greater "top 1/4" of chain area?

i guess i need to actually see one in use to understand it

 

[Dale M]

Ok here's another silly question maybe,, But whats a bar like that for? what can it do that a normal bar can't?
Thanks
Dale M