Husky 346 XP options

[eurosteve]

Hi , Have had the 346 XP for the last 7 years or so and bought it with a 50 cm oregon pro lite guide bar & chain .325 with 78 teeth.

My use is a mix of felling trees on my land / garden and cutting this into firewood.

Firstly i find the chains lose sharpness in less than a day and filing is a chore on a long chain like that.
also if i have to cut with the far end of bar due to access then its slow and requires some pressure.

In prep for some work due to a tree that came down in a storm i am wondering about other bar / chain options that would offer better cutting and quicker access if shorter.

open to suggestions ? ?

Thanks

 

[mesupra]

I run 72 drive teeth on my 50cc saws (346) and find it's about the perfect setup. If you are having to lean on the saw sounds like your rakers could be taking down a tad. If it take a long time to sharpen your chain check out some you tube videos and try to locate a roller guide, it really helped me become proficient.

 

[GrassGuerilla]

A 40cm seems to be the most popular for that saw around here. The roller guide mentioned above is a simple effective sharpening jig. Just make sure to find the one for the chains your using. Speaking of which, are you using chisel, or semi-chisel? Chisel will cut faster (not a lot) semi will stay sharp quite a bit longer.

I like to just kiss each cutter with a file each time I fuel up. Keeps em sharp. Or you might get a couple spare loops and just swap chains mid day (or whenever it requires any pressure).

 

[B Harrison]

If you aren't happy with the cutting speed of a 346, then your not right, sharpen the chain more often, get a 16" bar. quit cutting dirt and rocks.....................don't stretch and try cutting with the tip just because you cant reach something. Work your way too it. 346's are small but there is enough saw there to hurt you bad if a kick back happens and your stretched out. Let the saw do the work, if its working you that much try a new set up.

 

[eurosteve]

A 40cm seems to be the most popular for that saw around here. The roller guide mentioned above is a simple effective sharpening jig. Just make sure to find the one for the chains your using. Speaking of which, are you using chisel, or semi-chisel? Chisel will cut faster (not a lot) semi will stay sharp quite a bit longer.

I like to just kiss each cutter with a file each time I fuel up. Keeps em sharp. Or you might get a couple spare loops and just swap chains mid day (or whenever it requires any pressure).

Hi - my chain is 21 LPX 78 teeth and i think its a semi chisel.

By the way i noted oregon do a new bar called power match which may be better than the pro lite ?

 

[eurosteve]

If you aren't happy with the cutting speed of a 346, then your not right, sharpen the chain more often, get a 16" bar. quit cutting dirt and rocks.....................don't stretch and try cutting with the tip just because you cant reach something. Work your way too it. 346's are small but there is enough saw there to hurt you bad if a kick back happens and your stretched out. Let the saw do the work, if its working you that much try a new set up.

I agree with you - Maybe my choice of a 50 cm bar was not a good one ( cant recall why i chose it now ) which is why i am looking to change for something more efficient.
Presumably there is an ideal bar length for this machine ?
The saw cuts well close to the body and less well further towards the tip - so using a shorter bar should deliver better cutting ?
I also find a 50 cm + the body a tad awkward if i climb into a tree .

 

[tntblaster14]

I run my 346 with a narrow kerf 18" bar and that thing chugs through any trees for firewood, plenty of power even at the tip. I don't have to sharpen chains for quite a while either... I use oregon 95VP IIRC. You sure you have your fuel mix right? Chains need to be sharp, if you don't sharpen a lot you might not be doing it right. Do you hand file or use something like a rotary tool/grinder etc? As stated, check the rakers too.... could be too tall.

 

[eurosteve]

I run my 346 with a narrow kerf 18" bar and that thing chugs through any trees for firewood, plenty of power even at the tip. I don't have to sharpen chains for quite a while either... I use oregon 95VP IIRC. You sure you have your fuel mix right? Chains need to be sharp, if you don't sharpen a lot you might not be doing it right. Do you hand file or use something like a rotary tool/grinder etc? As stated, check the rakers too.... could be too tall.

so you must have a microlite guide bar ? or is that chain compatible with other bars ie my pro lite maybe ..
I gave up filing as it was too slow and use a mini grinder for a few seconds per cutter and so can sharpen up in 10 mins , obviously not as good as a guided tool to get the right angle but it does the job.

before i do anything i am going to remove the chain and have a good look at the bar in case this is the issue.
fuel mix correct and the engine always accelerates fast and rarely plays up.

rakers to tall ?

 

[GrassGuerilla]

Post up some close up pics of your chain. You'll get some good honest critique.

 

[tntblaster14]

I have the husqvarna narrow kerf bar and matching H30 chain and 95VP IIRC. Not sure how that corresponds to a pro lite bar.. if they are same or not.

 

[TheJollyLogger]

.325 is the right chain for that saw.Just a couple observations from your posts. You mention disappointment that your saw won't stay sharp for more than a day.How long were you expecting it to stay sharp? If I'm cutting all day, I may touch up my chain 3 or 4 times. I would also reccomend you ditch the grinder and go back to filing. With practice, you should be able to touch up your chain in well under ten minutes.

 

[B Harrison]

agreed, a 16" bar on a 346, can be touched up in the field in about 8 minutes or so. In the shop with a guide in 15 maybe. Keep an extra chain and you should be good to go all day if you touch up at ever other oil/ fuel fill up. You should be letting the saw cool to do this a little while anyway. That chain will stay only as sharp as you keep it. If you cut dirt, then is not sharp anymore. If you cut a little mud on a trunk then its not sharp by many of our standards. If you stone it, then its flat dull and should be worked over well and the rakers be reset.

 

[TreePointer]

My 346XP came with a 16" narrow kerf (NK) bar and that H30 chain (Oregon 95VP). While H30 chain is NK chain and is very smooth in the cut, I prefer standard kerf full chisel chain like .325 Stihl RS on that bar for a more aggressive cut.

 

[CTYank]

For sharpening saw chain anywhere, I've found Granberg's clamp-on-bar file guide to work best. Very precise & consistent. Every other fill-up, a stroke per cutter, and it stays sharp. Put in a flat file and set the depth-gauge ht. Been using the same one for 35+ yrs.

Depending, a shorter bar is a safety-booster. Easier to control saw in case of kickback, reduced chance of hitting lower legs.

 

[computeruser]

I run either 13" narrow kerf bar with Oregon 20LP chain or 16" with 3/8" chisel, depending on the task. Both setups are easy to hand file freehand and work great for me. I would not want to saddle the saw with any more bar length than that, honestly, as it would take too much of the saw's spunk and personality away.

 

[cus_deluxe]

+1 to filing every tank. get good with a file and it can be almost as fast as a grinder, without risk of overheating chain. 2 good licks per cutter and off ya go.

 

[UpOnTheHill]

Practice, practice, practice with hand files. That's what I do. I sharpen about every 2 tanks if I'm cutting clean wood and my chains tear right through just about anything in short order. Of course it's taken me some years, many tanks of fuel and many chains to get the "feel" of it right. I've ruined a few chains in my early days of sharpening and had my saw cutting completely curved. With me anyway, sharpening a chain properly took a while but now that I've got it, other people have brought me their saws and asked me to "fix" their chain. It is a night n day difference cutting with properly maintained chains and bars. It's worth it to read up on it and practice.
Happy cutting

 

[cus_deluxe]

well said. its worth the time and effort to learn how to hand file. honestly ive never used a guide or a grinder, i was brought up filing so thats just what i thought you did. i definitely have messed up a few chains. pretty easy to tell when it wants to pull or bounce out of the wood.

 

[UpOnTheHill]

well said. its worth the time and effort to learn how to hand file. honestly ive never used a guide or a grinder, i was brought up filing so thats just what i thought you did. i definitely have messed up a few chains. pretty easy to tell when it wants to pull or bounce out of the wood.

Yep. The chain should pull the saw into the wood. You'll know it when the chain is sharpened well. It will cut fast, have nice chips and pull itself into the wood. The chips should be hitting your leg or boot with authority. If you have to push on it, it's way past needing to be sharpened. Now you have to spend a bunch of time fixing it or buy a new chain.

 

[eurosteve]

Hi All ,
Some good advice here which i have taken on board and this week expect delivery of a 16 inch bar and some new chains.
Upon close inspection the original bar was badly worn anyway.

still undecided about sharpening as i am not sure i can get the angles consistent - where a bench grinder will ?

File kit £20
grinder £50

Pros and cons for both - time / practicality etc

I like the look of the timberlite tool but its very expensive for a homeowner to justify .