Narrow kerf - 20" bar

[Modifiedmark]

Both NK and Standard Husky bars in .325 take the same dl count in all lengths. Both are 80dl for 20" bars, at least currently. Aftermarket bars can of course be different, as lots of saw brands use the "small Husky" mount pattern, and it may have changed over time.

I see that Baileys offer Husky branded bars that are 78dl though - this is a bit odd......

My 353 had a Husky branded 20" bar that took 78DL. Might be just us crazy Americans though.

 

[Terry Syd]

Well, at least the information is out there now to watch out for the DL count on the 20" NK bars.

Bonden, that is quite a set-up. I expect with milling the end of the bar is ridgidly mounted so that it doesn't flex. I've noticed in some cutting conditions I can get the end of the 18" NK bar vibrating to where I go from a narrow kerf to an extra wide kerf. I just have to change the position of the bar to eliminate the vibration on the lighter bar. I'll probably not have that problem with the 20" bar as I intend that it will be used primarily when I have big wood to cut and the bar is buried.

I don't suppose you have any problems with 'chip clearance' on the 36" bar - or do you?

 

[Terry Syd]

Mark, I think the reason this Husky bar takes 80DLs is that it is wider through the mid-section than my 18" bar. There may have been a problem with flex with the 78DL bar and they made the bar a bit wider to reduce the flex.

I've got the chain on now and the saw is perfectly balanced off the top handle of the 450. I thought it might end up nose heavy, but it looks and feels like the bar was made for it. Now to find a log.....

 

[Terry Syd]

I finally got some 95VPX chain from Baileys (yeah, it took this long). Upon inspection I can see no difference in the cutters. The height, length, width, angles and raker depth are the same - ok, there is a difference in the cutters, the're blue.

There is a significant difference in the style of the bumper link for the low-kickback feature. The bumper does not slope up as fast and is only in position as it turns through the kickback section of the bar tip.

If this is the reason the VPX is alleged to cut 15% faster, I'm unable to reason why. The only time I could see the different bumper allowing the chain to cut faster would be in a bore cut, however Oregon does not claim it cuts faster in a bore cut. They allege it only cuts faster in a bias or crosscut.

I'll get a chance to try out a fresh 95VP and a VPX chain sometime in the next couple of weeks. I'll let you know if there is a difference in cutting speeds.

As for the extra chrome - that is only on the M95VPX chain, which is a 'Multi-cut' chain. The only place I could find that available is in the UK. It is good for cutting up railway sleepers and other dirty wood. Why in the Hell they don't sell it in Oz I have no idea. It is not even available in the U.S.

Crikey, sometimes I get into termite infested logs that make railway sleepers look like clean wood. - At least I now have enough chains I can keep swapping them out when they get dull.

 

[Terry Syd]

Just an update on the VPX. I helped a mate clear a trail today and was using one of my VP chains with 5 degrees of cutting angle. Halfway through the third tank the edge was off the chain and I decided to slip on a new VPX chain.

The new VPX comes with a 4.2 degree cutting angle. Since Oregon refers to the VPX as cutting 10-15% faster "out of the box", I didn't dress up the chain or change the cutting angle. The lower cutting angle didn't help on my saw as it was cutting as fast as the dull chain I just took off.

I'll dress up the VPX and increase the cutting angle to 5 degrees and then do a proper comparison to the VP. At this point, I will be surprised if these new type of rakers really do make any difference.

 

[Terry Syd]

I just had one of those 'Ah ha' moments. As I was dressing up the 95VPX chain, I took a good look at the cutters. From the factory there is no 'hook' in the cutter as it is cut using a grinding wheel. However, there was something more important that I hadn't realised before - the angle/hook isn't progressive, it is a constant depth.

The instructions for sharpening the 95VP/VPX chain calls for a 10 degree down angle on the file. The Husky roller guide is built so that the 10 degree down angle is built into it. This places the handle down a tad so that the file sits lower under the cutter at the handle end. The result is less hook at the tip and progressively more hook towards the edge of the cutter.

If you use an Oregon guide that fits flat on the top of the cutter, you will also not get a progressive hook. The Oregon guide places the file in a flat position relative to the cutter edge.

Anyway, I cleaned up the chain by putting on a proper edge using the roller guide and dropped the rakers to get 5 degrees of cutting angle. The chain came alive and zipped through the wood I had. I still have to do a proper comparison between the VP and VPX, but I thought I should add those observations regarding the filing of the 95VP/VPX chains.

 

[SawTroll]

My 353 had a Husky branded 20" bar that took 78DL. Might be just us crazy Americans though.

Well, that bar surely isn't a true 20" - I actually doubt even the 80 dl ones are.....

 

[SawTroll]

ST, yeah I can see that now. It looks like the Arbopro takes a 78DL. The Woodland Pro chain comes in both 78 and 81DL (for the Husky bar?) for the 20" bar. .....

I believe that 81dl is a Stihl number.

 

[Terry Syd]

That's weird on the Woodland Pro having 81 links if a Husky bar needs a 80DL chain. What? A person has to shorten a Woodland Pro chain to run it on a Husky bar??? What marketing genius thought that up?

It seems one of the big factors of the Woodland Pro is that it doesn't have any low kick-back bumper links. If that makes a chain a bit faster in a cross-cut (bugger if I know), then the new VPX should work the same, as the bumpers are not visable while traveling down the length of the bar, they only come out from behind the raker as it makes the turn at the end of the bar.

In fact, I'm a bit leary of how they look - maybe they work, I'll soon find out. If I get into any kick-back problems, I may go back to the VP.

 

[Terry Syd]

ST, you got me wondering, so I went out and measured the 20" bar from the tip of the cutter back to the case - it was 19 3/4" with a new, unstretched chain. To the dawgs it was about 19 1/4"

So maybe, after I abuse this chain a fair bit, I can get it to stretch out to a full 20" to the cases.