I everyone, new guy here. I've been lurking on arborsite for years and really enjoy the site. Unfortunately I don't know enough about saws to add to any discussions so I've never registered.
Just a snippet about me. Growing up my family cut firewood every fall and I so looked forward to the day when I could run my own saw. Finally, when I was 6, my grandpa gave me a tiny Poulan with a 12" bar and taught me how to use it. I still have that saw but haven't dug it out in years. Later in life when gramps got too old to get firewood he gave me his Poulan 245A. I loved that saw and used it for years till it finally died and couldn't be repaired. I gave it to my brother, whom inherited my dad's 245A, for parts. For a couple years I borrowed my dad's Stihl 251 to get firewood and boy did it make me miss my 245A. A year ago my Father-in-law was given a Pioneer P42 which he didn't really want so he offered it to me. I didn't, and still don't, know a thing about them but I didn't have a saw so took it. I ran it last year getting firewood and fought it the whole time. My fault though. It runs great but cuts terrible; there is something wrong with the chain/bar. The chain it had on it was narrower than the bar so obviously it couldn't cut. When I was prepping the saw at home I cut just a few small branches off my tree so I didn't notice the problem. I dug out a chain I had from my old 245 and it looked right and was wider than the bar so I threw it on a finished getting wood. When I got home I threw the saw on the shelf. Now it's time to get wood again so now I'm rushing to get this saw working properly.
So, I'm hoping you guys can help me figure out what I have and what I need to get this saw cutting good. I need to buy a couple chains and I have no problem buying a bar if I need to but I honestly don't know exactly what I need. Baileys site is telling me to buy a 0.050 gauge bar with a D196 mount and Carlton is telling me to buy a 0.058 gauge bar with a DO24 (10mm slot) mount.
Here's a few pics.
Just a snippet about me. Growing up my family cut firewood every fall and I so looked forward to the day when I could run my own saw. Finally, when I was 6, my grandpa gave me a tiny Poulan with a 12" bar and taught me how to use it. I still have that saw but haven't dug it out in years. Later in life when gramps got too old to get firewood he gave me his Poulan 245A. I loved that saw and used it for years till it finally died and couldn't be repaired. I gave it to my brother, whom inherited my dad's 245A, for parts. For a couple years I borrowed my dad's Stihl 251 to get firewood and boy did it make me miss my 245A. A year ago my Father-in-law was given a Pioneer P42 which he didn't really want so he offered it to me. I didn't, and still don't, know a thing about them but I didn't have a saw so took it. I ran it last year getting firewood and fought it the whole time. My fault though. It runs great but cuts terrible; there is something wrong with the chain/bar. The chain it had on it was narrower than the bar so obviously it couldn't cut. When I was prepping the saw at home I cut just a few small branches off my tree so I didn't notice the problem. I dug out a chain I had from my old 245 and it looked right and was wider than the bar so I threw it on a finished getting wood. When I got home I threw the saw on the shelf. Now it's time to get wood again so now I'm rushing to get this saw working properly.
So, I'm hoping you guys can help me figure out what I have and what I need to get this saw cutting good. I need to buy a couple chains and I have no problem buying a bar if I need to but I honestly don't know exactly what I need. Baileys site is telling me to buy a 0.050 gauge bar with a D196 mount and Carlton is telling me to buy a 0.058 gauge bar with a DO24 (10mm slot) mount.
Here's a few pics.
