ralphbsz
ArboristSite Lurker
- Joined
- Jul 20, 2003
- Messages
- 30
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- 10
I'm about to pull the trigger, and order myself a Dolmar 7900. The purpose of the saw is firewood cutting, mostly oak and madrone. Occasionally it will have to clear out a doug fir or redwood, and those occasionally get pretty big. It will do all the stuff for which my current main workhorse, a Stihl 026pro with its 20" bar is too small or too weak. Probably it will be used quite heavily for bucking; for felling, trees under 15" or so I will still do with the 026 (just because its lighter and easier to operate). If it isn't obvious, I'm a weekend warrior - just one that spends a good fraction of each weekend out in the forest.
My local Dolmar dealers are a tad sleepy (to put it very mildly), so the saw itself will come from one of the usual suspects here at AS. This is the first time I'm buying a saw powerhead only, so for the first time I have to make choices about bars and chains myself. This is where I'm looking for advice.
Bar length is easy: I'll usually set it up with a 28" bar, which is a good compromise between being able to do most of the work and keeping the weight low. I'll keep one 36" bar and a few chains around, for the rare case where something really big comes around. I was planning to use .050 chain on both; either regular or semi-skip on the 28" bar, and maybe full skip on the 36" bar. Chain will be round chisel cutters (easier to sharpen, with file or Dremel tool). Bar and chain will probably come from Bailey's.
Big question: Does this sound sensible? For a casual user like me, is there a big difference between Oregon and Windsor (or other!) bars, and between Oregon and WoodsmanPro (or other) chains? I don't want to start a religious war here, just get something sensible and easy that gets the job done.
One stumbling block: It seems that 36" bars are only sold in .063 gauge, not in .050 gauge. Is .050 chain too weak to run on such a long bar? Should I go to .063 chain for both 28" and 36" bar? Does gauge really matter that much on these bar lengths?
My local Dolmar dealers are a tad sleepy (to put it very mildly), so the saw itself will come from one of the usual suspects here at AS. This is the first time I'm buying a saw powerhead only, so for the first time I have to make choices about bars and chains myself. This is where I'm looking for advice.
Bar length is easy: I'll usually set it up with a 28" bar, which is a good compromise between being able to do most of the work and keeping the weight low. I'll keep one 36" bar and a few chains around, for the rare case where something really big comes around. I was planning to use .050 chain on both; either regular or semi-skip on the 28" bar, and maybe full skip on the 36" bar. Chain will be round chisel cutters (easier to sharpen, with file or Dremel tool). Bar and chain will probably come from Bailey's.
Big question: Does this sound sensible? For a casual user like me, is there a big difference between Oregon and Windsor (or other!) bars, and between Oregon and WoodsmanPro (or other) chains? I don't want to start a religious war here, just get something sensible and easy that gets the job done.
One stumbling block: It seems that 36" bars are only sold in .063 gauge, not in .050 gauge. Is .050 chain too weak to run on such a long bar? Should I go to .063 chain for both 28" and 36" bar? Does gauge really matter that much on these bar lengths?
opcorn:
