Can I use .50 gauge chain on .58 gauge drive sprocket

[Greenerpastures]

Hi everyone
I have a small 50cc saw with 16 inch bar running .325 by .58 chain.

My question is, should I stick with .58 gauge if using a longer bar,
or does it make sense to try for a lighter bar such as .50 gauge
with the same .325 chain, if so, can I use the current .58 drive
rim, as there is not a lot between .50 and .58, and remain stable
in use, or will there be consequences like chain slapping about side
to side on the rim sprocket.


I hope some of you on here can enlighten me.

Thanks & Regards to all

[Greyhound]

Drive sprockets can drive any gauge chain, only the pitch matters.

[John Mc]

Greyhound is right. There is no such thing as a 0.058 drive sprocket.

[Greenerpastures]

Thanks greyhound and John Mc, good to know there is
essentially no specific gauge for the sprockets,
I understand the pitch has to be on or the other.

Would anyone care to share their opinions regarding
using .50 or .58 gauge bars, some say the wider
bar oils better, anyone experience this.


Thanks for posting.

[lxskllr]

Gauge seems to be regional from what I've read around. Around here, .50 seems to be standard. Aside from any theoretical gains one way or the other, I'd try to standardize as much of my gear as possible. IMO, any possible extra wear would be offset by the convenience of reusing parts. Less hassle matching things up, and you could make repair your own chains more easily.

[John Mc]

Up until the last few years, just about all I saw around here was .058" gauge bars (unless someone was running a Stihl, which does not offer .058, so they used .063"). Occasionally we'd see .050, but it was not the norm in this area. Usually it was on a chainsaw bought at a big box store or something someone brought here from another part of the country.

The preference really seems to be a regional thing. I bought a used Husqvarna 357XP that came with an .050 bar. I cut with it for a while, then switched to an .058 since those bars and chains are more readily available around here. To tell the truth, I really can't tell the difference in use. I use .058 because that's what is carried by most saw shops around here.

[sawguy21]

Interesting. I worked for an Oregon distributor, we couldn't give .063 away except to the guys running the big Stihls. Husky is supplied with .058  unless the customer specifies otherwise, pretty much everything else comes with .050. I never understood the rationale behind .325 x .063. Why run such a heavy driver and correspondingly thicker bar with a relatively narrow kerf chain? We gave our 22LP chain away to make room in the warehouse.

[Greenerpastures]

Interesting. I worked for an Oregon distributor, we couldn't give .063 away except to the guys running the big Stihls. Husky is supplied with .058  unless the customer specifies otherwise, pretty much everything else comes with .050. I never understood the rationale behind .325 x .063. Why run such a heavy driver and correspondingly thicker bar with a relatively narrow kerf chain? We gave our 22LP chain away to make room in the warehouse.

Hi sawguy21
I use a 16 inch 325 .58 bar
as I have some chains for it, I think I will manually attack
the saplings with what we call a bill hook, its about 52 inches
long with a curved sharp blade 12 inches long by 1-3/4 by 1/4 inch wide,
that will eliminate the bending and the saw, 16 inch bar will be
long enough for the thinning, so problem solved for this round.
Thanks for commenting.

[Greenerpastures]

Hi John Mc
It seems that way here too, other than Stihl, which mostly come with .63,
and the time Husqvarna saddled me with a .50 on a 372XP, 
never had a Husqvarna since, blade never used, still refused to swap it for something
more appropriate to the horse power, imagine a 13 inch .50 bar on that thing.

[John Mc]

... I think I will manually attack  the saplings with what we call a bill hook, its about 52 inches long with a curved sharp blade 12 inches long by 1-3/4 by 1/4 inch wide, that will eliminate the bending and the saw

I think we had a thread on here a while ago about those (at lest I think it was on the FF). Folks were wondering about how they were intended to be used. I don't know that I've ever run into someone with a definitive answer on how you are supposed to wield one.

[Greenerpastures]

... I think I will manually attack  the saplings with what we call a bill hook, its about 52 inches long with a curved sharp blade 12 inches long by 1-3/4 by 1/4 inch wide, that will eliminate the bending and the saw

I think we had a thread on here a while ago about those (at lest I think it was on the FF). Folks were wondering about how they were intended to be used. I don't know that I've ever run into someone with a definitive answer on how you are supposed to wield one.

Hi
They are a fantastic tool, I used to spend full summers cutting hedges
with one, swing it like a hatchet, its a lot lighter and will take out two inch
branches usually with one whack at a downward angle of 60 degrees,
the angle is mostly governed by how much room you have to come in from
the side as you come down from above, tight situations almost straight down,
if you have more room to swing side ways, then 45 would be a better angle,
especially for thicker material as you would cut further into the side of it,
you have to know not to use too much force or you will simply break the handle,
saying that, I used to take out 3 inch branches with it, soon learned when I got
handed the iron shafted one, now hooking that on branch above your head by accident
would keep you alert, it pulled right out of your hand and you, cover your head
and do not look up, usually only the shaft landed on you, I had it down to a fine art,
run and listen for it landing was better then waiting for it it land on your head.

Funny thing, I went to buy a new one a while back, did all the usual stores,
one guy asked me can it be used from a tractor seat, I knew what he was
getting at, he did not stock them because no one used them, everything
is mechanized.

[Al_Smith]

 :D Time for me to fess up .I bought a new loop of chain for my 024 Stihl by just looking at the old one which was .325 by 50 thou .Would not cut worth a hoot .Then I looked at the bar which was plainly labeled with the driver count and very plainly labeled ---.063 .Worst part about that is the fact I should have known  better .Things do happen if you don't pay attention .

[labradorguy]

I buy .050 bars and I cut away with them. Then they are .058 bars and I keep cutting away with new chains. Then they are .063 and I keep on cutting with more new chains. Then they go in the scrap pile and we start again. Poor people have poor ways....

[lxskllr]

Just looked up a duck bill blade. Reminds me a bit of the Woodmans Pal machete. I use one of these at work. Very compact, and good for more precision cuts. A sharp pull with the hook will cut vines off near the ground. Then you can hook them gently to drag them out of the way. It's NOT that great for stuff like greenbrier cause it puts you too close to the action, but if it's all you got, it'll work.

My first was the wood handled version(got stolen), and now have the leather military version. Not sure which I prefer, but the military should have been peened better from the factory. It came apart, and I had to reassemble the leather washers; not fun... With foresight, I could have prevented that, but a user shouldn't have to correctly finish a product. The wood handle was better finished, but it has the drawbacks of a straight handle. If you don't use the loop, it can fly out of your hand. The tang is also thicker on the wood, so it should be more durable.

Anyway, I recommend either for general farm use, and would be especially good for being on a tractor. A random web search gave me this site...

woodsman pal

I have no idea if the site's any good, but those prices are pretty cheap. I think I paid $70+ for my military style from amazon if I remember right.

[HolmenTree]

I buy .050 bars and I cut away with them. Then they are .058 bars and I keep cutting away with new chains. Then they are .063 and I keep on cutting with more new chains. Then they go in the scrap pile and we start again. Poor people have poor ways....

labradorguy, how are your chains cutting when you got the cutters filed down small to the witness marks?

[DR Buck]

I have 4 different Huskys ( 385, 572, 55, 335) and they all came new with 050 and that's what I've been using on them since.    I have several different length bars that I use on the 385 and 572 but all are 050.    I never paid much attention to what is sold around where I live as for the last 15-20  years or so I bought almost all of my parts and supplies online.

[mike_belben]

I buy .050 bars and I cut away with them. Then they are .058 bars and I keep cutting away with new chains. Then they are .063 and I keep on cutting with more new chains. Then they go in the scrap pile and we start again. Poor people have poor ways....

That gives me some reassurance, i was just about to do the same.  But now im second guessing my conclusions.


I bought a new no-name .050 bar last year or so and it has been given me ever worsening fits.  Dulls a chain very fast, binds in the kerf, cuts scalloped, wavy and crooked.  It would feel like a hammered bar with a huge rail burr and a slack chain just hanging off.  Only really worked with a fresh sharpening and really tight.  Bucks a few pieces and then starts getting fussy, dog in hard but not even dust coming out.  Eventually only the sprocket tip would really cut, id plunge back and forth in the track like an amazon freehand sawyer.  


Bar is straight, rails are dressed and squared, groove is clean, oil holes clear, sprocket greased, new .050 chain, bar is marked .050.. What gives.  Finally get the feeler gauge and the kerf matches a .058 bar kerf.  I thought it mismarked, but now i wonder if its wear.  Will have to look closer.



Anyone have luck with closing the rails up?

[ZeroJunk]

They make a bar rail closer that you can get for $30-$35 . Don't know whether they are worth a flip or not.

[John Mc]

new .050 chain, bar is marked .050.. What gives. Finally get the feeler gauge and the kerf matches a .058 bar kerf. I thought it mismarked, but now i wonder if its wear.

My 36¢ bar gauge checker: A dime, a penny, and a quarter. Each coin should fit snugly in the groove of the indicated bars:
   Dime    = .050
   Penny   = .058
   Quarter = .063

[labradorguy]

I buy .050 bars and I cut away with them. Then they are .058 bars and I keep cutting away with new chains. Then they are .063 and I keep on cutting with more new chains. Then they go in the scrap pile and we start again. Poor people have poor ways....

labradorguy, how are your chains cutting when you got the cutters filed down small to the witness marks?

As I cut them back I adapt my file and grinding wheel size to keep the cutters right and I use them till the bitter end. When I get towards the end of the chain's life, I put them in a different bucket (everything I have gets carried around in different hydraulic oil buckets) and save them to use when I cut fencerow oaks. If I get into some barbwire or nails, no big loss....
One weekend warrior I know cuts with a chain till it dulls then throws it away and puts a new one on. LMAO! I guess that works for him, but with diesel and other costs as they are, there's not enough of a margin in logging for a person to be throwing away chains and bars left and right. I get the most out of everything I have.

One thing I do that I thought everyone did but I guess they don't is I turn the oil flow up to max on every saw. Really helps with chain life. 

I also carry a couple dozen chains out with me in the morning. I will touch a chain up once with a file then it goes in the sharpening bucket for the grinder. Ive saw some guys who NEVER take a chain off, they just keep filing away with these stupid looking filing contraptions that remind me of the garbage that some guys buy to fix their golf swing.... The bar never gets maintained this way, the chain groove never gets cleaned out, sprocket never cleaned out, and the holes in the bar never get unplugged. That shortens up everything's life.

Not on topic, but I run my saws at 32:1 - 40:1 instead of the 50:1 that is recommended and I use pure gas in them. Corn oil is for when I am frying taters, not for engines I make a living with.

[mike_belben]

I run used motor oil with the oiler maxed.  It is possible that is the cause here if its increased wear, but no money is no money so i do what i have to and keep workin.

[John Mc]

rry a couple dozen chains out with me in the morning. I will touch a chain up once with a file then it goes in the sharpening bucket for the grinder. Ive saw some guys who NEVER take a chain off, they just keep filing away with these stupid looking filing contraptions that remind me of the garbage that some guys buy to fix their golf swing.... The bar never gets maintained this way, the chain groove never gets cleaned out, sprocket never cleaned out, and the holes in the bar never get unplugged. That shortens up everything's life.

Believe it or not, some of us who prefer hand sharpening on the saw to using a grinder still do manage to maintain our bars, clean the groove & sprocket, and assure that the oil keeps flowing. We even manage to flip our bars from time to time.

[mike_belben]

Welp, it was wear.  Not surprising i guess.  It was a $50 out the door bar and chain combo from the lawnmower/saw shop at the flea market. All the poor folks around me get their junk exclusively from there because he is hands down the cheapest.  This is the same bar that wouldnt hold a sprocket tip, it wobbles all over.  

I took it over there to try a 058 chain, which he didnt have.  Showed him the wear and wobble and he basically said "thats what ya get for buying a cheap bar."

I agree with him.  Me not goin back there again is what he gets for selling people trash. Serves us both right i suppose.  I will make a rail closer and loctite the sprocket tip in.  


Are "forestor" bars junk too?   

[lxskllr]

Are "forestor" bars junk too?  

A quick read on the web says they're pretty good for the money. Nothing amazing, not a fantastic deal, but you get a good value for your $
My personal thoughts are a bar/chain are your main interface with the wood, and paying a bit extra for quality is money well spent. You can afford what you can afford, but If I had the option, I'd rather shave dollars somewhere else.

[Hilltop366]

I run used motor oil with the oiler maxed.  It is possible that is the cause here if its increased wear, but no money is no money so i do what i have to and keep workin.

My personal thought is used motor oil is too thin to give enough lube to a chain and I suspect the extra grime in the oil won't help either but better than nothing.

Another thing that wears out a bar way faster than it should is a dull chain, think about how many more times a chain has to go around to cut the same piece of wood along with the extra pressure on the bar a person with a dull chain will apply creating lots of extra heat, now add in someone that puts their hand on the top handle off to the left causing more pressure on one side more than the other, this causes the saw to cut to the right and wear the left side of the rail as well as the drive links and widening out the grove.

[mike_belben]

I do filter the oil through a coffee strainer but i know, its not ideal and is probably a hodgepodge of ATF and whatever else.  

Havent really had trouble with the rails or heel which was surprising.  No sparks.  But the heat of binding up dulled cutters very fast.  I spent all my time filing instead of cutting. 

Well its about fall and i really need all my firewood cut asap so i finally put a 16" stihl bar and bumper link chain on my 372.  Even dull that thing cut sooo much better.  

[sawguy21]

I have seen crankcase drainings used as bar oil, they went through oil pumps, bars and chains fairly quickly.. They might as well have run snake oil for all the good it did them. Years repairing saws taught me to use the lubricant designed for the job

[labradorguy]

rry a couple dozen chains out with me in the morning. I will touch a chain up once with a file then it goes in the sharpening bucket for the grinder. Ive saw some guys who NEVER take a chain off, they just keep filing away with these stupid looking filing contraptions that remind me of the garbage that some guys buy to fix their golf swing.... The bar never gets maintained this way, the chain groove never gets cleaned out, sprocket never cleaned out, and the holes in the bar never get unplugged. That shortens up everything's life.

Believe it or not, some of us who prefer hand sharpening on the saw to using a grinder still do manage to maintain our bars, clean the groove & sprocket, and assure that the oil keeps flowing. We even manage to flip our bars from time to time.

I guess I struck a nerve. Sorry, nothing personal and not referring to anyone here by any means. I figure anyone who is into it enough to be on a forum like this is smart enough to take the bar off now and then. I was referring to people I have actually witnessed live and in person spending the whole day in the woods and never one time take a chain off. They carry 10 pounds of filing contraptions on them and they spend more of their day sitting on a stump fiddling around than they spend cutting. All their effort is worthless though because at the end of the day, their chain is toast.
I prefer a file to a grinder too but it comes down to production for me. I hit them once with the file in the woods, then follow that up with a very light grind that evening, I pour as much tacky oil to them as I can and hammer down. For me, keeping that full chisel pointy and the rakers right extends bar life more than just about anything but I still file the bars every few days. That seems to be the best compromise between production and longevity. For me it's about putting logs on the trailers so 100% hand filing is not an option, but everyone has different priorities....

[teakwood]

I run used motor oil with the oiler maxed.  It is possible that is the cause here if its increased wear, but no money is no money so i do what i have to and keep workin.

of course chain oil would be best but you use what you have. I use the old hyd oil from the oilchange of my big excavator. that is on barrel of free chain oil or at least 500$ i don't have to spend 

[ButchC]

I guess I struck a nerve. I was referring to people I have actually witnessed live and in person spending the whole day in the woods and never one time take a chain off. They carry 10 pounds of filing contraptions on them and they spend more of their day sitting on a stump fiddling around than they spend cutting. All their effort is worthless though because at the end of the day, their chain is toast.

Hmmm, vastly different bunch of people than I have ever cut with,   We gather each year to cut wood for the ministry and I never cease to be amazed by all the dull chains and no files or sharpening equipment of any kind to be seen,,, other than mine. They bring a saw with dull chain installed, a can of stale fuel and something oily looking to put in the bar oil hole, maybe another dull chain or two.  Been told more than once that I was wasting my time touching up a chain after fueling, once by a fellow who had just spent a good 10  minutes getting through a 24" log with a 70CCsaw.

[lxskllr]

I use one chain at a time, and sharpen as necessary. It gets a new chain when the old one has a sharpen or two left on it, then retired for trash duty. Bar gets flipped whenever the cover comes off. Might be once a day, might be a couple months.

[John Mc]

Hmmm, vastly different bunch of people than I have ever cut with,  We gather each year to cut wood for the ministry and I never cease to be amazed by all the dull chains and no files or sharpening equipment of any kind to be seen,,, other than mine. They bring a saw with dull chain installed, a can of stale fuel and something oily looking to put in the bar oil hole, maybe another dull chain or two.  Been told more than once that I was wasting my time touching up a chain after fueling, once by a fellow who had just spent a good 10  minutes getting through a 24" log with a 70CCsaw.

I run into those guys all the time. If I can convince them to take the time, I give them a lesson in sharpening on the spot. Usually, I have them make a cut with their dull chain first, then we sharpen and cut again. Often, that makes a believer of them. Since they are unlikely to take the time to learn to sharpen freehand (and I'm not one of those who has taken the time to get "race chain quality" when freehanding a chain anyway), I let them use one of my guides. A good number of these folks end up asking where they can get the files and guides. I take that as a good sign.
My other method of gaining a convert: let them cut with their crappy chain, then create some reason for them to use my saw (oh, you ran out of gas. Why don;t yu just finish up with my saw). When I get the comment "that's a nice saw", my response is "it's a nicely sharpened chain. The saw is actually [10 / 20] cc smaller than yours." Then offer to show them how to make theirs cut better.

Since I'm cutting for personal use, to help out a friend, or at a community firewood donation work day, I can take the time to do things like that. (If I were trying to make a living at this, I'd go broke.)

[mike_belben]

My neighbor is a buddy of mine, and i sharpen his chains. The only time the harbor freight grinder ever comes out is to knock off the 1/16th of an inch rounded off nose of his cutters.  He thinks its a rocksaw.  I wonder how the wood he cuts doesnt catch fire while he is sawing.


My dad is one for having a full inch of chain hanging off the bottom.  Dad its a saw, not a hay elevator.  

Yes, i use motor oil now that im in the poorhouse, but it could be worse
;D

[ButchC]

I run into those guys all the time. If I can convince them to take the time, I give them a lesson in sharpening on the spot. Usually, I have them make a cut with their dull chain first, then we sharpen and cut again. A good number of these folks end up asking where they can get the files and guides. I take that as a good sign.
My other method of gaining a convert: let them cut with their crappy chain, then create some reason for them to use my saw (oh, you ran out of gas. Why don;t yu just finish up with my saw). When I get the comment "that's a nice saw", my response is "it's a nicely sharpened chain. The saw is actually [10 / 20] cc smaller than yours." Then offer to show them how to make theirs cut better.

Been there, done that but there is that entertainment value dont ya know? We show off just a smidgen ;D. I usually take the 660 with 20" bar and a half filed back RS chain with the rackers filed at .030. hee hee hee.  All most of them know is bar length. Heard many times  Hey! Your 20" saws cuts 10 times faster than mine what gives???   All in fun, at the end of the day I will show anyone who is interested enough to ask how to make their 290 cut fast enough to keep 2-3  people busy splitting and stacking.

[HolmenTree]

Just finishing up the first year of my sideline business of chain saw sharpening and repair.  
Quite interesting of all the weekender chains I'm sharpening. Nothing yet bigger then 16" loops .325 and smaller.
Some customers bring to me 4 or 6 loops of .043 mini chain and their more then happy to pay $10 plus tax for me to file them.
Stuff takes 5 minutes with the 5/32" file. I almost feel guilty.  :D
But in this small city there's only one dealer and a hardware store abd they charge $35 for these little loops of chain.

Then some give up trying to sharpen their chain wirh a dremil. Takes me a bit to get past that case hardening, but what's not there and I can't put back on.....I just use a bigger file

[lxskllr]

I think my buddy was paying $13 a pop to have his chain sharpened at the Stihl dealer. At the time, I didn't know a thing about saws, and thought that price was appalling.  I now know a good bit more about saws, and I still think that price is appalling. On top of that, they took off a lot of the teeth to get it sharp, and my friend didn't abuse his chains. They were simply dull, not rocked or anything. That was when he got a guide system, and got me to try sharpening the chain. I didn't do a great job, but it was ok. Made some mistakes too; mainly backdragging the file. It was a good learning experience, and I found I dislike using guides. I now do it free hand, and I'm sure I'm not up there with the best, but I do a pretty good job. I could sell my services, and not feel like I was taking advantage of people. It wouldn't be $13 though. Probably closer to $8. Even that's high imo, but for every chain that's simply dull and easy to do, you probably get ten that looked like they were dragged behind a truck, and take forever. Gotta cover for those  :^D

[HolmenTree]

Actually for rocked out chains I'm charging $15 plus 13% taxes.

  But $15 Canadian dollar is
 $11.50 U S.D :D

[Hilltop366]

I don't blame you for charging $15 for sharpening a rocked chain, its a lot of work.

Do you sell chain as well?

I must be getting a good deal on chain from my friends shop, a new one is not much different in price than that.

[mike_belben]

Well, some good news.  I made a bar rail closer today and just as i was about to give up on it.. The last tweak got it to start working.  I closed the groove up to a snug fit and dressed the until the chain would pass.  Even with dull cutters and rails unsquared, it cut straight as an arrow.  

[HolmenTree]

Hilltop366, I've been making and selling loops off rolls that I've bought over the years from auctions etc.
But it's going fast and I need to keep some for myself. :laugh:
The dealers here won't bother buying bulk chain by the roll, they just order loops already boxed from Stihl or Husqvarna.
I beat their prices by about $10 per loop.

[lxskllr]

Well, some good news.  I made a bar rail closer today and just as i was about to give up on it.. The last tweak got it to start working.  I closed the groove up to a snug fit and dressed the until the chain would pass.  Even with dull cutters and rails unsquared, it cut straight as an arrow.  

How did you do it; just hammer it out?
I was gonna suggest making a drop hammer, but it isn't something I've ever done, and didn't have the assembly fully fleshed out. Generally speaking, I was imagining a heavy bottom anvil, then another heavy piece of steel that rides on guides. Lift the top piece, drop it on the bar. It should get the rails straight and flat. Problems are finding the steel at a good price, having the faces milled to tight tolerances, and not deforming the bar. Not sure if it would work, but if you have access to steel, it might be an interesting project.

[labradorguy]

I guess I struck a nerve. I was referring to people I have actually witnessed live and in person spending the whole day in the woods and never one time take a chain off. They carry 10 pounds of filing contraptions on them and they spend more of their day sitting on a stump fiddling around than they spend cutting. All their effort is worthless though because at the end of the day, their chain is toast.

Hmmm, vastly different bunch of people than I have ever cut with,  We gather each year to cut wood for the ministry and I never cease to be amazed by all the dull chains and no files or sharpening equipment of any kind to be seen,,, other than mine. They bring a saw with dull chain installed, a can of stale fuel and something oily looking to put in the bar oil hole, maybe another dull chain or two.  Been told more than once that I was wasting my time touching up a chain after fueling, once by a fellow who had just spent a good 10  minutes getting through a 24" log with a 70CCsaw.

You would think after the wood turned black and started smoking he would begin to think that he may need to alter his technique.
Kind of like the guy who takes chunks off when he grinds his chain. The whole cutter turns black ummmm o-kayyyy..... then it turns ORANGE. Dude? Really??
Our local farm store sells these funky Chinese grinders that are SO bad. I think they do it on purpose because their chain sales double or triple. They say three grinds and the cutters are gone. Wow...
I did try one of those little 12v grinders a guy had. After a long day running something like a 395XP or something similar and doing touch up filing on 36" bar chains (even skips), the fingers are worn out right? So this guy has one of these 12v things that are made by Stihl (probably marketed by is more accurate) and I was all for trying something new. It actually worked pretty well once you took the guides off. I had hammered a full chisel pretty hard in a couple huge hickory trees and it did a pretty quick and nifty job of getting it back into shape. I may buy one and fiddle around with it a little more. 
I think the biggest mistake a lot of people make is letting their chain go too long before sharpening or switching out....

[mike_belben]

How did you do it; just hammer it out?
I was gonna suggest making a drop hammer, 

I actually saw a tool for it on youtube that looked like a punch on top and an opened banana peel on bottom.  Instead of a chisel with a vee it had an upside down Y that you hammered over the rails to close them up and it came with limiter inserts to land at the desired gauge.  Pretty slick. 
I made a double bearing roller jig that clamps in the vice.  Gotta shove the bar thru it back and forth pretty hard but it worked.  
Its a worn out cam follower bearing welded through a hole in the plate with a taper ground in so its fatter on bottom.  The pressure die so to speak is a volvo timing belt idler with a jack screw shoving it against the bar.  I tried with 2 cam followers but the bar just bowed between them.  You gotta use two bearings only and its gotta push only near the bottoms.  


I need to grind the big bearing too so itll hopefully bend both rails in at the same time. I dont think you can pinch more than two, maybe 3x  before you run out of shelf for the chain to ride on.  And ya need to dress the rails on a sander or grinder to resquare them after closing up.  

[sawguy21]

Here a dealer who is serious about service will stock rolls of the popular sizes, not everybody runs a Stihl or Husky. Lots of farmers and weekend warriors still have their dad's old Mac or Homey with oddball drive link counts. The larger logging companies order by the roll as well.

[mike_belben]

I made a real simple track guide chainsaw mill with X and Y axis plus log clamp and backstops.  Tried it today and the bar that i thought was trash made my best CSM cut ever, without even sharpening the chain or squaring the rails yet.

I am amazed at how critical groove width is on a saw bar.  This thing wouldnt buck straight for 4 inches and it slabbed perfect for 6 feet after a rail closeup.   

[Greenerpastures]

Matter sorted

[mike_belben]

Thats a bummer about the runaround and poor etiquette GP.   

But keep in mind, excess oil is a LOT better than insufficient oil in a 2stroke. 

[Greenerpastures]

Thats a bummer about the runaround and poor etiquette GP.  

But keep in mind, excess oil is a LOT better than insufficient oil in a 2stroke.

Hi mike_belben
Matter sorted
I can't say more here though.