Advantage of narrow bar?

[alderman]

I am new to this site and have been reading some about a narrow kerf bar and chain.  What is the advantage of running this type of bar and chain setup over a normal setup? :-\

[fishhuntcutwood]

There's arguments about a narrower bar/chain/kerf requiring less energy from the saw, generating less heat so on and so forth.  You'll really only see it on smaller or arborist saws.  And that's mostl likely just due to a smaller chasis chain running smoother and more efficiently on a smaller saw.  I'm a timber and firewood guy, so I never even really look at them.  Plus, it's hard to find a 28" bar in .043 ga, so it's really not even an option for me!

Jeff

[StihlDoc]

A narrow kerf bar and chain is used on the smallest saws. It requires less power when cutting and therefore can cut faster compared to using the standard 3/8" pitch .050"gauge low profile chain that is normally found on these small displacement saws. The weight of the the cutting attachment is also reduced by a few ounces, a good feature for arborists saw.

I run a 3/8" pitch .050"gauge low profile chain (STIHL 63 PM) on my 066's used with my Logosol chain saw mill. It gives a smoother surface finish to the boards, reduces waste because of the narrower kerf (higher yield), and takes slightly less power to perform the cut. But I would not use it for general cutting as it is not durable enough for higher powered saws and does not cut a wide enough kerf for general felling and bucking.

[tony_marks]

well i cant speak for all narrow kerf bar an chains. but the 95 vp is a real performer . . very smooth and fast. i timed it against full chisel stihl chain and was surprised that the 95 vp setup with micro bar just had a little edge.
stihl i dont think id go that way if i used my saws heavily everyday. but for my regular use the micro ,narro kerf works good.

[jokers]

It`s surpising how well the 95vp works.

Russ

[rebocardo]

Yes, it is surprising how well the 95 VP works. The only draw back is when ripping something or cutting something that is water logged.

[Al_Smith]

I suppose it is a personal preferance.On my little climbing saws,I use 3/8 lo pro.Mid size,standard 3/8.The larger ones,above 6 cu in,.404.In a comparison with a Stihl 048,with a 3/8 chain,32" bar,and A McCulloch SP125,with a 36" .404,it seemed to me the larger chain cleared the chips better on deep cuts.Just my observation.

[realMooseMan]

For the purpose of forest thinning with "Lop and Scatter" forestry spec, I would not use small kerf, because the bars bend and throw chains until the bar can be straightened.  If you use your saw slow and careful, the bar will be fine, but I swing mine like a machete, and the force is sufficient to split and jam the sprocket tip or bend a laminated (thin or weak) bar, then they won't stop throwing chains.  

For this type of work, I've found a 24" solid but perforated bar works best, such as the Tsumura light-weight solid steel bar, mounted on an MS260 PRO powerhead.  It's light enough to swing, and strong enough to easily fell 24" diameter soft or 20" hardwood trees, and can be used all day (5-6 hours) without exhausting me.  After 8 hours, I would be crawling up the hills to the truck, 20' at a time.

To maintain powerhead rpms, I also use Chisel Skip chains on any bar 24" or larger, kept sharp, and swap them out when they begin to lose their edge.  Alternatively, if they've already had their final sharpening, I would use them to cut any residual punji sticks to ground level.