Extra stiff chainsaw bars?

Greenhighlander · April 10, 2020, 11:33:36 AM

Just wondering if there is such a thing?
I have been milling with a 24" husky bar on my 395 xp and have noticed it tends to flex the harder I push on the saw.Because of this I have to go slower then the saw can actually mill. So I am wondering if there are other bar types that would flex less?
I am using a jobber j100 csm not an Alaskan style.

Thank you

Pine Ridge · April 10, 2020, 08:01:03 PM

I love my Husqvarna saws but i do not like Husqvarna bars. I don't know what brand to recommend to you, i have been running forester platinum bars on my 372 husqvarnas and so far so good. I am going to buy a new saw in a month or two and i'm going to try a 20" Oregon powercut on it.

lxskllr · April 10, 2020, 08:22:21 PM

Cannons are noted for their high quality, high price, and high weight. Never used one, but it might be stiffer.

Al_Smith · April 12, 2020, 05:46:35 AM

You have to keep in mind Husqvarna is not the only source for a bar .On that I have a 32" Oregon bar on a classic old 2100 CD Husky and it seems pretty rigid and an Oregon 24" on a 281 .Hard to say how old they are .
Always seems to be a bone of contention about bars .People seem to worry about weight and forget all about hard nose bars like they came over on the Mayflower or something .I'd say if you could find one which I'm not even sure where that would be that might be the ticket .
Most of the time they are wider which just by that would make them stiffer as long as the oiler was good it should not be a problem .Just don't tighten them up like a banjo string .

Firewoodjoe · April 12, 2020, 06:47:58 AM

Can u change the teeth or depth gauges so the saw pulls into the wood more. If your flexing a 24" bar you must be really standing on it. I mean no offense on your current method. But I know for falling and bucking (which I know is different than ripping) I hate a saw that makes me work. I sharpen it so I can just pull the trigger and the saw feeds itself in to the wood.

Patrick NC · April 12, 2020, 08:50:58 AM

Quote from: Pine Ridge on April 10, 2020, 08:01:03 PM
I love my Husqvarna saws but i do not like Husqvarna bars. I don't know what brand to recommend to you, i have been running forester platinum bars on my 372 husqvarnas and so far so good. I am going to buy a new saw in a month or two and i'm going to try a 20" Oregon powercut on it.

I run forester bar and chain on both of my saws and I think they are as good as anything out there. I don't cut every day for a living, but I cut a fair amount of firewood and logs for my mill. First bar I bought was a 28" for my 372xp and I liked it so much I bought a 20" for it and a 16" for my ms260. Others may have different opinions, but they work fine for me.

Hilltop366 · April 12, 2020, 10:10:56 AM

Firewoodjoe makes a good point.

What is your tooth angle and raker depth?

Does it always flex in the same direction?

Greenhighlander · April 12, 2020, 10:26:01 AM

Thank you all for the replies.
I don't actually have to push on the saw so much as I have to hold it back. If I let er rip on its own seemed to be when it would go a little wonky on me. I thought it was the bar flexing but it has turned out to be 2 nuts on the saw holder adjustments that I had somehow overlooked.
This mill came with a set of the worst instructions I have ever seen. I am not sure if it is because of the translation from french to english or what , but they are horrendous.
Tightening those two nuts seems to of corrected the issue. So far I have managed to get it to be off by 1/4" over 12 ft. A bit more fine tuning and I should be able to get it better then that.

Cheers

Greenhighlander · January 31, 2021, 10:53:59 AM

So after a fair amount more time milling I am still noticing my husky bar likes to flex and wonder in the cut. I am guessing this is a drawback of the mill design I am using as it does not have a clamp that holds the tip like the Alaskan style does. I am now once again searching for a bar with zero flex to it .

Skeans1 · January 31, 2021, 11:46:31 AM

Cannon bars they're extremely tough in a 32 I can't flex the bar at all well an Oregon or Husky or Stihl bar I can.

Greenhighlander · January 31, 2021, 11:50:55 AM

Quote from: Skeans1 on January 31, 2021, 11:46:31 AM
Cannon bars they're extremely tough in a 32 I can't flex the bar at all well an Oregon or Husky or Stihl bar I can.

Thank you for the reply . That is the bar I am looking at. It is about 3x the price including shipped to me , but if it doesn't flex and lasts like I hear they do it seems worth it. I am only running a 24" atm because the current mill configuration I am using will only handle up to a 20" log. And the husky bar certainly has some flex to it .

Skeans1 · February 02, 2021, 12:17:56 AM

Another one that crossed my mind is the old Windsor bars they're really tough as well.

Greenhighlander · February 02, 2021, 06:14:38 AM

Ordered a cannon bar yesterday . I will see how it goes once it gets here.

woodworker9 · February 05, 2021, 11:34:38 AM

You did well ordering the Cannon bar. I belong to an online chainsaw milling group with thousands of members, so there's a lot of input from guys that are just talking about chainsaw milling. The Cannon and Stihl bars are rated the highest. The Cannon bars are rated the best, by far, for the very long bars. Incidentally, and I'm not picking on any manufacturer, but the 2 bars with the most complaints are always the Husqvarna and the Forester bars. Anytime somebody mentions one of those two bars, the immediate response is to replace them.

Just thought I'd share a consensus opinion from an experienced group that is doing nothing but chainsaw milling......

Tacotodd · February 06, 2021, 06:29:46 AM

I know that the only Cannon bar that I have is very heavy (weight wise) and stiff. It also seems thick. That's probably what you want. But like @lxskllr mentioned, high quality and high price and high weight. Plus, they will make almost anything, but BE PREPARED, your wallet will feel it. But WOW, it's good stuff!

Greenhighlander · February 06, 2021, 12:28:47 PM

Ya they aren't cheap but I am ok with that as it seems like one of those you get what you pay for kind of thing.
Was $245 cad including tax and shipping for the 24" and I paid 89.99 cad +tax for the 24" husky bar when I bought the saw.
New bar should be here by Wednesday

Tacotodd · February 06, 2021, 12:32:54 PM

Just let US know if you are pleased.

For an ultimatum, YOU HAVE 24hrs :D

Greenhighlander · February 16, 2021, 12:41:15 PM

Bar came today . Only 6 days past the expected delivery date which is certainly not too bad nowadays. It seems like it is significantly heavier then both of the husky bars ( 24" & 28" ) I have for the saw. Seems very well made . Hoping to get to give it a go sometime this week.

Its pathetic how the only two things I own that are actually made in Canada are my viking boots and this cannon bar. Anyway I will report back on how the bar performs once I have either milled or ruined a few logs lol

rangeroad · February 16, 2021, 01:26:58 PM

Where in Canada are you ordering this (and other chainsaw gear)? Very difficult to find good prices online it seems

Greenhighlander · February 16, 2021, 03:28:06 PM

Quote from: rangeroad on February 16, 2021, 01:26:58 PM
Where in Canada are you ordering this (and other chainsaw gear)? Very difficult to find good prices online it seems

I ordered the Cannon bar from Canadian Equipment Outfitters Inc [font=Segoe UI, Segoe UI Web (West European), Segoe UI, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, Helvetica Neue, sans-serif] [/font]

[font=Segoe UI, Segoe UI Web (West European), Segoe UI, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, Helvetica Neue, sans-serif]It is the only thing I have ordered from them but given the pathetic local shop situation where I am ( sick of the lying and the ripoff artistry ) I am also now looking for a good Canadian online place to order stuff from. After waiting since early December for 2 18" chains for my little MS 251 because the shop kept " forgetting " to order my chains each time they placed an order , today I went to pick them up and was told it would be $100 for the two chains. I was expecting somewhere in the $75-$80 dollar range for the 2. I asked why they were so much only to be told they charged me $20 for shipping. I have never in my life had to pay for shipping from anything from a store or dealer for anything. So this is what dealers do where I live on top of not knowing how or wanting to give any type of actual service. I am actually convinced they have no idea how to do work on a chainsaw other then putting on a new chain or bar. They are simply sellers , in fact we refer to the owner of one shop as " Eddie sales " because he is completely useless for anything else. [/font]
[font=Segoe UI, Segoe UI Web (West European), Segoe UI, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, Helvetica Neue, sans-serif]I am a big believer in supporting local but with zero service along with price gouging I no longer feel that way when it comes to my saws. I need to find good online access to parts and stuff and learn how to do stuff myself . I ain't made of money and even if I was I would still feel the same based on principal. [/font]

Greenhighlander · February 16, 2021, 03:30:17 PM

I have no idea why all that extra stuff is part of my post or why the font changed . I tried to go fix it but it didn't work. Anyway....

Tacotodd · February 16, 2021, 05:04:01 PM

Thank You for replying back about getting the Cannon, even if you've not run it yet. I was thinking about this the other day and I wondered. Now I know.

Preservere and you'll get: what you want, how you want it, when you want it, and for a price that's acceptable.

lxskllr · February 16, 2021, 06:54:51 PM

Cleaned up Greenhighlanders post, cause there was a question in there that might be missed...

I ordered the Cannon bar from Canadian Equipment Outfitters Inc. It is the only thing I have ordered from them but given the pathetic local shop situation where I am ( sick of the lying and the ripoff artistry ) I am also now looking for a good Canadian online place to order stuff from.

After waiting since early December for 2 18" chains for my little MS 251 because the shop kept " forgetting " to order my chains each time they placed an order , today I went to pick them up and was told it would be $100 for the two chains. I was expecting somewhere in the $75-$80 dollar range for the 2. I asked why they were so much only to be told they charged me $20 for shipping.

I have never in my life had to pay for shipping from anything from a store or dealer for anything. So this is what dealers do where I live on top of not knowing how or wanting to give any type of actual service. I am actually convinced they have no idea how to do work on a chainsaw other then putting on a new chain or bar. They are simply sellers , in fact we refer to the owner of one shop as " Eddie sales " because he is completely useless for anything else. I am a big believer in supporting local but with zero service along with price gouging I no longer feel that way when it comes to my saws. I need to find good online access to parts and stuff and learn how to do stuff myself . I ain't made of money and even if I was I would still feel the same based on principal.

tl;dr
Greenhighlander wants a decent Canadian supplier that won't screw him over.

Greenhighlander · February 17, 2021, 03:35:55 AM

Thank you for cleaning it up . I am embarrassed at how many times I tried to and failed :D

sawguy21 · February 17, 2021, 11:53:39 AM

I am challenged by 'puters too, maybe it's a Canadian thing. :D I don't know of a reliable online supplier in Canada, at 1/10th the U.S. population the market simply isn't big enough to attract them. Then we have to pay duty and an exorbitant exchange rate regardless where we buy. My local dealer, our own @Paul_H works hard to look after his customers and the base is growing as a result. The dealers in neighboring cities not so much, like yours they don't seem to care but are the only game in town and they know it.