Bar/chain advice.

[Peter 1955]

Hello folks, advice needed please. I've made a mistake which is solvable, but I'm unsure of the way to go. I have a Mains Makita saw, and a 36v battery one as well. 16" bar on the mains, and 12" on the battery. I wanted to get them both onto identical 12" bars and chains, and bought a bar and chain to put on the mains saw. All good so far, but in my haste, I bought .050 instead of .043, which they both came fitted with.  

I don't intend to return the bar/chain, as they're usable, and returning them would be a hassle. For what they cost, I might as well swallow my pride, and buy a correct one next. The question is, do I get .043 for the mains, as I should have done, or do I convert the battery one to .050? 

I put a longer bar on one pole pruner years ago, which meant going from .043 to .050, and the improvement was very noticeable. Would changing to .050 be too hard work for the battery one? Your thoughts as always are appreciated. 

[Dan Maynard]

If you are determined to buy a bar, I wouldn't go .050 on the battery saw, bigger cut must mean less battery life.

 

The mains one will surely have the power to run .050 though, why not just stick it on and run that? No point throwing away a perfectly good bar. Change next time.

[Peter 1955]

30 minutes ago, Dan Maynard said:

If you are determined to buy a bar, I wouldn't go .050 on the battery saw, bigger cut must mean less battery life.

 

The mains one will surely have the power to run .050 though, why not just stick it on and run that? No point throwing away a perfectly good bar. Change next time.

Thank you for that. Not a million miles away from my thinking. There is a case for sticking the .050 on the battery saw and see how it goes, and whether it kills the batteries much quicker. Hmmm. 

[pleasant]

5 minutes ago, Peter 1955 said:

Thank you for that. Not a million miles away from my thinking. There is a case for sticking the .050 on the battery saw and see how it goes, and whether it kills the batteries much quicker. Hmmm. 

Not sure what you are hoping to prove by doing that to be honest.

[Peter 1955]

1 hour ago, pleasant said:

Not sure what you are hoping to prove by doing that to be honest.

It was a big improvement on the pole saw. Just need to know if the batteries can handle the presumed extra load or not. Nothing to lose, possibly all to gain. 

[pleasant]

14 minutes ago, Peter 1955 said:

It was a big improvement on the pole saw. Just need to know if the batteries can handle the presumed extra load or not. Nothing to lose, possibly all to gain. 

I try to relate to customers the scenario whereby they want the thickest nylon line fitted on thier brush cutters, because it keeps snapping. Yes, well it is designed to snap...if it never did, then something else up the drive train will and that will certainly be more expensive than using the recommended size line in the first place. If you consider your chain whizzing around the bar as the nylon line, then the thicker/larger/heavier the chain, then more grunt the 'engine' needs to rotate it at the required speed to do the job. Heavier/thicker line added to an average sized brush cutter will simply slow the rotational speed down, so although it won't break quite as much, it will certainly not cut as well........the same can be said for a chain rotating around a bar on a saw.

Edited September 27, 2022 by pleasant

[Peter 1955]

1 hour ago, pleasant said:

I try to relate to customers the scenario whereby they want the thickest nylon line fitted on thier brush cutters, because it keeps snapping. Yes, well it is designed to snap...if it never did, then something else up the drive train will and that will certainly be more expensive than using the recommended size line in the first place. If you consider your chain whizzing around the bar as the nylon line, then the thicker/larger/heavier the chain, then more grunt the 'engine' needs to rotate it at the required speed to do the job. Heavier/thicker line added to an average sized brush cutter will simply slow the rotational speed down, so although it won't break quite as much, it will certainly not cut as well........the same can be said for a chain rotating around a bar on a saw.

Seems logical. I have been down the thicker line route, and I know it needs my biggest engine. Thanks for the advice, appreciated. 

[Puffingbilly413]

3 hours ago, Peter 1955 said:

Thank you for that. Not a million miles away from my thinking. There is a case for sticking the .050 on the battery saw and see how it goes, and whether it kills the batteries much quicker. Hmmm. 

I have a few battery saws running 0.43 and a petrol top handle running 0.50. 

 

Even with the narrower gauge, the battery saws can't be forced through a cut - you absolutely have to let them cut at their own pace or they just cut out. I think upping to 0.50 would make that worse still.

 

The petrol saws (well a T540xp anyway) have more guts and will manage a wider cut. 

 

Slightly different I know but when milling IE a rip as opposed to cross cut, a narrow kerf or low pro bar is much easier to get through the wood IME.

[Peter 1955]

3 hours ago, Puffingbilly413 said:

I have a few battery saws running 0.43 and a petrol top handle running 0.50. 

 

Even with the narrower gauge, the battery saws can't be forced through a cut - you absolutely have to let them cut at their own pace or they just cut out. I think upping to 0.50 would make that worse still.

 

I agree absolutely. You have to let it go at its own pace, you definitely can't force it. Looks like I shall be ordering the correct type this time. Teach me to read the details, eh? 

[bmp01]

23 hours ago, Peter 1955 said:

 

I put a longer bar on one pole pruner years ago, which meant going from .043 to .050, and the improvement was very noticeable

I'll take your word for it.

But as a general rule that wont be true. There will be a reason the 0.043 cut slower in that instance be that chain sharpness (inc raker height) or type of chain, chain tension, bar condition, etc, etc.

If the power head has enough omph to run both chains at the same chain speed they will cut at same speed, give or take. In reality the thicker chain will have lower chain speed due to extra drag and cut slower as a result.