Chain and bar ???

Eman

I have a Husqvarna 61 with an 18" roller tip Husqvaena bar, I've owned since the 80's bought new. I use it primarily for cutting firewood for my woodstove. The bar is pretty worn as the chain has side to side play and the rails are rolled a little. For my use what bar and what chain would you recommend? The local saw shop has a Huqvarna bar for $30 and said an Oregon would be slightly more, any difference and what would you choose? Also stocks Oregon chain and Stihl chain, all precut, which would you prefer?

Bruce Hopf

What kind of shape is the roller nose in, of your bar? When your chain is tightened properly, is there any movement side to side? How square is your rails? Is there any flaking in the top of the rails of the bar? Is the bar bent, or is it straight?
Bars are quite easy to work with, if the shape of them isn't too serious, that they can't be fixed.
For the edges of them, the burs can be removed with a file, or a hone, and clean the edges of the rails of your bar.
To check and see if the rails are square, you can take a square, look down the bar, like a gun barrel, and see which side is higher than the other, use a file, and file that side down, till everything is square.
Or you can use a table disc sander, and square up your rails, right down to the tip of the bar, and square everything up with that. I have posted a couple of pictures, to give you a better idea of what I'm talking about.
I'd start with the bar first, before buying one. If the roller nose is still in good working shape, then you can work with the bar. If the nose is replaceable, you can replace it, if there is any up, and down movement, where the sprocket nose meets the bar.
I have a tow bars here, that I have on a couple of my chain saws, one was bought new in 1968, 41 years ago in March, and the other one bought new in 1974, both have had the sprocket nose replaced, both bars are still cutting fire wood, to heat my house with.
Every year, I check my bars for burs, and remove them, and check to see if they are square.
As for replacing the bar, are they laminated, or do they have a replacement sprocket system on the new bar?
How much fire wood do you cut in a year, also warrants going with an Oregon Bar. If the Husqvarna bar is Laminated, without the replacement bar, and the Oregon has a replacement bar, I'd go with that one. If the Oregon bar is laminated, I'd go with the Husqvarna, both are good quality, in that regards.
Now also depending on what type of wood you are cutting for a chain. Are you cutting clean stuff out of the bush, are the trees being cut where they are fell, or are they skidded out of the bush, then cut, or logs that you have had brought in, then you cut them up into fire wood?
If they are good and clean, with no dirt on them, you can get away with chisel chains. If you are cutting stuff that isn't the cleanest, I'd go with a semi chisel chain, because they stay sharper a little longer then the chisel chains in dirty conditions.
As for Oregon, and Stihl chains, Stihl has a little harder cutter, than Oregon does, but both are good chains. I've used them both, and they both are OK, not too much difference in them.
I hope this has helped you a little bit. Bruce.

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Eman

Wow, what a great response and good info.
First off the roller tip is good, bar is straight and all I can see on the rails is wear with metal overlapping the edge.

Now for the bad news.
I took my bar and a chain with me to the saw shop to let them look at it. The mechanic looked and said filing it will clean it up and it should be fine. I put the chain in the bar and showed him the side to side rocking of the chain. The parts man looked at the bar and the chain and spotted the problem. The bar is a Husqvarna bar for a .058 chain. My chains (3) have 72 on them which is an .050 chain. So now I guess I'm going to buy the Husqvarna bar for the .050 chain since I have 3 chains already and they are in good shape.

Therrin

While what Bruce said was nice and detailed, .... if you've been using the same bar for 30 years, buying a new one is probably a great idea anyway!

Glad you got part of the problem figured out though

Eman

I really had no problem with buying a new bar, just wondering about differences in brands. I do feel I've gotten my money's worth from the old bar. It is odd how I ended up with the wrong bar for the chains, and it had to been from day one.