kick back

[bjkjoseph]

is a longer bar safer?

 

[Henz]

no, I would say worse, it has longer reach to hit you with!

 

[Corie]

Think about what kick-back actually is. It's an unplanned "moment" (rotational movement). Since torque is always a function of force and distance, the further away the force is applied for you, the more rotational strength the moment has at the center of rotation.

 

[Jags]

Think about what kick-back actually is. It's an unplanned "moment" (rotational movement). Since torque is always a function of force and distance, the further away the force is applied for you, the more rotational strength the moment has at the center of rotation.

Listen to all that engineer type stuff. %-P

Nothing to add - Corie nailed it.

 

[Henz]

I seriously would stay with a maximum of a 20" bar for bucking firewood.

 

[Eric Johnson]

A longer bar is actually more likely to kick back in part because you don't have as much control over the force exerted during a kickback, and you're much more likely to stick the tip (which is where kickback originates) into a kickback situation, since you're farther away from it and, again, have less control over where it goes.

 

[Henz]

Here is a question that I have. How is it that when you are doing a bore cut, you do not experience kick back. I mean, your sticking the end of the saw into the tree. I know that you use the bottom part of the tip to start but then you are litterally pushing it straight into the tree..Comments???

 

[Eric Johnson]

As I understand it, in a bore cut the tip has no option but to cut wood. Since it's in a confined groove, what would be kickback force if it was in the open would result in either the saw stalling or wood being cut. In other words, the saw tip can't kick back out of the bored area.

 

[Henz]

yeah thats basically the wya I see it too

 

[WarmGuy]

But I'm guessing that with a shorter bar, the chainsaw is going to rotate faster when it kicks back. The force is applied closer to the center of the rotation.

 

[Jags]

But I'm guessing that with a shorter bar, the chainsaw is going to rotate faster when it kicks back. The force is applied closer to the center of the rotation.

I "think" the answer to this is: you are dealing with the same "speed" of chain being applied to less leverage (shorter bar) and therefore the reaction should actually be slower.