New bar and chain

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D8Chumley

Minister of Fire
Jun 25, 2013
1,884
Collegeville PA
I have a 20” and 24” bar for my 460 but with a lot of cutting blowdowns looming, and a huge ash that came down a month prior I decided to get myself a Fathers Day treat. 28” Forester platinum bar and 2 full chisel skip chains for $120 I think that’s a pretty good deal. Might get to try it out this week. Made in PA too
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Those Forester bars are a solid heavy bar. I have a 24” that I use when I mill. I think if I remember correctly it weighs a bit more than my 24” GB bars. I was unaware that they were made in PA.
 
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Good variety, cheaper than owning 2 extra saws
 
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Chainsaws can be addicting can't they? Nice looking bar, I'm sure that'll tackle the big boys for you.
Chainsaws can be addicting.. as a matter of fact.. The whole burning wood thing is.. never in my life would I have thought I'd have 3 woodsheds, 4 saws, 2 splitters, 12 cords of wood, 5 cord of log lenth, and a bobcat sitting on my property.. let alone teaching my neighbor how to make a solar kiln.. its like I'm obsessed.. or something..
 
Chainsaws can be addicting can't they? Nice looking bar, I'm sure that'll tackle the big boys for you.
Oh yeah they can! I’m anxious to give the new bar a test run but with working 6 days a week and it being swampass hot I’ll wait until it cools down some. Those trees will be there when I get time to cut them up
 
PA? Pa China?
Seems I’ve been duped. Just dug a little deeper and found that out. i was told or read somewhere they were made in Wilkes Barre, thought I was doing a good thing. I have yet to use it but it’s getting close, just fired up the stove this past week
 
Seems I’ve been duped. Just dug a little deeper and found that out. i was told or read somewhere they were made in Wilkes Barre, thought I was doing a good thing. I have yet to use it but it’s getting close, just fired up the stove this past week
I haven’t used one of the platinum bars. Talked with a couple guys about em though, and they seem to hold up pretty good.
 
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I’m hoping so. It will see some heavy use at first as I have a few big uns to buck but after that I could probably manage with the 20/24” bars on the 460
 
I have a 20” and 24” bar for my 460 but with a lot of cutting blowdowns looming, and a huge ash that came down a month prior I decided to get myself a Fathers Day treat. 28” Forester platinum bar and 2 full chisel skip chains for $120 I think that’s a pretty good deal. Might get to try it out this week. Made in PA too View attachment 261200
Hey, how do you like skip chains? I have 460 and XP 357, both with 24 bars. They stall more then I'd like on big hardwoods. Should i try skip chains, perhaps?
 
Hey, how do you like skip chains? I have 460 and XP 357, both with 24 bars. They stall more then I'd like on big hardwoods. Should i try skip chains, perhaps?
Chain sequence is not your problem on a 24” bar. It’s most likely saw tune, chain sharpness, or raker height.

If the first 2 are in check, then just run your rakers a tad higher.
Skip won’t help you on a bar that short, it will also increase kickback while limbing.
 
Chain sequence is not your problem on a 24” bar. It’s most likely saw tune, chain sharpness, or raker height.

If the first 2 are in check, then just run your rakers a tad higher.
Skip won’t help you on a bar that short, it will also increase kickback while limbing.
Using 2 in 1 Stihl sharpener, so rakers should be ok, as set to standard. Sharpening quite often, trying to touch up after every tank. How can I tune it?, never done it since got chainsaws, kind of afraid to ruin it.
 
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Using 2 in 1 Stihl sharpener, so rakers should be ok, as set to standard. Sharpening quite often, trying to touch up after every tank. How can I tune it?, never done it since got chainsaws, kind of afraid to ruin it.


Mitch made a decent vid on tuning.

I would still check your rakers with a gauge. If you want less stall, a higher raker will help. You may also be getting too much hook in your cutter. That makes your chain a little grabby.
 
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Using 2 in 1 Stihl sharpener, so rakers should be ok, as set to standard. Sharpening quite often, trying to touch up after every tank. How can I tune it?, never done it since got chainsaws, kind of afraid to ruin it.
The 2-1 sharpeners are handy & can be efficient but I have found that they can make for a grabby chain. The rakers/depth gauges don’t need taken down on every sharpening. If you get a bit heavy handed when you sharpen you can get more off the rakers than necessary & create a very grabby chain. There will be folks that will say they have had no problems, I am just relaying my own experiences.

I would check your chains to ensure they are sharp & then check your raker height, before adjusting your saw tune especially if you have never done it or aren’t that comfortable with doing it. Attack the issue one “variable” at a time.
 
I found were you bought your saw might give it a tune up ..... some do it free (god pr)
 
Hey, how do you like skip chains? I have 460 and XP 357, both with 24 bars. They stall more then I'd like on big hardwoods. Should i try skip chains, perhaps?
I haven’t used it yet honestly. I have been busy cleaning up all the stuff I cut in my woods that has taken out my power line over the summer several times. I’m about to the point I will start cutting again but the job I just went to this week has a bunch of 8-10” locust blow downs on it. Not that I need any more wood but who can turn down free black locust? A lot of what I have to cut is tulip, ash and cherry and mostly off the ground so it can wait until I haul some of that lovely locust home. I have 2 weeks off around Christmas so I’ll be looking to break in the new bar/chain then