New Husqvarna 346XP Yikes

[Car Doc]

thanks for the info. i was leaning towards the 346xp because it is lighter, i like the feel of it better, and it's less expensive.

i was just worried that i won't be able to use my fixed position sharpener on the .325 chain. not 100% sure that's what it comes with, but had read it did. if all the angles on the cutting tooth are the same, just the pitch is different, there should not be a problem besides adjusting the chain stop, correct?

It comes with .325 narrow kerf like 95VP if I remember right.

I dont see why you couldn't use about any grinder. I dont always have the actual specs on other peoples chains I grind they all go thru at the same angles and I think they work fine.

Fact I am so lazy thats why all my saws have the same chain- little to big saws same chain same settings.

 

[defed]

i was thinking it would work fine, just that i had read that ppl were wanting to switch from .325 to 3/8 so they could use the same grinder. the only difference i can find is the pitch, which is .050 shorter on a .325, which means you just have to put the chain stop closer. not like it's a huge adjustment to the grinder to go between the two...wouldn't it be the same adjustment going between two differently worn 3/8 chains anyway? just was confused on the reasoning to want to be "all 3/8"...like i was missing some major difference between the two.

 

[Bluegill2]

For what it's worth, I run regular .325 on both my 346xps', not narrow kerf. Both came from the dealer with reg .325... Stihl and Oregon chain and no complaints. But 3/8" on all my larger saws. 346xp will pull 3/8 fine if that's what one wants to run.

 

[Car Doc]

The 3/8 on all saws thing you have heard is simply a time and cost saving thing for some folks having all your chains the same is handy is all, but there again you have to buy a hub and a bar so it is expensive at first not for everyone.

Arguably the .325 NK and std .325 will cut faster and smoother than 3/8 as a rule. ymmv as always

 

[LD1]

I cant really comment on the .325 vs the 3/8, but al my saws are 3/8. Some of it is 3/8LP though.

What makes it nice is that I can swap bars and chains of different lengths on about all of my saws. About half of my saws are old dolmars which use the small husky mount. The rest are newer and use the large husky mount.

But about the being faster....It does make sense that the .325 would cut faster as it has more cutters, and the NK actually has to cut less wood, BUT......

The MS290 (turd of a saw for its size IMO) has .325. Or at least my uncles did before he sold it for a dolmar. One of the common things was to switch it to 3/8 and it would cut faster. I dont know because we never tried it and that was the only saw I have ever ran that had .325, and it was a turd. Even the smaller dolmars like the 350 run 3/8LP chain. And very few even offer .325 as an option. Like IIRC the 5100 could be had with both. And most reccomended the 3/8" chain.

 

[Car Doc]

LD1, you know the ones I am referring to...the chainsaw voyeurs that love to video theirselfs slicing up logs into 1" platters or clock blanks and timing it then posting all over youtube rather than actually doing work work! :laughing:

Most of us that know saws and work them push the saw to its limit and at as high rpm it will sustain in the power band in a pull and thats the fastest cut. I know I can cut faster with 3/8 on my 346. The .325NK dulled so darn fast I couldn't keep a sharp chain on it with the sandy bark around here. ymmv as always

 

[s219]

Take narrow kerf out of the equation, as it's a separate factor. 3/8 has less cutters so it technically has less resistance in the wood. How that works with a saw's power band determines whether or not it cuts better. There's no general answer.

 

[Car Doc]

Its all a factor a matter of power requirements whether its NK, full chisel whatever. So all of them have an influence pitch, cutter design, cutter width, raker design it all has influence.

I agree there isn't a general answer other than try different things and see what works the best for you.

 

[defed]

i got the 346 on friday, used it saturday and today. so far so good. only issue i have with bogging is when i cut a tree and leave a high stump. when i go to cut the stump off close to the ground it is difficult to control the rate of cut at that awkward angle. it tends to want to GO and i am not in the position to ease it in, so it pulls in fast and bogs down. it is especially bad when using the top of the bar, then it REALLY wants to bite. i haven't bucked anything over 6" yet, but i suspect i won't have an issue with the bogging even when bucking something bigger than the bar, because in that position, it is easier to control the cut rate.

it is the chain that came w/ it, .325, .050, 66DL, semi chisel, 16"...i think it says 30 on the bottom of the link, i presume it's a low kickback chain...but all that chain terminology and number/letter designations are still a bit confusing to me.

only on the 3rd tank of gas.

 

[Bluegill2]

only on the 3rd tank of gas.

My newer 346 was still a dog at 3 tanks. Got up around 10-11 tanks and it really woke up, big time! These things get stronger as they break in.

Congrats on getting a Great saw!