How tight should your chain be?

[RandyT]

Something else to keep in mind, mainly just for safety reasons. The longer thin safety chain consumer bars are subject to flexing from side loads. Meaning when most people are felling they tend to pull up or push down on the rear handle. That pressure can flex some of the bars enough to throw the chain off. Ran into a saw a few years ago that the customer was complaining of the saw cutting moon shaped. found that you could pull up on the rear handle in an attempt to rotate the bar through the log that it wouldn't stall the chain but would cause the bar to twist and cause crooked cutting.

 

[IrishLoader]

Something else to keep in mind, mainly just for safety reasons. The longer thin safety chain consumer bars are subject to flexing from side loads. Meaning when most people are felling they tend to pull up or push down on the rear handle. That pressure can flex some of the bars enough to throw the chain off. Ran into a saw a few years ago that the customer was complaining of the saw cutting moon shaped. found that you could pull up on the rear handle in an attempt to rotate the bar through the log that it wouldn't stall the chain but would cause the bar to twist and cause crooked cutting.

Good point, always told the customer to "let the saw do the work." Some folks just had to be somewhere I guess.

 

[xyz123]

That is the video that I said the guy was in the business of selling bars and chains. Too tight as far as I am concerned, but if you want to run it this tight, go right ahead.
David from jax

Again, not rocket science.

 

[sandman2234]

Again, not rocket science.

True, and tightening a chain tighter than it needs to be just causes premature wear on the chain and bar. As I stated, the person in your video has a very good reason for having chains tightened just a little bit too tight. His livelihood depends on selling bars and chains! They can always blame it on insufficient oiling, and get away with it.
My saws do not exhibit any signs of premature wear, and although I have several spare bars, only the original has ever been on my saw(s). I grew up in the days before auto oilers and roller tip bars, and if you over tightened your chain, or failed to pump the oiler enough, you would be buying a new chain and bar. The saw that my Dad purchased new in 1967 still has the original bar on it, and both chains are still operational, because we made sure of the tension on the chain and oil was CHEAP! Some people consider bars and chains as consumables when cutting trees, but if you grew up poor, you made sure or you got to do all your cutting with a handsaw, which considering the volume of wood we cut, wasn't an option, even if my Dad, brother and I were cheap labor.
David from jax

 

[mapper]

Something else to keep in mind, mainly just for safety reasons. The longer thin safety chain consumer bars are subject to flexing from side loads. Meaning when most people are felling they tend to pull up or push down on the rear handle. That pressure can flex some of the bars enough to throw the chain off. Ran into a saw a few years ago that the customer was complaining of the saw cutting moon shaped. found that you could pull up on the rear handle in an attempt to rotate the bar through the log that it wouldn't stall the chain but would cause the bar to twist and cause crooked cutting.

That was a lesson I had to learn with the first saw I bought (in my 20's). My early experience was with my dad's late 40's Mcculloch saw, had a 24 inch bar that was about 6 or 7 inches wide. The saw had a gear drive and ran the chain so slow that if there was a high tooth you could feel it every time it came around.Chain was huge, cut about a 3/8 kerf. Probably weighed in over 30 lbs.
You cut with it by setting the spurs and putting pressure on the bar, the saw would only do the work with help.
On modern saws if you put much pressure on the bar the saw will stall as well as the problems mentioned above.
The only thing that that old mcculloch had over modern saws was it gave you a workout you would be hard to match in a gym, and it would make a damn fine boat anchor when it wore out.

 

[RandyT]

That was a lesson I had to learn with the first saw I bought (in my 20's). My early experience was with my dad's late 40's Mcculloch saw, had a 24 inch bar that was about 6 or 7 inches wide. The saw had a gear drive and ran the chain so slow that if there was a high tooth you could feel it every time it came around.Chain was huge, cut about a 3/8 kerf. Probably weighed in over 30 lbs.
You cut with it by setting the spurs and putting pressure on the bar, the saw would only do the work with help.
On modern saws if you put much pressure on the bar the saw will stall as well as the problems mentioned above.
The only thing that that old mcculloch had over modern saws was it gave you a workout you would be hard to match in a gym, and it would make a damn fine boat anchor when it wore out.

Probably running 1/2 pitch chain and those things would toss some chips. I ran across a 50 cc saw a few years back that came from the factory with a 22 inch bar that was one of those narrow safety bars that was probably 2 inches tall. If you set the nose of the bar on a stick of wood and held the back of the rear handle, the weight of the saw would cause the bar to deflect over an inch.

Had a neighbor with a Stihl 880 that if he put his 59 inch bar on it and turned it sideways to use it for felling the bar droop would throw the chain off of the bar. Had to have the suicide handle on the end to start the cut to hold the bar straight,

 

[xyz123]

True, and tightening a chain tighter than it needs to be just causes premature wear on the chain and bar. As I stated, the person in your video has a very good reason for having chains tightened just a little bit too tight. His livelihood depends on selling bars and chains! They can always blame it on insufficient oiling, and get away with it.
My saws do not exhibit any signs of premature wear, and although I have several spare bars, only the original has ever been on my saw(s). I grew up in the days before auto oilers and roller tip bars, and if you over tightened your chain, or failed to pump the oiler enough, you would be buying a new chain and bar. The saw that my Dad purchased new in 1967 still has the original bar on it, and both chains are still operational, because we made sure of the tension on the chain and oil was CHEAP! Some people consider bars and chains as consumables when cutting trees, but if you grew up poor, you made sure or you got to do all your cutting with a handsaw, which considering the volume of wood we cut, wasn't an option, even if my Dad, brother and I were cheap labor.
David from jax

Again like you said in another post you argued this point with your fellow worker in a volunteer crew. You do you. Thats all I can say.

I do my stuff the way I do them and send them out the way I do them. Never ever one complaint from my shop.

I am not going to make the call if the guys chain in video is to tight or not as I cant check it. But if you think to tight good for you. I cant make that call unless on my bench to test myself.

 

[Bill Guenthner]

I’ve read the manual but want opinions. I always looked in the middle of the bar, pulled up on the chain, and want to almost see light under the chain and above the bar. I was cutting wood with a buddy and he was wanting to tighten a lot tighter than that.

A brand new chain will loosen up very quickly so I make it tight. After that initial period it should be a little loose.

 

[Jstpssng]

The only thing that that old mcculloch had over modern saws was it gave you a workout you would be hard to match in a gym, and it would make a damn fine boat anchor when it wore out.

In their day though those old saws were the cat's meow... replacing the axe and two man crosscut. The old Frenchman who ran the saw shop in town for years had an old Homelite in his shop from nineteen fifty something... that thing was a beast. He said the only reason he took it in trade is because it's like the first saw he ever owned, back when he was cutting wood for a living.