Author Topic: 1/4 Inch Chain  (Read 2057 times)

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Offline davbell22602

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1/4 Inch Chain
« on: December 20, 2012, 04:11:40 pm »
Can you still buy 1/4 inch chain? I have Mcculloch pro mac 510 with it on a 16in bar.

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Offline davbell22602

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Re: 1/4 Inch Chain
« Reply #2 on: December 20, 2012, 04:51:49 pm »
Ok thanks. I was told 2 years ago that were discontinue it.

Offline Cut4fun .

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Re: 1/4 Inch Chain
« Reply #3 on: December 20, 2012, 06:52:58 pm »
Some of the new little saws stihl has come out with has 1/4 on them.  One is the little battery powered saw.

Offline HolmenTree

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Re: 1/4 Inch Chain
« Reply #4 on: December 30, 2012, 10:20:06 pm »
Stihl sells the best quality 1/4" chain with a boat tail mod on the cutters for carvers running the tiny dime tip bars. Stihl sells the carving bar too.

As I posted in detail over on Tree Worlds site in the Stihl 020 chain thread, I explained about how the industry changed over from 1/4" chain to 3/8" LoPro extended pitch chain in the early 1970s.
Since the 1960s low powered consumer saws needed the little 1/4 chain to make them usable to cut with. But as the consumer saws out numbered the commercial saws the 1/4 chain got too expensive to manufacture and supply the cheaper saws with. The 1/4" chain having many more pieces for every foot compared to 3/8" was much more expensive to manufacture. So an Oregon sawchain engineer invented a  3/8 pitch chain with 1/4" chain sized cutters with a base extended to accept a 3/8" pitch chassis.
The Oregon 91 series 3/8 chain was patented and on the market in 1975. Stihl introduced their Picco chain along with Windsor's chain in 1979.
But the sawchain companies never discontinued the little 1/4" chain, I guess there always was enough carver market to keep it viable in small inventorys at a high price tag.
Making a living with a saw since age 16.
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Offline RoyM

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Re: 1/4 Inch Chain
« Reply #5 on: December 30, 2012, 11:17:08 pm »
Oregon still offers the 25AP, it is used with the 'dime tip' carving bars. You sure your 510 has it? 3/8 lo pro would seem a better match.
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Offline davbell22602

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Re: 1/4 Inch Chain
« Reply #6 on: December 30, 2012, 11:53:59 pm »
Oregon still offers the 25AP, it is used with the 'dime tip' carving bars. You sure your 510 has it? 3/8 lo pro would seem a better match.

Yes it has 1/4 inch chain.

Offline Chris J.

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Re: 1/4 Inch Chain
« Reply #7 on: December 31, 2012, 12:34:04 pm »
I'm interested in hearing more about the 1/4" chain.

I've got three Skilsaw 16XX chainsaws (one has the CB) from which to make one or two runners, some NOS parts coming via feePay, & two NOS 12" Pioneer bars that someone on AS sent to me for the cost of shipping.  I figure that a 12" bar on a 34cc saw should be good for general trimming around my house & my neighbors.

http://www.acresinternet.com/cscc.nsf/ed1d619968136da688256af40002b8f7/47f9603816dad3c288256b540050c9f1?OpenDocument
I'm a chainsaw hoarder & tinkerer.  The brand isn't usually important,  if the price is right I'll probably buy it.

Offline Cut4fun

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Re: 1/4 Inch Chain
« Reply #8 on: December 31, 2012, 01:28:20 pm »
I have a customers poulan S25DA that used 1/4 and has 2 loops of chain in the case with a old oregon file guide for the small chain. Thinking 1/8 file guide maybe. Would have to look to be sure.

Offline Cut4fun

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Re: 1/4 Inch Chain
« Reply #9 on: January 01, 2013, 07:18:03 am »
Stihl 020, MS200 owners may want to try 1/4" chain. I run it on my MS200 with a quarter tip carving bar sometimes while doing pruning and some removals and I like it better then the little 3/8". Stihl still makes the 1/4" .050 chain, the RM and now the new RMC. But they don't produce a sprocket nose 1/4" bar,only a solid nose carving bar.
I just found out Oregon still makes the 1/4" .050 25AP chain and the 25 Double Guard 1/4" sprocket nose bar in 12" and 14" .050 with the small A041 mount, a little different then the 020/MS200 mount but will still fit. The slots are both 8.2 mm on both bar mounts ,just a little different in tail and hole design. Everthing will bolt up with little mods. I will try this setup on my MS200 right away. I like the cutting action and filing of the 1/4" chain, its cutters are shaped just like the fullsize 3/8 or .404 only smaller of course.
Of interest the A041 mount is the # for the Husqvarna 338XPT.

Ok....3/8" LoPro extended pitch sawchain has cutters with the cutting portion [side & top plate]the size of a 1/4" pitch with it's base "extending" in length to accept a 3/8" pitch chassis [side straps, drive links].
In other words a cutting link with an extended pitch relative to the pitch of the drive link, and a cutting edge rearward of the line bisecting the 2 cutting link rivet holes.

To add to my last post here is a little history lesson .......I can't resist.

*Early 1960's, consumer chainsaws arrived on the market. These saws were more lightweight, less expensive, and of lower horsepower than the commercial saws of the day. The smallest available sawchain 1/4" pitch was used on these saws. Only trouble was the 1/4" sawchain with many more links per foot compared to 3/8" pitch was expensive to manufacture.

*In 1972, the high cost of the 1/4" chain led a Oregon brand sawchain engineer to develop a less expensive consumer chain for use on the very poplar consumer chainsaws. He applied his efforts in developing a 3/8" pitch chain which incorporated cutting links used on the 1/4 inch chain.

*In the fall of 1974 after several changes in the chains design relating to safety guard links and depth gauge shape the chain was named "91" and marketing began. But problems were at the patent office.

*In Dec. 1975 the Oregon "91" chain was finally patented after first application was made in Sept. 1973 . In 1979 Stihl introduced it's own 3/8" extended pitch "Picco" and Windsor it's "Lo Kick" 3/8" extended pitch chain called 50RG.

*1981 -82 Omark Industries sues Textron [Homelite] for copying the 91 design.
From the fall of 1974 to Feb.1978 Homelite and Terry ,2 Textron subsidiaries, purchased 650,000 feet of the Oregon chain. In 1974 Textron began testing the Oregon chain in hope of developing its own extended pitch economy chain. Eventually the chain was developed and marketed as Pro-Cut 375.


 

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