Author Topic: Bow Bars Are Perfect For Firewood!  (Read 9713 times)

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Offline 660magnum

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Re: Bow Bars Are Perfect For Firewood!
« Reply #60 on: February 06, 2015, 04:08:12 pm »
Look out Stihl 044's & MS440's

This is the same manufacturer's 14" bar as the white one in the above post but it is set up it says for Stihl mount. Notice how it mounts hanging low to avoid brake handle interference problems as much as possible? Notice the stop spur has recently been moved to the other side. However the medium Stihl mount (D025) is 10mm wide and this mount looks like it is wobbled out excessively on one side?

Notice in the third picture is the same design 14" bar with a Stihl D025 slot in the middle. This bar will be more problematic to use on your Stihl.
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Offline fuzz1500

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Re: Bow Bars Are Perfect For Firewood!
« Reply #61 on: February 10, 2015, 09:31:34 pm »
I would love to have a Husqvarna with a bow bar . I keep searchin !! I find them interesting....and they look handy in the right application .

Offline 660magnum

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Re: Bow Bars Are Perfect For Firewood!
« Reply #62 on: February 10, 2015, 09:52:40 pm »
It is not so much work to make the later McCulloch / Poulan D176 type mount fit your Husqvarna. It is described for the D009 type Husqvarna mount in one of the previous posts.
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Offline 660magnum

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Re: Bow Bars Are Perfect For Firewood!
« Reply #63 on: March 15, 2015, 05:37:44 pm »
A local guy wanting to sell a General Chain Bar brand clearing brush bow bar came to me last week. The bar has never been mounted nor had a chain on it. The chain groove is .050" - I tried chains on it. It appears to be several years old. Has the medium Stihl mount. Orange paint with a black spur and the extruded aluminum guards. I'm going to try to use it on my nice 026 PRO. I'm not anticipating having to cut the chain cover top but if I do, I have a extra used one I can cut.

There's a "620" stamped in the mount area. This brush bar just happens to be 21" from the end of the slot to the tip. It is 8" across the radius but to measure inside the spur or stop to where the chain cutter would be across the radius is a good 6". So I would venture to say that the nominal working diameter is considered to be 6"? This bow bar has full guards top and bottom. If the top guard was shortened, I think you could get 7 1/2" out of it?
 
This must be what's left of General Chain Bar Co of Tigard, OR? Tigard is a suburb of Portland where the company in the link is located. The bars are the same.
http://www.chainbar.com/products.html

The bar came from a horse trade swap with Guido last year this time. Don't know where Guido got the bow bar but he had a few of them that day. This was the best looking of the bunch.

I bought a dirty Stihl 55R weed whacker from Guido while we were there. Guido said he thought it didn't run but it ran perfect when I got home. I used it several times last summer and have not had to put string in it. Cleaned up nice with Fantastic spray.

Here is a S25DA (The same S25 that was in a earlier post in this thread Sawman Dave Harsh) with an old clearing bar without the bottom guard. Appears to be at a GTG? Part of the point of the video is to show the 6" diameter typical cutting capacity of the bar and how he handled the 10"-11" wood as well as how the small saw handled the bar. A nice thing about hard nose bars is they don't care about the chain pitch as long as the gauge is right. 3/8", .325", or 3/8" LP


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Offline 660magnum

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Re: Bow Bars Are Perfect For Firewood!
« Reply #64 on: March 16, 2015, 06:35:51 pm »
I fitted my bigger 14" radius bow bar to my Husqvarna 371 this afternoon.

I had to cut the top of the clutch cover back 3/4" more than what it already had been cut. I did it with a 8" flat smooth file.
The chain plate - I cut the front top lip off back about 1 1/4". This was done with the same file
The brake mechanism plastic cover - I had to trim the top front lip off with my pocket knife.



The chain was a new Stihl RS 3/8" X 85 DL. The bar had been setting around for 30 years and though I sanded the groove out somewhat - when the chain went around in there it took out a lot of surface rust. The bar seemed to oil well. There were several start - stop and re-adjustment of the front tension screw situations. I never made the chain as tight as on a sprocket tip bar.

After I thought the bar had cleaned itself up pretty good, I made a half dozen bucking cuts in silver maple. I was well pleased and there was no problem in the power department with the 371. Just like in the You Tube videos.

As I was wiping off the 371 and bar, I noticed that the paint had turned brown around the front radius and especially near the spur. Not to worry, the paint will probably be gone around the radius after the first good use anyway?
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Offline Eccentric

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Re: Bow Bars Are Perfect For Firewood!
« Reply #65 on: March 16, 2015, 08:59:25 pm »

Brad's saw picture here for illustration.  Not my saw...

I recently picked up a Poulan 200/300 series bowsaw clutch cover and bow like what's on Brad's saw here for my 245.  Got a 14" Poulan bow bar (with top & bottom guards and the spur) on the way too.  Was listed as being from a Poulan 5400.

My cover is missing one of the special 'tube' type  bar nuts that go with these covers.  I also don't have the taller handlebar and matching bracket.  Hoping my saw will be usable with the bow and the regular height handlebar.  If needed, I'll make a mounting bracket and will modify an XL-12/etc handlebar from a parts carcass to approximate the profile of the factory bowsaw handlebar.  I doubt I'll find the actual OEM bowsaw bracket and handlebar................but ya never know...

Those special bowsaw bar nuts have a tubular section that passes through the bowsaw clutch cover (which has stud holes that are bored larger to allow the tube section to pass through).  That tubular section is internally threaded.  The IPL shows two thicker bar spacer plates.  The bow bar mounting section and the bowsaw clutch cover are both thicker than their regular chainsaw counterparts.  That in conjunction with the two thick spacer plates most likely are the reason for those special bar nuts.  Hoping I can find a second one.


Offline 660magnum

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Re: Bow Bars Are Perfect For Firewood!
« Reply #66 on: March 16, 2015, 09:16:44 pm »
You might be able to buy a barrel nut at the hardware and turn the hex off the part that goes through the cover?

3000FPS has a 245 that is more original than Brads conversion. Brad's bow saw parts came from another Poulan 306. Brad's 245 was originally a regular bar saw.

One nice thing about bow saws is that they are a fabricator's dream.

I'm sure you will enjoy it when done for a bow saw is great for bucking.
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Offline 660magnum

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Re: Bow Bars Are Perfect For Firewood!
« Reply #67 on: March 16, 2015, 09:25:03 pm »
This is 3000 FPS' 245A. Notice the longer guard? But the spur is from a Mac?

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Offline 3000 FPS

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Re: Bow Bars Are Perfect For Firewood!
« Reply #68 on: March 16, 2015, 10:08:51 pm »
Real nice looking saw there Aaron.    I have not run mine yet I measured the bar and it shows .058 and the chain that came with it is a .050.  I have not bought another chain for it yet and there are some other things I want to check.   

I do have a question, is it normal to have two thick spacer plates slide on over the bar studs before the bar goes on.   
PP 505, 475, 445.

Offline Eccentric

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Re: Bow Bars Are Perfect For Firewood!
« Reply #69 on: March 17, 2015, 01:29:06 am »
Roger the saw in the picture I put there is Brad S's.  That same pic is up earlier in this thread.  All I have so far is a bowsaw clutch cover and a bow bar for it (and a 'regular' 245 to put it on).  Will be piecing together (and/or fabricating) the bits I need to make it work.  I do plan on using it when bucking firewood.  Been wanting to setup a plunge bow saw like that for years.  Tired of bending over all the time to buck firewood. 8)

Jim pointed out the longer guard section on your clutch cover (vs Brad's).  My cover is like yours, with the longer guard section.  I hadn't noticed that Brad's cover is shorter.

Jim that's a good idea re fabricating a bar nut from a barrel nut by turning off part of the hex.

 

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