How to Choose a Cannon Carving Bar
We offer a large variety of carving bars to choose from, from lengths of 8” up to 28”, and in various gauges, and tip sizes. It can be overwhelming as a beginner or novice chainsaw carver to figure out which bars to purchase. We have developed this guide to help you in your decision making.
All of our carving bars are crafted from a custom alloy steel with a welded cobalt alloy tip. Our carving bars are “hard-nose” bars, without a replaceable tip, or sprocket nose.
Tip Sizes
We manufacture our carving bars in four different tip sizes: Dime, Quarter, Toonie, and Arbor.
Dime Tip Carving Bars (CCD)
The Dime Tip Carving Bar (CCD) has a nose diameter of ¾”, which is the size of a US and Canadian Dime (currency). This is the smallest radius tip that we make and it will accommodate ¼” pitch chain in .043 or .050 gauge. Dime Tip Carving Bars are available in lengths of 8”, 10”, 12”, 14”, and 16”, all in our “C1” universal mount. Dime Tip bars should only be used on chainsaws under 40CC.
Available Part Numbers:
CCD-C1-8-43
CCD-C1-8-50
CCD-C1-10-43
CCD-C1-10-50
CCD-C1-12-43
CCD-C1-12-50
CCD-C1-14-43
CCD-C1-14-50
CCD-C1-16-43
CCD-C1-16-50
Quarter Tip Carving Bars (CCQ)
The Quarter Tip Carving Bar (CCQ) has a nose diameter of 1”, which is the size of a US and Canadian quarter (currency). This bar will accommodate ¼”, .325” pitch, and ⅜” low profile (not regular ⅜” pitch!) chain in .043 or .050 gauge. Quarter Tip Carving Bars are available in lengths of 8”, 11”, 12”, 14”, 16”, 20”, and 24”, in our “C1”, “H1”, and “S1” mounts. Quarter tip bars should only be used on chainsaws under 50CC.
Available Part Numbers:
CCQ-C1-8-43
CCQ-C1-8-50
CCQ-C1-11-43
CCQ-C1-11-50
CCQ-C1-12-43
CCQ-C1-12-50
CCQ-C1-14-43
CCQ-C1-14-50
CCQ-C1-16-43
CCQ-C1-16-50
CCQ-C1-20-43
CCQ-C1-20-50
CCQ-H1-14-43
CCQ-H1-14-50
CCQ-H1-16-43
CCQ-H1-16-50
CCQ-H1-20-43
CCQ-H1-20-50
CCQ-H1-24-43
CCQ-H1-24-50
CCQ-S1-14-43
CCQ-S1-14-50
CCQ-S1-16-43
CCQ-S1-16-50
CCQ-S1-20-43
CCQ-S1-20-50
CCQ-S1-24-43
CCQ-S1-24-50
Toonie Tip Carving Bars (CCT)
The Toonie Tip Carving Bar (CCT) has a nose diameter of 1⅜”, which is the size of a Canadian Toonie (currency). This bar will accommodate ¼”, .325”, and ⅜” pitch chain in .043 or .050 gauge. Toonie Tip Carving Bars are available in lengths of 12”, 14”, 16”, 20”, 24”, and 28”, in our “C1”, “H1”, and “S1” Mount. Toonie tip bars should only be used on chainsaws under 60CC.
Available Part Numbers:
CCT-C1-12-43
CCT-C1-12-50
CCT-C1-14-43
CCT-C1-14-50
CCT-C1-16-43
CCT-C1-16-50
CCT-C1-20-43
CCT-C1-20-50
CCT-C1-24-43
CCT-C1-24-50
CCT-H1-14-43
CCT-H1-14-50
CCT-H1-16-43
CCT-H1-16-50
CCT-H1-20-43
CCT-H1-20-50
CCT-H1-24-43
CCT-H1-24-50
CCT-H1-28-43
CCT-H1-28-50
CCT-S1-14-43
CCT-S1-14-50
CCT-S1-16-43
CCT-S1-16-50
CCT-S1-20-43
CCT-S1-20-50
CCT-S1-24-43
CCT-S1-24-50
CCT-S1-28-43
CCT-S1-28-50
Arbor Tip Carving Bars (CCA)
The Arbor Tip Carving Bar (CCA) has a nose diameter of 1⅝”, which is the same size as our “SuperMini Bar” tips (SuperMini Bars have replaceable tips, while Carving Bars have a welded cobalt tip). This bar will accommodate ¼”, .325”, and ⅜” pitch chain in .043 or .050 gauge. Arbor Tip Carving Bars are available in lengths of 11”, 14”, 16”, 18”, and 20”, in our “C1”, “H1”, and “S1” Mount.
Available Part Numbers:
CCA-C1-11-43
CCA-C1-11-50
CCA-C1-14-50
CCA-C1-16-50
CCA-C1-18-50
CCA-H1-16-50
CCA-H1-18-50
CCA-H1-20-50
CCA-S1-16-50
CCA-S1-18-50
CCA-S1-20-50
Gauges
All of our carving bars are available to accommodate .043 gauge and .050 gauge chain.
The .043 gauge bars are slightly thinner/narrower kerf and are only suitable for chainsaws that have a displacement of 40 CC and under.
.050 gauge is recommended for saws over 40 CC.
Pitch
Because our carving bars do not have a sprocket tip, you do not need to specify what pitch of chain you are using when ordering a bar. Instead, you will just have to make sure that it is one of the recommended pitch options for the tip size, and that your chain pitch matches the drive sprocket pitch on your chainsaw.
Dime Tip
¼” Pitch
Quarter Tip
¼” Pitch
.325” Pitch
⅜” Low Profile Pitch (not regular ⅜” pitch!)
Toonie Tip
¼” Pitch
.325” Pitch
⅜” Pitch
Arbor Tip
¼” Pitch
.325” Pitch
⅜” Pitch
Bar and Chainsaw Combinations
We asked some of our sponsored carvers to tell us what their favourite carving bar and chainsaw combinations are, along with any advice they have for beginner and novice chainsaw carvers.
Ryan Cook – Saw Valley
All beginners should start on a 12” Dime Tip Carving Bar, which is a perfect bar to learn on – you can do it all, within reason.
I use an 8” Dime Tip Bar for detail and small cuts on an Echo CS 361.
For my bigger detail saws, I use an Echo CS 501 P with any bar up to 20”, running ¼” pitch chain, mostly Dime and Quarter Tip.
For blocking, I use a 20”, 24”, or 28” Toonie Bar on my Echo CS620P.
For bigger block cuts, I use an Echo CS800 with a 36” SuperBar.
Chango – I Do Carve
“I run three different saw/carving bar combinations, all running ¼” pitch, .050 gauge chain.
The primary here is the Husqvarna 543 XP with a 20” Quarter Tip Cannon Carving Bar. The reach of this bar allows for more depth in the carving and gets you into those otherwise “hard to reach” areas. The Quarter Tip gets the carver real close to the detail work, and some block-out work can be done with this combo also.
Next in the group is a Husqvarna 550 XP, with a 20” Toonie Tip – this is my “take no prisoner” block-out combo. Here chain speed is kept up, backed with power, giving smooth accurate cutting, allowing the carver to get a rhythm and flow going. Having the 20” gives the opportunity to cut a good-sized plane in one breathe. This gets your project moving.
Third, the Husqvarna 543 XP running a 12” Dime Tip bar. Here is my detailer, this gives nice control, especially in tight areas where high precision is needed.
For the Husqvarna 240 and 120 mark-2 beginner carving saw, I chose the 16″ Dime-tip carving bar to give the beginner the best of both worlds, having the reach to give more options (i.e., more depth, some block-out), and allowing for detailing as well.”
Start Carving!
If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to call us at 1-888-604-9990, or email us at info@cannonbar.com.
To find the correct bar part numbers for your chainsaw, please use our Bar Finder:
To find dealer near you, or online, please use our Dealer Locator: