# how to tell if my chain saw bar is bent



## tuco1963 (Dec 31, 2010)

hi all 

 i have a 16" bar on my mcculloch pro mac 610 the bar was used when i got it but i had about 3 hours of good cuts before i got it pinched in a tree i was cutting down  now it throws my chain off withen minutes of cutting. any ideas on how to salvage my bar?


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## Mcbride (Dec 31, 2010)

I bent a bar years ago.
I took it off and bent it back straight, used a carpenters level as a straight edge if you have one.

Mine worked good for years after that.


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## mywaynow (Dec 31, 2010)

Sounds like your tip roller is pinched tight??


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## okotoks guy (Dec 31, 2010)

Hold the saw waist height and let the bar drop naturally towards the ground while holding the saw. 
If the bar on the saw reminds you of your junk when taking a leak,it is bent!


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## maverick06 (Dec 31, 2010)

dude, i think you should see a doctor about that!


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## jlove1974 (Dec 31, 2010)

if you touch my junk, I'll have you arrested - favorite line of 2010


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## RNLA (Dec 31, 2010)

Sometimes the rails or tip could be bent or pinched. Use a rail closer or gauge to straighten them. Check the bar with a straightedge or level as the others have said. If the rails are slightly off it will wear on the chain almost instantly. Usually if you replace the bar you do the chain too. They both go hand in hand if you do the other. Your local shop has bar grinders to straighten the rails or square them.


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## tuco1963 (Jan 1, 2011)

RNLA said:
			
		

> Sometimes the rails or tip could be bent or pinched. Use a rail closer or gauge to straighten them. Check the bar with a straightedge or level as the others have said. If the rails are slightly off it will wear on the chain almost instantly. Usually if you replace the bar you do the chain too. They both go hand in hand if you do the other. Your local shop has bar grinders to straighten the rails or square them.



hi all
thanks for all the info
the town i live in only has box stores any hints on where i can find a rail closer or gauge online and how much i should pay?
or is it better to just buy a new bar?


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## Mcbride (Jan 2, 2011)

tuco1963 in the great ohio valley said:
			
		

> RNLA said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Personally I would just get something the right thickness for the groove, even if its say a dime, and use that to see if its pinched or too wide in certain areas.
Be sure the tip roller spins freely, and a level or other known straight edge to see if its bent.
And fix it with hand tools like say a board layed on it and a hammer if too wide a groove, or spread it with a screwdriver if too narrow.
If bent, put in vise and gentle bend back to straight.
A bar last me about 8 or so chains.

I have repaired a lot of saws for people over the years, and generally the bar just needs to be close, not perfect.


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