Curving cuts due to uneven wear on my Husky factory bar...ideas?

[smokinj]

If it is cutting to the left, the right side is sharper. The right side is taking more wood and maybe the way to think of it is the left side is dragging, pulling the bar to the left. Like a zero turn mower, you brake on the side you want to turn to or speed up on the side you want to turn away from.

hummm I dunno about that.

Another thing too. Lets suppose you have a pro saw from a dealer and while the wife is shopping at walmart or TSC you meander into the chainsaw dept and see a bargain on your size chain. BE CAREFUL most pro saws are equipped with .058. If you buy a chain at a BB store the length might match up but those BB store bars and chains are for .050 ..that could leave you with a chain that rocks from side to side est so if you horse it with leverage...as opposed to just letting the chain do the cutting.

most pro saws are running .050 even my 460 28 in bar

 

[treefrog25]

Hi,

I had this problem in the past and it is very frustrating.

As already said by others , it is due to non-uniform length of the cutters.
Probably you sharpen with greater effectiveness on one side than on the other.

Try this, take an adjustable wrench and set it for the length of the shortest tooth, try all of them.
Then put some black electric tape on the wrench's jaw so it wont move, without the tape it will move out of adjustment .

Then file each tooth down to this length, check each one and you will see that they are different.

Each time you sharpen/file the cutters, check the length in this manner. The saw will cut straight again.

Tim

 

[jcims]

The OP returns!

Sorry folks for ignoring the thread so long, it has been a busy few days and I didn't actually expect this lively a response! haha

Anyway, I'm inclined to think it's my haphazard sharpening that is at fault, especially since the new bar still is curving a bit! I've alternated between shop sharpening (don't think the chain will last through many of those, they really hog it out), sharpening with hand file, dremel stone with and without guide, etc.

It hadn't even occurred to me to true up the bar, i just chucked it and bought another one. After reading this, i went and yanked it back out of the trash. Here's a pic of it with a quarter on it.

I think i'm going to invest in a better sharpening system...might save some sweat.

Thanks again everyone for the insight, and for saving a bar from the landfill...

Take care.

Bob

 

[LLigetfa]

Anyway, I'm inclined to think it's my haphazard sharpening that is at fault, especially since the new bar still is curving a bit! I've alternated between shop sharpening...

Wow, no insult intended but I didn't think someone could mess up that bad hand sharpening (between shop sharpenings) to bork up a bar and for it to not cut straight on a new bar. Are you sure the chain is the right gauge to match the bar? Don't forget that the bottoms of the chain wears along with the bar so a worn chain can still cant over on a new bar. Makes me think there could be a gauge mismatch or the sides of the drive teeth are really worn. Are you using a good quality bar oil and getting sufficient oiling? With shop grinding, you should run out of cutter long before there is enough wear on the drive teeth. Look into using Stihl chains with their OILOMATIC system.

http://www.stihlusa.com/chainsaws/oilomatic.html

 

[Gooserider]

First off, lets try being a bit nicer to each other, so I don't need the "magic mod buttons"....

Next, it is probably NOT a good idea to put an old chain on the new bar - if one side of the old bar is worn more than the other, the old chain likely has corresponding wear on the side links, which will then cause the same problem on the new bar...

I would say that dressing the old bar, and possibly closing the rails would be a very good place to start. I would also say to pick one method of sharpening and stick to it rather than swapping around - it is better to practice and get good at one approach than it is to keep changing. What I've been using of late, that I find quite effective is the flat file holder that one inserts a round file into so that the holder indexes on the raker and cutter surfaces and gives just the right depth / exposure of the file to give the right cutter shape, works well and gives a nice consistent edge. Only downside is you need a different guide for each file size.

There are LOTS of different arguments about the hows and whys of curved cutting, I don't think that any one is the exclusive answer, and think it is more important to worry about how to fix the issue. Learning to sharpen properly, and keeping the bar properly dressed is a good step towards curing the issue, no matter what the cause. I would also agree on making sure the chain is properly sized for the bar groove, as a big part of proper bar dressing.

Gooserider

 

[fyrwoodguy]

on guide bar maintenece-run one chain until used up then flip bar over use up second chain then take guide bar to service shop for tru-up buy two new chains repeat.
here's a pic of my guide bar rail repair machine. with an antique on it.

 

[smokinj]

on guide bar maintenece-run one chain until used up then flip bar over use up second chain then take guide bar to service shop for tru-up buy two new chains repeat.
here's a pic of my guide bar rail repair machine. with an antique on it.

I have not done any bar maintenance on my 460 still runs truee after 2 years what your talking about seem to be a hudge over kill or am I missing something

 

[jcims]

on guide bar maintenece-run one chain until used up then flip bar over use up second chain then take guide bar to service shop for tru-up buy two new chains repeat.
here's a pic of my guide bar rail repair machine. with an antique on it.

When you say 'used up', i'm assuming you mean 'can't be sharpened any more', correct?

Sweet looking saw!