If the saw is cutting down and left that’s because the teeth on the left side are sharper. You can fix that by correctly drawing the file across the teeth on the right side of the chain only. Remember it the points of the chain that do most of the cutting.
I think it is actually the opposite. The sharper cutters are taking more wood faster so you start to curve toward the duller side since it is taking less wood slower.
They make this cool, nifty, almost pointless to the master sharpeners, tool. It holds a small section of flat file in a 90 degree block, and you press it against the bar and then run it down the length. some german company makes it. oregon has one to. pointless waste of 19 dollars when i bought it. oh, wait, it actually works great, dresses the bar nicely, was not that expensive, and cures the uneven rails delima. only thing is is that human hands have to power it, so still a chance of buggering up the process. I run it on the bar every other flipping, just one pass, and then inspect the bar to see that the file actaully touched both rails all the way down. if not then i run her again. I know, what a way to needlessly wear a bar out. And I sharpen by hand too. but my cuts are nice and straight. unless Iv’e benn drinking. Oh, wait I would never drink and saw, cant saw whilst driving. Cheers!
If the saw is cutting down and left that’s because the teeth on the left side are sharper. You can fix that by correctly drawing the file across the teeth on the right side of the chain only. Remember it the points of the chain that do most of the cutting.
I think it is actually the opposite. The sharper cutters are taking more wood faster so you start to curve toward the duller side since it is taking less wood slower.
Well OK then, the OP did claim his saw was cutting to the left so wouldn’t that make the left side sharper? And the simple solution to sharpen the right side only?
They make this cool, nifty, almost pointless to the master sharpeners, tool. It holds a small section of flat file in a 90 degree block, and you press it against the bar and then run it down the length. some german company makes it. oregon has one to. pointless waste of 19 dollars when i bought it. oh, wait, it actually works great, dresses the bar nicely, was not that expensive, and cures the uneven rails delima. only thing is is that human hands have to power it, so still a chance of buggering up the process. I run it on the bar every other flipping, just one pass, and then inspect the bar to see that the file actaully touched both rails all the way down. if not then i run her again. I know, what a way to needlessly wear a bar out. And I sharpen by hand too. but my cuts are nice and straight. unless Iv’e benn drinking. Oh, wait I would never drink and saw, cant saw whilst driving. Cheers!
A short piece of right angle stock works great for this and is cheap. Hold one side of the stock against the side of the bar and a file at an angle on the top and make passes along the bar. you can even use small spring clamps to hold the file on the stock. This is basically what is used to sharpen side edges on skis. You can buy these in ski shops and online or make your own.
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.
A few weeks ago I noticed that all of my cuts were curving to the left as i passed through the wood. I thought that the bar may have been bent, but after pulling it of noted that the left plate in the bar was actually worn more than the right, all away around the bar (i flip it fairly regularly). It’s almost as if one side was made of softer steel…
This was the factory bar and survived about three years of light-moderate use. I replaced it and all is well, but i just wonder if there is anything i could be doing to cause this.
Thanks!
Uneven rail wear is a fact of chainsaw life. If you still have the OEM bar you can take it to a saw shop and have it trued for about $5. I get mine done every year. If you don’t still have it you wasted a bunch of money.
One thing not mentioned yet, is chain loose in the bar grove?
I picked up a Homelite saw and it did not cut strait at all. Turns out the saw had a .050 chain in a .058 bar, quite sloppy. I put a .058 chain on it and it cut much better.
Baileys makes a tool to tighten up the bar “Chain Saw Bar Rail Closer”
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.
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
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.
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…
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.
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.
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’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.
