One of my chainsaw chains is acting funny. Whenever I use that chain the cut drifts. So instead of getting a 12 to 6 oclock cut, I get a 12 to 4:30 cut. I have a cheap electric sharpener that I use, but I have two chains both sharpened on the same machine and it only occurs with this particular chain. Anyone have any ideas what the issue might be?
Chain Issues
- Thread starter Garbanzo62
- Start date
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Ashful
Minister of Fire
I'd agree, if he said randomly 4:30 to 7:30. But since he indicated it's always pulling one direction, I'd say uneven sharpening.
This can come in two forms:
1. Each tooth length should be roughly the same. It's likely the teeth facing left are a different length from those facing right, on your chain. Adjust your grinder to correct.
2. "Raker" height. I put this in quotes because they're not rakers, they're depth gauges, but don't let terminology get in your way. They need to be set a consistent height below the cutters, typically .02" to .03" for most chains (Google spec's for yours), but critically equal for both left and right cutters.
When sharpening a chain, I find the most damaged or dull cutter I'm willing to sharpen. Mind you, on a chain with one cutter wrecked by a nail or rock, I may ignore the worst cutter and go to the second, but you need to find the cutter length to which you'll be sharpening. Sharpen all cutters on that side of the chain to the same finished length.
Then adjust your grinder (or hand file swipe count) to achieve the same length on the opposite side of the chain, process all teeth accordingly.
Then find the hand file swipe count required to knock your depth gauges down to the prescribed height. This is an average, don't waste your time measuring each one, just spot check yourself after each dozen, or so.
EbS-P
Minister of Fire
The chain is the one that came with the saw. I flip the bar each time I swap chains (every two tankfuls). Based on the comments, I am leaning towards the rakers needing adjustment. I'll try that, If that does not work, I'll have the chain professionally sharpened to put it right.
EbS-P
Minister of Fire
I had a similar problem. Look at the bar. Are the two sides next to the groove the same height? I_I When one is worn lower, it will cause the cut to drift to one side. They make a tool that will file the sides to the same height. I used a file clamped to a small pieces of aluminum angle. This positioned the file to be a square 90 degrees to the side of the bar when I ran the file across side tops. A bit of magic marker on the top of the sides allowed me to know where I was removing material and when the sides were even.
one other thing the bar rails can become internally worn resulting in one thinner than the other plus the above one side higher than other- this will also lead to cutting on a curve. lastly tecnique all the weight of the eng is off on one side of the bar thats enough to make things start curving on narrow bars, loose chain will wallow around and walk as well
CincyBurner
Minister of Fire
Check whether you are sharpening the same left hand cutters and right hand cutters. People often have a preferred side.
If one side sharpened properly with a 'hook', but other side sharpened poorly - straight/ no 'C' or no 'hook' these cutters won't be able to take as much of a bite out on the poorly sharpened side causing saw to drift to one side and cut crooked.
If one side sharpened properly with a 'hook', but other side sharpened poorly - straight/ no 'C' or no 'hook' these cutters won't be able to take as much of a bite out on the poorly sharpened side causing saw to drift to one side and cut crooked.
Ashful
Minister of Fire
Anything is possible, but I'll bet anyone a $10 beer that it's the chain and not the bar. The number of imperfectly sharpened chains in this country in the hands of amateurs is assuredly many times higher than the number of worn bars.
Sean McGillicuddy
Minister of Fire
Sean McGillicuddy
Minister of Fire
The 2in1 helps with setting the rakers as well.
Maybe have a shop sharpen the offending chain , then maintain it with the 2in1...
And as mentioned flip the bar after sharpening or changing chains..
even with shops like say a hardware store low guy on totem pole gets the job -may or may not known anything about what should be done. seen some real messed up chains from the likes of that.
Ashful
Minister of Fire
What I see from saw shops and hardware stores is that they just take off way more than needed. Big fast grinder, so it's easier to take more off, than play with minimal removal to get sharp. Result is that you get like 3 sharpenings out of a chain that should otherwise last a dozen.
Me being a leftie, I know I sharpen the right side better, so when I switch sides I slow down and pay more attention to what I'm doing, lesson learned from mistakes
Maybe 5-6 years ago I bought the cheap Harbor Freight chain sharpener. It's not the best made sharpener out there, so the saying "you get what you paid for" certainly applied, at least in part. I noticed that while a new chain would cut straight, one I had sharpened a few times resulted in a curved cut. Flipping the bar did not result in pulling the other way. Recently I checked the accuracy of the angle setting on the sharpener, using a protractor against the cutting wheel, and I found that it was about 5 degrees off. By trial and error, I found a combination of steel washers that, inserted over one of a pair of screws holding part of the assembly together, adjusted the device so that zero degrees from straight was achieved at "zero degrees" on the scale. That calibration of the zero point, followed by resharpening that chain to the alternating 30 degree left and right teeth, gave a considerable improvement in straightness of the cut. I suspect that a few more sharpenings over time will help more.
Ashful
Minister of Fire
My chain grinder is a similarly cheap unit from "Northern Industrial". Not Harbor Freight, but some other Chinese garbage brand, that a pro cutter friend had said was a (cheap) favorite of many of his associates. The hinge and angle settings are actually tight and good, and the stop that sets cutter length actually gives pretty good results, considering how cheap and flimsy it appears and feels.
Amazon product ASIN B000I6DNAU
I used to think I'd use it for a short time, and replace it with some better old USA-made machine, but it has worked so well that I have to admit I haven't put any effort into replacing it.
Amazon product ASIN B000I6DNAU
I used to think I'd use it for a short time, and replace it with some better old USA-made machine, but it has worked so well that I have to admit I haven't put any effort into replacing it.
It is easier and quicker to learn how to sharpen a chain by hand, I recommend it, think about it, if you have a file with you and a dulling problem happens while cutting, you can stop, and straddle the saw on a tree and be done sharpening in a couple minutes, and back to business
Ashful
Minister of Fire
Not arguing, I see many people more experienced than me doing it this way. But I've always favored just swapping to a new chain, throwing the rocked or dulled one into a box, and processing it in my warm shop on some cold evening, versus spending time in the field fretting with it.
There are worse ways to spend a Tuesday night, than sitting at the grinder with a cup of coffee to one side, and a good podcast going thru the ear buds, plucking your way thru last month's chains.
Ashful
Minister of Fire
Electrical insulators, lag bolts, eye bolts, you name it. These are often completely encapsulated in big trees, no chance to see them. Other times, they're still showing thru the bark, but on the side of the tree that's down against the dirt, so again unseen.
But if cutting all day with one saw, I will usually swap the chain mid-way thru, even if nothing is hit. In those cases, it's possible a file would be as fast as swapping, but I still just swap and keep going.
Ashful
Minister of Fire
Maybe some day you will learn, start at the top of the tree and work down the trunk, and another item, how far up are metal objects? Everywhere?, it sounds like you are in hedgerows, i.e., fencelines, not full on logging, where man meets the woods
