Chainsaw question?

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Serpantspeaks

New Member
Nov 6, 2020
1
Pennsylvania
I have a husqvarna 435, recently it started cutting crooked. I've been cutting alot, alot of locust this yr. I put a new chain on it, cut up a big maple that fell then a little more locust and now it wont cut streight
 
Make sure you have the right chain for the bar...
Dress the bar so the rails are true...
Sharpen the chain if it is the right one...
Go cut wood.
And what was the question?
 
I'd start with a new bar and chain and go from there. Be sure to flip the bar when you sharpen the chain and sharpen both sides of the chain equally. Good luck!
 
Generally happens when one side is sharpened more than the other. If your filing set up doesn't make the two sides consistent, then you'll pull to one side.
 
You mention a lot of cutting, but don't mention a lot of sharpening. Most likely, you tagged a rock in the dirt, scrap of metal, or a nail in the tree, or even a bit of dirt/sand which has just 'grown into' a hollow spot in the wood.

You should really be running a file for a few strokes on each cutter of the chain after every tank of gas - or after knowingly hitting debris, or when the chain starts cutting crooked. Maybe after every couple tanks of gas in soft wood, or as long as the saw keeps throwing nice big chips of wood. But any dip in cutting performance would be time for a touch-up.
 
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Pro tip to get both of the sides of the chain sharpened by hand the same...
Flip the saw upside down to get the cutters on the awkward side.
 
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semi pro tip to get the teeth on the awkward side flip the saw upside down.
You are right i am far from being a pro...
But a full-time firewood cutter passed it on to me...
i will discuss with him, his standing.
 
It sounds like you need a new bar. If the bar is new and tight , it will cut straight. Bar life is generally shortened by heat . May be caused by uneven sharpening or slightly dull chains. I notice a slightly dull chain immediately from 20 years of timber falling but the same chain in someone else’s hands without that day after day feel would probably go unnoticed. All the timber fallers I know will pull they’re chains at the end of the day regardless of how well they are cutting for a weird thing we call wood dull. Not uncommon to get a full day on a chain when tree length cutting but it won’t make another day even if stumps are clean. Hope this helps
 
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I say sharpen your chain and check the bar for Where run your hand along the bar if you feel a lip where the chain groove is your bar is getting worn. and its time for a new bar....
PRO TIP when sharpening your chain on the saw.. take the break off and rotate the chain forward to sharpen all the teeth... no need to flip anything... thats like super awkward..
 
Lol, ya, flipping the saw over is a new one. I suck at hand filling and use a chisel bit grinder. I don’t worry too much about how even the teeth are as much as I should but I’m not dealing with horrible damaged chains either. Hear a lot about problems with uneven lengths but haven’t noticed it in real world. Maybe if it was extremely off. Will notice if running a rag chain and a tooth or two breaks off for sure. I save them (rag chains with teeth missing)sometimes for resi tree work to get low on a stump if a grinder is coming.
 
Generally happens when one side is sharpened more than the other. If your filing set up doesn't make the two sides consistent, then you'll pull to one side.

This ^

When I first started chainsawing, I ran into the "curved cut" problem. I had just hand filed the chain when this problem occurred, and the bar was fairly new.

Instead of 3-4 strokes per tooth, I tried 6 strokes per tooth, and then the saw cut straight. The issue (apart from my inexperience) was that the chain had become very dull, and I hadn't removed enough material from the teeth to the point that any variance in my sharpening technique from one side to the other wouldn't matter.

Also, if hand filing, I highly recommend using a file gauge to help with consistency until you become that "pro."
 
This ^

When I first started chainsawing, I ran into the "curved cut" problem. I had just hand filed the chain when this problem occurred, and the bar was fairly new.

Instead of 3-4 strokes per tooth, I tried 6 strokes per tooth, and then the saw cut straight. The issue (apart from my inexperience) was that the chain had become very dull, and I hadn't removed enough material from the teeth to the point that any variance in my sharpening technique from one side to the other wouldn't matter.

Also, if hand filing, I highly recommend using a file gauge to help with consistency until you become that "pro."
I agree with you on the number of strokes when had filing. I do 6 to 10.. I get it on the grinder if I have to file the chain twice. I keep about 5 loops of 18 and 4 loops of 20 with me when I go cutting
 
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I agree with you on the number of strokes when had filing. I do 6 to 10.. I get it on the grinder if I have to file the chain twice. I keep about 5 loops of 18 and 4 loops of 20 with me when I go cutting

Yeah, for me 6 strokes is about is the minimum if it's not just a touch up. That's with hard Stihl files (or similar) on Stihl chain.
 
You should be filing as much as necessary to make the tooth sharp. You can’t just do 6 strokes every time. If you’ve rocked your chain it’s gunna take more on some teeth than others.
Also, each cutter doesn’t need to be the same length. They simply need the depth gauges set accordingly for each one.
 
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Pro tip to get both of the sides of the chain sharpened by hand the same...
Flip the saw upside down to get the cutters on the awkward side.
Still more awkward. Sets the chain brake, no likey. I'll keep trying.
 

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Interesting little bit of sharpening. I usually watch these and pick up one little trick. The square file video that they mention had a couple of things I've never done like sticking a wedge on the bottom side of the bar to put extreme tension on the chain.

 
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I say sharpen your chain and check the bar for Where run your hand along the bar if you feel a lip where the chain groove is your bar is getting worn. and its time for a new bar....
PRO TIP when sharpening your chain on the saw.. take the break off and rotate the chain forward to sharpen all the teeth... no need to flip anything... thats like super awkward..
most people have a hard time sharpening a chain,then throw in the awkward side because most people are not ambidextrous the awkward side doesn't get the same angles or attention.
Most of the chains i sharpen on a grinder will be longer on one side of the cutters with multiple angles.
But that may be because there are only firewooders around here no professionals.
 
Still more awkward. Sets the chain brake, no likey. I'll keep trying.
dont set it on the chain break that solves that issue
 
OP said he just put a new chain on and it still doesn't cut straight. Therefore, the next logical thing to check is the bar. After you take the bar and chain off , get some good lighting and look down the bar like you're looking down the barrel of a rifle. See if both sides of the groove are the same, or if one side has started to wear lower than the other. If so, this will cause the saw to always pull that direction. If that is the case, you'll need to put a new bar on it.

Just a suggestion, not a pro tip, b/c I'm def not a pro.
 
OP said he just put a new chain on and it still doesn't cut straight. Therefore,....

Well, technically, he said,

I put a new chain on it, cut up a big maple that fell then a little more locust and now it wont cut streight [sic]

Which at least makes it sound like that new chain cut a 'big' maple tree plus some locust, 'then' won't cut straight.
 
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Ah, I see. Yes, that is what he said.