I think my bar is bent...........

[WoodMann]

WEll guys, learned a truckload of stuff hanging around here and working with my Dad. I've got the chaing sharpening thing down, pretty good; 25* angles work best andfeathering down the depth guages. I've gotten to the point that it's apleasure to use the saw, only problem is that when I start into the wood, all find and normal- no pushing, about halfway thru the log the saw goes to one side of the other, usually to the left. I didi wonder if my sharpening may not be quite up to par as one tooth my have a few more degrees than the next.
I looked closely this morning at my bar and noticed an ever so slight 'tiwst' toward the end. Could this be enough to throw everything everything sideways as I've been experiencing. BTW, I took out my Dad's 33cc Homeliet when he wasn't looking and it was a pleasure to use, cut straight, healthy chips- just got bogged down sooner..................

 

[Eric Johnson]

I don't think a bent bar is your problem. What's probably happening is that your rakers (depth gauges) are filed lower on one side RELATIVE TO THE TEETH THEY SERVE than on the other side. This causes one side of the chain to dig into the wood more aggressively than the other, resulting in the chain and bar wanting to go offline. Another, related cause could be that the teeth on one side are either not as sharp or filed with a different angle than their counterparts on the other side of the chain. If you think about it, this would have the same effect.

If the cutters look OK (and if you don't have a raker gauge handy), figure out which side is cutting less aggresively, and take those rakers down a bit and try the saw out. If it's not as bad, take them down a bit more, repeating the process until it cuts evenly.

The easiest way to check all of this would be to put a brand new chain on and see if it cuts straight. If it does, then it's definitely not the bar.

There are other potential causes for this problem (such as a bar where the rails are not the same height), but my guess is it's the rakers.

 

[WoodMann]

Thanks Eric. Reason why I think it's the bar is because I recently invested in some files and depth guage. But, comming to think of it, I did get a little liberal with those depth guages a bit above and beyond the bracket for the flat file. So, if their a bit too low, what can I do?
Additionally, I put a straight edge against the bar, don't know if the pictures do jsutice, but there is a belly in the middle that's about 1/8".....................

 

[WoodMann]

One more of the tools...................

 

[Eric Johnson]

I don't think an eighth of an inch of deflection, as shown, would cause the problem you're describing, which is a very common one. I doubt that it would cause any problem at all.

As I said, if the rakers on one side are too low, your only alternative is to take down the ones on the other side. Bear in mind that the raker functions relative to the cutter it's serving. So if all your rakers are the same height, one side will still be too low if the cutters are all shorter on one side than the other. The raker gauge is supposed to tell you that, but it's not always easy to determine. Try the incremental approach like I suggested and see if you can see some improvement. Then you'll know you're on the right track.

 

[WoodMann]

I'll do that- thanks again, Eric............................

 

[RedRanger]

I have straightened a bent bar and it works just fine. Using it,and been using it for the past 10 months.

It got bent,cause I did a foolish thing. :red:

 

[WoodMann]

And what was that follish thing? You can tell us, we're all chainsaw users here..................

 

[WoodMann]

Well good news. I went about sharpening the teeth on on side of the chian more than the other and it sems to have helped. I could probably use another chain in my arsenal anyway...........

 

[loneeagle15]

Just so you know a wooden yard stix is not a very accurate straight edge, never seen 1 that was very straight.

 

[Highbeam]

I'll talk about a foolish thing that I did which bent my bar quite nicely. I was falling an alder from within a stand of "keeper" trees. The tree leaned as I overcut the wedge and it pinched the saw in place solid. I couldn't unstick the saw. No problem, I have a backup saw. I chose to refall the tree beneath the first falling cut and then since the tree is within a stand of other trees and since the first falling cut created a joint, the tree actually fell vertically and smashed the bar like a hammer into the ground. Well every good pickup has a nice trailer hitch attached. I used the ball hitch to pound the bar straight. Made sure the bar grooves were sufficiently wide with the scrench and then also had to unbend the kink in the saw chain. I used that bent bar to buck up the alder and still use the bar today. The dang poulan will not die.

Not sure which part was the most foolish. Getting the saw stuck in the first place, making the second falling cut below the first one, or cutting the tree from within a stand. At the end of the day the tree was gone and all was well.

Your bar does not need to be perfect to get a nice cut. My ball hitch blacksmith job was sufficient.

 

[WoodMann]

Well guys, I broke down and got a new bar and chain. Now the saw cuts straight ande fast, scary fast! See, I got the saw used, so of course I didn't quite know what I was missing. Turns out that the grroves in the bar were worn down and the chain would flex sideways and I'd end up wrestling with the saw. Here's a pic of a new cute next to a former attdempt to cut the log.

 

[WoodMann]

Man, this thing cuts like a MOFO now! Chewed thru a 14" trunk like nobody's business- I swear I could clear out the whole forest now................ http://planetsmilies.net/happy-smiley-541.gif