My 461 started cutting crooked

[Roundgunner]

I have been doing 36-40 " oak for a week and my big saw won't cut straight. I have paid particular attention to the length of the teeth.
It is not in rough shape or old. I need 24" lengths and sometimes on a 40" cut it is 6" different top to bottom. It sux.

 

[DodgyNomad]

Usually uneven teeth. Flip the bar, swap chains, see if it goes away.

 

[Sawset]

A worn bar can cause uneven cut. A flat file run along the bar can square it. And use it to remove any burr that may have developed. Also, take a straight edge to the side and press on a tooth at the same time. The straight edge should not be able to push the tooth to the side such that the straight edge becomes flush. If it can, the channel is worn and bar or chain or both should be replaced. Uneven teeth may cause it to curve, but, I've had some fairly uneven teeth in the past, and an uneven or worn bar also, and the bar has had more effect it seems. Sometimes the swerve in the cut can get extreme enough that the saw simply will not cut past the depth of the bar.

 

[Sean McGillicuddy]

I found it was a worn bar , that caused my saw to cut angled .. I spent a lot of time try to sharpen only one side of teeth to try to get it back on track ..

 

[Roundgunner]

Thanks for the input. I do file the bar and flip it. I'm going to go up to the shop and see about a new bar and I might as well pick up a new chain. Probably get the better one. I tend to put downward pressure on the saw, I may be asking it for to much.

 

[Sawset]

I tend to put downward pressure on the saw

Depth gauge heights can change the amount of cut a lot. To high and the saw won't grab, needs more pressure. Low, and the chain will grab and bog the saw. Just right and the saw requires little to no pressure to draw chips, and little to no use of the dawgs to make it bite. Shouldn't need to force it, it should want to cut.

 

[Sean McGillicuddy]

Depth gauge heights can change the amount of cut a lot. To high and the saw won't grab, needs more pressure. Low, and the chain will grab and bog the saw. Just right and the saw requires little to no pressure to draw chips, and little to no use of the dawgs to make it bite. Shouldn't need to force it, it should want to cut.

This is were the 2in1 sharpener helps ...

 

[DodgyNomad]

This is were the 2in1 sharpener helps ...

Yup.
I also chuck the bar up in a vise every so often and dress it and straighten it with a few hand files. Take off the burrs, square up the rails, clean up the slot. You can usually see if the bar is out of spec when it's cleaned and clamped up. I'd try that first if it looks halfway decent and usable before I purchased a new bar.

 

[Roundgunner]

Thanks, I went out and bought a new bar and chain today. The difference is probably 50% over new. It did cut straight today. I'm sure the bar was the problem. Is there a way to squeeze the gap back to .050 and fix the old bar incase I wreck the new one?

 

[xman23]

Now sir those are some serious rounds. Just adding, when mine started cutting crooked, it was the chain. None of my efforts to sharpen it helped. A new one was the fix.

 

[Sawset]

That leads to a question. The original bar is aparently worn. But in the picture it doesn't look in too rough of shape. And the chain looks to have lots of life left. Was the chain replaced with the wrong size? The bar and chain combo should be stated on the bar -
A bar should be good for using up one chain, and a lot of times more depending on how agressive they are sharpened.

 

[Touch0Gray]

Now sir those are some serious rounds.

either that or it a tiny little lady!

 

[tadmaz]

Thank you for this thread. I have never put a straight edge on my bar or flat filed it, but will do this in the future.

 

[Roundgunner]

I buck to 24 inch. The ones she is next to were not the biggest. They were about 5 foot. The biggest was to heavy for my Kubota to lift more the 2 feet high. It's rated at 1000 pounds! The photo of the saw was an older one but it still in good shape. The width of the slot / rail was the problem I think.

 

[three feathers]

After years I have found cutter length does not matter if each depth guage is filled for each cutter.

 

[Zack R]

I'd ditch the old bar. Seems like too much hassle to try and repair it.

Do you flip the bar every other time you sharpen the chain? That approach has worked well for me.

 

[Roundgunner]

Yeah I flip it. I have 3 chains for my 251 and had 2 for the 461. I just got a new one that's a full chisel, I think as I wear them out in the future that's what I will get. I do use it for big pieces!

 

[salecker]

Fix the bar they aren't cheap.
Squeze the rail closed with a vice or careful use of a hammer,then file,grind the rails square.
Pretty simple and you don't throw out something that is still good, reducing your carbon footprint.

 

[lost in the woods]

if you are using .050 ga bar and sawchain. . you COULD if you want to mic the old bar and see what it has worn to and POSSIBLY use a.058 ga. sawchain with that old bar. . . i have seen this done in the past with a logging crew. . . with all that being said; i personally don't use this technique

 

[Roundgunner]

I think I will put an old .050 chain in it and squeeze it down.
I have seen my friends catch bars and bend them while bucking. If it happens to me I will at least have another so so one to continue the day with.
Thanks for the info and thanks for not calling me an idiot.

 

[duramaxman05]

if you are using .050 ga bar and sawchain. . you COULD if you want to mic the old bar and see what it has worn to and POSSIBLY use a.058 ga. sawchain with that old bar. . . i have seen this done in the past with a logging crew. . . with all that being said; i personally don't use this technique

My father in law does this. He is a timber cutter. I was just going to suggest the same thing.

 

[Medic21]

Search results for: 'woodlandpro chainsaw bar rail closer w 10001 gclid EAIaIQobChMIp4eQ8vr15wIVQdbACh34XwmjEAQYASABEgKLD D BwE'

www.baileysonline.com

 

[Montanalocal]

When you go to Amazon and look up the reviews of this, there are some negative ones.

Amazon.com: Customer reviews: WoodlandPRO Chain Saw Bar Rail Closer

Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for WoodlandPRO Chain Saw Bar Rail Closer at Amazon.com. Read honest and unbiased product reviews from our users.

www.amazon.com

This is one of them.

“1.0 out of 5 stars
Don't waste your money!

Reviewed in the United States on September 3, 2018

I have been a professional chain saw operator for over 40 years. This tool doesn't work. If your bar is worn on the inside, it can't close the rails beyond the sides of the bar, to compensate for the wear. If the rails are actually spread, they spring back after this tool is run down the bar.
All you need to do is tap the rails gently with a hammer, with the bar on a hard surface like an anvil or a stump. Tap along one side, and then the other, then try the chain in the slot. If you have gone too far, pry the rails apart a little with a screwdriver. Get the rails closed so that the chain is hard to move by hand, when tensioned . It will wear in in a minute or so, and work like new. (Also file off any burrs on the edges of the bar with a flat file.) When a bar is worn enough to need the rails closed, it is probably time to think about replacing it, but this will extend the life of the bar for a while. And if you own a hammer and a screwdriver, it won't cost you a penny to do it!”