Guide bar rail closing tool ?

[Den]

There is a video of a guy using an Oregon bar rail closing tool on youtube. After going to the Oregon website, I can't seem to locate it on their site.

Is Oregon still making the bar rail closer? It looks like a "T" shaped tool that you strike the top of the handle and the bevel grooved pocket pinches the rail inwards. Seems really effective.

Anybody have a similar type of tool they prefer that is made by other manufacturers?

Den.

 

[Ax-man]

Oregon doesn't make that anymore . I have some thing similar but never used it . It came with a bunch of other stuff I bought when one of the local Stihl dealers closed up shop. I think you can still get a regular rail closer from Bailey's that closes the rails with rollers by sliding the tool back and forth over the bar till you get the rails closed up to the right width . I haven't used that tool in many years . It works but the rails spread back out due to the memory in the metal.

 

[heimannm]

I have the bar rail closer from Baileys and use it whenever I encounter a bar with worn or spread rails. I have not noticed that they spread again due to memory, but I don't really keep track of all the saws I work on and haven't paid close attention to how long the repairs last. In general, if the rails are worn, closing them up will improve performance for a while but it will never be like new. That said, for a few minutes spent, the change in performance is clearly better.

The Baileys tool is not a "fire and forget", you have to adjust the setting, pull it over the bar a few times, close it a bit, run it over the bar again, keep checking as you go and note that some spots will need more work that others.

I have also found a screw driver makes a good "bar rail opener" if you go a bit too far...

Looking at the unit below, the lower bearing is fixed and the upper one can adjust with the screw/lever on the end of the tool.



Mark

 

[Den]

If anyone has one of those Oregon guide bar rail closers, go ahead and private message me... might be interested in buying it.

 

[Ax-man]

I dug out that tool that looks similar to that closer you saw on You Tube . Mine isn't a closer but a bar rail dresser made by Oregon. Never used it but it slides down over the bar , move it back and forth to remove burrs on the side of the bar (I guess) because there is a small grinding stone inside the tool . Probably the same vintage as that closer because it doesn't even resemble a more modern type rail dresser. Back in the day you probably bought both tools as a set to do maintenance on your chainsaw bar.

 

[Del_]

I have the bar rail closer from Baileys and use it whenever I encounter a bar with worn or spread rails. I have not noticed that they spread again due to memory, but I don't really keep track of all the saws I work on and haven't paid close attention to how long the repairs last. In general, if the rails are worn, closing them up will improve performance for a while but it will never be like new. That said, for a few minutes spent, the change in performance is clearly better.

The Baileys tool is not a "fire and forget", you have to adjust the setting, pull it over the bar a few times, close it a bit, run it over the bar again, keep checking as you go and note that some spots will need more work that others.

I have also found a screw driver makes a good "bar rail opener" if you go a bit too far...

Looking at the unit below, the lower bearing is fixed and the upper one can adjust with the screw/lever on the end of the tool.

View attachment 714333

Mark

I've got the same one.

 

[Philbert]

Mine isn't a closer but a bar rail dresser made by Oregon. . . it doesn't even resemble a more modern type rail dresser.

Can you post a photo?

I really like the current guide bar dressing tools, with the files.

Curious to see what this one looks like.

Philbert

 

[Ax-man]

Sure , I can that . It's too late to do tonight but tomorrow should work . More winter muck on the way so not going to be doing much tomorrow.

 

[Ax-man]

Here are the pics . I think I might be missing a piece that goes with this . There is a second cut out in the box for this tool. I have no idea what it could be or what it would look like. View attachment 714959 View attachment 714959

 

[Huskybill]

The bar shop machine does it all.

 

[Wood Doctor]

Here's a story for you. A guy gave me an 32" 063 Stihl bar that he said was causing his cuts to angle right or left because the groove was too wide from use. He said, "It's all yours. I bought a new bar. The chain floats too much."

I redressed the bar and cleaned it all up, making sure that the rails were the same height and all burrs removed. The groove depth was still good. Then I thought, "What the heck, let's check the groove width."

I pulled out my feeler gauge and used 0.064". I ran it all the way around with no difficulty. Then I tried 0.065" and that jammed it up so that it refused to slide. I checked the same on a brand new bar with exactly the same results. So much for his theory that the groove was worn wide. I now have a very usable 32" bar. Case dismissed.

 

[Westboastfaller]

Here's a story for you. A guy gave me an 32" 063 Stihl bar that he said was causing his cuts to angle right or left because the groove was too wide from use. He said, "It's all yours. I bought a new bar. The chain floats too much."

I redressed the bar and cleaned it all up, making sure that the rails were the same height and all burrs removed. The groove depth was still good. Then I thought, "What the heck, let's check the groove width."

I pulled out my feeler gauge and used 0.064". I ran it all the way around with no difficulty. Then I tried 0.065" and that jammed it up so that it refused to slide. I checked the same on a brand new bar with exactly the same results. So much for his theory that the groove was worn wide. I now have a very usable 32" bar. Case dismissed.

Did you tell him his case has been dismissed?

 

[Wood Doctor]

Did you tell him his case has been dismissed?

No, not yet. I've yet to see him since I worked on the bar. I do intend to tell him what I did. Regardless, I doubt he would want it back.

 

[vhmtach38]

One man's junked bar is another man's treasured bar....

 

[dec-1]

One man's junked bar is another man's treasured bar....

I had a guy bring in a 046 Mag, 32 inch bar, cutting off to the side. Tried new chains, sharpening chain, he'd given up and wanted a new bar installed.
looked the unit over, he had 3/8" .050 gauge chain running on a 3/8", .063 gauge bar.
Called him up to see which gauge he was running, turns out he'd been given the bar and never realized the difference.
Installed a new .050 gauge bar and saw cut perfectly.
I even gained the .063 bar, ended up on my Stihl 064.

 

[Wood Doctor]

I had a guy bring in a 046 Mag, 32 inch bar, cutting off to the side. Tried new chains, sharpening chain, he'd given up and wanted a new bar installed.
I looked the unit over, he had 3/8" .050 gauge chain running on a 3/8", .063 gauge bar. I called him up to see which gauge he was running, turns out he'd been given the bar and never realized the difference. Then I unstalled a new .050 gauge bar and saw cut perfectly. I even gained the .063 bar, ended up on my Stihl 064.

You might look at it this way. Any habitual pressure at an angle would cause the thinner gauge chain to lean during the cut. This could easily be 10 to 15 degrees. So, the beginning cut on a 24" diameter log would be off 4" to 6" from vertical at the bottom. The cross-section of logs that I buy for firewood splitting from other sawyers are often shaped like trapezoids and parallelograms -- anything but a rectangle.

Some cuts are so far off from square that they are almost impossible to split. So, I have to square them up before I split them and that almost doubles the work time, fuel usage, etc. These odd-ball cut logs also take up more room in their truck.

 

[Tobystihl]

Here are the pics . I think I might be missing a piece that goes with this . There is a second cut out in the box for this tool. I have no idea what it could be or what it would look like. View attachment 714959 View attachment 714959 View attachment 714961 View attachment 714963 View attachment 714965 View attachment 714964

I have the same tool, what appears to be missing from yours is the rail width guages, these look like feeler guages (which comprises the different rail widths ie 1.6 1.5 1.3 etc..) that attach in the mouth of the tool, thus when you hammer down the tool on the bar to bring the rails back in it determines the different drive link thicknesses for the particular bar in question.

 

[Ax-man]

Wow , you and I might have the only two left on the planet . LOL. Any idea how old that tool is??? I am guessing late 60's or 70's . Anyway to get pics of your tool with the parts I am missing???

 

[Tobystihl]

Wow , you and I might have the only two left on the planet . LOL. Any idea how old that tool is??? I am guessing late 60's or 70's . Anyway to get pics of your tool with the parts I am missing???

Hey that's pretty cool !
I'm not sure of the age of the tool?!?
I also have the oregon bar rail dresser tool too! I will endeavour to get pics posted up over the next few days!

 

[Ax-man]

I am going to ad a little more to this thread since we are discussing closing bar rails. This is kind of relevant

A long time ago when Foley Belsaw was in business. I got three pieces of metal in different gauges or thickness .050 .058 and .063. You put the desired gauge of metal into or between the bar rails , layed the bar down on a flat hard surface like an anvil and took a hammer to close the rails . Kind of a primitive way to close rails but I guess it would work. I personally never did this because I have only used the gauges to check the rails for proper width , the same way someone mentioned using short pieces of new chain to check the width of rails . I have done that also but the metal gauge steel makes it easier to see where the rails are either worn thin or too wide.

I hardly use them any more but they are nice to have around . After awhile you can just tell when a bar is on it's way out just by looking at it .