Bar Dressing Questions

[deezulsmoke]

Just wondering if someone could explain when and how to properly dress a chainsaw bar, and also how do you know when to dress them and when they need to be replaced. I usually just replace mine when they get worn, but I have seen a lot of people that dress the bars and file the sides. Just wondering about this, I would like to know how and when to apply this.

thanks
matt

 

[oldsaw]

I usually run a file on the top, supported by two pieces of wood, one on either side held against the bar. (There is a really cool little set-up made by Pferd that is a plastic right angle that holds the file which would work better.) Anyway, I check to make sure it's square with a woodworking tri-square, and move on.

Mark

 

[Kneejerk Bombas]

Most pro useres use a bar rail dresser to clean up their bars.

A lite grinding each time you have your saw apart for maintenance cleaning. For homeowners, take your bar off and take it to your service center to have them do it. My local dealer charges $3.
If I were just guessing, grind them about every 4 or 5 gallons of mix you burn, more or less depending on how sharp you run your chain.
If you grind them straight once in a while, it'll help keep the saw cutting straight, and like any preventative maintenance, it'll save you time, money, and frustrations.

 

[Butch(OH)]

When to dress the bar? When it is uneven side to side or rails are rough, when the outside corners become sharp weapons, when heat from lack of oil or dull chains have caused discoloration, when filing or grinding the chain does not stop curved cuts. Or when you are bored and just haven't done it for a while:hmm3grin2orange:

How? I have never used the special tools for this job as I use my combination belt/disk sander with the rest set square to the disk. Lacking a sander but having a drill press you could chuck a sanding drum and clamp a rest to the table so you are above the bottom edge of the drum. If you have a vise to mount the bar and have some sense of level via eyeball a hand held mill file drawn down the bar lengthwise would do the job too. What ever the tool you choose use bar length motions to avoid creating a wavy condition down the length of the bar and chamfer the edges to remove any burr or sharp edge.