can't cut straight??

[joe dirt]

I have a 18" bar crafstman chain saw.Fairly nice saw.I use to be able to cut the big logs,say 24" and up fairly straight.Sure the chain would get dull on one side and it would pull at an angle a little to one side makeing it tough to get a good straight clean cut.Put on a new chain and she's good to go.But the last cord or so that I,ve bucked with a good sharp new chain,I'm still cutting @ an angle Can't tell if the bar is bent.How can I tell if the bar is bent?Or can it be something ealse?The smaller logs cut nice and straight.Possibly I'm just no good anymore @ bucking the larger stuff.Any advise??

 

[sloth9669]

saw

buy a stihl or husy...would solve the problem and making cutting alot better...if not bring the blade to a saw shop few bucks they can let you know whats up

 

[begleytree]

Probably just burrs on the bar. You'd know if you did something drastic enough to bend the bar, I'd think
-Ralph

 

[ShoerFast]

It could be a bent bar, or uneven bar-rails , uneven sharpen job on the chain or spread guide rails

The Sloth dose have a point, Crapsmen are not for everyone.

 

[1CallLandscape]

its most likely operator error....please excuse my bluntness...LOL its most likely how you are rocking the saw. my guess is that you arent moving the saw and are just sawing from the top down. in smaller wood this is not real noticeable but in larger wood it is.
-mike

 

[smokechase II]

cutting off

If the saw is cutting off and that is with a new chain at proper tension. You've isolated the problem to the bar.
Spread guide rails can be closed and so forth.
Post a picture of your bar. Use the macro feature on the camera.
If you can do those things. Maybe we can save you the shop costs.
Maybe not. Just a thought.

 

[TimberJack_7]

I have a 18" bar crafstman chain saw.Fairly nice saw.I use to be able to cut the big logs,say 24" and up fairly straight.Sure the chain would get dull on one side and it would pull at an angle a little to one side makeing it tough to get a good straight clean cut.Put on a new chain and she's good to go.But the last cord or so that I,ve bucked with a good sharp new chain,I'm still cutting @ an angle Can't tell if the bar is bent.How can I tell if the bar is bent?Or can it be something ealse?The smaller logs cut nice and straight.Possibly I'm just no good anymore @ bucking the larger stuff.Any advise??

Sounds like your bar is bent. Remove the bar from the saw, and remove the chain from the bar. Lie the bar on a flat surface. If it lies absolutely flat, then you may need to perfect your chain sharpening methods. If it has a small bow to it, kind of like a table that has one leg higher than the rest and rocks back and forth, then your bar is shot and a new bar will cure your curve cuts.

Had a newbie recently bend a bar on my 385xp and it exhibited similar symptoms that you described.

 

[Ianab]

When you have the bar off the saw to check it for straightness, try balancing it on it's edge. If it keeps falling over then the rails are worn unevenly. If thats the case, just flip the bar over and use the other side untill it's worn too. Ignore the smart bystanders that tell you it's upside down because the writing is wrong way up. Once both sides are getting a bit doggy you can file / grind the rails level again (or get a sawshop to do it for a few bucks) Then after a few grinds the groove will get too shallow and you need a new bar.

Cheers

Ian

 

[Ekka]

Also check how snug the chain sits in the bar....

... it would be embarrassing if you have a mismatched guage chain.

If the chain can wobble or skew whilst sitting in the bar then the bars worn bad or the chain is wrong guage.

I've had some shockers, for some reason the worst perpetraitor of exactly this problem I had was with a Stihl 390 and 20" bar ... I was getting a lot of banana cuts ... regularly. I think, and dont hold a gun to my head, that the crappy plastic chasis saw was warping or twisting, I rarely have this problem with 44's, 46's etc. so check your saw mounting face and make sure all is good.

PS: Biggest piece of junk saw I ever owned was that 390

 

[smokechase II]

bar fix

Do you flip your bar regularly?

If not, give that a try and if it makes a difference. Check out the two sides with the advice from several contributors above and maybe you can figure out the problem.

All the best.

 

[laynes69]

Since we are on this subject, What is the proper way to check tension on the chain? I think I overtighten it all the time, Secondly I use a portable chainsaw sharpener I hook up to my battery and sharpen my chain in the woods, It seems to go a good job, anyone else ever use these? Maybe I can get some pointers.

 

[BlueRidgeMark]

bring the blade to a saw shop few bucks they can let you know whats up

Interesting. Learn something new every day. I didn't know that chainsaws have blades!

 

[stumpguy]

we go through 3-4 bars per year on our ms361 and our 046, as they are in constant use. the rails on the bar seem to wear unevenly, probably caused by loosening chains and imperfect sharpening methods. once the rails start to wear unevenly, the saw begins to cut crooked. it is most noticable on large trunks and stumps. if the rails are slightly worn, they can be filed or ground lighlty. otherwise, we just replace the bar and go back to work.

remember, you can't work with junk. you work ON junk.

 

[boo]

Probably just burrs on the bar. You'd know if you did something drastic enough to bend the bar, I'd think
-Ralph

use a flat file if the flat side of the bar is not flat.
check to make sure you have the same angle on both sides of the chain.