Cutting crooked
- Thread starter Hantsman
- Start date
-
- Tags
- chainsaw mill
Help Support Arborist Forum:
2412
ArboristSite Operative
Make sure the edge of your bar is square and does not have burs along the corners.
It’ll pull to the sharp side.
Yes I’ve had a chain cut crooked and jam the saw. Luckily wasn’t making a super critical cut on a nice piece of wood
The causes of crooked cuts include
a) Uneven bar rail wear - dress the bar square and remove burrs
b) Bar gap too wide - in combination with even a slight amount of a) will cause this - fix a) and close up bar gap using bar gap closing tool.
c) Consistent Uneveness between the length of right and left hand cutters. File all cutters to same length OR use progressive raker setting.
d) Consistent Uneveness between the sharpness of right and left hand cutters.
e)Consistent Uneveness between the raker depths of right and left hand cutters.
f) Chain gauge too small for Bar groove - I have done this on a 50cc Homelite ie 0.058 chain on on a 0.063 bar
For those that don't know this is what I bar rail closer looks like - home made of course
a) Uneven bar rail wear - dress the bar square and remove burrs
b) Bar gap too wide - in combination with even a slight amount of a) will cause this - fix a) and close up bar gap using bar gap closing tool.
c) Consistent Uneveness between the length of right and left hand cutters. File all cutters to same length OR use progressive raker setting.
d) Consistent Uneveness between the sharpness of right and left hand cutters.
e)Consistent Uneveness between the raker depths of right and left hand cutters.
f) Chain gauge too small for Bar groove - I have done this on a 50cc Homelite ie 0.058 chain on on a 0.063 bar
For those that don't know this is what I bar rail closer looks like - home made of course
File
File
csmillingnoob
ArboristSite Operative
to echo everyone else. “File.”
I mainly sharpen for milling - which means I sharpen after about every 8-12 ft linear cut. Usually I just do about 3 file strokes for every cutter and a couple of strokes on the rakers every third sharpening.
By the end of a full day, my tendency to take more off the right than the left compounds will start to show in the cutting. Not bad but some. If I tried going two days of just counting strokes, it would noticeably cut crooked by the end of the second day. I don’t know why I cut one side more than the other when stroke counting, but I do. I don’t think it is an uncommon problem.
Each night, I sharpen back to even in my shop using a Granberg filing jig and spot-checking with calipers. I also get the rakers set more precisely so I start the next day with an even chain. Slow, but worth it the next day.
I mainly sharpen for milling - which means I sharpen after about every 8-12 ft linear cut. Usually I just do about 3 file strokes for every cutter and a couple of strokes on the rakers every third sharpening.
By the end of a full day, my tendency to take more off the right than the left compounds will start to show in the cutting. Not bad but some. If I tried going two days of just counting strokes, it would noticeably cut crooked by the end of the second day. I don’t know why I cut one side more than the other when stroke counting, but I do. I don’t think it is an uncommon problem.
Each night, I sharpen back to even in my shop using a Granberg filing jig and spot-checking with calipers. I also get the rakers set more precisely so I start the next day with an even chain. Slow, but worth it the next day.
Just an idea, if your mill is homemade, you might have some less-than-perfect angles that your mill may be clamping your bar at, whether it be the plane that the top of your mill forms with your bar or the bar clamps themselves. I know when I look at my 395xp w/ a 42" bar, there is a belly in my bar and I need to figure out if it's because my bar clamps are skewed inward or if it's just gravity. Also, if you welded your mill like I did, grind you welds flush, hehe don't ask me how I know ... .. .
csmillingnoob
ArboristSite Operative
Is it cutting crooked only when you mill? As Alvareri stated above, it could be your mill.
If it also cuts crooked when crosscutting, then it's probably uneven filing.
If it also cuts crooked when crosscutting, then it's probably uneven filing.
Its actually a bar mounted on a carriage ran with some belts off a lawn mower engine. It works fine sometimes then other times its huge pain in the ass haha. I have a new bar I am going to try this weekend. Hopefully that fixes things.
If it only occurs occasionally that's pointing to mill geometry ie not being locked in a parallel position. Some pics of the mill might be handy for us to spot probs
New bar should usually be accompanied by new chain - you can try old chain and if it still cuts crooked you'll know its the chain.
New bar should usually be accompanied by new chain - you can try old chain and if it still cuts crooked you'll know its the chain.
