guide bar dresser

[victorytea]

Has anyone used the guide bar dresser or edge sharpener offered by Husqvarna? I,m wondering if I should invest in one or continue to take the bar to the dealer for 2$. The replacement file for this tool is 9.95 at CCD. How many dressings would I get with a file. I would like to start doing my own maintinance on my new saw but am not sure this is the way.

 

[Tom Dunlap]

If my bars get burrs I use my belt sander to dress them up. Sometimes I use my hand held other times the bench model. This has worked well for me for 2 years.

Tom

 

[Stumper]

I'm not sure what Husqvarna is offering but if it is the same as the Pferd bar and edge dresser that others sell it works great and will dress a lot of bars. Tom's method is also good but I prefer the Pferd.

 

[Kneejerk Bombas]

Tom, the file is used to even the rails out. After lots of use, one rail might get worn slightly lower than the other, this tool files them exactly flat. The belt sander might work for this too, but can you hold it perfectly flat?
Once you get your rails flat, you should just take a flat mill basterd file and knock the corners (and burrs) off at a 45 degree angle.

 

[TheTreeSpyder]

Why 45 Mike?

We dremel or other grind burrs/metal rolling over from chain travel on sides, then square the rails flat so chain rides evenly. Then check bar to see if rails are opened too wide, as to adjust so that chain rides without side to side movement in between rails or on top of rails (even).

Also that there is no metal roll/burrs on the side of bar (use finger nail to see if ther is a catch or lip)that would be wider than the kerf, hanging up saw at some point, not letting teeth hit wood, feeling like saw is dull, or bar is bent; when all it is rolled metal off edge of rail from chain travel hanging up at some point into smooth running cut.

or something like that..:alien:

 

[Kneejerk Bombas]

I got that from the literature that comes with a new stihl bar.
The idea is to get rid of the sharp corner so you don't get burrs right away, which can cause damage to the bar.

It should look something like this:

 

[Gypo Logger]

The best way to keep bars in shape is to use an orbital palm sander regularly. Burring ends up as chipping, all signs of abuse.
Dont wait till your bars get burred. Using the Dewalt with the velco sandpaper discs is all you need.
John

 

[Tom Dunlap]

If I use the hand held belt sander I'll clamp blocks of wood on both sides to add support. If I use the bench top, I just get out my square to make sure that the bed is square to the belt or disc.

Tom

 

[TheTreeSpyder]

Thanx, excellent frickin'insights and care to a critical, commonly fought; over looked point(bar care/shape).

 

[jokers]

For years I maintained my bars with a Mill Bastard file and nothing else. Then I went to a belt sander with a table attached which works very well if you are careful to not overheat the bar. I`ve also used a die grinder with a 2½" flap wheel to remove the side burr with good success. Now I have graduated to a bar rail grinder that I bought off eBay and I keep the Husky(Pferd) tool in my truck box for field use. The Husky tool works pretty well and the file, although it shows some use, is holding up well. The biggest thing with the Husky tool is having some means of clamping it steady because it does take a fair amount of pressure on the tool to work.

I always put a slight side bevel on the bar after dressing just as Mike advocates, kind of the same way that you would dress the head on a striking tool. The side bevel is also a good way to even up the width of the bearing surfaces on the Stihl laminated bars that are commonly mismatched, causing more rapid wear on the thin side and the resultant semi-circular cuts.

Russ

 

[ClearH20Scott]

I know this is gonna sound completely nuts and too involved, but,
having access to vertical and horizontal CNC equipment...... I've
always wanted to see if I could write a program to have a decent
four flute mill run around the bar and see what happens. I've
trued up sprockets on a lathe, so what the heck.

 

[Tony Snyder]

I have dressed hundreds of bar rails with nothing more than a 9 inch round disc sander with right angle table. I use 80 grit self adhesive discs. I bought this rig at a farm store, probably 20 years ago. I don't know what they cost now.

 

[Kneejerk Bombas]

Tony, if you mean those como belt sander/disck sander they are about $90. I bet that would work great, it has a 90* table and the disk for the sandpaper is hard.

That's what I don't understand about Gypo's suggestion, hand held sanders have soft pads, if you push down on something thin like a bar rail, won't it round the rail over, grinding the corners and not the top of the rails?

 

[SilverBlue]

How many bars have been ruined by over zealous use of a power sander causing flat spots? And how well does one clean out the grit to prevent bearing problems?

 

[Tony Snyder]

The disc sanders with right angle tables do not leave (flat spots?)if you keep the bar moving.

I clean out the abravise by dipping in a bucket of solvent and using a bar groove cleaner (little hook nosed thing)

I then use spay carb cleaner to get any remaining abrasive out of the sprocket nose and blow everything clean and re-oil.

If you get a bar where the side links of the chain ride on the bar as it rounds the nose, the nose, or whole bar are worn out.

If you find one rail significantly taller than the other, the chain is worn that way also; good clue to restart with new stuff.

 

[Gypo Logger]

With regular fliping over of the bar in conjunction with bar groove cleaning with a putty knife, the use of an oribal palm sander is all we need. Dressing a bar, like grinding a chain, isnt a question of moving mass amounts of metal. Bar rails dont become round or unsquare on their own, it is a result of untrue and dull chain as well as pushing on the saw and using the tip to much.
Dont be disalusioned if the discs get clogged with paint, oil etc, it will still work, even though the discs become thread bare. Using and repairing a saw is all about having a light touch. A stitch in time saves nine.
John