Time for a new bar?

[rarefish383]

I'm with Turnkey, most cutting issues are with the sharpening. That being said, rotten sharpening can ruin a bar. Cause overheating, take the temper out. The close up of the chain looks terrible. The tips look like they have been rocked. Another thing that can ruin a bar is not enough oil. Your oiler should always be set as wide open as it will go. Too much oil can't hurt, too little can. I have 50 year old bars that saw commercial service for 20 years and then me cutting firewood and milling with them another 30 years and they are 100% serviceable. If you ever have to PUSH on the saw to get it to cut, stop, it's dull. If you keep pushing after it's dull you are going to create heat and ruin the chain and bar.

 

[KostasVolos]

I had the same issue myself .
In my case the bar had uneven rails .Replaced both bar and chain .Problem solved.

Bar was a cheap one .
Rails were so uneven ,they couldn't be hand-filed to be even again .Bar not worth for the rails to be machined even again.

 

[Mustang71]

I'm with Turnkey, most cutting issues are with the sharpening. That being said, rotten sharpening can ruin a bar. Cause overheating, take the temper out. The close up of the chain looks terrible. The tips look like they have been rocked. Another thing that can ruin a bar is not enough oil. Your oiler should always be set as wide open as it will go. Too much oil can't hurt, too little can. I have 50 year old bars that saw commercial service for 20 years and then me cutting firewood and milling with them another 30 years and they are 100% serviceable. If you ever have to PUSH on the saw to get it to cut, stop, it's dull. If you keep pushing after it's dull you are going to create heat and ruin the chain and bar.

I like the advice and compassion for chainsaws and wood cutting. I'm not as experienced as you are. Yes I've been cutting wood for 10 years and I got this saw with a bar that has chunks missing out of it. I put the chain on 5 years ago when I got it and I've been sharpening and cutting since. I've dropped over 100 trees with this saw and cut probably 50 cords of wood. I haven't had any issues or had to man handle the saw to do cutting. It always cuts great for me and that's one reason I choose this particular saw over my other ones. Now suddenly it cuts like **** which is unusual so I asked for help. I'm 33 years old with a lot to learn and I get it.

 

[Mustang71]

I did take a belt sander to the rails and they are straight again and I cleaned up the outside of the bar. There's less wiggle in the chain now. There was a groove cut into the rails from the chain. I will try it again and see what happens. I ordered a new bar and chain also.

 

[Mustang71]

Re filed my chain for all you haters who weren't a fan of the just finished cutting look lol there's been a lot of file learning on this chain which is part of the reason for the cutters being different shapes and sizes. It has always cut nicely for me though

 

[singinwoodwackr]

The rails are wollered out allowing the chain to angle away from the cut. With the chain on the saw and adjusted you should not be able to rock it side to side more than approx 1/8. you could try putting a abrasive wheel on a table saw to grind the rails down but my guess is the damage is the whole driver deep. Standard tsumura bars are good and not to expensive stens saber bars arent too bad either. I would steer clear of stihl bars unless they have a replaceable tip. Tractor supply bars arent too bad.

assuming you have cleaned out the bottom of the TS before letting the sparks fly, lol and turn off the dust collector...

 

[singinwoodwackr]

Re filed my chain for all you haters who weren't a fan of the just finished cutting look lol there's been a lot of file learning on this chain which is part of the reason for the cutters being different shapes and sizes. It has always cut nicely for me though

leading edge on the right is still dull at the point. That alone can cause a saw to wander sideways but the worn out rails are your main cause. I'd bet you could get some more time out of that bar by dressing the rails back to true.

If you don't have one, get one...a 1 x 30" belt sander...under $100 for even a decent one.
The little disc sander is only really good for pencil sharpening so not needed. Get a good 4" machinist square and check it periodically for true.

 

[Mustang71]

leading edge on the right is still dull at the point. That alone can cause a saw to wander sideways but the worn out rails are your main cause. I'd bet you could get some more time out of that bar by dressing the rails back to true.

If you don't have one, get one...a 1 x 30" belt sander...under $100 for even a decent one.
The little disc sander is only really good for pencil sharpening so not needed. Get a good 4" machinist square and check it periodically for true.
View attachment 1057799

I hit the bar with a hand held belt sander. On a 16 inch bar it covered most of it without moving it. It was sharp though and destroyed the paper. It's back to "flat". I find it hard to belive that a delta belt sander is less than 100$ lol. Is it about getting it flat again or removing enough material that whatever is damaged is gone? Also how do you compensate for cutters on different sides of the bar? I can't seem to file them the same.

 

[buzz sawyer]

The bar looks better. The differences in cutter length is not that big of a problem if the rakers are filed to the right depth.
The gullet on one cutter needs opened up and as already stated, the point on the one cutter is still dull. We're not picking on you, just pointing out things that can contribute to the problem you're having.

 

[Mustang71]

The bar looks better. The differences in cutter length is not that big of a problem if the rakers are filed to the right depth.
The gullet on one cutter needs opened up and as already stated, the point on the one cutter is still dull. We're not picking on you, just pointing out things that can contribute to the problem you're having.
View attachment 1057815View attachment 1057816

And I appreciate the advice. I remember when I had the logger over to handle a lot of my ash tree problem and he had a conversation with me while he filed his chain kind of the same way I do my job, half brain dead to the whole operation. My saws sit idle a lot until I need to cut wood or remove trees. It's not an every day practice. Trust me I want to get better and figure out what I'm doing wrong. The cutting crooked I get is on me and fileing. The bar stopping in the cut is new and I had no idea about bar maintenance. I flip the thing when I clean and shapren the chain. At this point I've filed this chain a ton in the last couple weeks and the cutters are getting down there. There's not much in person learning anymore. People my age work in offices, don't do manual work, and when a chain is dull they buy a new one if they own a chainsaw at all. My 70 something year old neighbor who heats with wood loves that I can cut a tree and put it where it needs to go. His tree work is dangerous, scary, and crude but it's worked for him for 50 years. I watched him almost kill himself while he ramed a tree he cut with his tractor to send it the other way as it was falling his way. I'm learning as I go and trying to stay safe.

 

[singinwoodwackr]

I hit the bar with a hand held belt sander. On a 16 inch bar it covered most of it without moving it. It was sharp though and destroyed the paper. It's back to "flat". I find it hard to belive that a delta belt sander is less than 100$ lol. Is it about getting it flat again or removing enough material that whatever is damaged is gone? Also how do you compensate for cutters on different sides of the bar? I can't seem to file them the same.

Hand held sander or file will make it much worse. 1 degree off and it will cut sideways...no way to get the needed accuracy.
The rails need to be brought back to 90 degrees, like new. I've never had to go more than 1/32" except with a bad chip or other ding. The groove is usually deep enough to take a 16th off if needed but try a piece of new chain or putty knife to measure the depth on yours. If the chain rides on the bottom of the groove rather than the rails it's time to replace the bar.

Once ground flat I shamfer the now ragged edge with a raker file just enough to get the burrs off. It doesn't take much.

Sanders, $79 and up on Amazon, less if you can find a used Delta.
I use 80g Zircon belts for metal.

 

[Jimsntctz]

I've been absent for a while. Anyways I've been cutting with my 028 the last few weeks and I am having issues. This is my main saw that I use. First I thought maybe the ash logs were frozen. I've never had that issue before. I've been sharpening the chain a lot trying to avoid my issue. The issue is the saw sometimes cuts at an angle and the bar seems to bind up mid cut. Not pinched just revs way up until you reposition it and it bites again. Some cuts are fine and some it acts like this. I came in today and checked the angles on the cutters and they are real close to even. One side I always file different. The bar is original, is that my issue? I've not yet worn out a bar that I know of. If so what's a decent bar that won't break the bank? Forester? Stihl? Or just a cheap county line one?

Woodland pro has good priced bars, check out Bailey’s