Chainsaw not cutting straight!

[JBMac]

Anybody ever had this happen. Took my trusty Stihl 025 out to the huntin cabin to cut up a pine that the bark beetles got. It would not make a strait cut, kind of an arching cut till it bound. Thought the bar might be bent, so turned it over. Same direction curved cut. Good sharp chain. Think its the chain. Never seen this in15 years of running a saw. Any guesses?

John

 

[Zachary Hoyt]

It is either that one set of teeth or rakers is filed shorter than the other or that your bar is worn. Measure the length of each tooth and see if they are all the same. To check the bar remove the chain and set a 6" rule across the bar. If it sits level the bar is okay, if not you may need to grind or file the high side down so it is even. It is more likely the chain. I do not have a power sharpener, so I have had to become good at sharpening chains evenly. It was a steep learning curve at first. If you have yours sharpened professionally I would guess that the person who was doing it must have accidentally changed the tooth length when he changed sides.
Zach

 

[John A.]

JBMac, Go get a new Chain and bar. Your old ones are just worn and you need to replace them IMO. Even thought you didn't say how old the blade and bar were if over 2 yrs old they are probably shot. A new blade and bar will cure your problems. Hope this helps. I have gotten into the same situation with my old 036 with a 24 in bar and blade....
Later,
John A.

 

[Phil Munson NY]

No guesses. Some call it butter bowling. This happens when some cutters are longer than others. If you file or grind the cutters until they are all the same length the saw will cut straight. HTH. best, Yeoman

 

[former logger]

chain was sharpened to much on one side. will cause the chain to pull the direction that it was sharpened more on. same number of sharpening strokes on each side. after 3 sharpenings file the drags 1/2 stroke with a flat file will do wonders for you.

 

[Anonymous-0]

sound like yo hit a nail or stone and dulled some of the teeth have it resharped

 

[TomR Ont]

JBMac, I have an 034 same thing, I put on a newer chain still curved, took it to the chain saw place he flat ground the bar, he thought it may have worn uneven. That didn't work so I got a new chain and bar - problem solved.

Sure can waste alot of time fooling around, not wanting to spend $$$$ you should have in the first place.

 

[JBMac]

Thanks for all the help. I bought an Oregon power sharpener. In my learning curve, it's entirely possible I didn't sharpen evenly, since you do one side at a time. Thanks again. I'll check the chain tomorrow.

 

[Roy in UK]

Been there done that with an 038 that we had. Frustrating isn"t it? Go get a new chain and guide bar and I promise you the problem will be solved.

 

[buickanddeere]

Chain was hand sharpened crooked by the same person who spelled arcing and straight.
I'll touch up a chain a time or two in the field by hand. However the chains comes off and get machine sharpened to keep them true and factory fresh.
I keep two or three chains per saw in the tool box so a days cutting doesn't get slowed with a dull chain.

 

[ARCADIAINC]

The bar is showing wear. The grove the chain fits in is too wide. A new bar or the proper tool to reduce gap width is necessary. The chain flops from side to side causing the cut to be curved. The tool is inexpensive. About $20.00. The other replies are also correct. The combination of a poorly sharpened chain and bar wear gives a curved cut. I am a tree surgeon. When this happens we normally just buy a new bar and chain. Gap width comes along with other bar wear. If time is money, buy new and get on with your project.

 

[old harv]

My Husky 50 did that. When I looked at the teeth, the long side of the arc were longer than the short side. I filed the long side extra and solved the problem. Mine curved to the left, so I filed the right hand teeth. Turns out, even though I file all teeth the same number of strokes, something about the way I do it, the left side gets filed more than the right side, so about every other time I sharpen, I give the teeth on the right side an extra stroke. I used the same bar for 20 years and never had a problem with it, but the drive gears were starting to wear, so I changed them and the bar. It could be a bar problem, but filing is cheaper, so I would try that first.

 

[Greenday]

Good lord you have been cutting wood for 15 years and never had a saw cut crooked! You have lived a very blessed life! Ha ha jus kiddin

 

[JDemaris]

For anybody who tells you it's the bar - do your self a favor and stop listening.

I was lucky to work as a saw mechanic for over 40 years. I still have a huge pile of bars that customers refused to use and blamed for cutting problems. So, the "customer is always right" and I got many free bars. Mostly Stihl and Homelite.

I've even taken .050" gauge chain and run it on the older Sthil bars that were made for .063" chain. Needless to say, the chain is very sloppy fit. Still cuts nice and straight as long as it's sharpened properly.

If your're trying to sharpen your own chains - a few comments. #1 - many cheap bench-mount sharpeners CANNOT sharpen full-chisel chain properly. They can't make the needed angles.
Same goes for small chain, like 1/4" like Sthil used to have on the 010s, 011s, and 015s.

 

[Mayor]

I cut about 50-60 truckloads of firewood a year.....worn out many saws....now using a MS 361 stihl and loving it.
I can almost guarantee you that you have one side of the chain sharpened differently than the other.
The grinder can be set wrong, or if you are filing by hand, one side will be different due too habit in freehanding with a file.

Althought the chain can feel razor sharp on both sides, one side will be a little different angle of grind....

Not sure but that"s where I would check first.
Too check this.....buy a brand new chain and install and try a cut....if it cuts straight...its a chain problem!.

Hope this helps.

 

[JBMac]

I had been listening to George Strait and was eating dinner from the Golden Arches when I typed the question. I better go back to the University of Florida and ask for a refund for my four year degree!

 

[Mike (WA)]

I used to have that problem (its from filing the "right hand teeth" differently than the "left hand" ones). Had a gizmo that attached to the bar, and I would re-sharpen it with that until it got so out of shape I couldn't use it, then would take it to the local chainsaw emporium to get it right again.

Finally ditched the gizmo, just got the little guide you clamp on the file to show the proper angle as you file "freehand". Presto, end of problem.

 

[Lloyd In South Carolina]

Degree didn't include chainsaw sharpening???

 

[jokers]

The guys who said the chain needs attention are most likely on the right track but I have seen many bar rails that needed to be ground or filed flat, in fact I have an electric bar rail grinder because this is a valid concern whereas my tool for closing the bar rails to compensate for groove wear hasn't been used in probably twenty years, because as jdemaris has said, bar groove width isn't all that crucial and you're more or less chasing your tail to pinch the rails back together when a bar is that far worn. How's that for a long run on sentence? LOL

I'll disagree with those who claim that tooth length side to side or absolute mirrored symmetry is crucial though, I've seen and used many chains lacking in both of those qualities that would outcut the chains on 99% of other saws in use. What is crucial is having the right relationship between the depth guages and the corresponding tooth. Symmetry is good but the depth gauge determines the thickness of the chip and that's what most affects cutting speed and straight cutting in all but theoretical applications. No matter how sharp your chain and what angles you may use, if the depth gauge isn't right, you're not going to cut well.

 

[GordoSD]

No, keep that degree. TGI Fridays will put you on as waiter instead of dishwasher if you have a degree from UF. Go Gators!

Gordo

 

[JDemaris]

It boils down to . . . the left chippers must cut at the same rate as the right chippers. If one side outdoes the other, the bar takes a turn as it cuts deep into a log, and binds up.

There are many factors that can cause that to happen. Uneven chipper length is one IF the rakers haven't been trimmed to match the shorter chippers. The shorter the chipper, the less agresssive the cut- until the raker gets ground to match the length.

We used to "refurbish" bars with grinder. Works fine when needed. That being said, I've put many a good chain on a badly worn bar and cut just fine.

 

[Pair-a-dice farm]

As most others have said, it"s most likely the way the chain is sharpened. I"ve had that happen but it"s been a long time ago. Many years ago an old logger taught me how to sharpen a chain by hand, anybody that thinks that you can"t sharpen a chain by hand don"t know squat. I cut 25-30 cords a year and never use anything but a hand file.

 

[Anonymous-0]

As mentioned, chain not sharpened evenly from side to side. I'd take that chain to a reputable shop and have it ground on a machine, and NOT because you can't hand sharpen a chain either. It needs to be brought back to a consistant shape, and if you mis-sharpened it already, not likely you'll be able to straighten it out by the same hand...

One of the biggest mistakes I see people making when sharpening chains is continuing to use a file long after it's worn out. They have a life span. Better files will obviously last a little longer. Cheap files wear quickly.

I've cut wood for heat for 45+ years now. We burn 12 to 15 cord a year (use in house and shop) I've NEVER had a chain machine sharpened yet and will match a hand sharpened chain against any NEW or machine ground chain. But like anything, it HAS to be done RIGHT to work correctly.

 

[JDemaris]

It's not a matter of not being able to do it. More about how much time you can waste with a file. If I hit a rock or piece of fence on a three foot diameter tree with my 32" bar and full chisel chain - I'd be there all day trying to get it properly sharpened again.

A good hard, full chisel chain that hits a stone, maple spile, or piece of fence wire in a tree can be near impossible to get right by hand. Note I said "near." We had many loggers that would hand sharpen once or twice on a damaged chain, and then get the chain stuck on a machine to get all angles back where they belong.

Big difference from a chain that has dulled slowly without hitting debris - from one that has. Also, a full chisel chain is much more difficult to hand sharpen then semi-chieel or round chipper

I know some people cut debris-free trees. Not around here in syrup and farm country. Old trees often have barbed wire, stones, metal maple taps, beer bottles, and who knows what else.

.I sharpened by hand for many years. But, things go much better and faster carrying extra chains in the woods and machine sharpening when I get home. It helps the saws last longer too (as compared to forcing them with dull chains). Even keeps the carburetor cleaner. We used to get many homeowner saws come in with plugged fuel screens inside the carbs from cutting with dull chains. Dull chains make dust instead of chips, and dust gets through tank filters fairly easy in some saws.

 

[Anonymous-0]

I agree with you completely. Just thought you might like to hear about something that happened to a friend of mine. He sawed into a car driveshaft inside a hollow tree. Someone climbed up the tree and dropped it in a hole. I guess they must have thought it was very funny.

 

[RWK in WI]

I cut an old hollow oak and ran into a octagonal gun barrel. State historical society said it was from 1800's.
Probably hid in hollow tree by trapper and lost or forgotten.

 

[JBMac]

I have a crop science degree, they dont teach spellin' in the College of Agriculture.

 

[PJH]

I've hit several horse shoes, and a piece of 2" pipe.

The horse shoes were NOT good luck, at least for me.

Paul

 

[kestrel]

I say it's the bar. I had the same problem last week on my Stihl 290 with 16" bar.
The saw cut would drift to the right even if I fought it hard.

The Stihl dealer looked at the bar, pointed out a slight dimple towards the end of the bar; said that was the reason. Sure enough. Bought a new bar. Perfect cuts !

Imperfections happen when they get stuck in a trunk and you force them out, bending them.

 

[GeneMO]

That is why I started buying firewood, even though I have 30 or 40 acres of timber. I pretty much parked my 5 chainsaws. I burn about a chord a year in my shop stove and maybe a fourth of a cord in my cabin. For $100 I can let someone else do the work.

Gene

 

[JDemaris]

You talking a full cord, or a "face cord." Around here, good hardwood, cut, split and dried is $225 to $275 for one full cord (4'X4'X8').

I've burned 3-4 full cords already this year, and couldn't imagine buying it all.

If I could buy full cords of split hardwood for $100 each, I'd probably sell off my wood lots and not run my saws or splitter anymore.