QA

Question: Why Is My Chainsaw Cutting Crooked

Dull cutters damaged by rocks can cause a chain to cut crooked. It’s important to remove all damage from cutters prior to cutting. Cutting with a dull chain can accelerate wear to the bar and chain. If you sharpen your chain at a 25º setting on your left hand, your right hand cutters should match.

How do I stop my chainsaw for cutting crooked?

Check the size of the top plates, which sit on the longer sections of each tooth on the chain. These top plates should be the same size. If some are shorter than others, file the longer ones down to match. Keep the same angle on all the top plates as you file – angles that don’t match also can cause curved cutting.

How do I know if my chainsaw bar is bent?

Be sure the tip roller spins freely, and a level or other known straight edge to see if its bent. And fix it with hand tools like say a board layed on it and a hammer if too wide a groove, or spread it with a screwdriver if too narrow. If bent, put in vise and gentle bend back to straight.

How tight should the chain be on a chainsaw?

A properly-tensioned chainsaw chain should still be just a little loose on the chainsaw guide bar, but the chain needs to be tight enough that you can’t pull the drive links out of the bar nose.

How long should a chainsaw last?

Under normal usage, you can expect a good quality chainsaw to last at least 10 years. How long it will last depends greatly on maintenance; good maintenance can easily double the lifespan to 20 years or more.

How long should a chainsaw bar last?

Re: how long does a bar last The next, a Granberg, lasted about 2 months. About that time Stihl started using them with the same results. A good bar can be filed a few times on both sides and the tip replaced when needed. They could last almost as long as the saw.

Can you straighten a bent chainsaw chain?

Re: Straighting a bent chain If you just have a few drive links twisted a vice will usually straighten them out . If however you bent the drivers up in the chain it’s self it might not be a bad idea to just change them rather than take a chance of breaking a chain .

Why does the chain slip on my chainsaw?

Chainsaw chains come off the bar due to worn-out bars, worn-out sprockets, and wrongly set tension. You should also note that with continued use, chains lose their tension and hence are more likely to come off the bar when you least expect it.

Do chainsaw chains stretch over time?

It’s perfectly normal for a chainsaw chain to stretch after regular use. The friction from cutting through wood makes the chain very hot and the heat causes it to loosen. The heat expands the guide bar and when it cools, the chain has stretched. The chain will also loosen as it wears down from use.

How often do you file rakers?

More experienced cutters have a good feel for how their saw is cutting, and simply take their rakers down whenever they seem to need it. In my case, that’s about once every five sharpenings, more or less, assuming nothing extraordinary happens, like hitting a rock.

Is it worth sharpening a chainsaw chain?

Sharpening your chainsaw chain is definitely worth it as a sharp chainsaw chain is easier to work with. It takes less effort to cut through wood and your chain will make cleaner cuts with sharp blades. A chainsaw chain can be sharpened multiple times without much of a cost.

Why does my chainsaw go blunt quickly?

What is this? Many chainsaw enthusiasts have noted that their blades dull faster when they’re cutting muddy wood. If the logs that you’re cutting up are muddy, then perhaps that is the sole reason why your blade is dulling too fast. It won’t be hard to notice whether the wood that you’re cutting is dirty or not.

How many times can you sharpen a chainsaw chain?

Cutters can be sharpened up to 10 times or more before the chain needs replacing. If your cutters are worn unevenly after a few sharpenings, a professional can regrind them to uniform shape. If you use the same chain for a few years, then buy a new one, the new one won’t mesh smoothly with the sprocket and bar.

Can you flip a chainsaw bar?

Every chainsaw bar has been designed to be mounted right-side up or upside down. The reason for this is that it allows the user to extend the life of his chainsaw bar by 50%. Flipping the bar will give the heavily-used areas some relief from wear and tear. This reduces a chainsaw’s ability to cut accurately.

When should I replace chainsaw chain?

Once the wear markers have been met it’s essential to replace the chainsaw chain. Filing past the wear marker will greatly reduce the chain’s cutting performance, and increases the risk of the tooth breaking off. Ideally you should reach the tooth and depth gauge markers at roughly about the same time.