I work as a cartaker at a campgound and over the past year I cut some 30+ cords of fire wood to sell to campers. For some reason all my chainsaws cut a cresent shape hooking to the left after two or three days of use.

It does not seem to matter if I sharpen by hand with a round file or take the chain in to a professional.

Starting with a new bar brings the same result. I have been grinding my bars back to flat and this solves the problem for the usual two or three days but it is very time consuming.

I used to run a chain saw on a forest fire crew out west and if I remember right we did all our own sharpening for weeks at a time without this problem

Is this normal? or am I doing something wrong when cutting, or sharpening?

Thanks for your time and your help.

 

"For some reason all my chainsaws cut a cresent shape"
Are you saying that this happens with more than one saw? Also, what is the grinding that you are doing to the bar?

 

I'm not a chainsaw pro but any time my saw cuts lopsided, is because the angles of the teeth or rakers are not consistant.

 

Hello: Joe

Surface the bar and install a new (never used prior) chain. Problem should be solved. Reason why. The bottoms of the links that ride on the bar rail are worn unevenly. Thus, the chain runs at an angle even though the bar rail is surfaced level and correctly.

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Thanks for the input so far.

I would still like a bit more information if any of you have any. I have resurfaced the bar from time to time and put a new chain on. I have started with a new chain and bar. The problem still comes up the same. Many people say, well, just take it to be sharpened. That would mean going out 2 or 3 times a day. I cant believe that loggers and other tree professionals are taking that much time out of thier day to have thier chain sharpened. There must be an easier way. What causes a chain to begin cutting crooked. How can it be caught and corrected ahead of time. I am on my chain saws all day long, 6-9 tanks of gas/bar oil in the saw every day. If any one knows I would like more information on what is causing this and how to maintain a working saw without several trips a day to the sharpener.

thanks,

 

Post the make, model and age of your saw, length of the bar, what exactly you are using to sharpen your saw and the stone diameter if you use a power sharpener.

 

You sure the bar is dead inline with the drive sprocket of the chain???

ED

 

Hello,

Sorry Im a little vauge on the details with the saws, they are at work and Im here at home. I dont think the problem is with the saws since it happens accross the board. I think it is with me. I must be doing something wrong which is why I am looking for more information.

I use a ;

jonsered turbo ??? just purchased new last month. All have bars around 20" long


Stihl farm boss??? 3 years old or less. Bar and chain replaced occasionally

Huskavarna 53? 55? 52? 50 something. also not more than 3 years old. Bar and chain replaced occasionally

I use whatever the specified round file is to sharpen them,

When I have the sharpener grind them he uses whatever he uses, I really dont know.

It makes sense that once a chain is worn it wont ride right even if the bar is good.

I cant believe that the solution is just get a new bar and chain though because if that were true then why would it happen at all, everything at one time started with a new bar and chain.

What I am trying to figure out is what creates the problem.

Well thanks for the help.

also, I keep it out of the dirt, here in PA its keep it out of the rocks!

 

Hello: Joe

Sincerely meant. Not meant to insult you in any way. Cannot imagine how not cutting straight can be caused by the machine, bar or chain when all are new and bar is installed correctly. Thus, may be your cutting technique?

The operator should only have to hold the saw securely and let the weight of the machineand the cutting chain feed downwards. If cutting horizontally, operator could cause slight angle on large diameter logs.

Not mentioned is the direction of cutting. Vertically downwards or horizontally? May be a key factor.

 

i find that the best way to keep my saw cutting true is to run the file through each tooth a few times with each fill up of the gas tank....thus it stays sharper fro longer (for me anyway) if i let the saw get too dull i can never seem to get each side of the saw the same and i start to cut curved like you stated...if i take my saw to a guy with a machine he can usually get it straightened out but he tells me he has to take quite a bit of the teeth as i ahve sharpened them uneven and to cut straight they need to be equal on each side

 

An old logger friend told me yrs ago to take the same # of file strokes on all the cutters. This helps to keep them all the same length, which is critical to keep saw cutting straight. Keeping the angle the same is important tho I'm baffled as to how a new bar and chain can start doing it without hitting rocks.
Mike

 

i think i read everything possible except checking for the correct chain gauge.
the drive links are available in four or five thicknesses and can be ignored by an inexperienced sales rep. check the bar for numbers like 33,34,35,72,75,91, etc. 35SL is .325 pitch, same as 33 and 34 but the gauge is .050. put that on a bar that is .063 and it will turn in a cut like a worn out bar.

 

I too have had this problem from time to time on my 30 yr old Homelite Super XL 16" and my new Jonsered 2150 Turbo, 18" When I throw on a new chain, it cuts like a dream & straight.
I sharpen my own chains and and recently bought a power sharpener, table top mount with a 6" thin round cutting wheel/sharpening wheel.
It does a night job, ... but am not sure it is doing as good as a round file, I think it's going to need the round file too, you keep the round 1/2 round shape in the mouth of the cutting tooth.

But I do now that if your chain have to much hang or slop in it, and you don't tighten it, you will dull your chain in a hurry. .... at least it seems that way for me.
Dan

 

When using a heavy saw on vertical cuts, be careful to not let the weight of the saw left of the bar cause the saw to tilt. If the bottom of the bar tilts right, it will tilt the chain left and cause your problem. Just a thought.
Also make sure a stone or other hard object is not lodged in the discharge section. This could dull the chain links on the right side and cause it to cut to the left.

 

I worked for forestry for 17 yrs. plus had a tree business. From all the replies you received and still no problem solved, I'd say you're leaning on the saw. You prob don't even notice it but it happens all the time. It's like swearing you're walking a straight line in the woods then come to realize you've been veering to the right or left. Take notice of the leaning and see if it helps.

Stands

 

I was about to post the same thing.

Let the blade do the work.

 

I'm new to the group and have a question. I noticed some of the shops flip the bar over. Is this to even the ware and would not doing this possibly cause this problem of not cutting straight? Any input is appreciated. Thanks, Wayne

 

Hello Wayne (gmcguy.) Welcome to our Do-It-Yourself Web Site and my Sharpening Shop forum topic.

To answer your questions, both are yes and for both reasons.

Weight load is on the bottom rail. Bottom rail always obtains more ware then top rail. Take a close look at any well used bar rail. More ware on the bottom then the top. Turning the bar rail over helps to even out the ware but will not stop it.

Once the bar rail begins to ware unevenly, regardless of how but usually operator caused as mentioned in this thread, only solution is to used a bar rail grinder to even out and level both sides of the bar rail.

Cutting a straight line can be difficult in some instances. However, letting the weight of the saw do the work and not the saw operator, helps to maintain a level rail angle.

Bar rails should be resurfaced level and true with each new chain installed. Failure to do so will cause a new chain to ware to the angle of the unsurfaced rail.

Keeping the inside of the rail track clean, the oiling holes in the rail bar clean and the drive sprocket area cleaned with each chain change over or chain replacement also helps. Lack of complete and proper maintenance and operator usage helps to keep sharpening shop owners busy....

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joefrompocono;
The next time you are cutting and the saw starts cutting the crescents hand the saw to someone else and see how it cuts for them, it might not be the saw, if your hanging on to a chainsaw for 6-9 tanks of fuel a day you have some muscles that are getting pretty upset along the way. Have a nice day. Geo

 

this just started happening to my saw at a the tail end of a 3 hour session

i started with a new chain on a relatively new bar. saw has only seen mebbe 50 hours of use total. my new chain went pretty dull after about 2 hours of heavy cutting thru some 3-4 foot diameter logs which are still pretty wet seeing as they were only down last summer.

i put on my old chain that was resharpened when i ordered a my new one and for the first 15 mins or so it was ok but i noticed it slowly started to cut to the right in a crescent shape which was very annoying and caused the saw not to want to cut very well since it was chaffing on the opposite angle.

i switched over to a smaller diameter log and the problem seemed to get much worse.

im just assuming the home hardware that i had my old chain sharpened at didnt do a very good job at sharpening the old links

i guess ill be bringing all my chains in to a professional sharpener now

 

Hey all - I came here looking for an answer to the same problem.... but I didn't have time or $ to try all the r&r cures... My saw was cutting to the right drastically and as one of you mentioned the smaller the diameter seems the worse the problem.... might sound unconscionable - but I don't really CARE WHY today - I wanna get my wood cut!


SO I sharpened the cutters on the LEFT side.... WHOA! nice and straight and smooth and FAST!

Try it!... Worry about all the "WHY's" sometime this winter when there's nothing better to do, BUT a nice fire to do it in front of!

Thanks for a great bunch of information on the site to help us all out!

Don in the woods of the Great Northwest.

 

Thanks to Don for posting what works in practice! I've had several chainsaws that would make crescent cuts that would look good on an outhouse door, but never figured the cause. Did everything in the previous posts. So, saw cuts to the left, resharpen on the right. Presto! Straight fast cuts. Bucked several 15 - 24" logs today. Still sharp...and straight.

The clue came when after making several straight cuts, it started curving to the left. Then I remembered that I'd accidently run the blade slightly into the dirt on that last straight cut. Doesn't take much. Did a standard sharpening, but still cut crooked. Resharpening on the right fixed it.

Thanks to Don and this forum. It finally occurred to pose my problem to google and up popped this forum. I'll pass along a few other tips while I'm here that I didn't see listed and I've found useful in 30 years of cutting firewood on my 16 acres (renewable energy source).

1. DON'T ever let the blade touch dirt! Buck a log half way down for it's length, then roll it over to finish.

2. Don't loan your saw.

3. Saw shops sell common size grinding stones that fit in your Dremmel tool. No jig required. Just match the angle of the stone to the mark on the tooth (newer chains). It's easy to get good at it. You can get a 12v grinder or use a small inverter for your truck.

4. When the chain gets wobbly in the groove, an old guy at a shop showed me how to "pound the bar". Put the bar on a solid flat block of steel and with a wide headed hammer, tap the edge of the bar to uniformly narrow the slot. Discretion advised.

5. Keep your saw in shape, keep an eye on the oiler (smoke=no oil on the bar).

6. I've always used old engine oil for chain lube. No flames please. If you haven't done it for 30 years, I don't want to hear why it won't work. And it's cheap.

7. Production work: I have a 10' long sawbuck calibrated in log lengths. Lay up logs that you can handle and zip-zip-zip. In the woods, I carry a stick marked in lengths. Lay it on the log, then use spray paint to mark your cut points.

Get that firewood in!

Bruce in the California Sierra

 

This just happened to my jonsered. I took of the chain and bar, put the bar in the vice, and filed it with a flat file. I also sharpened the teeth on the opposite side of the direction the saw was veering off too. This worked great. perfect 90 degree cuts again as long as I hold her tight and let the saw do the work. Don't be dumb like me and cut yourself while filing-wear gloves!