General Product Question
Saw will not cut straight. When cutting a log on the ground...
General Product Question posted April 9, 2016 by Steve Bennett
101 Views, 4 Comments
Question:
Saw will not cut straight. When cutting a log on the ground into fire wood, the saw does not make a straight vertical cut. Instead, it curves to the left. On an 8" log, the bottom of the cut will be off and to the left by 2 inches from the top of the cut.
my wood pile is an embarrassment!
my wood pile is an embarrassment!
Answer
Most likely it is the way the chain is sharpen. If I remember correctly cutting left hand arc is a sign the right cutters are duller than the left hand. This is also a sign that you have been cutting stumps very close the the ground and hitting fine rocks dulling the right hand cutters.
Also a bar that is worn more on the left hand side chain support groove will cause to cut a left hand arc.
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Steve,
I agree with Eugene, that it will be all the cutters on one side of the chain, or possibly the bar, or both.
If you are hand sharpening your own chains with a hand file, It may be time to take it to a shop that has a grinder, he can sharpen the chain and get all of the teeth even, and at the same angle.
When we hand sharpen we usually have a tendency to sharpen one of the sides more than the other, I think it has something to being right handed or left handed. About every fifth hand sharpening or so, I take mine to the grinder, and even up all the teeth and angles.
Also its a good idea to have a spare chain or two, with you, when your doing alot of cutting that way you don't have to keep dressing up the chain in the field as much, you can simply put a fresh chain on the bar. Oh, A good way to test If the problem is the chain, the bar, or both, is to simply put a new chain on the bar and see if it continues to cut in the arc.
If it seems to stop then its the chain, If it seems to be better but still has a slight arc, then the bar will have to be dressed too.
The two rails of the bar, one on each side of the groove, can wear down un-evenly especially once the chain starts producing a curved cut. Another easy test is to remove the bar and chain, and then find a good flat level table, I use my cast Iron table saw table, but even a good smooth formica countertop will work too. Try standing the bar on edge like standing a penny on edge, with a little practice a good bar will stand on edge rather easily, but a bar that has a worn rail on one side will fall over towards the worn side. That means the opposite side rail is just a little taller, and that side will have to be dressed down with a grinder, so that the rails are even again.
I hope this helps, Please let me Know If you need any additional information.
Karla
PS. I am Not a Husqvarna Representative or a Repair Service, Just an experimental chainsaw person.
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thanks for the comments. I will try all. had pro sharpen with no improvement.
Steve
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Steve,
I hope the Information will be helpful, Also when you do check the rails of the bar, don't forget to flip the bar over, and check both sides. It is possible that one side of the bar may still be good. It you have a good side of rails, then just use that side for a while, the good edge must be facing down. Also If you need to get the rails evened out, I would recommend a chainsaw shop that has a specific grinder for working on bars, its a speciality bar grinder needed. I have done it with a flat metal file but it is very tedious, and you also need to keep the rails even and straight for the entire length of the bar.
Also while you are checking the bar, It may be a good idea to check the bar groove for wear, this is fairly easy. Look at the bar and check the bar grove gauge stamped on the bar, it should be either .050 or .058 (inches) gauge groove. If its' ,050 use a "Dime" and move the dime in the groove of the bar, and make sure there is no place where the groove widens or narrows. It should be the same gauge groove the entire length of both sides of the bar. If the bar gauge is an .058 gauge, then use a "Penny". and follow the same process. If the goove has significantly widened, that will allow the chain to flop to one side, which will also produce a poor kerf when cutting. If the groove is narrow at one point, then you may have pinched or wedged the bar in a tree at some point in the bars life, and this condition should be corrected too. In either case the gauge of the bar must be consistent to get a good cut, and can also be fixed by a chainsaw shop.
Again just a little more Information, and I hope it helps. Please let me know If you have any additional questions. I also would be curious as you persue your chainsaws' kerf problem, what you discover.
Karla
PS. I am Not a Husqvarna Representative or a Repair Service, Just an experimental chainsaw person.
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