problem with new bar/chain combo

[cityboy]

I recently bought a bar/chain combo and even though its a 0.058 bar and 0.058 chain, the bar groove is too narrow to run the chain properly. To give you an idea how tight it is, I can force two links into the groove, and then hold the 20" bar in the air by the remainder of the chain. Some sections have a little better clearance, but there's enough of it that's too tight that it can't be used.

When I measure the groove with feeler gauges, it measures right at 0.058, I can maybe force in 0.059 but its really tight. I've scraped the paint/clearcoat off the best I could with a utility knife and X-acto knife, so I think I have it as wide as its going to get. When I mic out the chain drive plates they're in the 0.058-0.059 range as well, so there's zero clearance.

My only other bar/chain setup is a 0.050, and when I do the same measurements on it there's about 0.002-0.003 difference between the groove width and drive plate thickness. The drive plates are 0.050-0.051 and the bar groove is 0.053. That seems reasonable to me, but its a few years old so I don't know what it measured when it was new.

1. I'm thinking with the new bar/chain combo the chain is probably OK, and the bar groove is probably defective and undersized, am I right?
2. I'm guessing there's no good way to widen the bar groove myself, is there?

So I'm planning on returning for refund unless someone can explain how to make this combo work.

thanks,

Doug

 

[WKEND LUMBERJAK]

Sounds like the right thing to do bar may have been mis marked.

 

[CTYank]

If you bought them at the same shop & time, alleging that they match, take them back ASAP. Tell the vendor your story, not us. They should rectify it to your satisfaction, or refund your $.

Then determine what you need for X bar length: gauge, pitch, # DL, cutter type, to help avoid repetitions.

 

[SawTroll]

Sounds like the right thing to do bar may have been mis marked.

It hardly is mismarked, as it surely isn't a .050 bar. It sounds more like there is a manufacturing defect with either the bar or the chain.

 

[Fish]

You probably got stuck with a chain that was sold briefly, and some of the drive links were slightly boogered.....

Go back and get a good chain....

 

[SawTroll]

What is the brand and model of the bar and the chain - I hope you didn't buy some junk from China!

 

[Fish]

What is the brand and model of the bar and the chain - I hope you didn't buy some junk from China!

Or Norway!!!!!

 

[cityboy]

I bought them as a package from a reputable sponsor of this site. I now have two sets with the same problem, since I called once to return the first set and they promptly sent out a replacement set. Since its the weekend I can't call them again, so I thought I'd ask here if there was any way to make it work before I sent everything back for a refund and gave up on it altogether. It was a closeout deal, so that might explain it.

 

[SawTroll]

Or Norway!!!!!

Only bars are made here, so not possible!

 

[dingeryote]

I bought them as a package from a reputable sponsor of this site. I now have two sets with the same problem, since I called once to return the first set and they promptly sent out a replacement set. Since its the weekend I can't call them again, so I thought I'd ask here if there was any way to make it work before I sent everything back for a refund and gave up on it altogether. It was a closeout deal, so that might explain it.

If I may.

The clearcoat is a bastard! It will yield with some gouging though. I ran into the same thing. AWESOME deal on a very high quality Bar otherwise.

I took a little orange screwdriver(The ones Stihl hands out and sells for adjusting carbs) and ground a bevel on the side of the blade, then heated it up and bent it at a 90 degree angle to make a one sided scraper. Chuck the bar into the vice and start peeling that clear gunk out.

Once cleaned out enough to get the drivers into the rail, grab an old chain that has been worn a good bit or an old .050 and mount it up.
Adjust the chain a little less snug, and go cut a few rounds. Heat softens the clear coat and the drivers scrape the crud out.
Don't give up yet.

Stay safe!
Dingeryote

 

[SawTroll]

If I may.

The clearcoat is a bastard! It will yield with some gouging though. I ran into the same thing. AWESOME deal on a very high quality Bar otherwise.

I took a little orange screwdriver(The ones Stihl hands out and sells for adjusting carbs) and ground a bevel on the side of the blade, then heated it up and bent it at a 90 degree angle to make a one sided scraper. Chuck the bar into the vice and start peeling that clear gunk out.

Once cleaned out enough to get the drivers into the rail, grab an old chain that has been worn a good bit or an old .050 and mount it up.
Adjust the chain a little less snug, and go cut a few rounds. Heat softens the clear coat and the drivers scrape the crud out.
Don't give up yet.

Stay safe!
Dingeryote

That sounds reasonable, if it is one of the epoxy covered German made Carlton branded bars - I understand a good scraping on the inside and top of the rails is what they need!

 

[dingeryote]

That sounds reasonable, if it is one of the epoxy covered German made Carlton branded bars - I understand a good scraping on the inside and top of the rails is what they need!

The German Carltons, and the unbranded Japaneese jobs both had the clearcoat issue. IIRC they went for 20 bucks for a 20".
Nice heavy and stiff bar, with rails that don't melt like Oregon crap. I'd gladly buy more if they still had them.

Running a .050 chain briefly on the .058 after some scraping, cleaned everything out, and from there, new .058 drivers fit fine.

Stay safe!
Dingeryote

 

[cityboy]

The German Carltons, and the unbranded Japaneese jobs both had the clearcoat issue. IIRC they went for 20 bucks for a 20".
Nice heavy and stiff bar, with rails that don't melt like Oregon crap. I'd gladly buy more if they still had them.

Running a .050 chain briefly on the .058 after some scraping, cleaned everything out, and from there, new .058 drivers fit fine.

Thanks for your replies, that was the kind of info I was hoping to find from someone who had used these same bars. I've scraped enough clearcoat out of the groove that for now it appears that I'm scraping mostly bar metal out, and its still too tight in several places. I don't have an old .050 chain in the same size as the bar, or I'd give that a try because I'm tired of hand scraping at this point.

 

[dingeryote]

Thanks for your replies, that was the kind of info I was hoping to find from someone who had used these same bars. I've scraped enough clearcoat out of the groove that for now it appears that I'm scraping mostly bar metal out, and its still too tight in several places. I don't have an old .050 chain in the same size as the bar, or I'd give that a try because I'm tired of hand scraping at this point.

It's doubtfull you are scraping metal. The rails are hardened to a couple points higher than the chain, and just about any tool you can stick in the groove.

Did you try an old .058 with worn drivers?

Stay safe!
Dingeryote

 

[cityboy]

It's doubtfull you are scraping metal. The rails are hardened to a couple points higher than the chain, and just about any tool you can stick in the groove.

Did you try an old .058 with worn drivers?

Stay safe!
Dingeryote

unless clearcoat is magnetic, which I'm sure its not, the clump of shavings on my bench that I picked up with a magnet must have been bar metal, or my utility knife, and my knife edge looks too good for the pile of shavings to be from it only. That's why I'm frustrated with this bar, for the price I was willing to do a little clearcoat scraping to set it up, but this is ridiculous. I probably spent at least 30 minutes or more scraping the groove on one side of the bar, and the middle part of that side is usable now, but the last couple inches on each end are still binding fairly tightly. So I think the shavings on the bench are the reason for the improvement in that area.

I'm a homeowner, so I don't have a bunch of old chains hanging around to help clear it out as you suggest, and from what I can see inside the rail the clearcoat is gone so I don't think it would help much at this point anyway. For $30 savings I'm not going to re-machine my entire bar inch by inch by hand.