Saw cutting on a curve

[kzack]

Last year was my first year cutting firewood. Things are going well. I sharpen my own chains and usually everything goes well with that too. After sharpening the last chain a few times, the saw now cuts through the wood on a curve. If the log is large enough diameter, the bar will actually bind and not advance anyfurther because the bar is at such an angle. If I start my cut with the bar at an angle, it will make it the whole way through but the round will have a slight curve to it.

Why is this happening? I assume it has something to do with my sharpening of this chain, but did nothing abnormal as far as I can tell.

Thanks, Keith

 

[outdoorlivin247]

Yes, the chain is probably cutting to one side b/c of improper sharpening...It could be the bar, but i doubt it...It happens to the best of us until you get the hang of your weak side...Then you will just have to compensate for the weakness wether it be 1,2 or three more stokes for that side of the chain...If you can't get it straightened out, it might be easiest to have someone w/ a grinder clean it up for you...

 

[A. Stanton]

I had a saw that cut on an angle. The bar was bent. Take your bar off and see if it will rock on a level surface.

 

[Ductape]

I'll also say uneven sharpening of the chain. I'd take it to a saw shop and have them sharpen it once. A chain grinder has stops on it so it will make the cutters all even (if done properly)....... making your saw cut staight again. If that doesn't do it, take your bar to the saw shop and have them put the bar on a disc sander to even it up. Due to the weight of the motor on one side of the saw, it causes one side of the bar to wear a little bit faster than the other. Each time you do your chain, flip the bar over so it will wear more evenly. Like ODL247 said, it happens to the best of us.

 

[Curlycherry1]

Flip the bar over and see if that works better. Check for burrs on the bar where the chain rides in the slot. File them off with a flat file if they are present.

If it still cuts to one side sharpen the side it is cutting away from a little bit more or even dull a few teeth on the side it is cutting towards by touching them with 1-2 light passes with a flat file. If all that does not work then have it ground professionally until all the teeth are even and it will cut straight.

I filed all my chains by hand until they were completely used up. It was a man vs machine thing with me. I took great pride in winning the battle when a saw started to cut to one side and I had to get the teeth just right to get it back on track. Some people play golf to get frustrated, I battled chainsaw teeth with a file!

 

[wkpoor]

I'll be willing to bet its a worn out bar groove or wrong gauge chain on the bar. I've seen it happen with a brand new chain .050 on a .063 bar. When the cutters can rock to one side in the cut with a loose groove that will cause the cut to go wild.

 

[turnkey4099]

I vote with the majority. Since you are fairly new to the 'wooding' I'll bet you are still on your first chain. Take it in and have it sharped on a grinder to even things out. There are other causes but IME 90% of 'cuts crooked' is in the sharpening. If the shop sharping doesn't cure it, then it is time to look at wear in the bar, bent bar, wrong chain, etc.

Harry K

 

[Laird]

That happened to me every time I would hand sharpen a chain. Struggled with learning to do it for years. Taking them in to get sharpened was getting expensive so I bought a grinder.

 

[dnf0929]

I'll be willing to bet its a worn out bar groove or wrong gauge chain on the bar. I've seen it happen with a brand new chain .050 on a .063 bar. When the cutters can rock to one side in the cut with a loose groove that will cause the cut to go wild.

:agree2:

Put your bar on a perfectly level/flat surface and make sure it will stand up on edge. Also get yourself a grinder it will make your life much easier. Northern Tool has one for about a $100 bucks. My experience is that hand sharpening is good for touch ups but it's almost impossible to restore the edges and angles.

 

[Curlycherry1]

The key to hand sharpening is holding the saw solid. I have a small vise bolted to a ~3' long board. When cutting in a woods I leave one stump high enough to work comfortably on and I nail/screw that board to the stump. When I need to sharpen the saw I use the vise to hold saw. I also flip the saw over to get access to one side of the teeth at a more comfortable feel. Being left handed can be tough. With a little practice with a good holding system I was able to use up all my chains without ever having to get the ground. The amount ot wood I cut with each chain was also much higher because I was not loosing teeth to excess grinding.

 

[kzack]

Thanks for the replies guys. I actually scored about 50 cords of wood last summer and a lot more through last winter and I've done a lot of chain sharpening. I guess I could / should have provided this info, last summer I made a nice seat and bench using two large rounds of wood. I had a vice that I could mount to the bench. Well I ended up cutting those up and said shoot I can hold the bar by hand while I sharpen the chain. This is the only chain I've sharpened that way and is probably the problem. I turn the bar over on every other sharpen, but I'll check that for straightness / flatness. Although I might take this chain in to be sharpened with a grinder it also gives me satisfaction to do it myself with a file. Live and learn I guess...

Thanks, Keith

 

[KsWoodsMan]

I "rocked out" one side of a chain on a hidden glass insulator in some wood. Every cut after that would curve like you described. One side was cutting deeper than the other. This caused it to pull to the sharp side of the chain. Making sure your drags are all even too can help keep it cutting straight.

Machine sharpened cutters are all the same length and all the drags are the same depth in relation to the cutter length. I find that to be inportant to how well they all cut together. I'll watch the sizes of the chips coming out of the cut. If I'm getting some big and some small and it doesn't feel 'smoooth' as it goes through the wood , I'll spend some extra time evening things up by hand or drop it off with my brother to get sharpened.

Sounds like you are on the right track with it.

 

[J.W Younger]

Thanks for the replies guys. I actually scored about 50 cords of wood last summer and a lot more through last winter and I've done a lot of chain sharpening. I guess I could / should have provided this info, last summer I made a nice seat and bench using two large rounds of wood. I had a vice that I could mount to the bench. Well I ended up cutting those up and said shoot I can hold the bar by hand while I sharpen the chain. This is the only chain I've sharpened that way and is probably the problem. I turn the bar over on every other sharpen, but I'll check that for straightness / flatness. Although I might take this chain in to be sharpened with a grinder it also gives me satisfaction to do it myself with a file. Live and learn I guess...

Thanks, Keith

welcome to the site
keep them rakers tuned up, they have a lot too say about how good the cutters work

 

[turnkey4099]

:agree2:

Put your bar on a perfectly level/flat surface and make sure it will stand up on edge. Also get yourself a grinder it will make your life much easier. Northern Tool has one for about a $100 bucks. My experience is that hand sharpening is good for touch ups but it's almost impossible to restore the edges and angles.

There are many filing jigs that set and hold all the angles for you. I use one and it takes me about 10 minutes to turn out a chain that cuts as well as a shop grinder job.

Harry K

 

[Wood Doctor]

I've usually found that if it pulls to the right, the teeth on the right are sharper than the teeth on the left. If it pulls to the left, then the teeth on the left are sharper than the teeth on the right.

It's as if the sharper teeth are working better and carrying the ones on the other side of the bar as extra baggage.

Also, the larger the sharpening angle, the faster a tooth will cut. So if you have a 30-degree sharpening angle on one side and 25 degrees on the other, the 30-degree side will pull the 25.

 

[MotorSeven]

:agree2:

Put your bar on a perfectly level/flat surface and make sure it will stand up on edge.

I had this happen to me. Remove the chain and try and stand the bar up on it's edge on a piece of glass(or something that you know is perfectly flat). I would bet your bar is worn and needs dressing. While you are at it check the sprocket or rim, if it is worn bad it is changing the angles on the part of the chain that rides in the bar's slot. Once I fixed my bar, no more curves.

RD

 

[Straightgrain]

It must be a "Howard Dean" Chainsaw?

 

[sesmith]

You're probably cutting one side of the chain more than the other (easy to do when hand sharpening) so one set of teeth are a little lower than the other set (causing the crooked cut). Have it sharpened on a grinder to bring them all equal again. Clamping setups for the bar aren't necessary once you get the hang of touching the chain up by hand (though I do use a file holder with angle markings on it).