The verdict is in concerning my powwermatch bar!

Arborist Forum

Help Support Arborist Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
I have no problem with criticism that is rightly done so. But those who begin to insinuate that I am fabricating or shading the truth to try and prove a point, I will buck that. I can however assure anyone here, there has been absolutely no impact to the chain or bar. Every time I have hit something hard with a chain, it has left scratches leading down in either the top or side of the cutter, and there is none in this chain. If I state some evidence, and it doesn't equal someone's conclusion, then that should say something about their conclusion, not the evidence provided by me. I have no reason to fabricate anything, it does me no good at all, or anyone else.

There is no way this bar should have wore that fast, I have cut too many rotted trees over the years to believe otherwise. I made only a couple cuts in the rotted section with this thing, and it was done. I also filed the grooves out of the bar a few minutes ago with a hand file, and that bar is the softest I ever filed.

Now there has been those who do not agree with the above, whether it be all or some, and that is fine and everyone is welcome to chime in. But I did not make anything up, and I posted this as an informative thread and open for discussion.

Thanks for your involvement in this thread, and we'll be talking to ya!
good post! Will look at pics next. One can't really be a 'nay sayer' until it's all presented.
Perhaps I may not have said a lot of things in my last post if this site was flourishing as it had in past years..
I'm ashamed to say that as it really shouldn't matter if there is 50,000 members or 50. People should be welcomed and treated decent. To me It doesn't make any difference if they have any experience or own a saw for that matter. Sites shift and crowds change. People want the old familiarity. I certainly haven't always been an angel but I don't want people to get a bad impression and leave off the site. We need the people here to build the site up.
I just didn't want to see you get frustrated and things blow up.

I just read Andy's post....I believe that was Glen's word "impact"

It's been dusted in my terms
 
good post! Will look at pics next. One can't really be a 'nay sayer' until it's all presented.
Perhaps I may not have said a lot of things in my last post if this site was flourishing as it had in past years..
I'm ashamed to say that as it really shouldn't matter if there is 50,000 members or 50. People should be welcomed and treated decent. To me It doesn't make any difference if they have any experience or own a saw for that matter. Sites shift and crowds change. People want the old familiarity. I certainly haven't always been an angel but I don't want people to get a bad impression and leave off the site. We need the people here to build the site up.
I just didn't want to see you get frustrated and things blow up.

I just read Andy's post....I believe that was Glen's word "impact"

It's been dusted in my terms
Who is Glen and where does that sob live?[emoji6]

Sent from my LG-H871 using Tapatalk
 
image.png
Even with this out of focus pic you can see tooth on the bottom is missing the point & isn't sharp & pointed like the top one, one of your other pics showed the hook angle too shallow by maybe 20 degrees, plus freshly ground & looking as though it hadn't been in timber cutting yet? The wear marks on your bar are in a place that doesn't even contact wood because it is under the side cover, this story smells fishy.
Thanski
 
@Andyshine77

Haha...IDK...We are just stuck with access to his place of employment , email & phone digits ..lol
I haven't commented on the chain too much yet.. but yeah! from the video it looked mostly on the outside which is usually always going to be the most susceptible to getting dusted out or rocks if they are present obviously because it's on the ground side when cutting any plant life or saplings down. Lots of time the sand is in the tree or moss.
Sometimes I won't realize it right away on a few smaller tree's until I dog in on a flat cut on bigger trees.
Then I feel the resistance as it's binding so I shut it down right away or you will have a hard time continuing in the same cut again when you fix the chain. At least with round chisel, it's not very forgiving.[/QUOTE]
 
Did someone say bar? I sure could use a drink after reading all this.
The OP started out saying that this bar started to not cut straight, he reckoned the chain wasn't the problem , the pictures show that is was a problem, with lower quality bars if cutting is continued with a chain pulling to one side they will wear the groove quicker on one side than a higher quality one & if you cut for long enough without fixing both the chain & now bar problems you can throw the whole set away , I've been there, the moral of the story is to stop cutting immediately if the cuts are pulling to one side sharpen the chain & don't blame the bar.
BTW I would have taken the offer of a new bar without hesitation.
Thanski
 
I'm no expert, but from the pictures and video, I see lack of lube causing bar wear, can see that on the nose where it meets the bar, both shows dry wear, and a chain not properly sharpened that been hitting an abrasive material. That said I will sit back on the side lines and rest my peace.

Steve, Samsung On5 using Tapatalk
 
View attachment 608302
Even with this out of focus pic you can see tooth on the bottom is missing the point & isn't sharp & pointed like the top one, one of your other pics showed the hook angle too shallow by maybe 20 degrees, plus freshly ground & looking as though it hadn't been in timber cutting yet? The wear marks on your bar are in a place that doesn't even contact wood because it is under the side cover, this story smells fishy.
Thanski

The chain on the bottom is a brand new Carlton, fresh out of the box, no way it could be damaged, and is still new only hanging on a nail now. And there where wear marks at the tip of the bar on the bottom, I filed them out a few hours ago, about 2" long.
 
Can you turn the oiler up or is it fixed. I work on cars for a living, 32 years going. I've seen lack of lubrication before. Mostly caused by low oil output or something is blocking its path. Same principles apply either way. Can you fit a higher output pump on the saw?

Steve, Samsung On5 using Tapatalk
 
Not where I'm at, oil is all we use, but I don't make a living cutting, only cut now on fallen or dead standing tree and firewood. Full chisel on clean wood and semi on trash that's in the creek and on the ground.

Steve, Samsung On5 using Tapatalk
 
View attachment 608302
Even with this out of focus pic you can see tooth on the bottom is missing the point & isn't sharp & pointed like the top one, one of your other pics showed the hook angle too shallow by maybe 20 degrees, plus freshly ground & looking as though it hadn't been in timber cutting yet? The wear marks on your bar are in a place that doesn't even contact wood because it is under the side cover, this story smells fishy.
Thanski
You took a wrong turn somewhere and missed the door to P&R sec:omg:
Wow! Do I ever feel like a pssy.
I should call up all those people that MAY have done me wrong over the years but IDK for certain, and just put it on them all..haha. Nice guy! Simon spent some time putting it all together to bring some discussion. Frankly it's something this place has been lacking. He has made acknowledgment about the chain not being perfect. After the first comment as well He is very clear in his first video that there was no cutting getting done at all near the top of the bar.
The OP started out saying that this bar started to cut straight, he reckoned the chain wasn't the problem , the pictures show that is was a problem, with lower quality bars if cutting is continued with a chain pulling to one side they will wear the groove quicker on one side than a higher quality one & if you cut for long enough without fixing both the chain & now bar problems you can throw the whole set away , I've been there, the moral of the story is to stop cutting immediately if the cuts are pulling to one side sharpen the chain & don't blame the bar.
BTW I would have taken the offer of a new bar without hesitation.
Thanski

*Cracks knuckle*
*Rolls up sleeves*
I go a couple of rounds of chain with ya... I'll take all you fluckers on..lol

I get to pick chain of topic though

How about round chisel.



Back with my rebuttal
 
You took a wrong turn somewhere and missed the door to P&L sec:omg:
Wow! Do I ever feel like a pssy.
I should call up all those people that MAY have done me wrong over the years but IDK for certain, and just put it on them all..haha. Nice guy! Simon spent some time putting it all together to bring some discussion. Frankly it's something this place has been lacking. He has made acknowledgment about the chain not being perfect. After the first comment as well He is very clear in his first video that there was no cutting getting done at all near the top of the bar.


*Cracks knuckle*
*Rolls up sleeves*
I go a couple of rounds of chain with ya... I'll take all you fluckers on..lol

I get to pick chain of topic though

How about round chisel.



Back with my rebuttal

I'd say you didn't watch his first video in the first thread then which showed more wear at the drive end of the bar, someone mentioned lack of oil. No doubts the bar hasn't the steel quality of the old stihl or dolmar west German manufactured ones.
If the new bar offer was taken up it would have been able to have been put into similar service as a comparison. I really doubt the old bar was tested for harness, if it was it would have been peppered indents left from the hardness testing all over the hardened surfaces.
Thanski
 
I have a bunch of Powermatch bars that I received with used saws. The fact is the hardness of the rails is not consistent but they are all soft to some degree. I have one several years old that is soft.
Oregon has decided to be only in the price point market with their bars. They aren't total pieces of crap but they aren't what they once were for sure.

It's certainly worth looking around for something better that's economical.
 
OP: finally had a look at you first video in the orig thread.
from what I could see thru these cataracts and stuff,
that D196 bar is a bit on the dry side, specially in the groove.
A D196 bar was a pattern used on the old Homelites and similar.
Some of those saws had troudle with rubber valves in oiler that might
cause the bar oil to get burnt in cylinder, cutting flow to bar/chain.
Maybe not the case here, but something worth filing away.
 
I'd say you didn't watch his first video in the first thread then which showed more wear at the drive end of the bar, someone mentioned lack of oil. No doubts the bar hasn't the quality of the old west German manufactured ones .
Thanski
German steel it's not. Yes I did watch the first video a half dozen times. A couple times again today. Granted, I am watching on my phone. The pictures today were just dark on my phone with the exception of the last one.
The first video is which I just made reference to. The tail is and has been the focus of the wear. I haven't entertained the rest of the bar as any excessive wear to raise discussion.
Again there is so much we never got to see. I agree 100% that the chain had a very obvious dusting.
A chain is a Butcher's knife. It's your bread and butter. The chain would not have cut straight if one side was dusted. I did have the same thing happen so my thought is It may be softer and hardens after it is used. Much like trying to file a chain that hasn't been filed in a while or rakers. They get a hard surface. Perhaps if he rectifys the chain issue and any other unbeknownst issue that may or may no be then perhaps the bar will be just fine. Usually they are next to impossible to dress an older Oregon bar with your raker file. It take a while to break that hard surface. The
rest is inconclusive at this time.
 
Back
Top