Bent bar? Crooked cuts

[Rick Stephens]

You mentioned a 20" bar and a Husky 372XP in previous posts. A quick look at Amazon shows they have a VersaCut 200VXLHD009 bar for $45. That is a 20" bar for 72 links of 0.050.

That may or may not be the correct gauge or chain that you want; I did not look for other options.

That is exactly how I got a new bar and chain on my MS361. Cost was $38 for the 20" Versacut - which is an aluminum sandwich light weight bar with steel outer for the rails. I LIKE IT! I've got a couple months and a bunch of tanks through the saw and that bar, with the new PowerCut LGX chain, flat smokes through everything. Bar and chain off Amazon was around $50. A nice bar will go a long ways towards making that a really nice saw to have around. Super nice that a $50 MSRP bar is so light and stiff. Oregon did us a nice job on these.

Oregon page for the versacut fits Makita


Rick

 

[August76]

That is exactly how I got a new bar and chain on my MS361. Cost was $38 for the 20" Versacut - which is an aluminum sandwich light weight bar with steel outer for the rails. I LIKE IT! I've got a couple months and a bunch of tanks through the saw and that bar, with the new PowerCut LGX chain, flat smokes through everything. Bar and chain off Amazon was around $50. A nice bar will go a long ways towards making that a really nice saw to have around. Super nice that a $50 MSRP bar is so light and stiff. Oregon did us a nice job on these.

Oregon page for the versacut fits Makita


Rick

I'll have to check that out I definitely wouldn't mind a lighter bar

 

[August76]

Not the greatest video, but the slop looks about medium wear to me - I have certainly seen worse. But I'd still want to close up that groove a bit. Maybe the bottom side is more heavily worn? It often is if you do not regularly turn the bar. Perhaps the dressing you have done already made a significant improvement in the slop by lowering the rails enough to allow the bottom of the drive links to fit into virgin groove space and reduce the slop that way?

But with your explanations about how it is cutting, I still assume it has significant wear inside the grooves - probably notched if not heavy V shaped. If all is good, a saw should not veer off just because it found a knot.

If you ever threw a chain, one or more of the drive links could have been damaged, and a bur on a drive link can quickly cut some metal on a groove wall. If you have a "groove in the groove" that can be as bad as a notch worn into the top of the rail. Maybe if you dress the rails down a bit further you will get past the damage. But make sure you carefully inspect all the drive links for damage and burs too if you have not thrown that chain away. Good luck

When I took off the cover I noticed you can see where it has definitely thrown a chain before