Chainsaw bar dressing tools

[arto_wa]

The more you file and sand or grind the top of the chainsaw bar flat and even, the more bar suppliers & manufacturers like it!

 

[Mad Professor]

The more you file and sand or grind the top of the chainsaw bar flat and even, the more bar suppliers & manufacturers like it!

Not IMHO. I've got real old bars that cut true and straight. Some I mill with.

You only take off what is needed to remove burrs and/or make rails square/parallel.

People having issues using files either have dull/cheap files , or don't understand how to properly use them.

Back in high school, they wondered why, I was taking calculus, physics, and.......metal shop/power mechanics

 

[arto_wa]

Good for you!

 

[Evan]

30 seconds tops with 80gr flap disc. Sides top and knock red fir build up off.

 

[GrizG]

I use a 10” single cut mill file to draw file the burrs off and dress the top. To draw file most people hold the file perpendicular to the bar but that isn’t correct. The proper way to draw file is to angle the file enough such that the teeth actually cut. I did some research into this while working as an 18th century gunsmith. This as I wasn’t happy with the finish I was getting holding the file perpendicular. I found the process described in a book by Nicholson titled “A Treatise on Files.” It’s in the public domain and scanned copies can be found on the web.

I use the end of a Stihl raker gauge to clean out the groove.

I have a tool to swag the groove back to proper width. I think I got it from Bailey’s.

I use a bristle off a broom to clear the oil hole.

I occasionally clean the roller tip with Simple Green to get all the crud out of it and then flood it with bar oil to lubricate it.

I inspect the bar every time I remove it from the saw and perform maintenance as needed. They last a long time... long after the paint is gone!

 

[Huskybill]

With the 1” belt sander in less than a minute I can true and bar rails even. Taking off just enough of the rough edges to make them smooth. It actually extends the life of the bar when we do it right. Saves us $$ and the saw cuts better.

I took a hacksaw blade ground it into a parrots hook beek, mounted it into a file handle to clean out bar grooves.