Cuts curved

[bkvanbek]

I loaned out my Echo CS-520, big mistake, got it back with a scorched bar. I could not get it to cut strait. Replaced the bar, chain and sprocket. Now it is cutting left. Cuts small stuff great, big chips. Anything over 3" I watch it curve left then it binds bogs down the engine, but the chain isn't really contacting wood. What the hell?

 

[ANewSawyer]

Hope it isn't a bent crank. Maybe the bearing for the clutch?

 

[ghosta]

If it cuts left then sharpen the teeth on the right side of the chain and see if this will correct the problem.

 

[undee70ss]

Was replaced bar, chain and sprocket new?

 

[bkvanbek]

Yes, all were new.

 

[bkvanbek]

There is no noticeable play in the shaft at the clutch.

 

[HuskStihl]

Crooked cuts are almost always bar or chain. Just cause it's new don't mean it's fine. Does the chain gauge match the bar?

 

[grizz55chev]

Crooked cuts are almost always bar or chain. Just cause it's new don't mean it's fine. Does the chain gauge match the bar?

Great question, .050 and .058 are very close but would surely cause a headache!

 

[wde_1978]

As been said by others, it is usually a chain, bar or chain & bar issue.

Make sure chain and bar gauge match.
Sharpen Your chain to specs and dress Your bar (or have them sharpened and dressed).
You can do this with both Your old and new B&C setup.

OEM or AM bar can also make a difference.
I still use my 10 years old Dolmar branded Oregon bar that came from the factory with my Dolmar PS-6400 - works perfectly fine in over 20" logs.
The AM bar I bought a year ago for my PS-7900 is already beaten up and will not cut straight with a brand new chain.

 

[burnses]

I loaned out my Echo CS-520, big mistake, got it back with a scorched bar. I could not get it to cut strait. Replaced the bar, chain and sprocket. Now it is cutting left. Cuts small stuff great, big chips. Anything over 3" I watch it curve left then it binds bogs down the engine, but the chain isn't really contacting wood. What the hell?

just cut curved logs and youll be all set.....

 

[bkvanbek]

The saw has a 20" .050" 78DL.325 bar and a 20LPX078G chain.

 

[spudulike]

Cuts are generally curved it the rails on the bar are uneven, the chain is a loose fit between the rails or the cutters on one side of the chain are blunt or worn.
Generally uneven rails are more likely to cause a curved cut and a loose fit chain due to a worn groove between rails giving a chain spinning in the cut but not actually doing any cutting!
A new bar and chain if matched should cut straight....weird!

 

[bkvanbek]

I sharpened the cutters on the right only, it is did better. But it still goes is 3-4" inches and binds and quits cutting, more next to the engine that out on the bar. I think the unequal sharpening is only compensating for the real problem. Maybe a took a file to the bar at one time. Is there a way to file it square again?

 

[Ryan'smilling]

I sharpened the cutters on the right only, it is did better. But it still goes is 3-4" inches and binds and quits cutting, more next to the engine that out on the bar. I think the unequal sharpening is only compensating for the real problem. Maybe a took a file to the bar at one time. Is there a way to file it square again?

Cutoff wheel mounted in a table saw is one way to do it.

Don't start a fire, though. No dust collection system, and don't do it in the wood shop.

 

[ANewSawyer]

Are the sprocket, bar and chain all the same pitch and guage? Make sure one of them wasn't switched in the package.

 

[pro94lt]

Brother in law? Father in law?

 

[procarbine2k1]

It is most likely the chain. Sometimes new chain sucks... uneven grind between left and right side cutters, or most likely unfinished teeth on one side or the other.
The difference in hook from one side to the other can also make a chain do this.
Can you post a close up pic or two of the chain?

 

[Thommo]

The chain might be dragging on a bar plate or stud sticking out somewhere that is dulling one side of the chain.

 

[bkvanbek]

I am going to get a new bar, for this CS-520. The Echo bar is a 20FOAD3378, Oregon says their 200GDBK041 will fit. But I don't know if there is an oiler hole where it is needed. What bar do I get?
I have a new 24" saw, maybe I should get a smaller bar for this saw. But I have a couple good chains. Opinions?

 

[rd35]

I'm with Thommo. Check to see if something under the clutch cover is hitting the chain cutters. If that bar is new it should be right (flat and square rails). The only thing I have ever seen that would cause a saw to severely cut left or right is having dull cutters on one side or the other. I would look closely at the right hand cutters to see if they are dull. The right hand cutters are the most common ones to get dulled if the saw is used to make close-to-ground cuts such as nipping saplings at the dirt when clearing an area. Even the slightest contact with the dirt will dull those cutters closest to the ground and make that saw try to cut in a circle...which it can't do.