Cutting Crooked Suddenly

The chain would be moving around more. It’s still weird you have not had a problem until now. It seems like you would have had derailment issues too, but I have never tried mismatched gauge on bar and chain.

 

It can, yes. But not saying that's 100% it. It will allow the chain to wobble back and forth which can allow wandering cuts.

I V'd the groove on a 37" bar milling. I hit metal multiple times and it damaged one side of the chain. I kept filing back and didn't adjust rakers properly and eventually the mill got bound because it was cutting crooked. That was my ah ha moment and led me to the method I still use. I've not cut crooked since. That chain ended up with very small cutters on one side and almost full length on the other.


Each depth gauge controls how big of a "bite" the cutter takes. If they aren't all the same, and with the method you describe they aren't, one side is more than likely taking a slightly larger bite and steering it to the right. All one side could be a hair sharper too. I thought I was darn good at had filing till I bought one of those Timberline jigs. It exploited just how off I was, creating extremely precise cutters. It was a learning experience for sure.

 

Remove the bar and see if it will stand on both edges without falling over on a flat smooth surface. If it’s been run for awhile pulling to one side, it will wear down one rail and never cut straight.

Can also lay the bar down and look for air underneath indicating that it’s bent.

If it’s neither of those, get a progressive raker gauge and set each individual raker to its own tooth.

 

Unless I square grind, which I don't need to anymore as I'm not a faller these days....My cutters are never ever the same length. Never. If I rock one side of the chain, then when I hand file them, they could be almost nothing left, and the other side almost new/full length. What is important is that the rakers are set with a progressive gauge, NOT a gadgety over two cutters deal. If I'm not cutting straight I know that it is my bar that needs dressed.

I don't know where this idea that your cutters need to be the same length is important, probably from the start of the internet days. There is an upside to this myth, in that I'm given chains now and then that are a little lopsided, and the owner doesn't want to mess with them.

 

Just went downstairs and took the bar off. Eyeballed it and a slight bend from tip to end...maybe 1/16". Looked for size info and only 3/8" stamped on it. No micrometer (lost it somewhere) to check the drive links for .058 on the original 22" chain that came with it.

 

Familiar with this. Ive taken bars and filed in a vise to remove burrs and even it up if needed. Would the 1/16" bend i mentioned cause this suddenly?

 

I’ll admit, I didn’t know that one could get just as straight of a cut with uneven length cutters. I suppose it would save time with hand filing by only removing as much material as is required to make each cutter sharp. By making all of my cutters equal on the bench grinder, I’m losing some life expectancy on each chain. But I’m also saving myself the aggravation of realizing a chain won’t cut straight at a time that is very inconvenient to stop and sharpen it.

 

Every time I have had this happen it was due to the bar rail being worn uneven on one side of the groove to the other.

 

Yeah it could if you tweaked the tip on the last cut. Might be able to just replace the tip

 

But your chain will cut straight if you adjust each raker to each corresponding cutter. Now I also match when grinding simply because it is easier, and most importantly, if I use another grinder to drop the rakers because by using a grinder you lose the progressive raker gauge effect. When I ran a delimber full time, I would grind the butt and top saw chain with welding gloves without using the pawl to set the depth. Then File the rakers with a progressive raker gauge. I got paid for tonnage, not an hourly rate, so I had to make time for beer drinking and wenching. (I've long since been cured of my wickedness). The older timers than me were very attuned to how things work, because the saws were so much slower, but torquey. When I was still green my biggest problem was not understanding bar maintenance. Very critical.

 

Agree with everything you said.

 

I remember the Air Force didn't understand this either. I also remember well the amount of waste we had on chain because the civil servant in charge of out saws was clueless as well be severely overpaid. I remember well having barrels of chain that was scrapped after we traveled for hurricane clean up on bases in the south east. I brought up the fraud, waste, and abuse issue and was told to shut up.

 

Havent used the 22" bar since this happened and decided to try again today and observe. First cut in 18" oak and it starts to curve. Stopped and flipped bar and same result on a new cut. Either the very slight bend in the bar or its an .058 bar running .050 chain and its starting to wear enough to cause chain wobble thus causing the curved cut. Its been retired from active use. Switched to the 20" Oregon bar and cut away.
EDIT: it curved to the right both times.

 

I made about 6 cuts in frozen wood last week and quit. Chain dulled that fast.

 

I dont think it was the tip as todays cuts the tip never touched the wood.

 

If it cut to the right after flipping the bar, I'd rule out a bend causing the issue. Still vote chain.

 

The newer loop was at home to be sharpened and it performed the same last time. Maybe ill sharpen it up and give it another go. Just so odd that clear out of the blue this started.

 

Kinda sucks huh? Strange thing is when I'm beaver trapping I can cut through ice for about an hour total cutting time and the chain is generally sharp, but if I hit the side of the feed pile with wood in it, it doesn't take long to dull.

 

.050 in a .058 bar is no good. Especially a worn bar. They make a roller tool the squeeze the bar rails back together then dress the tops back square with a file. Theoretically you could go to .063 but thats a bigger if.

 

I think i solved the mystery. The bar is .058 which i did not know. I took the three 22" chains and tried them in an .050 20" bar. The loop i had custom made slid through fine, but the other two didnt fit...both .058. Running the .050 chain mustve wore the groove enough to cause the curving. Leads me to this question.

Did running the .058 chain on 361, 460, 500i cause any problems to the sprockets?