Cutting Crooked Suddenly

Running the 22" bar on the 500i yesterday. Buck the first 18" red maple round and no problem. Started the second and it wants to cut to the right! Stopped and quick filing. Same result. Swap out chains and it cuts a few okay as i plunge cut instead but then curves again! Tried it on a smaller round and same result.
Is it from the bar bent or twisted? Chains are sharp, teeth even length, rakers filed. Bar flipped religiously. It was cutting fine on similar sized rounds the day before.
I have a habit of twisting the saw slightly when i finish a cut to separate the round from the log. I havent checked the bar.

 

Can you take closeup pics? Have you measured with a micrometer? Every time I’ve had that issue, it was because the cutters on one side were removing more material than the other side. Even a couple thousandths if an inch of cutter length or raker height can affect it.. after several hand sharpening, I usually have to throw it on the bench grinder to straighten it out..

if it started suddenly, it sounds like you hit something with the chain..

 

Have you cleaned the oil passage and groove of the bar recently? Is the chainsaw pumping oil? Try a different bar if it’s oiling fine.

 

Turn the bar over and see if anything changes.


Mike in Okla

 

I used to use a micrometer years back when i sharpened and later found out it doesnt make a difference if the cutters are off in length. If i notice teeth on one side are longer as its been sharpened many times ill give the longer side more strokes with the file. Im thinking i twisted the bar slightly.

 

I cant recall if i flipped it when i put the second chain on.

 

Best way to figure that out is to clean everything up and throw a new chain on it. Cut a few cookies with the new chain..

 

One of the chains was only sharpened once. Had it cut at the OPE dealer as its a custom size...22" bar.

 

Sounds like your 500i is trashed then. I’ll give you an address to send it to to save you the hassle of disposing of it…. From what I hear, those are single use saws.. use em once and throw them away. Happy to do my part to help out.

 

Yep toast. Once the fuel injection starts spraying to one side it affects the sideways balance of the saw. There is not a man alive that can counteract that kind of power. I would be happy to take it off your hands for parts of course.

 

I'm thinking it's the clogged bar oil holes.
I had that happen to me the other day. I took the chain off and most of the oil holes on the chain were clogged.
I cleaned the chain and bar, and things went back to normal.

Let us know what you find out...

 

Hey more than likely its the chain to do that all of a sudden it takes a lot to bend a bar ,unless you have a lightweight one they are a little easier to bend I am not familiar with the 500i saw but does the bar interchange with one of your other saws just switch and see what happens but usually when it happens like that it is something you hit and if you nick the point on a full chisel chain it can cut off JB

 

Anytime that's happened to me it's been because one side of the chain was duller than the other.
Your hand filing should have fixed that though, unless it was really bad.

Those logs don't look the cleanest...

 

What method do you use for filing your raker/depth gauges? This will tell the tale IMO.

 

The log pictured were smaller 6-12" and stacked like a log deck off the ground. That was the top log and very clean. The bottoms were well frozen in.

 

Flat file. Couple passes every now and then when the chain doesnt have a good "bite". Been doing it that way for years without issue.

 

Time to put a 24” light bar on her. The Carlton has some time on it eh? Could be the groove is wallowed out if the oiling is ok. Unbalanced rakers can cause it too but if your method has worked until now. I had the same thing happen with a 441 not oiling enough. New bar and chain would start out cutting straight than hook.

 

Take a few more passes on each left side rakers.
And also, is it possible your bar groove is V'd a bit? Can you wiggle the chain back and forth? They make bar rail closers to help with this regular wear issue.

 

Its obviously used and came that way Summer 2020 when i bought my 361. Weird that it just started cutting like that. I was bucking 18-20" white oak the day before and nothing. Chowed right through it. Still thinking i twisted the bar ever so slightly. Oddly i really like the 22" bar.

 

I was just checking to see if i could find the same bar which i did. Its .058 and not .050 groove. A .050 chain running loose in that will cause it to pull/drift/cut crooked? Both chains cut crooked