This particular saw is a Makita 4300 but it happened on my Stihl 026, too, so, I assume it has to do with my sharpening, which is done with a 2-in-1 file gizmo. I have already reversed the bar and also obtained proper tension. Reversing the bar seemed to help quite a bit. But, still, cutting a bit with a curve to the right. I was thinking that if sharpening is a culprit, this means the left cutters are duller than the right, so, they need sharpening more? Is this correct? I think I read that. But which side is left? Is it the cutters where the pointy leading edge is on the left?
cutters duller on one side maybe , real culprit could be cutter length not the same between left and right side, ditto for depth gauges not the same height. then there is the simple fact that the weight of the eng is off to one side. less of a problem on small saws but when dealing 60+ cc units it does come into play.
When you said it got better when you flipped the bar, I'm thinking bar problems. Any pics of bar? If you have another chain try that.
I just took both saws and checked the bars and all seems well and they are both new, 2019 bars, only a few hours on each bar. Yes, I should try other chains. Or put my caliper on these teeth! Again, if anyone knows which teeth are "left" and which are "right," I'd like to know!
This is a common problem and can be caused by several things, either separately or in combination. Bar wear is probably the least likely culprit, although it's not a bad idea to flip your bar every so often (for me it's 2 or 3 times a season) and check the rails for mushrooming and the bar groove for buildup of crud. Most likely your cutters are longer on one side than the other, and I would guess it's caused by your sharpening technique. The 2-in-1 tools are not foolproof, and depending on whether you are left- or right-handed, you can put more pressure on one set of teeth than the other. It's hard to describe, but I've found myself with a badly-curving cut due to the varying tooth length. You tend to put more pressure on the dominant hand (right for me) so that the teeth are shorter on the right-hand side of the bar when you look at it from the top. Mine will always curve to the right in the cut. There are several ways to solve this. One is by having the chain sharpened by machine. My dealer has a really expensive CNC automatic sharpener that works to even out every tooth to a couple thousandths. Another is the Timberline sharpener, which also evens out the teeth and supposedly leaves a razor edge too. The third, tedious and time consuming method, is to use a dial caliper or micrometer and a hand file on each tooth and sharpen them all back to the length of the shortest tooth on the whole chain. This, my friends, is a royal pain in the *** but it works. Great for a lazy evening in the shop when you have nothing better to do.
Jon may be referring to it when he says has mushrooming. Just in case he is not talking about what I have seen. If you run your finger from the center of the bar up to the chain and feel a rough edge that will cause the curve. Easy fix if that would be it. Just file it off or smooth it with a grinder. You say rather new bars so maybe not but if you ran with a loose chain they can develop quickly.
When I've had that issue, I found it to be because the cutters are longer on one side. I have a Timberline sharpener and it helped a lot. After I sharpen one side and switch the sharpener to cut the other, I will use a caliper to measure the first tooth I sharpen on the second side to make sure it's correct. I'll adjust as needed and then proceed with the second side.
How worn is the chain? And are you getting lots of oil? The times this has gotten bad for me, I replaced the chain & all was well. The cutting teeth still had life left in them, but the drive links were worn where they ride in the bar groove. So any little side pressure from say cutters not being perfect or whatever got the chain cocked off in the bar and away it goes. Drove myself nuts with the file on the worst one. That was a MS360 that I put a longer bar on & I think it wasn't oiling just enough. I thought I was doing good getting good mileage out of the chain, but it was wearing where & how it wasn't obvious. If you can wiggle the chain back & forth sideways on the bar much, time for a new one even if the teeth still have sharpenings left in them. You can really tell if you have a new chain & can compare how it wiggles, with how your used one wiggles.
As others have mentioned, a loose chain will amplify bar wear and any other cut problems you may encounter. Make sure the chain is tight, but be careful tightening it when it is hot - it will shrink as it cools and it will be enough to stall your saw.
Yes, maybe looking down at the saw your perception of straight is off. It is called error of parallax.
Your teeth can vary in size without problems. If it’s pulling to the right could just mean right side teeth are sharper or at a different angle, especially freehand filing, or as others have said could be holding saw off. It doesn’t take much at all to add up to a crooked cut. Hope you get er figgered out
Look at the left cutters and see if they’re peened back and not pointed. May have hit the edge of a rock on that side.
If you have an uber sharp chain, it doesn't happen as much, but if you press down on the saw, applying some pressure in the cut, does that make it curve to the right? Is applying any significant downward pressure "wrong?" I am thinking my sharpening skills are not very good. Been using the 2-in-1 file gizmo.
Yawner , to answer your question, LH cutters are to the left when viewing the saw from the operating position. You can turn a cut slightly by biting in hard with a bucking spike if the saw only has one. Best guess is top plate angle & cutter length. Sharpen the side of the chain of your dominate hand, then flip the saw upside down the vise & do the other side teeth. This way you're using the same technique on both sides.
