advice for a noobie chainsaw user

[chrismechanic]

That will be '91', so that explains the problem, the chain is on upside down:biggrin:

 

Seriously though, It is an Oregon 91 chain,(probably a low kick back one) so you will need a 5/32 file when you come to sharpen it.

 

Your curved cut sounds just like a worn rail on the bar. The bar should not be worn in 3 weeks though unless it is not oiling.

As others said, reversing the bar will prove this.

 

If you do decide to ditch it, don't buy an MS171, spend a few quid more and get a 181, its far superior and has a proper grown up chain.

 

edit, Oh, and welcome to the forum.

 

thanks gardenkit

[Eddy_t]

thanks all of you, i had a friend turn up who has split up with his wife... bla.. bla..bla..

anyway...where can i get a better bar eddie and what would you recomend?

dog spikes are fine so far.. im only cutting through 3-6 inch, and yes i think the chain is either very blunt or incorrectly cut too.

 

graham.. the manual tells me to lift the tip of the bar and tension, the bar is quite loose on the pins...

 

i will sharpen the cutters as one cutter has a chip in that i have spotted..

 

doobin..yes the manual is great, apart from it telling you to flood it everytime you start it , i only need to press the primer once and 2nd pull it starts with half choke..

 

i understand your telling me to get a stihl saw.. but i got money off this saw so it was very cheap...much less than a stihl, shame about the bar..and its a husky at the end of the day too ..

thanks all..

chris

 

Well I got a real cheap one, thinking it would last half the time of the husky, but the bar only got replaced a few months ago,make being Jakmax, but otherwise try rob d's website http://www.chainsawbars.co.uk

 

 

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[TGB]

...

graham.. the manual tells me to lift the tip of the bar and tension, the bar is quite loose on the pins...

 

i will sharpen the cutters as one cutter has a chip in that i have spotted...

 

So far as tensioning goes, have a gander at this vid. Might be a different saw but the principal is the same:

 

When sharpening the chain, always start with the most worn cutter and sharpen the rest to the same size as the this first sharpened cutter.

[chrismechanic]

good advice here, thanks guys...

 

so this morning i have refaced the bar flat, and sharpened the chain.

 

the bar was not flat on the bottom and the chain was also blunt, i did not realise trees where so abrasive

 

some requested pics so here are some pics i took last night while inspecting the bar and chain...

 

 

you can see the wear clearly...

 

 

 

does the hook angle look ok ?

thanks guys..

chris

[Eddy_t]

Angle looks fine, rail looks a bit worn on the one side (top edge in the pic) which would cause the banana cut

 

 

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[chrismechanic]

Angle looks fine, rail looks a bit worn on the one side (top edge in the pic) which would cause the banana cut

 

 

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yup.. i think the rail is maybe soft one side... im going to use the saw for a few cuts and see how it goes then remove the chain and bar and inspect..

thanks Eddy_t

chris

[chrismechanic]

well i took 4 cuts through 5-6 inch diameter logs and then checked the bar.

 

noticed that after the 2nd cut it started to cut to the right again

 

it is cutting much better now i have sharpened the chain, no more powder .

 

the bar is starting to wear one side allready at the same point, it looks like the bar is at fault to me.

 

thanks to who ever pointed out i should see if the bar is straight, it has a bow to it about 2mm-3mm in the centre. i trust the bar should be straight as a die?

or is a small amount of bend allowed?

 

thanks all..

chris

[NI Tree]

use a set square and place it across the bar and look down the bar and were there are are not leavel as you will see light under the set square and file off the high point these also ensures the they remain at right angles to the bar

[Eddy_t]

This is a good bar

Note the rails are the same width

And the bar curves up in to the centre

 

 

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[chrismechanic]

use a set square and place it across the bar and look down the bar and were there are are not leavel as you will see light under the set square and file off the high point these also ensures the they remain at right angles to the bar

 

thank you, yes.. thats how i am making sure the surface the chain runs on is at 90 to the bar, i am an engineer so i have some very nice measuring equipment here , it was perfectly at 90 the whole length before i started cutting.

 

it seems to wear on one side only..

 

This is a good bar

[ATTACH]139562[/ATTACH]

Note the rails are the same width

[ATTACH]139563[/ATTACH]

And the bar curves up in to the centre

[ATTACH]139564[/ATTACH]

 

thanks eddy, looks the same as my bar pretty much.

i think i may be being to anal about it being bent, i am talking about across the bar, the bar should be flat, but how flat, is a slight bow ok, if need be i can measure it up to 0.002 of a millimeter

sorry about all these noobie questions.. maybe i should have spent a bit more on my saw in the first place

 

next ill measure each tooth for length with some digi calipers...after dinner

chris

 

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