HOW TO MAINTAIN A CHAINSAW GUIDE BAR EP.06
Вставка
- Опубліковано 7 вер 2024
- Link to Oregon Bar Rail Dresser: amzn.to/2gP19ar
Maintaining your chainsaw guide bar is just as important as maintaining your chain and your chainsaw engine. Every once in a while you have to file the chainsaw guide bar rails to make them parallel and remove mushrooming from the side of the guide bar rails.
Chainsaw guide bar maintenance is shown from start to finish in this video. The information in this video applies to all brands of chainsaws including Stihl, Husqvarna, Jonsered, Echo, Solo, Dolmar etc.
I use compressed air to clear my bar and it greatly improves oiling.
A disc sander also works great for deburring the bar and squaring the top. Use a black sharpie marker to color both rails so you can see after sanding where it is not square.
As with cleaning the saw dust, filing away from the tip sprocket minimizes filings from entering the sprocket and accidental damage to the sprocket teeth. I use compressed air to blow filings out of the rail channel in the same direction away from the tip. And also blows out the oiler holes.
A good test to find burrs instead of your nail, is to use a dirty glove and if it catches any grime while pulling up and out, you've got more filing to do. If you're out in the field and don't have your bar cleaner/spec measuring tool, the corner of your base plate will work well to clear saw dust out of the rail channel.
After it's all cleaned and filed, it's a great opportunity to sight down the bar and see if there's any bend to the bar (usually near the tip seam) and if your tip sprocket is splaying out/opening up. If there's daylight down either side of the sprocket or both, it might be time for a new bar since it will tend to throw the chain more often and/or wear out the tie straps and drivers on your chains.
great video,very clear and very well presented
Excellent job. i appreciate how concise and clear this video is, and other than failing to mention the oiler holes, you hit the main points.
in my experience, for those who are interested, the newer the chain is, the less sensitive it will be to burrs on the bar causing issues, and the more worn, the more sensitive.
as you file the teeth, they become shorter and your cut becomes narrower, causing the burrs to contact the wood sooner. Also, the burrs are more noticible when making horizontal cuts when you rest the weight of the saw on the bar rather than holding the weight.
Good video for me at m level. I can see how this will improve cuts and make my saw easier, faster and safer to use.
Good tips, but a little incomplete. When cleaning the groove, btw they make an inexpensive tool specifically for that, you need to pay special attention to cleaning the oiler holes at the end. If they are plugged, clean grooves will not matter.
Also, as bars wear, the groove gets wider from wearing on the inside. Thus, your chain will not fit tight, causing it to lean to one side or the other, causing issues with cutting crooked and causing more wear to the bar. They also make an inexpensive tool for closing the gap on the rails, fixing these issues.
As for flipping the bar, I do it every time I sharpen the chain, and I clean the grooves and oiler hole at that time also.
Good video though, bar maintenance is a very overlooked topic.
It's tough to cover everything and I'll be the first to admit I've got more to learn. Thanks for adding to the discussion.
Since I was in high school I've used a drywall knife to clean the bar and it seems silly to get the special tool just to have the special tool. That tool would be nice to have to measure the depth of the rails.
I've seen that roller tool on the Baileys website. For the amount I use the saw I'm not sure I'd ever use it but it would be fun to have one it the tool box just in case.
I am horrible at taking the chain off and putting the chain on the saw. The reason I hand file is to avoid having to remove and install the chain as much as possible. I'm kidding, not really.
Thanks again for adding some great info to the discussion.
CTSCAPER , I totally understand that, and I hope my comment wasn't taken the wrong way.
Your video is great, and seriously touched on a subject that is rarely discussed or fully understood.
I learn something new every day, and just wanted to share my experiences with you.
The taping knife as a groove cleaner is a good idea, way better than using a screwdriver.
I know what you mean about buying tools you may not use much, I have lots of those... lol!
It is nice though, for when you really need it, or if a friend does.
Keep up the great videos, I always look forward to seeing what your next video is going to be.
Thank you, and take care!
No offense taken. I've been buying tools I don't need for years and every once in a while I think, "What the heck?!" Then I'll be out at some hardware store and come home with more.... :-(
CTSCAPER lol! 😊
Great video, learned a lot. So my issue is this: brand new chain saw, the first time I used it and I wacked the edge of a plastic wheel barrel which seemed to cause the chain to cease. Disassembled the blade and the chain binds on the lower. How do I fix that..Thanks and keep making your videos, we're watching.
I will buy that oregon tool tomorrow morning thanks
It's nice to have.
I have had a Black and Decker Electric Chainsaw for the last 40 years, it is so light I can hold it in one hand. The bar has been dressed several times, and as well as the burr on the outside of the bar, it also creates a burr on the inside of the guide slot. This has to be removed with a 1.2mm thick flat mini-file. I think I have also used an oil-stone for the external dressing.
That's great news about your Black and Decker Chainsaw. I've been looking at battery powered saws and your feedback is good to hear.
Thank you
Great video - how about one showing how to use a rail closing tool?
Good video, thank you.
Please note that the translation is strange because it is done through translation software.
I understand that maintenance of the guide bar is important, but it seems that the person doing the maintenance has little knowledge of the file and does not know how to use it.
Except for diamond files, you can basically only file in one direction.
Therefore, if you shave it in the opposite direction or to the side, the file's eyes will close and the life of the file will be significantly shortened.
The 1080p version of this video freezes and drops out!
Dress the top of the bar first, then the sides last. Try to keep the top and sides at a 90 degree, so it wont mushroom out as fast.
I thought about that too but if you have any mushrooming you'll have a tougher time keeping the dresser at 90 degrees. I clean the sides, then do the top, and remove burrs last.
Thanks for the video.
Unfortunately you are filing/dressing from back to front wheel, and fill the wheel with dust.
Nothing a spray with the air compressor won't fix.
Not bad at all fella... I would add a healthy dose of air to remove that swarf, especially in the two oil holes (which will be utterly full of oily crud anyway) and the nose sprocket can only easily be cleaned with compressed air anyway. Letting it spin up with air pressure (WEAR EYE PROTECTION) will usually release a surprising amount of rubbish.
When filing don't go back and forth with the file... It will not only damage the file but the end finish will not be as good... Instead keep the angle with the cut of the file and lift off at the end of the stroke as you would normally.
I've not tried that bar dressing tool before. I'll be sure to take a look as it would shave an age of the job by the looks of it! Cheers chap :o)
I agree on the air to clean out the swarf. Everyone talks about trouble with the oiler holes though I've never had an issue with one in my life. I think I just jinxed myself. I love the spinny noise you get when you blast the nose sprocket with air. :-)
I've got a filing video coming up next in the series. It'll be a great chance to start some discussion on filing and learn some tips from viewers (My hidden reason for posting UA-cam vidoes. There's always someone watching who knows more than me.)
That tool is the cat's meow and I don't regret getting it. A file works fine for the sides of the bar but the bar dressing tool is nice for the top of the rails.
I agree... everyone knows more than me I'm sure and I've certainly learned a good few things from your videos! If I wasn't camera shy I'd do a few of my own... lol
I've had an oiler hole block and the result was the same as not cleaning out the bar properly... scorched metal and a lot of work to rectify the problem.
I'll invest in one of those bar dressing tools then. I'm most impressed with that and thanks a lot for bringing it to my attention :o)
Glad you enjoyed it Matt. Thanks for sticking with me through the years.
Thanks for tolerating me fella ... it's been a pleasure learning with you :o)
Good video, however you forgot to clean the oiler holes.
It's weird, I never have to clean the oiler holes so I didn't think to show it. I should have pointed it out though.
Can i restore a bar with this method when the chainsaw is already cutting bends?
If you look farther down this thread Good Day Farm posted another reason the bar could be cutting crooked. The rails opened up from wear. If the bar is cutting crooked look at (1) the rails to see if they are open wider then they should be, (2) the rails to see if one side is worn out more than the other, (3) the bar to see if it's bent causing the saw to cut crooked or (4) the depth of the slot for the chain to see if it's worn down to the end and the chain is sitting proud to the bar.
I hate to sound like a broken record or being too safety conscious but if you take the bar to your dealer they will get you headed in the right direction. If the saw is cutting crooked it could be an even more dangerous situation than using a chainsaw in the first place.
Hope the info helps and be safe.
" If you're a home owner you probably aren't going to have much wear on top of the bar"
Hmmm....Only renters have bar wear?