Chainsaw Expert Advise Needed

Thanks in advance for any advice you can give.

Here's the situation. We had 80 mph winds last week and I ended up taking down a tree. All I have left to clean up are some of the largest truck portions of the tree (maybe 3 ft diameter) that I need to cut in small enough pieces for me to carry to the wood pile. (The tractor is 140 miles away, or I would just drag it over there.)

My chainsaw only has an 18 inch bar and I am embarrassed to say I am having a heck of a time keeping the cut straight as I try to cut around the trunk. Instead of cutting off a nice square chunk, I am making curly-q french fries out of the thing. I'm sure it isn't doing my saw any favors and I am plenty frustrated.

Are there any trade secrets that will help me make a better cut? Chalk line maybe, but how do I know it is square?

Thanks!

If your bar and chain are in correct condition you will be able to cut
straight by eyeballing the log. If your chain is at all dull or unevenly
sharpened or your bar is worn more on one rail than the other you
will cut in a curve, either to the left or the right but usually not both
ways at the same time. The bigger the log is in proportion to your
bar and chain the harder it is to cut if your chain and or bar are not
right. You may be able to cut through a 6" log with no problem but
a 12" log will be hard and an 18" log nearly impossible. I don't
know why this happens but it has been my experience that it does.
Zach

I am going to state the obvious but you need to get a 24"bar on that saw.

Last Sunday I cut up a black locust tree for a buddy of mine, 20" diameter in the thickest spots. I had to run the saw 1/2 way down then roll the log a quarter way then cut again, roll then cut again. I have an 18" bar like you. I have never cut a 36" diam. log before.

Your chain is dull or worn out. If your chain is still worth saving, put it in a bench vice and bust out the sharpening file.

There should be a line towards the back of each tooth. That is as far as you should sharpen each tooth before tossing the chain for a new one. It also can serve as a guide to sharping. Make your strokes and hence the cutting edge of each tooth parallel to that line.

When you sharpen the chain, you always sharpen each tooth the same number of strokes so the chain is cut down the same amount on each tooth. Say 6 strokes if it is really dull. If you don't do the same strokes on each tooth, you will get what you have right now, a saw that doesn't cut straight.

When you are about half way through the life of the chain, take a flat file and cut the rakers (dull tooth in front of the cutting tooth) just a little. The cutting teeth get shorter as they are filed down and taking a little off the raker lets the cutting teeth bite better.

It takes a lot of sawing to wear out a bar. They sell a little grease gun to grease the tip of the bar, there are little holes on each side to push it in. Grease it every day you use it.

If you aren't experienced at sharpening a chain, go to Lowes and buy a new one for your saw with the correct sized round file. Learning on a new chain is much easier than on one that is really screwed up. Keep it out of the dirt and hope to not hit any staples or nails. Good luck!

And yes, you will need a bigger saw to get that job done without spending all day at it. You might get it done if your cuts are really straight and you can roll the log around to cut all the way around.

Just hook on to the trunk with your pickup and drag it to the pile. Borrow a bigger saw if possible.

I would agree with what Zach said, your bar may need to be surfaced, "trued" up or the cutters on the chain are uneven. My MS 390 is on its original 20" bar, but one side is a little off, so its reversed, guy at the saw shop can surface it for me, and one of my chains was off as well, I was either off with the bar clamp guide or who knows what, had that one sharpened on his grinder, and got 2 new ones, so I tried a new one and have sharpened that with an accurate bar clamp file guide, still cuts straight. Its a typical scenario with these, and usually a simple fix. I've learned, accurately sharpened chains, clean air breathers, and keeping them sharp, makes a lot of difference. Hard to say how the bars get uneven, but over time, varying conditions, use, it may happen. I run decent bar oil, stihl, husqvarna, mostly stihl, does not fling off, oiler screw turned to maximum, I'd like to believe the chains and bars will last longer LOL !

This condition sucks when felling, the darned thing will bind up in a cut and even if you have a sharp chain, if its off and or the bar, saw engine works twice as hard to do half the work, in my humble opinion and you know what those are worth LOL !

That's when I bust out the Stihl MS660 Magnum....32" bar and that thing will take full cut on the bar and walk the dogs with it.....I know this doesn't do you any good....but....I reminds me of why I have that big saw....lol

Yep, I would say that either you can't hold the saw PERFECT (no offense, it is H A R D to do!! ) Or the chain/bar is worn. I would bet on the chain and bar being worn.

I have cut through bigger stuff like that before, and the saw will do it better if you can keep in the same track, such as cut is as much as you can, then start rolling the log a little and cutting a little, that way HOPEFULLY the tip of your saw will be in the channel of where you have previously cut!!

We personally have a little Husky with a 22 inch on it, and I think that it is too small, especially for a guy like my self that is 6' 5" tall, I have to bend over a LONG way to get to where I am going!!! I am working on buying a 288 Husky, it will have a 30 inch on it, MUCH better!!

Unless you are tight on space a little bit bigger saw with a little bit bigger bar is MUCH nicer to use!!! Bryce

If your chain hasn't been sharpened symmetric it will not cut
straight.

what they said PLUS...it takes practice. Get some ash borer in your area and you will be cutting like a jack in short order.

One thing's sure, a large saw has a stiffer bar and that helps.

I'd start by taking the bar to a saw shop and get it dressed/trued. Once that is done put a new chain on and try a cut if it cuts better.

I cut wood all winter to heat my house. I burn maybe 85-90% wood and the rest propane. Last winter I had a oak tree that died, four foot diameter, to cut down and didn't want to buy a new bigger saw so I got a 32" bar and a couple new skip tooth chains for my Stihl 044 and came with in two inches of matching the cuts down each side.

The way you describe the downed tree a pickup won't pull it, in fact, a small to medium size tractor probably wont. This statement is based on biter experience. The yard will be torn up less if you saw up the tree in place.

The advice on checking the bar and chain is good. You probably will need to sharpen the chain more than once before you are finished so I would study up on sharpening chains first thing. I use a dremel tool and sharpening rock, speeds the process up greatly.

KEH

I agree with the other posters that it likely is a
chain that is sharpened unevenly and a good
sharpening or a new chain will inprove the
cutting. BUT sometimes you have to make do
with a saw that doesn"t want to cut straight to
finish up. I have found that once I start a cut ,
if I frequently pull the saw part way out of the
cut towards me so the cutting is done with the
tip end of the bar and use the tip part of the to
make the start of a cut down the trunk for the
back part of the bar to follow it helps. By the tip
part of the bar I am talking about the 1/2 of the
cutting part of the bar closest to the tip as
opposed to the half of the bar closest to the
power unit. I am NOT talking about cutting
with the rounded tip of the bar.
I hope this helps you.

Thanks for all of the responses.

The thing was, I went and had the bar squared up and the chain sharpened this morning because it started giving me trouble yesterday. When I got back and it was still doing the same thing I thought it must be user error. However, before I came home I went ahead and picked up another chain. After the responses here, I went ahead and changed the chain, and BINGO! Straight cuts!

I got it cut up and then went ahead and split the larger pieces. Tomorrow I will finish stacking all the wood and finally be done with all this mess. Probably just in time for the next round of storms!

Thanks for all the help.

You want to DRAG it in the dirt and then expect the saw to cut straight???????????????????

(quoted from post at 22:17:44 06/11/14) Thanks for all of the responses.

[b:b91682669e]The thing was, I went and had the bar squared up and the chain sharpened this morning because it started giving me trouble yesterday. When I got back and it was still doing the same thing I thought it must be user error. However, before I came home I went ahead and picked up another chain. After the responses here, I went ahead and changed the chain, and BINGO! Straight cuts![/b:b91682669e]

I got it cut up and then went ahead and split the larger pieces. Tomorrow I will finish stacking all the wood and finally be done with all this mess. Probably just in time for the next round of storms!

Thanks for all the help.

Click to expand...

What may have happened is that the chain was cutting crooked enough for long enough that it wore the side straps on one side. That will screw up the best sharpening and even a new bar won't fix it. It's also possible the shop didn't do such a great job on the sharpening...