well, somehow, the chainsaw bar on the family saw has become curved....and it makes it a pain in the butt cutting thicker logs (mesquite). its a 16'' bar on a Homelight. is it generally ok to get a longer bar, say, 18 inches? i can't recall what the engine size is (i'll go look in the mornin), but its of the "Power Stroke" variety (says on the side). i figure if i'm gonna buy a new one, why not upgrade right? need a new chain anyhow. any ideas? gonna make a run to Lowes in the mornin/afternoon and find one.

 

As long as you don't go too big, you can always change the bar size. We have multiple bars for each of our 4 saws. Try to keep that chain as sharp as possible. Excessive heat from a dull chain can cause damage to the bar.

 

yeah, i kinda figured the chain might have caused the warp on the bar, bu ti keep the oil level full. of course, i do run the saw all out full throttle liek the weed eater, lawnmower, my truck....see a pattern? figured i'd pick up a 18'' and 2 chains. should last me for a long while

 

whats the best way to keep the chain sharpened anyhow? i knwo you can use one oof the rat-tail round files, but is there a better way?

 

i do tree removal for a living, so does Matt ( FTEbeast )

its not uncommon for a saw to start cutting in a curved / crooked angle. the teeth on the chain might have gotten pinched and bent, or one side of the chain is sharper than the other. the part of the bar the chain runs on gets worn down also, its typically easier to just bite the bullet, and spend the money to buy a new bar rather than to take it some place and have them um... smooth / square out the edges of the bar. the bar and chain are like a set of brakes on a vehicle, if you are gonna use them, youre gonna have to replace them. it shouldnt be any problem for you to go up to an 18" bar. my bro has a Stihl 066 that he usually runs a 24" bar on... but we throw a 36" bar on there for the really big stumps. keep in mind though that his saw has alot of torque, your brand doesnt... good luck with your saw!

 

when i move out and eventually get my own saw, a Stihl or Echo is my choice.....the Homelight vibrates and shakes worse than my Powerstroke diesel!

i have gotten a lot of use out of the original bar though. had it for a few years now and its still original. i know for sure its at least the 2nd or 3rd chain though.

 

imho stihl is the way to go

 

I too have many years experience running a chainsaw. If you go to a longer bar, don't be surprised if you lose some RPM and torque. Smaller the bar the faster the cut, the longer the bar the slower the cut.

 

I'd agree with that statement. There will be more friction as the longer chain runs in the longer bar. Also when cutting with a longer bar, you will be able to load the engine down more so you may have to feed it through the log slower. I'd still probably go with the longer bar though.

The BEST way to sharpen a chain saw I've found is with a $6.00 attachment I got for my dremel tool. If you've got a cordless dremel, you can take it in the field with you. I always touch up the chain on the saw whenever it start cutting slow. After a little practice I was peeling huge slivers off the logs. Looked like home grated cheese!

BE VERY CAREFUL WITH THIS NEXT SUGGESTION! As you sharpen the chain, the tooth will fall below the raker ( the dull nub in front of the sharp hooked tooth). The raker's purpose is to limit how much the tooth bites into the log and reduce a chain's tendency to kick back. A larger bite can cause the chain to bind an then kick off the log and possibly injur the operator. Homeowner grade chains have a larger raker to make them safer for inexperienced operators. Professional chains have smaller or possibly no rakers and will cut faster. As you sharpen the chain, the tooth will fall below the raker and the raker will need to be filed down to keep the cutting efficiency up. The more you shorten the raker the more aggressive the chain will be. Just be VERY aware of the kick back tendency. Especially in situations when the tip of the bar contacts the log. Brush cutting is very dangerous in this respect. With a more aggressive tooth you need to be aware of how fast you can feed the saw to prevent kickback.

 

hmm, what is the attachment for the dremel and where cani find it? we've got a corded off-brand, but all the work we do here is around the 5 acres, so its easy enough to hop back in the truck and go back to the garage to touch-up. maybe i'll try sharpenin one of the old chains on a rainy day. i'm gonna be runnin by lowes this afternoon and see if they have any bright ideas as well (though they can be questionable....thats why i'm not going to home depot). i dont profess to be a professional saw-man, but i do try and be very careful when i work. i hardly ever use the tip of the saw to cut, always use the base of the bar. if i do sharpen a chain, i'll take it easy startin out and see how it reacts. thanks a bunch for the info

 

The attachment I got was a dremel brand chain saw sharpener I picked up at Wal Mart. It had a guide and a ring that replaced the stock ring on the end of the tool. The guide helps you eyeball the angle. It also comes with 3 sizes of abrasive stones. 1 will fit the tooth on your chain. I really did find that in 5 minutes I could sharpen the chain much better than the guy I was paying $8.00 a shot to sharpen them. As you use the dremel tool, you will know the tooth is sharp when the edge you're polishing is shiny. As you use the saw the cutting edge darkens.

 

yeah, the cutting edges on my current chain is pretty dark. last night i was cutting along and then the chain started smokin the wood. yup, time for a sharper chain for sure. i'll see if Lowes has the attachment. you sharpen it while its on the saw right? i took the bar off earlier and noticed there isn't much of a clearance between the raker and the cutting edge. so i'll try sharpening it first wihtout messing with the raker....this all depends on if i decide to get the longer bar or not.... probably will. i was looking at the current one and when you lay it ona flat surface (table, concrete garage floor) on one side it has a bow and you can press the middle of the bar and it goes flat tothe ground. flip it over, and that doesn't happen....

 

For less than $2 you can get a file guide for the rakers that sets the correct height.

If your chainsaw bar is never too short, then its always too long..

Stihl ; Husky ; Echo ; all others

 

On a small saw like that you will probably want to keep the same size bar on it. When you think about it, a 16" bar can actually cut wood 32" in diameter. How? Cut on one side of the log then go over to the other side and cut the rest.

Rakers are there to protect your chain (teeth) as well. If you hit a nail and have your rakers all the way off your chain will be toast.

Good luck with your saw!

-Matt

P.S. I have 2 066s at work, one has a 36" bar the other has a 20" bar!

 

Update: i picked up a "Oregon" brand 18'' bar and chain at Lowes today. also one of the dremel attachments to sharpen the chains. gonna use the straight 18 bar for cuttin the big stuff, and when the time comes ot finish off the smaller limbs n such, swap over to the 16 inch bar. figure i can make everything last a little longer that way. and hey, nobody said bar swap breaks were bad either

i was talkin to my cousin last night for a bit and told him the bar was warped a little bit, i got "you been throwing the saw? i'll bet you been throwing it haven't you" hehe, sounds fun, but no. he also told me his friend's dad owns a lawnmower shop and he's had several guys come in and order the 6' bars. (east texas pineywoods, they actually have a need for that kinda toy). hehe, 6' sure would make brush clearing easy.....