Why does a chain saw cut crooked

Increased wear

If the chainsaw cuts crookedly in an arc, the reason may be excessive wear on the saw headset. You can check by conducting a visual inspection of their contacting surfaces. To do this, the tire must be removed from the chainsaw and look at its contact plane with the chain from the end, positioning it at eye level so that the landing groove for the chain is fully visible.

With this inspection, you can visually assess the wear on the left and right side of the tire in relation to the groove. As a rule, the wear on the edges should go evenly, and if one side is worn down more, in order to eliminate the malfunction, it is necessary to replace the defective one with a new one.

For even tire wear, some manufacturers recommend flipping it over from time to time. But it is worth remembering that not for all headset models, this recommendation is correct, since many manufacturers indicate the direction of movement of the chain along it on the surface of the tire, and, accordingly, such a part can only be installed in one position.

The figure below shows several views, the upper one has the direction of installation of the chain, as indicated by the icon on the tip of the tire and the direction indicator.

Experienced masters of service centers for the repair of chainsaws, if increased wear is detected, they advise to carry out a complete diagnosis of the lubrication system of the saw headset, since with a properly working lubrication system and installing a chain corresponding to the chain of the chainsaw, this phenomenon should not be observed, therefore, the oil supply system can have faults or incorrect adjustment.

If, when working with a chainsaw, you observe a curve cut, the first thing you should pay attention to is the correspondence of the chainsaw chain to its tire. If everything is normal, check the sharpening of the teeth and tire wear, in case of increased wear, check the operation of the lubrication system, since the problem may lie in it. And the main thing to remember is that in a chainsaw everything is interconnected and the use of low-quality oils for lubricating chains can cause premature wear and loss of the chainsaw’s performance.

The chainsaw is a truly unique tool that makes felling and sawing wood easier. The main advantage of this tool is a quick set of maximum speed, as well as the ability to instantly brake the chain. During the operation of the tool, various malfunctions occur, and one of them is an uneven cut. If the chainsaw cuts crookedly, then this causes inconvenience to the sawer, and also consumes a large amount of fuel. If you are faced with such a malfunction, then in this materials you will learn how it can be identified and eliminated.

Using the wrong chain

It’s no secret that a chainsaw tire, like a chain, has several main characteristics, one of them is the width of the groove for installing the chain. The groove width can have several basic dimensions:

• 1.1 mm;
• 1.3 mm;
• 1.5 mm;
• 1.6 mm.

Imagine that we take a chain with a width of 1.1 and place it on a bar with a 1.3 mm groove. Initially, having tightened it well, we may not notice the differences, but as soon as the tension loosens a little, a gap of 0.2 mm will prevent it from moving evenly along the tire, it will tilt to one side and we will again get crooked sawn material.

When buying a replacement chain for a chainsaw, name its exact dimensions, not the make and model of the chainsaw. On the same models of chainsaws, different tires can be installed and, accordingly, the chains will also differ.

Check the width of the chain, you can use a vernier caliper.

To eliminate the malfunction, if the chainsaw tire has not yet been badly damaged and there is no uneven wear on it, only the chain will need to be replaced. If it already shows wear, a completely new kit must be installed.

Severe saw blade wear

The tire lasts much longer than the chain. However, this does not mean that you can exploit it forever, and not think about replacing it. Usually the guide changes after 2-3 worn chains. Before replacing the chain saw guide, you need to assess its technical condition. If a Chinese-made tire is installed on the chainsaw, then it can wear out faster than the chain. That is why, if a sawing curve is detected with a chainsaw, it is necessary to diagnose the tire.

Remove and inspect the tire to be sure it is worn out. Usually, wear is manifested by a shortened one of the sides. Sometimes it is extremely difficult to detect this visually, so you need to use a caliper. A difference of a few tenths of a mm indicates that the tire needs to be replaced. There is also an easy way to check rail wear with a square. To do this, the tire is located on a flat surface, and a square must be attached to it from the side. If the top and bottom walls of the guide are in contact with the square, then the part is in good order.

It is interesting! The service life of the chainsaw guide can only be increased by periodically turning it over. To do this, be sure to make sure that the instrument provides such an opportunity, as indicated by the corresponding markings on the headset.

Accelerated tire wear can occur due to a malfunctioning oil pump. If the lubricant is supplied with long interruptions, then friction increases accordingly, which means that the parts wear out faster. If the lubrication mechanism works properly, then this significantly increases the service life of not only the headset, but also the entire tool.

Why the chainsaw is being pulled aside

Discomfort during work, a decrease in productivity, an increase in fuel consumption, a curve cut, these are all negative consequences of this phenomenon, and what is the reason?

There are actually only three reasons:

• Uneven sharpening of teeth;
• Using a circuit that does not meet the bus parameters or vice versa;
• Increased wear of the chainsaw saw headset.

If the saw head is incorrectly selected

Often, most sawers simply do not pay attention to the fact that not only the chain has technical characteristics, but also the tire and the drive sprocket with a crown. All these details must correspond to each other in such a technical parameter as a step. Most chainsaws are equipped with a headset with standard pitch parameters equal to 0.325. The tire, chain and drive sprocket, or rather the crown, must have the same pitch. If one of these parts does not meet one standard, then this will lead to accelerated wear of individual parts and the entire tool.

It is interesting! If a chain with a shank thickness of less than 1.1 mm is used on a bar with a groove width of 1.3 mm, then the uneven movement of the headset during the operation of the tool will lead to accelerated wear of the guide. As a result, the chainsaw will start to cut crookedly to one side.

Bar and chain compatibility

Never buy an instrument headset if you don’t know or remember the exact measurements. A “like this” chain, bar or sprocket may be far from suitable for your tool, and as a result, you will need to change all consumables. To find out the width of the tire, you will need to use a caliper or look in the technical description for the tool.

How to avoid improper sharpening

In order to prevent the curve cutting due to uneven sharpening, you can use a special sharpening machine from time to time or with severe damage to straighten the chain. Buy a machine and sharpen it yourself or send it to a workshop for sharpening.

The fact is that during sharpening, the machine is adjusted according to the most worn tooth, which has the smallest size among all. After sharpening, all teeth will have the same size, which will be equal to the tooth on which the adjustment was made.

The disadvantage of this method is that the resource of the chain is significantly reduced, since even undamaged teeth have to be heavily grinded. Try to use your chainsaw more carefully, watch out for nails and any other metal products that may come across when cutting old boards and other junk.

Curved sawing due to uneven sharpening of the teeth

If the tool cuts to one side, the first step is to check the chain. The teeth on the tool should not only be sharp, but also properly sharpened. Correct sharpening is when each tooth is grinded at the same distance as the previous one. This sharpening method eliminates chain imbalance during sawing. The instructions for the tool indicate that each tooth must be ground at the same distance when sharpening. If this requirement is not met, then in addition to the fact that the chainsaw will be taken to the side, it is possible that the load on the engine will increase.

If the teeth were sharpened by a beginner, then after the work done, you should make sure that it is correctly implemented. Some sawers rely on a simple rule. file sharpening should be done in the same amount for each tooth. However, this assumption is not true, since the chain teeth wear unevenly. As a result, it turns out that the sharpening of each tooth leads to the restoration of their sharpness, but not the uniformity of wear. When the saw starts to cut crookedly, you need to check all the teeth on the chainsaw for sharpening and even wear.

It is interesting! If uneven wear of the chain teeth is observed, then it is necessary to resort to their restoration. You can check the uniformity of sharpening only visually.

To eliminate uneven chain wear, you should sharpen the teeth in a timely manner, that is, sharpen with a file every 15-20 hours of operation. Once every 2-3 months (depending on the frequency of use of the tool), sharpen using a special machine.

If you are not sure that you are sharpening the chain teeth correctly, then you should entrust this work to a professional. Although this is a costly business, it is much more efficient. If you want to learn how to sharpen a chainsaw chain correctly, then this material contains detailed instructions for beginners.

It is interesting! It is worth paying attention to one very important nuance. if in the process of sawing with a chainsaw a metal object, stone or earth gets under the cutting headset, this will lead to accelerated wear of the teeth. It is after such a nuance that such a consequence often arises as a curved sawing of a chainsaw.

Using the wrong chain

It’s no secret that a chainsaw tire, like a chain, has several main characteristics, one of them is the width of the groove for installing the chain. The groove width can have several basic dimensions:

• 1.1 mm;
• 1.3 mm;
• 1.5 mm;
• 1.6 mm.

Imagine that we take a chain with a width of 1.1 and place it on a bar with a 1.3 mm groove. Initially, having tightened it well, we may not notice the differences, but as soon as the tension loosens a little, a gap of 0.2 mm will prevent it from moving evenly along the tire, it will tilt to one side and we will again get crooked sawn material.

When buying a replacement chain for a chainsaw, name its exact dimensions, not the make and model of the chainsaw. On the same models of chainsaws, different tires can be installed and, accordingly, the chains will also differ.

Check the width of the chain, you can use a vernier caliper.

To eliminate the malfunction, if the chainsaw tire has not yet been badly damaged and there is no uneven wear on it, only the chain will need to be replaced. If it already shows wear, a completely new kit must be installed.

Why does the chainsaw cut crooked

When working with a chainsaw, in some cases you can see how when cutting a tree trunk with a diameter of more than 30 cm, the tire gradually starts to go sideways. This is especially noticeable when it is necessary to cut large diameter trunks using the double-cut technique, that is, first sawing from above, and then turning over and finishing to the end.

Lumps, crookedly sawn off with a chainsaw, have an uneven surface, this causes some discomfort when they are split into logs. And the use of such a chainsaw when laying a log house, for example, for trimming bars, is not at all permissible, since the ends will be uneven.

• Why the chainsaw is being pulled aside
• Uneven sharpening
• How to avoid improper sharpening
• Using the wrong chain
• Increased wear

Why the chainsaw is being pulled aside

Discomfort during work, a decrease in productivity, an increase in fuel consumption, a curve cut, these are all negative consequences of this phenomenon, and what is the reason?

There are actually only three reasons:

• Uneven sharpening of teeth;
• Using a circuit that does not meet the bus parameters or vice versa;
• Increased wear of the chainsaw saw headset.

How to avoid improper sharpening

In order to prevent the curve cutting due to uneven sharpening, you can use a special sharpening machine from time to time or with severe damage to straighten the chain. Buy a machine and sharpen it yourself or send it to a workshop for sharpening.

The fact is that during sharpening, the machine is adjusted according to the most worn tooth, which has the smallest size among all. After sharpening, all teeth will have the same size, which will be equal to the tooth on which the adjustment was made.

The disadvantage of this method is that the resource of the chain is significantly reduced, since even undamaged teeth have to be heavily grinded. Try to use your chainsaw more carefully, watch out for nails and any other metal products that may come across when cutting old boards and other junk.

Uneven sharpening

According to the instructions for sharpening the chains, the teeth should be grinded at the same distance, and regardless of which side they are located on. Observing this simple requirement, you can protect yourself from the problems associated with the fact that the chainsaw is taken away when sawing.

Unevenly ground teeth are the most common crooked cut problem.

When sharpening the chain with a file, it is not always possible to control the length of the tooth using the technique of counting the number of movements with a file.

This is due to the fact that the wear of the teeth is uneven, some are damaged more and more movements are required with a file in order to bring them back to normal, which means the size of such teeth will decrease significantly compared to the rest.

Increased wear

If the chainsaw cuts crookedly in an arc, the reason may be excessive wear on the saw headset. You can check by conducting a visual inspection of their contacting surfaces. To do this, the tire must be removed from the chainsaw and look at its contact plane with the chain from the end, positioning it at eye level so that the landing groove for the chain is fully visible.

With this inspection, you can visually assess the wear on the left and right side of the tire in relation to the groove. As a rule, the wear on the edges should go evenly, and if one side is worn down more, in order to eliminate the malfunction, it is necessary to replace the defective one with a new one.

For even tire wear, some manufacturers recommend flipping it over from time to time. But it is worth remembering that not for all headset models, this recommendation is correct, since many manufacturers indicate the direction of movement of the chain along it on the surface of the tire, and, accordingly, such a part can only be installed in one position.

The figure below shows several views, the upper one has the direction of installation of the chain, as indicated by the icon on the tip of the tire and the direction indicator.

Experienced masters of service centers for the repair of chainsaws, if increased wear is detected, they advise to carry out a complete diagnosis of the lubrication system of the saw headset, since with a properly working lubrication system and installing a chain corresponding to the chain of the chainsaw, this phenomenon should not be observed, therefore, the oil supply system can have faults or incorrect adjustment.

If, when working with a chainsaw, you observe a curve cut, the first thing you should pay attention to is the correspondence of the chainsaw chain to its tire. If everything is normal, check the sharpening of the teeth and tire wear, in case of increased wear, check the operation of the lubrication system, since the problem may lie in it. And the main thing to remember is that in a chainsaw everything is interconnected and the use of low-quality oils for lubricating chains can cause premature wear and loss of the chainsaw’s performance.

Tire wear. how to troubleshoot belt faults

If the guide has uneven wear on both sides, it is recommended to replace it. However, there is a way to restore a part, which requires a minimum set of necessary tools. Leveling is done with an angle grinder and a grinding wheel (not a cut-off wheel). First, we check the tire, and make sure that it has uneven wear. How to check the wear of the guide, already mentioned above.

Next, consider the instructions on how to eliminate uneven wear on the guide:

• Install a grinding disc into the spindle of the angle grinder, and then fix the angle grinder in a vice
• Make a flat surface on which the guide will be located. It is recommended to use a piece of chipboard as a surface, which must be fixed with a clamp.
• Lean against a square and align the wiper blade with the surface.
• Start aligning the tire. To do this, we place it on the surface, turn on the angle grinder, and carry out its longitudinal movement
• When aligning the guide, it is important to keep it moving at a uniform speed. Sewing is necessary until both edges are the same size. The check must be done with a square.

over, the alignment must be done for both sides of the tire. After finishing work, you can install the headset on the tool and check. It is important to note that aligning a guide that has uneven wear on one side is only appropriate if the groove is deep enough to pass the chain shank. If the groove becomes shallow, then the tire must be replaced.

As you can see from the material, there are many reasons why a chainsaw cuts crooked. However, even a beginner can find this cause and eliminate it, if you approach the solution of this issue appropriately. Start the check in order, as indicated in the description, and you will definitely identify the reasons that can be eliminated in different ways.

How to avoid improper sharpening

In order to prevent the curve cutting due to uneven sharpening, you can use a special sharpening machine from time to time or with severe damage to straighten the chain. Buy a machine and sharpen it yourself or send it to a workshop for sharpening.

The fact is that during sharpening, the machine is adjusted according to the most worn tooth, which has the smallest size among all. After sharpening, all teeth will have the same size, which will be equal to the tooth on which the adjustment was made.

The disadvantage of this method is that the resource of the chain is significantly reduced, since even undamaged teeth have to be heavily grinded. Try to use your chainsaw more carefully, watch out for nails and any other metal products that may come across when cutting old boards and other junk.

Why the chainsaw began to cut crookedly and how to repair the tool with your own hands

If, working with a chainsaw, the owner notices that the tool has led to the side, it’s time to take action. The tire defect is especially noticeable when cutting thick trunks when the double-cut technique is used. Lumps with an uneven surface are more difficult to cut, and uneven ends are unacceptable for the construction of an object, they form gaps when docked. To fix the problem, deal with the causes of the defect.

How to straighten a deformed tire

If there is no time for straightening, then the tire can simply be turned over the other side. If you have already turned it over, then editing is no longer possible. To complete the edit, you need to arm yourself:

• in a vice;
• square;
• Angle Grinder;
• new grinding disc for angle grinder.

First, the tire is removed and the complexity of the problem is checked. For this, the tire is placed on a flat table, and a square is attached to it. This allows you to determine the degree of deformation that has occurred.

Then the angle grinder is clamped in a vice, and the table for laying the tire is raised to the level of the disc.

Using a square, the exact angle of the angle grinder is set, and the tool is finally clamped.

Turning on the angle grinder, the tire is processed several times by the angle grinder on both sides.

Then the quality of the work performed is assessed visually.

The quality of the adjustment is also determined by the square according to the previously described method.

It is quite understandable that after the correction, the tire beads were slightly shortened, and the groove on it became less deep. Therefore, it is necessary to make sure that the shanks do not extend beyond the groove aisles. If the groove is not deep enough, the tire will have to be replaced.

So, now you know what to do if the chainsaw is pulled to the side while cutting. I hope this information will allow you to easily cope with this defect.

Why the chainsaw began to cut crooked?

There are only 3 reasons why the chainsaw goes to the side when cutting:

• Uneven sharpening of teeth.
• Accelerated wear of the saw blade.
• Using the wrong chain.

Malfunctions are manifested by the saw making a curved cut. This is fraught with many consequences. If the cut of a tree goes to the construction, then no one will accept it with curves and this will entail losses.

With this work, the tire deteriorates at the saw, which can be replaced later. But for expensive models of chainsaws, tires are very expensive, it is difficult to change them and few people want to mess with it.

Using an unsuitable saw headset

Many operators forget that it is not only the chain that has the characteristics, the guide bar also has those critical characteristics. An important characteristic worth remembering is the width of the groove for mounting the chain. On average, a range of widths from 1.1 millimeters to 1.6 millimeters are distinguished.

What happens if you use a chain that has a width of 1.1 millimeters. In this case, you will install the chain on the guide bar, the groove width of which is 1.3 millimeters. When installing, be sure to adjust the chain tension, after which you are unlikely to notice something amiss. But as soon as the chain is loose, the difference in the gap widths will make itself felt. These 0.2 millimeters will not allow the chain to move along the guide bar as evenly as possible; when rotating, it will tilt to the side, which will cause the curvature of the cut.

When purchasing a replacement chain, be guided not by the model of the tool and the manufacturer of the power unit, but by its exact characteristics, taking into account the characteristics of the guide bar. Remember, on identical models of chainsaws, you can install tires with different widths of landing, which means that you will need different chains.

Not sure how to determine the landing width? It is easy to do it using a vernier caliper.

What to do if the chainsaw goes to the side for this reason, but the tire has not had time to wear out? Replace only the chain. If you ignored the problem for a long time, the guide bar was damaged because of this, you will have to change both. Only the installation of a new set will solve the problem of a crooked cut.

Why does the chainsaw go sideways?

It is worth considering the consequences that have to be faced if the chainsaw does not cut well. If you, for example, are engaged in the harvesting of wood fuel, then the curves of the finished chocks, due to the uneven surface, will complicate the process of splitting them into logs. If you are laying a log house, then curved bars cut with a saw, which go sideways, cannot be used, since the ends will be sloppy during laying.

But these are not the worst consequences, given the fact that the bus offset leads to:

• imbalance, and hence to discomfort when using the saw;
• decrease in tool performance;
• increase in fuel consumption.

The tire also deteriorates, which cannot but upset especially those who have a premium expensive saw headset, which will have to fork out to replace.

So why the chainsaw saws crookedly, the reason is one or several?

• saw blade teeth are unevenly sharpened;
• the wrong bus or chain is used (they work badly together);
• the saw head is worn out.