Maintenance and Tips
Warning
Cutting chain can cause injury if incorrectly fitted to a chainsaw or if the saw is used improperly. Install, adjust and maintain the chain as recommended by the manufacturer of your chainsaw. Beware of kickback, particularly when cutting with the bar nose. Kickback can lead to dangerous loss of control of the chainsaw and result in serious injury to the saw operator or bystanders.
Before using any chainsaw, thoroughly read the manufacturer's operating and safety instructions. OREGON® offers low-kickback chains for nearly all applications. We strongly recommend you use low-kickback chains unless you have experience and special training for dealing with kickback.
You're trying to get some work done in the yard, and the trusty old chainsaw is acting funny; here's what to do when:
Chain won't turn; Check for:
# Tension too tight
# Burred drive links
# Pinched bar groove
# Chain off sprocket
# Bar sprocket nose frozen
# Chain brake engaged
# Adequate bar/chain lubricant
# Debris (chips) in bar groove or drive sprocket
Slow cutting; check for:
# Dull cutters
# Depth gauges too high
# Clutch slipping
# Bar groove too wide
# And, believe it or not, chain on backwards
Chain cuts crooked; check for:
# Low depth gauges on one side
# Uneven bar rails
# Cutters filed differently, one side to the other
# Damage to cutters on one side of chain from hitting the ground, a rock, or other foreign material
Finally, although we don't manufacture saws, we
spend a lot of time with them, and when your
%#@&?!! chainsaw won't start.... here's what we always check :
# Ignition switch on
# Choke on
# Air filter clean
# Spark plug clean, gapped
# Plug wire on
# Saw gas in fuel tank
Having trouble with chain sharpening, remembering the correct angles, and so forth? You can get a free copy of our Maintenance & Safety Manual, with all the right info, just by e-mailing your snail-mail address to technicalservices3@oregonchain.com and mentioning "MM."
Chain won't turn? Check to
make sure the chain tension
is set correctly.
The front of your chain's cutters
should always face and drive
towards the tip of your bar.
Bar maintenance is a very critical factor in the operation of today's high speed, high-horsepower saws.
Stop for a moment and think about how much chain is traveling around the bar in one second's time. About 80 feet of chain pass one spot on the bar in one second. Over an hour's time, that amounts to almost 300,000 feet, or 53 miles of chain. Given this speed and the light lubrication which the chain and bar receive, both the bar and chain are subject to wear through normal use.
Where conditions of abnormal wear exist, they are often the result of poor maintenance practices. The faults are usually poor sharpening of cutters, loose chain tension, or inadequate bar and chain lubrication.
The wear pattern on the bottoms of cutters, tie straps and drive links generally reflects the condition of your bar. Regular inspection of the chain will point out the need for corrective maintenance. Correct problems immediately and you can avoid further damage, or replacement of the bar or chain, or both.
Here are some examples:
1. If the bottoms of the drive links are worn flat, like the shaded area, the bar groove is shallow either in the tail or straight section of the bar. (see A)
Tip Bar Troubles
2. If the bottoms of the drive links are worn concave, the bar groove is shallow in the bar nose. Most likely, the wear resistant alloy material on the hard-nose bar has worn off. (See B)
3. If the bar rails are not flat and square, the chain parts will wear like this. (See C, below)
bar rails are not flat and square, it wears like this
4. If the bar rails are uneven, the chain parts will wear like this. (See D, above)
How to check bar groove wear:
First, tension the chain. Then, place a straightedge against the bar and the cutting edge of one cutter. Force the cutter sideways as far as it will go. There should be a 1/16 to 1/8-inch gap between the straightedge and the side of the bar. The chain should be supported squarely by the bar rails. If it isn't, it's time for a new bar.
(See E, below)
bar clearance, edges, lean
To get better service from your bar, check it daily for the following:
1. Bar rails flat and even. Both rails must be flat and square with the sides of the bar. The original shape or contour of the bar must be maintained. (See F)
bar rails, groove depth
2. Correct bar groove width and depth. The groove width should be from .002" to .005" wider than the gauge of the chain being used. Groove depth should range between a minimum of 5/16" and a maximum of 27/64". (See G)
3. Check your bar by sighting down it to see that it is straight. A bar can be bent in an operating accident and the user will not be aware of it. Bent bars should be straightened immediately or further damage will occur to both bar and chain.
General maintenance techniques:
Because the chain and bar operate together as a team, a few simple practices can make them both run efficiently.
1. Keep your cutters sharp and touch them up frequently.
2. File the cutters evenly. Be sure the filing angles are the same on the left and right sides.
3. Keep your depth gauges even on both sides of the chain and at their recommended settings.
4. Use plenty of bar and chain oil. Oil is cheaper than either a new bar or chain!
5. Remove the bar periodically and clean accumulated sawdust from the oil hole and bar groove. Turn the bar over regularly.
6. Tension the chain properly, just tight enough to be able to pull around the bar by hand. Check the tensioning frequently, but not while the chain is hot; wait until the chain is cool to the touch.
At a speed of 53 miles per hour, four hours of saw running time means 200+ miles of chain passing over the bar. Attention to the condition of the chain and bar, plus frequent lubrication, will safeguard your equipment investment. In reduced wear alone, you'll more than pay for the oil you use.
ALAMIA.US
