Thread: Straightening chainsaw bArs

Depending on how badly stretched/bent a bar is, they can be straightened and brought back into service.
The most critical things to worry about is the rails because if the rails are broken or splitting away from the bar then it is not worth straightening.

If the bar is just bent (not twisted) and you have access to a large press this is probably the easiest and safest way to do it because this provides for a lot of control. Support the bar bend up using a couple of pieces of 1" pipe either side of the bend and use the press to push on the bend via a third short piece of 1" pipe or bar that does not touch the rails - in fact the pipe should be about 10mm away from the bottoms of the bar groove. Take it slowly and stop and regularly release the press to see how much of the bend has been removed.

The way my dad showed me was using a variably cupped dry railway sleeper and a ~5lb lumpy.
Ideally you want the sleeper to have virtually no cupping at one end through to to about 10 mm deep cupping at the other.
Start with the bent bar sitting bend up across the sleeper near then end with no cupping and belt the bar (keep away from the bar rails) in the middle for a small bar or two blows near each other in the middle for a large one. If nothing much happens move the bar to where there is more cupping on the sleeper and repeat.
If you don't have a suitable sleeper you may be able to find a suitable cup like depression in a piece of wood or log.
A couple of years ago I straightened 2, 25" bars using the cupped sleeper method, one I found in a skip bin, and the other I had jammed in a log that rolled while I was cutting it.
Both came out very straight and I still have and use those bars

If the bar is twisted then the method used by regular hand saw repairers of belting the bar on an anvil to stretch the metal back into shape is supposed to be very effective but you sort of need to know what you are doing. If you have an old twisted bar that you don't care about too much then it is worth trying this method.

lmao

You need to take it to a saw doc who understands how to straighten and tension saw plates nifty in W.A. take it to hughans and hope Fong is still working there. Heat is not the answer and will ruin a good bar what needs to happen is the shorter side needs to grow and the longer side needs to shrink. this can be achieved using a hammer and an anvil but an amateur can easily make it far worse. Otherwise you can send them to me and I can fix em for ya.

Travis

I can't seem to find Hughgans in any directory Travis so may take you up on the offer

Nifty

Originally Posted by nifty

I can't seem to find Hughgans in any directory Travis so may take you up on the offer

Nifty

They are in osborne park and they have reps that collect in your area their number is (08)9244 1977 hughans saw service. If you call em someone will collect from you I am sure.

ask if Fong is still there.

Travis I thank you and all the forumites on here. I've dedicated my time so much to understanding bandsaws that I feel I neglected chainsaws along the the way and have come up with answers from the right people.
And now it's time for my after dinner whiskey... Here's to saw dust gentlemen

Originally Posted by nifty

Hi all... I may consider myself experienced but by no means an expert when it comes to chainsaw maintenance.. When it comes to a bent chainsaw bars, my usual cure is to answer one simple question... "cheque, savings or credit?"
i have found upon a recent visit to 2 stroke heaven (local Stihl dealership) that it's near on impossible to buy a solid tip bar nowadays...
i have accrued 3 over the years I used specifically for ripping logs which over time and punishment acquire a slight bend.
So gentlemen of greater experience, what are the tricks to this task? Using heat? Aquire larger elephant to stand on it for a while? Once again I put it to the forum faithful before a google search... Because Google is like the Ebay of knowledge...

Nifty

Nifty, you are looking in the wrong shop. Do a Google search for GB chainsaw bars. They still make them, solid tip ones and I have been running one of their 5 foot Titanium bars on my Husky 3120, it leaves Stihl
bars for dead.
Sorry I can't post a link as I am on a tablet.
Rgds,
Crocy