When you’re using your chainsaw, you should be able to rely on the straightness of the cut (so long as you’re using it correctly). Knowing how to repair a chainsaw that cuts crooked is critical to a safe and successful project on your Pennsylvania worksite.
If you have a chainsaw that’s cutting crooked, this is bad for a couple reasons. For starters, it will prevent you from being able to make correct, accurate cuts of any sort of quality. More importantly, it will pose more of a danger, as there will be a greater possibility of the saw getting pinched during the cutting process.
In most cases, the reason you’ll have a chainsaw pulling left or right during cutting is that it was not sharpened evenly. This is most likely to occur with saw owners who manually sharpen their saws with a file. Right-handed individuals tend to do a better job sharpening the left side of the chain, while left-handed individuals tend to do a better job sharpening the right side.
This is why it’s important to put plenty of effort into even sharpening.
Fixing a crooked-cutting chainsaw
The simplest approach to chainsaw repair in Pennsylvania when it’s cutting crooked is to re-sharpen it. Try to avoid sharpening with your dominant hand for a little while. Work on the side that you believe needs more attention, and test the chainsaw to see if focusing on the ignored side resolves the issue.
In the future, when sharpening, you should make sure you spend equal time and effort on both sides of the chain. Both sides of the chain should be equally sharp if it’s going to cut straight every single time.
However, there is a possibility that the sharpness of the chain is not the problem, especially if you’re certain you sharpened the chain properly. You may have damaged the chain by hitting something inside a piece of wood, or by running it against dirt or a rock. This could result in a chipped tooth or extreme blunting. While this can be fixed by sharpening, the damage may be too significant, requiring you to get a new chain.
If the problem isn’t with the chain, the crooked cuts could be due to a worn-out bar. A bar with a lot of movement can result in chainsaws going in circles. You may need to tighten the bar, or turn it upside down to see if you can refresh the bar and continue to get some good life out of it before you have to replace it.
A good general rule is to alternate the bar every time you sharpen the chain. This will increase the lifespan of the bar and also keep your saw working properly for a longer period of time. Taking this simple action as part of your ongoing chainsaw maintenance can save you from having to spend as much money on repairs and replacement parts.
Interested in learning more about some of the steps you can take to repair a chainsaw in Pennsylvania that cuts crooked? We encourage you to contact a Central Equipment Company for more information.