The Best Time To Replace Your Chainsaw Bar

So, your chainsaw isn’t what it used to be. It is used to be able to cut down trees with ease and also make firewood without a hitch, but now, something is wrong. Your cuts are no longer straight, you can smell burning from the chainsaw bar and you have lost the general good feeling of cutting.

A few reasons for your troubles:

If you notice that your chainsaw’s bar has burnt marks, this could be due to the fact that there isn’t enough oil in the machine. Another valid reason why your chainsaw is not cutting as efficiently as it should might be because the chain’s teeth are blunt and require sharpening.

However, if the blade does not require sharpening and you maintain your machine very well, then it is likely that the chainsaw bar will need replacing. If you are unsure whether your bar needs to be replaced, see below the following checks you can do see if your chainsaw bar needs to be replaced or not.

Checking your Chainsaw Bar

Firstly, check to see if the bar is crooked. To do so, hold the bar up and look at it in the same manner you would to check a piece of wood. If you notice that the chainsaw bar is crooked, then this is a sure sign that the chainsaw bar needs to be replaced.

Another good check is on the sprocket. If this does not rotate freely or it is jammed, then this will be because the chainsaw has overheated during countless cuts or because the bars have been pinched whilst cutting down trees. Before you replace your chainsaw bar, make sure you have enough oil, as this is one reason why the sprocket will stop working.

Lastly, if your bar has chunks or dinks on it, then this is another serious sign that your chainsaw bar will need replacing as soon as possible.

How to maintain your chainsaw bar

Once you have replaced your chainsaw bar, you are probably not going to want to have to do that for again for a while, as in doing so will set you back a bit financially.

Lubricating

The first method to maintaining your bar is to lubricate the small hole near the end. By doing so, this will make the sprocket rotate easily and will make it last longer. Just a couple of squirts of grease should do the trick.

Cleaning

You should also clean the groove at the edge of the bar. It is important to do this on a regular basis as it can easily get clogged with sawdust and dirt which can soak-up any oil, making the bar and chain ware-out prematurely. To clean this groove, all you need is a small, thin object such as toothpick or screwdriver; or alternatively you can use compressed air as you would on your computer.

Summary of When to Replace your Chainsaw

As you should know, chainsaws are extremely dangerous machines and should be used with safety in-mind at all times. Replacing your bar is important because a damaged bar might cause you harm, so make sure you regularly maintain it and keep it lubricated. If you are unsure of when you should change your chainsaw’s bar or chain, then seek professional guidance. A chainsaw expert will be able to assist you in replacing your bar if you are stuck. If there aren’t any local workshops shops nearby, then try asking someone at your local hardware store, and hopefully, they should be able to point you in the right direction.

It is ideal to do some research before you purchase a new bar in order to make sure that it is the correct size, and that the bar is compatible with your chainsaw and chain.