Why Does My Chainsaw Cut Crooked

When working perfectly fine, a chainsaw can effortlessly cut through wood. However, if your chainsaw is having trouble cutting straight or if it cuts to the side, there is a high possibility that you are dealing with a crooked chainsaw.

It’s natural to face some issues when you use a tool on an almost regular basis. Learn why does my chainsaw cut crooked and how to fix it in the following article.

A chainsaw with a dulled chain can wreak havoc on your cuts, leaving behind crooked lines instead of straight ones. It’s important to note that an improperly sharpened cutter tooth can throw off the cutting angle, resulting in uneven results – but other factors such as broken teeth or a damaged chain may also be at play.

So if you’re facing zigzag-shaped saw marks when all should be even and neat, consider taking steps toward ensuring proper blade maintenance before tackling any further carving tasks!

Why Does My Chainsaw Cut Crooked

There are a lot of things that can cause your chainsaw to become crooked. But some of the factors contribute more to the damage than the others.

Which trust me, is not as big of a problem as it sounds. Now, I’ve made a list of a few things that contribute to your chainsaw cutting crooked.

Contents
Dull Chain on One Side

This is one of the most common reasons for your chainsaw getting pulled in one direction.

It does not matter if your chainsaw is new or old; anyone come to face this problem. It can usually happen when your chainsaw hits a rock or a patch of hard dirt.

When your chainsaw hits or grinds into a rock, it can take a big toll on your chain; also, when something like this happens, it will only affect one side of your chainsaw, which in result, can cause an uneven or dull chain on one side.

Another big reason could be lopsided sharpening; sharpening one side harder than the other with the help of a manual file can result in a crooked cut.

How to Fix It

If you are dealing with a dull chain on one side or an uneven chain’s minor case, you will need to sharpen it with a manual file until it’s all evened out, and you will be all good to go.

Other times, when the problem seems slightly bigger than this, all you will have to do is find the links on both sides of your chain, each of your cutter links and link will have a tiny straight line marked on it.

The focal purpose of these lines is to show you the maximum point to which a link can be sharpened.

This will help you out in sharpening the chainsaw and making it even and balanced.

Edges of The Bar is Uneven

Like I said earlier, most of the time, dull chains on one side are always causing crooked cuts, but if your chain is perfectly fine.

It’s probably your chainsaw bar then. Let’s just keep this in mind that uneven chainsaw bars are almost inevitable, and everyone who owns a chainsaw will eventually have to this day.

It is inevitable because the metal to metal friction can easily cause the chainsaw bar to wear off eventually.

Now, it mostly depends upon your dominant hand or the direction a tree is leaning towards; although there can be other issues that can cause the same problem, your dominant hand and the leaned tree are usually the more prominent ones.

A thing that professionals saw men’s do or what foresters do, is to flip the chainsaw regularly to avoid an uneven chainsaw bar; flipping helps in balancing things out.

How to Fix it

Fixing an uneven chainsaw bar is as easy as a piece of cake. All that you will have to do is to fill in the edges until they are all smooth and level.

You can either scrape the edges of your bar or fill them in; I would personally suggest you fill in the edges as they are a cheaper long-run solution.

FAQ’s – Frequently Asked Questions – why does my chainsaw cut crooked.

1. Why does my chainsaw not cut in a straight line?

A dull chainsaw can mean trouble – if one side of the chain’s teeth are longer than the other, it’ll be impossible to get a straight cut. An uneven sharpening is often caused by running over rocks and debris while in use, so make sure any dangerous items are cleared from your cutting path.

Protect your chainsaw from wear and tear with proper sharpening. Taking the extra time for regular care of your saw will ensure it’s always ready when you need it most.

2. How tight should the tension be on a chainsaw?

To ensure optimal performance from your chainsaw, the chain must be properly tensioned. It should have some slack to allow for flexibility when cutting wood, but it shouldn’t be so loose that you can pull out the drive links at either end of the guide bar.

3. What angle should my chainsaw teeth be?

When sharpening your chainsaw chain, angle is everything! The ideal range of angles for optimal performance lies between 25° and 35° – but be mindful that harder woods may require a slightly higher angle. To ensure accuracy during the process, it’s best to use either a dedicated sharpening grid or filing gauge as an aid.

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Dull Chain on One Side