Bar rail groove repair

[davidwyby]

I have a nice looking 28" bar. Looks like it was originally .058”. Someone closed down to .050”, but now it’s about .070”. Run .063” (bastard 28” chain, all my others are .050”) or beat it back down to .050”?

Thanks

 

[pbillyi69]

i dont know if there is a place down there to repair it or not. but there is a place up here that does. its called Chain Bar Repairing they are super solid folks the last time i took a bar there to be repaired they did it while i waited and didnt charge me. i had got a bar for free that was bent a little and the rail was prett beat. he ran it through his machines straightend it back up checked the groove and said have a nice day.

 

[Loony661]

I have a nice looking 28" bar. Looks like it was originally .058”. Someone closed down to .050”, but now it’s about .070”. Run .063” (bastard 28” chain, all my others are .050”) or beat it back down to .050”?

Thanks

I honestly think you’re right wasting your time unless you grind down the whole bar rail back to original width where it isn’t worn. Chains wear the inside of the bar in an “X” shape as they flex side to side. Squeezing the rails won’t overcome the wear - it’s just a bandaid.

 

[hacskaroly]

I have a nice looking 28" bar. Looks like it was originally .058”. Someone closed down to .050”, but now it’s about .070”. Run .063” (bastard 28” chain, all my others are .050”) or beat it back down to .050”?

Like @Loony661 states, you might be chasing your tail just squeezing the rails back together. Is the problem that the rail has widened, inside rail is worn or both? I can see if it is widening, you go with the next size driver up (though at .070 - you've maxed it).

That said, you don't have anything to lose by trying to squeeze it some and see how it ends up. You may have to reshape the top rail profile, hopefully not too much comes off making it too shallow for the drivers.

The .070 might be a little loose for .063 chain, maybe a slight squeeze and rail cleanup then running 0.63 might be a good compromise compared to squeezing and cleaning for .050 or .058.

 

[srcarr52]

If it's out to 0.070" it's done for. You might be able to get it down to 63g but the rails will be pretty thin after grinding the groove and probably not stay put without normalizing them.

Overall it's not worth the time vs. the cost of a new bar.

 

[bigbadbob]

Amazon.ca

Silvey BRC & BRG | Madsen's Shop

www.madsens1.com

There are these

 

[WI_Hedgehog]

That X-shape of bending it back to .050"....plus the further it's bent the weaker it becomes.

I've new .063 chain, not sure I'd want to put it in a messed-up bar, though I'd run the old chain on hand after pulling the bar rails in and putting on an appropriately used rim sprocket.

 

[srcarr52]

That X-shape of bending it back to .050"....plus the further it's bent the weaker it becomes.

I've new .063 chain, not sure I'd want to put it in a messed-up bar, though I'd run the old chain on hand after pulling the bar rails in and putting on an appropriately used rim sprocket.

The procedure I've done in the past is to over bend the rails so you can get the root close to the correct gauge. Then relax the bend at the root by hammering with a undersized shim in the groove or else they'll spring back in a short time. Then grind the bar rails back out to the desired gauge to get rid of the tight area at the edge of the rails.

Generally if a bar is that worn out, the rail grove is getting pretty shallow and their is a signification amount of wear on the heal and after the tip that make redeeming the bar impossible without welding.

Also closing even a new 63g bar to 50g is quite a chore and the results are not always the best. It's really hard to get the rails closed enough at the bottom of the drive link such that it's not sloppy.

 

[pbillyi69]

the machine they use at the repair shop to squeeze a groove is a hydraulic press that it rolls through

 

[jacob j.]

The rails likely aren't worn evenly.

i dont know if there is a place down there to repair it or not. but there is a place up here that does. its called Chain Bar Repairing they are super solid folks the last time i took a bar there to be repaired they did it while i waited and didnt charge me. i had got a bar for free that was bent a little and the rail was prett beat. he ran it through his machines straightend it back up checked the groove and said have a nice day.

If you're talking about the place in Portland on Johnson Creek blvd, they're out of business. Bill passed away a while ago.

 

[Wilhelm]

Chainsaw bars are consumables same as chains.
I have worn out dozens of chains, but only one AM bar.

I run the factory original Dolmar branded Oregon laminate bar on my 2006. purchased Dolmar PS-6400 and she is my main go to workhorse.
I did deepen the groove at the bars tail section twice.
It is a .058" gauge bar, I can run a .063" chain in it.

 

[davidwyby]

I have a rolling rail closer. Never got it to work well. What I have done in the past is put a shim a little thinner than the desired gauge in and tap tap tap. I think I will do that with this one for .063" and then dress groove/edges as needed. Not like I'm a logger out running it 8 hours a day. I have too many saws, bars and chains for it to get a lot of use.

 

[pbillyi69]

The rails likely aren't worn evenly.


If you're talking about the place in Portland on Johnson Creek blvd, they're out of business. Bill passed away a while ago.

 

[pbillyi69]

i am talking about that place. that sucks. thats too bad. it was only last year maybe 2022 that i was there last.

 

[WI_Hedgehog]

.... Then grind the bar rails back out to the desired gauge to get rid of the tight area at the edge of the rails.
....

How do you cost-effectively grind the rails straight and at the right dimension with a tight tolerance?

 

[davidwyby]

How do you cost-effectively grind the rails straight and at the right dimension with a tight tolerance?

With a machine shop like his or mine…or a bar repair machine

 

[jacob j.]

i am talking about that place. that sucks. thats too bad. it was only last year maybe 2022 that i was there last.

Pacific Trail Manufacturing is still around - they do bar repairs and custom bars, they're in Portland.

I stopped in at Chainbar Repair a couple times in the late 90's/early 2000's and chatted with Bill quite a bit. He was a great old boy. I think he was in his late 70's when he passed.

 

[pbillyi69]

yes he was great. i took several bars to him over the years. i also bought most new bars from him, he always had the best price. he was what is missing in customer service today

 

[davidwyby]

Pacific Trail Manufacturing is still around - they do bar repairs and custom bars, they're in Portland.

I stopped in at Chainbar Repair a couple times in the late 90's/early 2000's and chatted with Bill quite a bit. He was a great old boy. I think he was in his late 70's when he passed.

@Cat 525

 

[srcarr52]

How do you cost-effectively grind the rails straight and at the right dimension with a tight tolerance?

I made my own bar groove grinder.