O28 cutting crooked

[amcbride69]

I was recently given my Grandfathers O28WB. The saw statrts and runs great but will not cut straight. It had a new bar and two chains with it . To rule out the possiblity sharping error on my part I just tried a new stihl chain with no luck . could it be weak annular mounts??

[beenthere]

Welcome to the forum.
Sounds like there is no reason the saw should not cut straight. New bar, new chain (rules out sharpening error).

Do the chain and bar match? 

If so, then don't think it can be the saw...

[lumberjack48]

I've had guys tell me my saws didn't cut straight, the problem was, it was the way they were holding the saw.

[Magicman]

First, Welcome to the Forestry Forum, amcbride69.  As was alluded to above, with a new bar and chain, you may need to examine your technique.  Sawing experience?  Were you sawing vertical or horizontal?  Are you holding the weight of the saw to prevent that from influencing the cut path?

[JustWondering]

You said it had a new bar and chain with it was it "new" but previously used it might have the slightest bend in it.

[Al_Smith]

A bar doesn't neccessarily have to have a bend it to cut in a circle .If the rail is worn more on one side than the other it will be a pretty good circle cutter .Usually a bent bar will get stuck in the cut .

[Jim Spencer]

Just a word of advice.
I have made 76 trips around the sun so have more experience than a greenhorn.  I own a 029, 066, and a 028 which I bought at a garage sale for $50 about 10 years ago.  The saw would only run for a couple minutes when I bought it.  Took the bottom plate off the carb and cleaned a small screen about 1/4" in diameter.
 The 029 is not a great saw, (too much plastic) but the 028 has been my favorite since the day I bought it.
The 028 is a fantastic saw and I have never heard anyone who was experienced complain about one.
I have a Logosol and have cut hundreds of 30" White and Red Oak logs and I always use the 028.  Don't let anyone tell you that you need a large saw to cut a large tree.  Almost never use the 066 for anything except slabbing and making lumber on the Logosol.
Just telling it like it is.
Jim

[lumberjack48]

Mr. Spencer, i couldn't have said it better, i figer I've cut close to million trees, I'm not going to get in to all the saws I've used for felling. The saw i like the best was a 034S Stihl, that little saw impressed me every day i used it, and I'm dam hard to impress.
The 028 is one tough hardy saw, it will go beyond its means to impress you, my brother in law fell for me one winter, i was driving skidder and the wife the other skidder, he fell 400 Swamp Spruce a day with a 028 WB , about 40 cords.

I used to say, the only reason a guy buys a big saw is because he doesn't know how to file.

My wife is left handed, when she started running saw she could not make a straight cut. She really got mad about it, i had to work with her to hold the saw straight.

Every left handed person that worked for me cut them self, Yes, she did to.

When i was strip cutting back in the early 60's my favorite saws, XL-12 Homelite, 104 Homelite, XL-15 Homelite. Lumbard Lighting III, O8-S Stihl, 1010 MuCulloch, Pioneer P-40, yes i ran- em all, I'm sure I'm missing a few.

I worked for a guy out of Mizpaw MN., he had a Hill Lake dray behind a cat. I cut, limbed and piled 10 cords of aspen a day, with a XL-15. It was 1966 i was just newly wed, 18 yrs old.

[Paul_H]

If a person tried to contract fall on the west coast with a 034 he'd be mighty hungry.Bigger isn't always better but there is a reason why the larger cc saws are produced and purchased.

[SwampDonkey]

That's sure true. 

But one manual cutter, 40 cords a day of black spruce? Consistently? He's got a stronger back than I do. 

[lumberjack48]

Of course paul_H, theres a place for everything, carrying a 066 cutting swamp Spruce is a over kill.

Like cutting firewood, guys say i don't need much of a saw, all i do is cut firewood. Cutting firewood is about 10 times harder on a saw then felling timber, at least it is when i did it

I know that most of the flat lander loggers carry to big of a saw for the project at hand and then sometimes to small of a saw.

If your cutting your firewood every year[6/8 cords], don't wast your money at Menard's on those throw aways. They love the small firewood cutter.
Buy a real saw and take care of it, and it will take care of you 20+years  

 

[zopi]

The saw I reach for ninety percent of the time is a dinky little 180c....followed closely by a 290....hopefully get my 660 out of the shop soon...it sure is fun to buck mo.sters with that thing and a 36 inch bar....but it will wear you flat out in a half hour...but by then I have most treed busted down amd am ready to watch the padawan learner load the heavy stuff...

[Paul_H]

A big saw(066,046) shouldn't wear a person out if they hold it properly while bucking,limbing or falling unless you are doing a lot of overhead work.If you hold the saw with both hands and use your leg to rest it against. If you are doing overhead sawing then any size saw will get to you after a bit.

[zopi]

Yeah, but I weigh a buck forty at about four percent body fat...If I were just falling with it I could go for quite awhile, but falling, limbing, bucking...the big saw is too much...that is why I spend quality time with the 180c...about eighty percent of a most trees can be cut with it, picco chain cuts fast and a fourteen inch bar it quick to file....can swing that thing for days.
I do like running the 660 though...it is like bucking wood with a funny car...

[Al_Smith]

If he were talking about an 034 S it's  basically same as an 036 .It'll get it for 60 cc .

Of the others probabley the lightning II Lombard being 4.2 cubic inch .I own one myself plus a Comango which is basically the same saw plus parts from 3 .They are known crankcase seal leakers which is what kills them .--repair of same is just one item on an extremely long to-do list .

[tstex]

I live in west houston and have 100 acres 65 miled WNW of houston...if I cut 40 cords a day, I would soon have a praire.  I envy you guys that need 6-10 cords of wood a yr to burn...lucky if I go through 1/2 - 3/4 cord all winter...I would love to live up north were it really gets cold for an extended period of time with plenty of snow and moisture of any kind.  The drought this yr and over 190 days of 90+ degrees and 45-65 days of 100-108 degrees just have killed us...

keep us the good stories and be safe.

regards,
tstex

PS- maybe one winter I could make a trip up North and work a week or two and help some of you guys

[Al_Smith]

Be carefull what you wish for .

I only use 4-5 cords on the average year .Keep in mind I don't even light the fire unless it's in the 20's though which it hasn't gotten there as yet .From about late Nov to mid March .

Ohio gets cold allright but nothing like Minnesota or the UP of Mich .

[SwampDonkey]

I burn 1.5 cords from September to Christmas here. Then 4.5 cords from then to May. In the shop I burn 1.5 cords from November-March and it never freezes in there. It sucks the most wood in the shop when steam bending. Needs to be stuffed and super hot to boil water. And it's gotta be Jan-Feb when it's real cold with the door wide open or I would melt into a grease spot on the floor.

[amcbride69]

Thanks for all the welcomes and advice . I started using a saw helping my Dad at about 14 . The saws we hade then were a c-7 Homelite and a blue xl, next we had an O29&O36 stihl . As I moved out on my own I've had a jonsered 2040 turbo and several poulans. No one here has heated with wood since the mid 90's. right now I'm cleaning up dead and damaged trees from our farm to sell for firewood.

[Al_Smith]

That old C 7 Homey has enough it just lacks a tad in the speed department .Hook the dogs and  lean on it hard ,you can't stall it .It'll about sound like a John Deere A under load but will keep chugging away .