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Chainsaw bar cleaner handle

Started by LorenB, December 22, 2009, 05:54:24 PM

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LorenB

Do you have one of those hookie tools to clean out the groove on your chainsaw's bar?  Does it look like this?



Do you have trouble holding on to it as you try to pull it through the groove?  Put a handle on it.  Here's how. 

Buy a screw-on handle from a tool or farm store.  I got a General #890 from a local farm store. 



Insert the groove cleaning tool into the handle and tighten it down. 

That was easy, wasn't it?  I paid $6.31 plus tax for the handle and it was worth every penny. 





-- Loren
Loren
Baker 3667D portable sawmill, Cook's edger, Logrite arches & peaveys.  Husky 272XP chainsaw & two Echos.

CX3

Or you could use the screwdriver end of your saw wrench?
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wi woodcutter

Quote from: CX3 on December 22, 2009, 10:06:46 PM
Or you could use the screwdriver end of your saw wrench?

That is what I do. :)
2-066's ms660 034av 076av huskee 27ton splitter CB5036
A guard dog needs food, water, shelter, walking and training.
My Smith & Wesson only needs a little oil!

Rocky_J

I use an old 1.5" putty knife I bought from Home Depot about 10 years ago. I think it was about $3. Works great, I can scrape the crud off the outside of the bar as well as clean the groove. The screwdriver/scrench doesn't fit all the way down into the groove.


miking

Quote from: CX3 on December 22, 2009, 10:06:46 PM
Or you could use the screwdriver end of your saw wrench?

Mine doesn't get all the way to the bottom of the bar groove. I use a tool similar to the OP's that also cleans out the oiler hole well.
Echo CS530, 600 and 680 chainsaws, SRM410U brushcutter, PB500 blower and PP265 power pruner. Also a Stihl 192c for the lil' stuff.

chucker

i found this old tool in a dime store about 20 years ago .. its called an old timer pocket knife??? dont know where they ever came from but work very well !! fits in the pocket and has 3 blades it also comes in handy for removing slivers or cleaning pitch out from under the nails! and just as you think you have seen it all it peels apples to eat. cost around 5 bucks at that time.... what a wonder tool ... every woodsman should have one as well as a hankey in their pocket....
respect nature ! and she will produce for you !!  jonsered 625 670  2159 2171/28"  efco 147 husky 390xp/28" .375... 455r/auto tune 18" .58 gauge

Ironwood

I have a thick piece of steel banding w/ a customized end. VERY cheap.

Ironwood
There is no scarcity of opportunity to make a living at what you love to do, there is only scarcity of resolve to make it happen.- Wayne Dyer

LeeB

I don't suppose an old peice of band blade would work would it? I got plenty of broken blades.
'98 LT40HDD/Lombardini, Case 580L, Cat D4C, JD 3032 tractor, JD 5410 tractor, Husky 346, 372 and 562XP's. Stihl MS180 and MS361, 1998 and 2006 3/4 Ton 5.9 Cummins 4x4's, 1989 Dodge D100 w/ 318, and a 1966 Chevy C60 w/ dump bed.

Rocky_J

Lee, that will prolly work just fine. Years ago I used to snap a tine off a leaf rake when I had to clean a bar on the jobsite.

LeeB

Not meaning to sound like a total d.a., but i have never cleaned my bar as such. How often should this be done?
'98 LT40HDD/Lombardini, Case 580L, Cat D4C, JD 3032 tractor, JD 5410 tractor, Husky 346, 372 and 562XP's. Stihl MS180 and MS361, 1998 and 2006 3/4 Ton 5.9 Cummins 4x4's, 1989 Dodge D100 w/ 318, and a 1966 Chevy C60 w/ dump bed.

Rocky_J

Just whenever you have the bar off the saw anyway, to flip the bar or replace the chain. I like having the putty knife because I knock the crud off the foot of the bar so it doesn't get sandwiched in against the saw when I put it back together. And I scrape out the groove so the oil can flow around the bar easier.

LorenB

Quote from: LeeB on December 23, 2009, 07:32:47 PM
I don't suppose an old peice of band blade would work would it? I got plenty of broken blades.

I'm sure that a piece of a band blade would work.  It would probably work better if you ground a hook on the end of it.  Maybe you could even use a tooth. 

The tool I use (pictured above) is sold in different gauges so you can get exactly the right one for your bar.  The one shown is for a 0.050" gauge.  If your bands are the right thickness, you could probably go into business making these things, although they don't sell for much.  I'm sure my handle cost more than the tool itself. 

The nice thing about this tool is that it fills the groove and so it cleans well.  With the handle it's even easy to use. 

-- Loren
Loren
Baker 3667D portable sawmill, Cook's edger, Logrite arches & peaveys.  Husky 272XP chainsaw & two Echos.

Ironwood

Not to sound like to D.A.  either, but do you guys pump some grease into the end bearing on the tip? I try to do that and flip the bar. I usually run a belt sander to remove any burrs off the sides as well (you usually get a burr on the bottom side of the bar, right?)

           Ironwood
There is no scarcity of opportunity to make a living at what you love to do, there is only scarcity of resolve to make it happen.- Wayne Dyer

Cut4fun

I never had a problem without handle like the one OP posted and all mine came for free.

Rocky_J

No Ironwood, I have never nor will I ever grease a bar tip. IMO the problem is that the grease only helps for about 10 minutes and by then it has spun out of the bearings and just becomes a dirt trap around the tip sprocket. Stihl quit putting grease holes on their pro bar tips years ago, the rest keep putting them there because they are expected. Bar lube keeps the tip sprocket well lubricated and a good blast from an air nozzle once in a while to get the tip spinning like a top will fling out all the built up crud and keep the bearings running smooth.

Grease doesn't hurt the tip, but the after affects from greasing may very well lead to premature failure due to having that sticky sand trap globbed around the bar tip.

nmurph

i just use the carb screwdriver that is always in my chaps. the screwdriver-end of my scrench is too large for a .50 bar.

ickirby

Quote from: Ironwood on December 23, 2009, 09:58:53 PM
...do you guys pump some grease into the end bearing on the tip?...

The two schools of thought I have heard on this both make sense to me.

Thought 1:
Quote from: Rocky_J on December 23, 2009, 10:21:44 PM
...I have never nor will I ever grease a bar tip.IMO the problem is that the grease only helps for about 10 minutes and by then it has spun out of the bearings and just becomes a dirt trap around the tip sprocket.
I couldn't have said it better myself.

Thought 2: 
If you are going to grease it do it all the time so you keep the grease as fresh as possible.

I personally grease mine all the time now, mostly because I'm using my saws as demo saws while teaching chainsaw safety and maintenance to people who otherwise would not even know the sprocket was greaseable (or cleanable or even present some times for that matter).  I have run  bars happily without greasing them for their entire life and have never once regretted it.

Your choice, I'd just avoid greasing infrequently.

Rocky_J


LorenB

I second ickirby's opinion. 

A while back I got a lecture on chainsaw maintenance.  The instructor said either keep it greased or never grease it. 

If you never grease it, it won't tend to collect crud that will wear out the sprocket and bearing.  If you keep it greased, it will always have clean grease.  If you grease it occasionally, it will collect dust that will grind the sprocket and bearing up. 

That sounded like good advice.  I now grease mine every fill up. 

-- Loren
Loren
Baker 3667D portable sawmill, Cook's edger, Logrite arches & peaveys.  Husky 272XP chainsaw & two Echos.

sharkey

Geez Im cheaper than all of you guys, I use a broken hacksaw blade to clean the wood chips out of the bar groove.


Merry Christmas everyone!

LorenB

Quote from: sharkey on December 24, 2009, 02:56:09 AM
Geez Im cheaper than all of you guys, I use a broken hacksaw blade to clean the wood chips out of the bar groove.


Merry Christmas everyone!

Sharkey,

You're still ahead of most chainsaw users, I'll bet.  My guess is that most guys don't clean the bar groove at all. 

-- Loren
Loren
Baker 3667D portable sawmill, Cook's edger, Logrite arches & peaveys.  Husky 272XP chainsaw & two Echos.

Cut4fun

Most of the homeowner and firewood cutters I take care of have no clue about the bar groove, oil hole and how it all works together.
They just look at me when I say see here here here keep this clean etc to keep oil to the bar.

Rocky_J

Quote from: Cut4fun on December 24, 2009, 03:00:22 PM
Most of the homeowner and firewood cutters I take care of have no clue about the bar groove, oil hole and how it all works together.
They just look at me when I say see here here here keep this clean etc to keep oil to the bar.
And every one of them refers to the 'blade' on the saw.  ::)  :D

01crewcab

Quote from: Rocky_J on December 22, 2009, 11:45:27 PM
I use an old 1.5" putty knife I bought from Home Depot about 10 years ago. I think it was about $3. Works great, I can scrape the crud off the outside of the bar as well as clean the groove. The screwdriver/scrench doesn't fit all the way down into the groove.
That's what I've used for over 30 years

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TAKE A BROKEN CHOKE CABLE, FROM A SMALL GAS ENGINE, REMOVE THE INNER CABLE FROM THE OUTER, DISCARD THE OUTER CASING, THIS WILL GIVE YOU THE INNER CABLE WITH A KNOB, A HEAVY METAL SLEAVE AND THE WIRE STEEL CABLE, CUT THE STEEL CABLE WITH SIDE CUTTER, BEND END OF CABLE 90 DEGREE IN VICE ABOUT 1/2 LONG, OVERALL LENGTH OF TOOL ABOUT 8 INCHES. WORKS GREAT AT CLEANING BAR GROVE, OIL SUPPLY HOLES AND CLEANING CAVITYS UNDER SIDE COVER AROUND CLUTCH. I STORE MINE IN A DISCARDED PLASTIC CIGAR TUBE IN MY TOOL KIT.

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