Tip lube

R

Rickytree

Just wondering how often everyone is lubing up your tips..on your bars that is. Also anyone got one of those bar files and or a bar rail closer. Are they worth having? I usually just use a large flat file to take down the edges and the burrs and have never closed a bar rail yet.
 
This is what I use:

http://di1-2.shoppingshadow.com/images/p...ainsaw+bar+.jpg

Every time I gas/oil, give it a pump up.

Flat file works for getting the burr off but it won't straighten the rails. If the rails are worn or bent the chain will wobble instead of being held square to the bar. This leads to chain and bar wear and will likely cause bad cuts too.

Flat file the tops of the rails too. A bench mounted disc/belt sander works too. This is a premium one but a bench top unit works too.

http://img.directindustry.com/images_di/photo-g/disc-sander-513514.jpg


Be careful that you don't heat the bar and ruin the temper.

You can close the rails manually if you're careful. Slip a short piece of chain in the bar. Lay it on an anvil and gently peen the rails...gently...you're doing machinist work not blacksmithing. Peen the rails until the chain glides smooth and square. This isn't easy to do by hand.
 
The bar dressers are great for taking the burs off and dressing the bars. As far as the tip lubing goes. I was told by a wise mine that you can either not do it at all or you lube it all the time. There is no in between from what he said and he's like an encyclopedia of arboriculture knowledge.
 
TP,

I've closed the rails on a number of bars. Before straightening there was a certain sound from the saw. After doing a complete bar dressing the sound was much more pleasant. Hard to describe the difference. and the saws cut better too.

I've never used a tip twice. In my experience tips get trashed bars are reused. Just my experiences...YMMV :)
 
That diagnostic tool came from buying a newer saw with the same chain/bar combo. When I ran each of them I heard something different. Nothing sounded bad like grinding metal or anything. Just the tone or frequency. After doing a full dressing the old saw sounded more like the new one. That was enough for me.

After talking with a saw tech he said what I was probably hearing was the chain wobble side to side in the bar rails.

Liken it to what a loose chain sounds like and it might be easier to catch the tone.
 
Was told the same thing by a Cutter legend here. Don't grease the tips cuz they'll blow out. This coming from a guy that does all removals and firewood and uses used motor oil for bar oil. He says as long as the chain is sharp, tis good.. dressed up my bars today and the large flat file did good. Think I'll stay simple and keep with the large file. I don't really have a issue with going through bars. Usually last around a year or more. Then again not doing firewood..yet.
 
Tom, do you find that you go through alot of tips? If you are greasing at every fill up this might be better then just every week, month,or year. It's been awhile since I did mine.
 
Never heard about lubing bar tips. I will ask my dad and see if he has heard anything about it. I have dressed up bars though. Took the burs out.
 
Treeclimber there is a bar tip luber in the package when you buy a saw along with some other things (sqwrench) and a small hole on the side of the tip of the bar where you can see the bearings inside.
 
I haven't greased a tip in years, but I used to do it at every fill up as well. I thought they stopped making greasable tips??? I don't think any of my saws have one. I'll have to check on Monday.
 
There is no need to grease bar tips. Bar oil is all the lubrication needed. I used to do it now and then, but that was eons ago.

Further, I've heard that if one greases a tip, then it needs to be done regularly.

As far as dressing a bar goes,, it important to keep the rails level, and burs removed. Using a bar rail closer is a stop gap, as all it does is squeeze the outer rail together. The groove won't be the same width throughout its depth. The tool is also quite hard to use. I have one, only tried it a couple times. This tool is great for squaring up the rails, and removing burs.
http://www.baileysonline.com/itemdetail.asp?item=ORF%20111439

www.chainbar.com in Portland, Oregon completely reconditions bars to like new condition. They squeeze the entire groove together, then regroove it, straighten if needed, square and dress the rails. Replace tips if needed for an extra charge. I've had several bars done, and it's a good service.
 
Buy my bars from Bailey's for $25 maybe alittle more. Get the one's on sale and they seem to work great. $60 to $80 for a bar in Canada.
 
An old saw guy told me long ago that the grease actually reduces the ability of the bar oil to stick to the chain. Not sure if it's true, but I've never been one to grease tips anyway. I get a few flips out of a bar, file it when needed, then replace.

-Tom
 
I think this has alot more to do with the area you live in than any thing , In my area you donot grease the bar tip mainly cause of the blowing sand as there is tons of it blowing around everyday , the sand gets into the grease and good bye bar tip. Also I think it has alot to do with how you use the bar tip, if you plunge cut alot that is hard on the tip , Up here we plunge cut just about every tree mostly when topping it .
When I worked in the mine we tested on which way the bearing on the elevator that takes the rock to the top to be screened , These bearings are in rock 99.9 % of their life and not very cheap to buy plus a real pain to change . What worked the best was , install new bearing in C- blocks , give each bearing a shot of grease , take grease fitting outs of bearings , start up elevator and have a 15 minute break, elevator would run empty and the bearings would warm up and push whatever grease they did not need out of the grease hole , stop elevator install grease fittings and go to work and never grease them again, You could get up to 3 or 4 months out of a set of bearings this way but if you greased them everyday lots of times you were lucky to get a week out of them
 
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