Are you a bar flipper?

[Piston]

I was told by an older friend that each time I sharpen my chain, or at least every few times, I should rotate my bar by flipping it upside down and then back right side up again after a few more sharpenings.  He said it helped to wear the bar evenly.  Do any of you do this? or does it sound like a good idea?  I don't know any better one way or another but I want to be able to explain to someone why I have my bar on my saw upside down, and not look like an idiot!

[Rocky_J]

Yes, it is part of normal maintenance and care for your saw. The next time you have the bar off, look at the edges of the bar near the tip. You will see wear on the bottom side and usually a bit of a sharp ridge along the outside edge. When the bar wears and this ridge flares out it can eventually interfere with the saw passing through the cut. Use a flat file to eliminate the sharp ridge and keep the bar rails flat and square.

I don't flip every time I have the bar off but rather I inspect the bar rails and install the bar so the least worn side is on the bottom. You have been given the short rule about flipping the bar, now I've given you the 'how' and 'why'.

[beenthere]

Like Rocky_J says, is good info.

I flip mine, each time I put on a different chain.
Normally I run two chains and one sprocket through a cycle. When the chains are used up, I get two new ones and a new sprocket. Also, joint the bar at that time.
Has worked well for me for near 40 years. 

I just wait for someone to ask me about the bar upside down... ;D ;D ;D

[Ianab]

The way I figure it is that you are paying for a whole bar, with two sides. If you dont flip it occasionally then the bottom side (where most of the wear happens) gets worn out first and you have to replace the bar sooner, with a perfectly good top.

I think Stihl started printing the logo upside down on one side of the bar to remind folks that it didn't matter which way up the bar was.

If I'm ever asked I will just tell people it's beacuse I'm planning to stand on the other side of the tree when I cut it, and let them ponder that.  ;)

Ian

[stonebroke]

How do you joint a bar?

Stonebroke

[Cut4fun]

Yes on flipper, just not on my hognose bars though.

[WildDog]

I flip my bar at the start of each day of cutting when I do my regular maintenance, the guy who ran our last cross cut/felling course said to flip it every time you sharpen, thats too much for me, if I am cutting fallen hardwood I might touch up the chain 4 or 5 times a day.

I use the same flat file used on the risers to take any burr off the edge of the bar.  Like  beenthere said, remember to replace your rear spocket.

I want to be able to explain to someone why I have my bar on my saw upside down, and not look like an idiot!

I have never been asked about the bar wrong side up. I probably do more idiotic things that give onlookers something else to focus on ;)

[Piston]

Thanks for all your replies guys, it's nice to know I can ask these "rookie" questions and get some good info, I'm trying to learn as much as I can about this stuff and this website is incredibly helpful.  I guess I'll start flipping my bar from now on and get some more use out of em.  Thanks again.

[Wallys World]

I have a Pferd Universal Edge Sharpener that I got from Baileys. It has a right angle guide on it so you can true up the bar. I do it when I feel/see burrs on the edge of the rails. My saw is a 1982 Stihl 056 and I am still running the original bar. It has been thru alot of wood, but normal maintenance sure makes a difference. Remember to grease your sprocket nose on the bar also.

[Al_Smith]

I flip them every so often not with any set time to do so .Every so often I also true them up using a 6 by 48 belt  sander . I've got some hard nosed bars that are older than most people on this forum that are still just fine .

[markct]

Remember to grease your sprocket nose on the bar also.

is there a way to grease the newer sprocket noses, i know the old bars like my fathers homelite had used a little pointed grease gun and ya pushed grease into the little hole on the side of the bar, but the never bars dont have this hole on any i have, mostly stihl ones, so how is one to get grease to the bearing, i had just assumed it got lube from the bar oil but maybe i have been wrong in assuming that, altho at the same time i have yet to have a sprocket nose fail and have alot of wear on some bars.

[Al_Smith]

altho at the same time i have yet to have a sprocket nose fail and have alot of wear on some bars.

Ha ,I've blown 'em  right off the end of the bar .Less expensive Oregons on a Mac pm-610 ,several of them . I think that old saw is on it's fifth bar and at least a five gallon bucket full of chain loops . I lost track of the rim sprockets ,many .

[Warbird]

I don't know any better one way or another but I want to be able to explain to someone why I have my bar on my saw upside down, and not look like an idiot!

Don't worry, you won't look like an idiot.  When you see a guy with the bar upside down like that, you'll know that's a guy who knows what he's doing (well...  maybe!).

markct, I don't think there is a way to grease the sealed bar tips.  You'd have to practically tear the bar apart, methinks.

[sawguy21]

The cheaper consumer bars often do not have provision for greasing, they depend on the chain oil to lube the tip. Most of those saws do not get enough hours to worry about it.

[Rocky_J]

Newer technology and metalurgy allows for better bearings in the nose sprocket. And the bar lube provides plenty of lubrication. The problem with greasing them is that dirt sticks to the heavy grease. If you grease, then you have to keep greasing to constantly push out the old, dirty grease. Otherwise your grease becomes a dirt trap and creates bearing problems. If you never grease then you don't have to worry about crud buildup as much. The bar lube is light enough to wash away most of the dirt. This is why the new bars don't have grease holes.

I use the air nozzle on my compressor to blow out the bar rails when I clean my saws. I also use the air to spin the nose sprocket until all the crud is blown out and it spins freely. Doing this once every couple weeks or so has given me excellent bar longevity. I haven't lost a nose sprocket in almost 10 years. And I've never greased a nose sprocket in my life.

[NewEnglandTreeSvc]

Newer technology and metalurgy allows for better bearings in the nose sprocket. And the bar lube provides plenty of lubrication. The problem with greasing them is that dirt sticks to the heavy grease. If you grease, then you have to keep greasing to constantly push out the old, dirty grease. Otherwise your grease becomes a dirt trap and creates bearing problems. If you never grease then you don't have to worry about crud buildup as much. The bart lube is light enough to wash away most of the dirt. This is why the new bars don't have grease holes.

I use the air nozzle on my compressor to blow out the bar rails when I clean my saws. I also use the air to spin the nose sprocket until all the crud is blown out and it spins freely. Doing this once every couple weeks or so has given me excellent bar longevity. I haven't lost a nose sprocket in almost 10 years. And I've never greased a nose sprocket in my life.

Ditto, to both nixing the grease and keeping the bar flipped and filed properly.

[Rocky_J]

Hey, good to see you over here, Erik.  8)

[Meadows Miller]

Gday

Im a flipper every new chain usually  or when I take the bar of sometimes half way through a chain  I also chek and give it a dress up if needed clean the rail out and clean and grease the knose sprocket + make sure the oil holes are clean It depends wether the wood Im cutting is durty or clean how much maint I do on the chainsaw usually pulldown clean once a day  ;D

Happy cutting Chris

[Cut4fun]

The cheaper consumer bars often do not have provision for greasing, they depend on the chain oil to lube the tip. Most of those saws do not get enough hours to worry about it.

This statement above in my opinion is totally FALSE. If this was true why do my $70-$80 Stihl ES bars in 21" and 25" for 066 and 084 have no holes for greasing. Consumer grade I dont think so.
I think it just depends on the manufacture of the bars if they have grease holes or not.

[markct]

The cheaper consumer bars often do not have provision for greasing, they depend on the chain oil to lube the tip. Most of those saws do not get enough hours to worry about it.


This statement above in my opinion is totally FALSE. If this was true why do my $70-$80 Stihl ES bars in 21" and 25" for 066 and 084 have no holes for greasing. Consumer grade I dont think so.
I think it just depends on the manufacture of the bars if they have grease holes or not.

yea i was gona say the same thing, i dont see too many consumer bars that are 25 inch long! and i know my 25 inch bar was around 80 bucks so i doubt ya could make much selling 120 dollar saws with 80 dollar bars!

[sawguy21]

Hey, NOWHERE did I say you are running cheap bars on your saws. However, I am surprised that they do not have grease ports. I do stand by my previous statement, the manufacturers realize that the average weekend warrior will not maintain his bar and they also need to keep costs down.
For the record I am a greaser. ;D Like Rocky, I like to give  it a shot at the end of the day to remove moisture and dirt. Of course this is not possible on my Husky 35 camp saw so I live with it.

[Rocky_J]

Not like me, I think greasing bar tips creates more problems than it solves. The need for grease is non existant and the grease acts like a dirt magnet. you grease to 'protect' the bearings but you're loving them to death by creating an environment where harmful grit sticks to the bearings.

Sure, you can grease the tips religiously and not have problems as long as you never forget to do it. But if you never start then you never need to grease them. Manufacturers like Stihl figured this out 10-20 years ago when they phased out grease holes in the tips of their pro bars.

[Piston]

Manufacturers like Stihl figured this out 10-20 years ago when they phased out grease holes in the tips of their pro bars.

Does this mean that the MS361 doesn't have grease holes in the bar it comes with?  I have made my decision (based on hours and hours of wasted work time, but productive personal time, on FF) that my first "real" saw will be the MS361.  I will be buying it this winter or maybe before with the 20" bar.  so far I'm used to the stihl farm boss, a smaller husky, two older johnsereds, and REALLy old homelite.  i have never greased those bars (or flipped em) but i will start, and definately maintain the new 361 as I'm learning how important that is.  Thanks again guys.

[beenthere]

Piston
My MS361 has the roller nose bar, no grease holes.

[Al_Smith]

 I don't ever recall oiling or greasing a nose .

I do a few real old open roller noses that have a hole and it says OIL . I can't say that I've done it though . That old style by the way it is make cannot pick up oil from the bar as does a modern sprocket nose .