How Often Should I Flip My Chainsaw Bar?

If you are into engineering, carpentry, or perhaps you are a handyman, a chainsaw is one magic equipment that you either own or have to use often. The same goes for firemen, construction workers and farmers. Regardless of what you do, a chainsaw is an invaluable tool that gets the job done easily and without much hassle.

Moving forward, it is not enough to own or use chainsaws. They are special tools that must be properly maintained. The motor or the engine must be properly serviced from time to time.

The bolts, nuts and joints need to be properly oil or grease, and most importantly, the chainsaw bar must be given adequate care and attention. Usually, the condition of the chainsaw bar plays a vital role in determining the fitness for use of the equipment.

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Flipping the Chainsaw Bar

In maintaining and taking adequate care of your chainsaw bar, it’s imperative that you flip the chainsaw bar. What exactly does this mean? It simply means you are turning the chainsaw bar the other way. Perhaps it would make more sense to you, remembering that time you passed by a logger limbing, logging or bucking firewood with all the logos and words on the chainsaw bar upside down.

You must have thought the logger woke up on the wrong side of the bed or probably just hit his head and suffered a concussion. While it truly comes off as odd to have the chainsaw bar turned upside down, the bar is flipped that way to increase the efficiency of the machine.

But how does this really work? Although it appears simple, a chain saw is a sophisticated piece of machinery. A chainsaw blade operates at a blazing speed of more than fifty miles an hour. It explains why you hear that loud noise when a chain saw is in use around. At this speed and with constant pressure on the object being sawed, there is a lot of wear that the machine has to endure, especially the chainsaw bar.

Although all chainsaws have an oiling system to provide lubrication for the slot and chain, wear is inevitable. In arresting this situation, flipping the chainsaw bar regularly is not only recommended but required as well. This helps to even out the wear on the bar and also extend its life.

The need to flip your chainsaw bar is better demonstrated when you consider the fact that the majority of the chainsaw’s cutting action takes place at the base of the bar. This has the effect of making the chainsaw bars wear unevenly. While the chainsaw attempts to mitigate this by applying oil to the bar for friction reduction, with the passage of time, the part of the chainsaw bar that experiences more action would expectedly wear out much faster.

Thankfully, chainsaw bars are designed in such a way that they could be mounted and used right-side up or upside down. This means that as you flip the chainsaw bar, you regulate the wear and tear on the bar, making it uniform and extending the life of the chainsaw bar by at least 50%.

How Often Should I Flip my Chainsaw Bar?

Considering the importance of flipping your chainsaw bar, the question arises as to how often you should undertake this task. The truth is, there is no uniform answer to this. Some professional loggers would advocate that you should flip your chainsaw bar at the end of every use, particularly when you are cleaning up. Others suggest a more relaxed approach advising that you flip the chainsaw bar only when you are changing your chainsaw blade.

Another similar suggestion is to carry out the flip when you have to remove the chain and get it sharpened. This affords you the opportunity of carrying out extensive maintenance activities on the chainsaw.

Besides flipping the chainsaw bar, you can clear the oil port, and remove sawdust and other blockages. The frequency of this activity is dictated by how often you use your chainsaw, the types of woods you cut through and the kind of obstacles that your encounter when using the chainsaw.

In all, how often your flip your chainsaw bar is dependent on your schedule and importantly, your chainsaw use. You can flip it after each use, wait till you have to change the chainsaw blade or perhaps have it flipped when you have to sharpen the chain. You just have to find what works for you and also allows you optimal use of your chainsaw.

As a quick tip, if your chainsaw bar does not have logos or any unique identifier that helps you determine the side, you can get a marker or paint to make markings on the sides of the chainsaw bar. This way, you can determine which side is currently in use and how to get it flipped.