uhhhh Chain sharp but my saw cuts crooked

[JoachimGuenter]

I’m pretty new to chainsaws and I’m honestly nervous because after I sharpen my chain the saw starts cutting crooked and pulling to one side. I feel like I am doing the right thing, same file, same angle, trying to be consistent, but the cut keeps drifting and it makes me question if I’m making the chain worse. I love the satisfying feeling of a freshly sharpened chain biting clean, but right now the crooked cut is killing my confidence.

A specific moment that pushed me to ask was this week when I finished sharpening and the first cut felt great for about a second, then the bar started wandering and I realized the kerf was slanting. It was satisfying hearing the saw sound sharp, but the result looked wrong. What simple checks do you do when a chain suddenly pulls to one side, and is it usually uneven cutters, rakers, bar wear, or just tension being off?

 

[GiliathOsborne]

Easy test is cut a short cookie from a straight log and watch which way it wants to steer with light pressure. If it still walks, stop and inspect, don’t “push through” it. A few minutes matching cutters and checking the bar usually fixes it and you’ll feel back in control fast.

 

[VanArkride]

If it starts straight then quickly walks, I’d bet one side cutters are doing more work. Quick test I do is mark a cutter on each side and count file strokes, then make sure both sides match and the top plate angles look the same. Also flip the bar for the next session and see if the pull changes direction, that’s an easy way to sniff out bar wear.

 

[What]

Yup, the guys above nailed it.

 

[Alan]

This is super common when you are new, so do not take it as you ruining the chain. The saw sounding sharp is a good sign, the drift just means one side is doing more work. I would do one slow reset. Mark one tooth, count your strokes per cutter, and keep the pressure the same on both sides. One clean consistent sharpening usually fixes the crooked cut and the confidence comes right back.

 

[Mike Rock]

Yup, the guys above nailed it.

So..... what was the answer to your kerf curving?
When I was starting in the mid 1960's, a logger sat me down and showed me how to sharpen right in the woods..... first thing was start on your weak side. Right handed, then start filing from the left side of the bar, and be consistent. Then file the right side. Be super conscious of the 'tilt' of your file. The cutter angle is easy to see, the tilt, not so much.
God bless

 

[cjmac163]

Little late to the party, but I have a hot take. Sharpen each tooth until it is sharp, using the same file angle. Don't count strokes, just file each tooth until it is sharp. Take a depth gauge file guide, and file each raker to the same height, in relation to its respective tooth. The saw will cut sideways when there are different levels of resistance from the teeth in the cut. If you filed one side slightly more than the other, those teeth will be "grabbing" less material, as they are now a little more hidden behind the rakers. The way to correct this is to make sure each raker is the same height to its tooth. I had this same issue a LOT when i first started cutting, even though my teeth were insanely sharp, and the angles were good. Once I started checking my rakers after a more intensive filing job, the issues disappeared.

Best of luck, sorry for the long response. Hope it helps