Dave we are Echo Dealer we’d be glad to send you a bar and chain! No charge

Dave great information: But word of advise as I have been cutting wood longer than you are old. I went for many years with no ear protection and now paying for it with deaf in one ear and 80% in the other. Please guys all wear ear protection NOW when loose it like me and it's gone. Keep up the good work.

2:35 The geometry of the file’s fit into the tooth guarantees you’ll file the top. In fact, it’s impossible to NOT file it. NOT NEED TO PULL UP ON THE FILE. You can’t see the fresh metal since the bottom of the tooth points away from you, but I guarantee if you flip the saw around and take a look, it will be apparent. Don’t push down on the file; don’t pull up, just concentrate on the angle. I highly recommend a file holder with the stamped angles to validate you’re filing correctly, otherwise you’re just guessing and making subtle changes without knowing it. As a tooth gets filed, it gets lower, so if they aren’t all the same length (height) the ones that are longer will do more cutting, making the saw cut crooked. Also, if the bar’s rails aren’t the same height, the chain will tilt towards the shorter side, resulting in a crooked cut.

Yes finally someone mentioned pickup, upward pressure! It makes such a difference when you do it. Now I can say I can sharpen a chainsaw! Thankyou Dave!

Dave, that was a good sharpening lesson. I've been off grid 43 years, log cabin, wood only heat. Now l can't see too well and am screwing up my chain. I'm going out and measure each tooth as l sharpen. Great insight about one side seeming more natural. Thanks, Jim

Finally! someone mentioned upward pressure, although I found out on my own. You should have shown the left and right cuts for comparison, it was hard to compare them. Thanks for the great info

I have just spent a morning trying to sharpen my saw chain. And an afternoon online looking for answers to why it wasn't working. All crap answers until you and your "upward pressure". Like others, I never heard that before. Worked a treat. Thanks, Dave.

Perfect fit for my Echo CS-370, and the chain cuts very well kzfaq.infoUgkxBd8qUztQUCL8Rm1-aIig5ViBT2E_kO_6 . I had been using a Stihl chain that I had sharpened several times (sometimes at a shop, sometimes with my own electric chain sharpener), and there's no comparison -- the new chain cuts much better and holds its edge longer. We'll see how the new chain holds up when it needs sharpening, but for now I'm happy.

Hi Dave. I have an old dollar - Sachs saw that does exactly what you just showed me. I was thinking the bar was worn but I’ll sharpen the chain first. Great info. Thank you Kevin

This is excellent information. I thought I knew how to sharpen a saw until I started using it almost daily. Nope, I wasn't doing it very good. Now though, I am way better at it. Practice makes perfect. Thanks for the tips!

Very helpful, my saw was pretty much cutting on an angle today, this will help when I sharpen it tomorrow. Thanks Dave. I had not idea about the up motion either big tip!

I actually just picked up two freebie echo's last week. They had carb problems, (bad varnished ethanol fuel). One was missing the chain and the other had this very same problem (in addition to 3 teeth being completely broken off). I just replaced the chain. They are both doing great now! Good stuff man.

great video Dave! My saw been doing that and i didn't know what was causing it. Thank you for the tips! will look the chain over close now. thanks again buddy! Tom n Rocky

Im a form believer in my echo saws i have 2 590 timber wolf saws im having the same problem with im a poor man an firewood is something i enjoy doing as long as my health holds up ! Thank you !

I know this video is a year old but advice is good no matter the age. I picked up and old old Homelite Super XL for $10 at a garage sale that needed a little work to get it to fire, new plug and gas filter. I think it had the original chain that had never been sharpened. I was debating getting a new one but I just wanted it for limbs and already cut firewood that needed some light work. Your video convinced me to work on the chain and now I have a great little light duty saw so I don’t have to haul out my Sthil every time! I grew up using a Homelite and lots of people had these that didn’t know squat about tuning them or sharpening the chain so when they got dull they were left in the garage and gathered dust. I don’t think my saw has more than 20 hours run time. For $10 and the cost of a spark plug and tank filter I’ve given new life to a great little saw!

What a great video. Thanks for taking the time to make this.

Good video, my neighbor gave me a little saw last fall that was doing exactly the same. An old friend and I discussed the exact same points you made. A little upward pressure while sharpening and how we sharpen each side a little differently due to how comfortable the angle is.

Hi Dave thanks for the saw sharpening info, my saw ha been arguing with me wanted to go right all the time,,I'm off to the shop to hopefully fix things

great explanation, thank you and Dennis below, you are absolutely right. Fortunately I ALWAYS wear eye and ear protection! Thanks for the reminder!

Great tips Rabbit! Nice job explaining that one should get an edge on the underside of the top edge of the cutter tooth. TFS!

I watched ten guys do this on videos, all id them did it wrong! Thank God I found your video I thought I was just no good at this, i bought an echo 590 and when I went to sharpen it I thought I truly had failed art this until I watched your video, my timber wolf is cutting like a dream now! Thank you!

Enjoyed your efforts here. Great advice "Bar" none.:)) pun... "Saw" that one coming? Many in a "chain" of puns.

Thanks brother, good advice! appreciated. Im not a logger lol just cleaning up my place and the chainsaw was cutting a bit sideways and smoking. Gonna check the chain teeth and the bar. Thank you again!

New to your channel! You are very well spoken and easy to understand. Great tips as well!!

thanks Dave, that is exectly what my saw is doing & when I sharpen I think I am making most if not all of those mistakes, cheers

Hi Dave. As a new subber I’ve been trolling thru your past posts. Came on this one and wasn’t gonna add my two cents but more I read, the more I cracked up at all the opinions. So here’s mine. I’ve been running saws on the ranch and in the woods as a logger for nearly 60 years. Ran several saw shops including 2 I owned. Was a tech rep for Jonsered in the 80’s and did service classes for saw dealers all over the PNW. I competed in timber show saw events pretty successfully as well. Your sharpening procedure is spot on. As far as cuts running off, there are several factors that can cause crooked cuts. Despite the “experts” that deny tooth length consistency as a factor, it is one. Other factors are bar rails that are uneven in height, worn bar rail gap width, chain raker height, worn chain drivers, cutter hook angles, blunt top plate angle, different top plate cross angles, and even the way an operator applies pressure in the cut. So, ya just gotta learn how to maintain and operate the entire system if you want to consistently have good straight cuts. It’s a skill akin to an art. Just my opinion. Everybody has one, just like we all have a “you-know-what”! 🤣. Keep em coming Dave. Gets folks thinking at the least.

Dave you are sharp with that saw!

HELPED OUT A LOT I KEEP ALL OUR SAWS SHARP NOW AND DID NOTICE SOME OF OUR CHAINS HAD LONGER TEETH BUT AS LONG AS THEY WERE SHARP I DIDNT KNOW IT MADE A DIFFERENCE THANKS

Great job Dave! You are correct, I too find people do a better job sharpening one side of the chain than the other. I tend to agree with the comments below about ear protection, and if I forget to wear mine my wife reminds me... funny how i can hear her over the chainsaw. Anyway, one tip I find helpful in the bush when no vise is around to help hold the bar, cut a 2" to 3" inch deep cut in a large log like you had in your video. Place the bar in the cut, prop up the chainsaw handle with a short log, straddle the log and start filing away. Sometimes i get really fancy and use one of my small wedges in the between the bar and the 2" cut to hold it stable. Anyway thanks for the video, stay safe eh!!

Nice video, thanks for the info! I noticed this action when I first started using a chainsaw, now I get big chips flying out!

Upward pressure - something new for me to hear. Good info, thanks.

Great video mate has helped me see what I’m doing wrong hopefully will fix the crooked cutting

Did a great job like how you did it in the woods thank you

Thank you, thank you, thank you! Nobody ever mentioned upward pressure. It was explained as backward to me. The saw was new, chain never sharpened. Maybe I ran her into some dirt. Problems started when not clearing snow first. Water was preventing the oiling pad from working. Of course I stooped right away. NOT! Probably toasted a brand new bar. What? Snow and dark of night isn't ideal conditions. But I had shorts on. Lol

Thanks for sharing Dave . When the saw first bit into the log after sharpening , you can see the the chips flying out the back . I knew the chain was sharp . ATB Ken . 🇨🇦

Hi Dave....something you might give a try...set the saw between legs ...set the tip of the bar against something to prevent moving around .. you want to be directly above the saw ...which ever hand is not your dominate hand use your other hand on the end of the file ...you want to pull the file opposed to pushing because you will still be using the dominate hand using the less dominate hand measly as a guide ...for instance I'm right handed...so when I file with my left hand .. I will use my right on the end of the file to pull at a upward motion...while the handle is my left less dominate hand ...if your right handed then same principle only using the left to help guide ...enjoying your channel . Keep up the good work ..

Thanks! Simple and great video. I did this unknowingly to my saw and started to wonder why it cuts crooked.

Thanks, the advice about upward pressure makes sense. It is something I didn;t know. Stay well. JoeZ

Good shit mate. Lovin your work.

Thanks. Exactly the information I needed.

Nice job hand sharpening. I use a sharpening jig to keep the angles correct and adjust the file up enough to file the top of the cutter. I hand sharpen only if I have to. Also I lightly grind my bars at 90 degrees on a disc sander to keep the bar true. Frequent touching up of the teeth keeps the big chips flying.

the information you gave is good, no arguments there, your instructions are clear and well received, it is not that I consider myself all knowing, this is just how I get one cutting straight... .. to add a few points I have learned.. when a saw cuts crooked, the first thing to check is the bar, the rails that the chain rides on can wear uneven the bar needs trued up or dressed as some call it. run a screwdriver blade through the groove and clean it out, then file the rails til they are even in height, peen the bar rails in slightly if the chain has a lot of slop from left to right, it needs a little but not enough that the chain near derails itself.. the teeth length is a perfectionist thing, but not really that important, the angle filed on the teeth set the cutter kerf, 30 degrees sets it wide and a bit rougher cut, 10 degrees is narrow, and some what of a finer grade cut. making log furniture or post and beam construction.... What you did made it work alot better, no doubt, chips were flying out good, keep on as you do, I liked your way of talking and explaining, fine job . you did really well for doing this in the field, I need a vice or I am lost..

good video. great explanation of what might be wrong and how to fix it.

Thanks for the tip. I must have been really spaced last time I sharpened. Got one of those fancy sharpening bars with guides instead of just doing it the old school way.

Home Dpoet used to sell Echos about 15 years ago or so, bought an Echo 3450 16" bar back in 2002 and that sqw still runs great! Getting hard to get the "Intenz" bars though, thats an internal adjuster within the bar itself.

Great tutorial on sharpening your saw. I just welded up a Alaskan sawmill and gave it a try yesterday and it seems level and square but the cut wants to dive down. So just for the heck of it I ran the mill backwards and it cut straight. Any thoughts on where I may be going wrong? Thanks Ken ~

I guess people are in love with their chainsaws and also love to work with them, bcs this video is your most watched by a loooong shot!! Good info BTW. Keep the good work, eh!!

Nice info, Dave..super nice dog too!

Great tip about that upward pressure , I heard of a lot of ways to file a saw but they left out the upward pressure . Great tips Thanks.!

That’s probably best video I’ve come across explaining the teeth angles Thankyou maybe try and show some examples of finished teeth and bad ones for ref cheers pal

know this is an old video but its great. i just started having some trouble with one of my saws cutting crooked. appreciate the tip.

Great tip Dave, thanks alot!

sometimes you just have to learn something on your own because the same problem can have different factors. this past spring I decided to true up all my chains on a grandberg precision grinder. I compared how the grinder was setting the teeth in length by using a micrometer on each side. I discovered that there was a slight difference cause by the inaccuracy of the sharpener. So I adjusted The sharpener for this and sharpened each tooth exactly the same length. I also used the grinder to set the raker depth. I spent all day sharpening all my chains. When I went out to cut wood I couldn’t believe the hook I was getting and after all my work. So Im convinced my problem doesn’t lie in the length of tooth. I checked the raker depth with a handheld devise going over each one. although those handheld device seemingly would be less accurate than the grinder I was now cutting straight. I think this just goes to show that different factors can cause the same result. Finding the problem is not always easy. Im definitely going to get in the habit of flipping my bars in order to maintain even wear.

Dave, you are dead correct...i got a new stihl and it was cutting great, untill a buddy of mine came over and "sharpened it" and it started cutting crooked. after he left i saw what he did. teeth on one side were a lil bit shorter...thanks!

Very good explained! Thanks!

Great lesson, explained result and well. Thx. You might have got a deal on the saw because the profits owner didn't know how to sharpen and gave it away. I would have tried a new chain and it would still be worth the price. Cheers

Thanks for the lessons here. If I had purchased this saw and found out it still had some life left in it I would probably get a new bar and chain just to give it some new life. Enjoy the saw!

Thanks for the helpful video.

I love your steel toed moccasins! haha cheers!

Hi from n.z. yeah echo makes the Honda step through equivalent reliability saw. My old boss had 1 running without a filter and it out last a Stihl neglecting it as he didn't understand maintenance.

Those are very much like the echo 400. Great saws, got 2 on my truck.

I have that exact same saw. Except mine is a Ryobi. I bought a Stihl. Love it.

Good info! Nice Collie Dog!

Subscribing for sure from one simple no nonsense video. You rock Dave!

Forgive me if I'm stating some thing somebody else posted, but I have not read all comments posted. A friend said when all else fails to turn the bar over-upside down and reinstall to get more life and straighter cuts out of the bar. Thanks. Great videos. Oh yeah, I'm with the safety gear.

I have a small Shindaiwa and have totally smashed it over many years. It is the best power tool that I have. Highly recommend it.

Nice tip on sharping: I pick up on the file also but have cut myself from the file slipping out, so use caution . Also push the chain away from the saw as you move to the next tooth so not the cut yourself on the sharp edge .

Thanks for the fix!

I have a hand held 12 volt grinder. Like a dremel tool from Northern Tool. Sharpens chains extremely well. My truck is never far away to get power. No dominant hand problems.

Mine is doing this but I sharpen both sides pretty evenly. I've had an issue with the chain loosening up and made me wonder if the oiler was having problems causing the chain to heat up and stretch. If there was an oil or lack there of. Thinking maybe it wore one side of the bar groove and threw it off. I could swap the bar and see if the chain still does it but if the chain is wore weird as well it may screw up my other bar.. I ended up buying 2 bar and chain sets and waiting for them to come in the mail. This is a weird situation because I've been cutting for years, sharpening saws with different methods and my cuts never drifted to my knowledge until now.

Great video Well done Cheers

Excellent great help.

Dave, I wish you'd shown the difference in the chips made from the dull vs the sharp chain. You can tell a lot from what's coming out from the cut.

Excellent explanation

ANY SUGGESTIONS ON THE BEST FILES BRANDS, TYPE ETC.??

What about new chain and new guide bar that cuts crooked? thats the second one i bought, previous ones was also new. Could it be caused by chaisaw itself?

Nice job explaining causes

Twas gr8 to watch. I'm gonna do just that bcuz i am experiencing the same problem with my chainsaw, and i was even thinking of throwing it away lol

*** Or a chain that has struck metal. Nail damage tends to effect 1 side of the chain and until the chain is corrected it will cut crooked. I have even had cuts try to spiral.(early learning curve) I never try and field repair a chain. I'm just to old, 70yrs. and beat up, to struggle with it. I always carry several extra chains and if one gets damaged it is a quick change. Then I can address a few at a time on rainy or slow days back home.

Hey guys, I read through all of the comments and I didn't see anyone mention what I think is the most common reason for why a chainsaw cuts crooked. So, here goes. Dull knives on one side. A dull knife will push away from the wood. So , if one side is a lot more dull than the other, it will cut towards the sharper side. Sharpen the side that the saw is cutting away from, and see what happens when you cut. And then, let me know if that helps. Oh, by the way, I sharpen my chainsaws exclusively by hand with a file. I've never paid anyone else to sharpen my saws and I've never used a power sharpener. And I don't use a file guide. Don't let your files get wet or dirty or rusty, and don't touch the cutting portion of the file. Salty sweat makes them rust. Don't back drag the file. That bends and/or breaks the cutting edges of the file. Lots more to say, but I'll stop for now.

thanks for the trick. But I found out the bar is not leveled. Regardless of flipping the bar at this point, the right side of the top of the bar is lower than the the other side. The bottom of the bar is the left side that is shorter. Do you know how to equalize both sides ?

Great advice !! Hey are those the new steel toe slippers I’ve heard so much about ?? LMAO 😂

I don't own a chainsaw... but thank you for the tip, may come in handy someday!

Thanks Dave !

thanks so much for helping me !!!!

Okay… great stuff. Dave. but if the cutters are longer on one side than the other side that should pull more wood, correct? But if that's the case, mine performs the opposite! Can anyone give me more information about what's going on here? thanks.

Teeth all the same size does not matter. Wrong angles definatley matter! If you size the file for the chain pitch--you dont have to pullup

I bought the same saw it’s a good saw and I’m having the same problem a new chain runs great but when it has been sharpened a couple of times it runs at a angle it could be me sharpening it I started using a guide it helped

Fixed thanks.

The info on wearing ear protection cannot be emphosised enough. I have same problem from saw noise.

Thanks Dave.

The teeth are sharper on one side than the other is why it cuts crooked. Not the tooth length. 25 Years of cutting and got chains that have teeth all different lengths.

Nice little saw! Newer saw that brand, but for 25$ it seems a very good bargain.

Best yet, however , maybe its me but I am still not clear as to which facing tooth causes a cut to the right. Looking from the motor end of the machine towards the end of the bar, does the tooth that has its open face to the right hand cause the prominece of cut to the right, or, is it vicki versa. ???

Hahahaha, Your Echo was a Steal,,, Nice video, and great purchase for $ 25 !!

A simple guide attached to the file with angle marks and proper depth is my preferred method

Great tip Dave! I have a chainsaw question for you...I let a sibling borrow my saw and now the chain doesn't stay on. I was told it may be the tension screw has been stripped from over tightening. Does this sound right? Any thoughts you have would be greatly appreciated! Have a great day!

Check your bar also. Sometimes your bar isnt level doesn't matter how much you sharpen it it will still cut crooked.

I have a chain saw which I used only one time. Recently I try to reuse but it did cut but the motor still work then I replace a new chain saw but it still do not cut. Do you know why? Thanks

more than decent info,thank you very much......m