Bent bar.

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GIZROID

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The 32" bar on mb 460 appears to be bent and I'm not sure what happened. I believe that my partner may have used it to cut a stump. Is there any way to straiten it?
 
Well did your old pard use the bar as a crowbar or something perhaps ?

Usually a bar can be straightened .It just depends how badly it's bent ,twisted whatever .
 
You might be lucky and your local saw shop may have a jig to straighten bars.

Failing that put it on a sturdy surface,bowed side up and whack it with a large ball hammer down the middle.It may take a bit of work,but I have straightned a few bars like that.Just takecare to not hit the edges.

Worth a try.
 
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I have bent bars back in to shape before... but they really never seem to be "true" like they were when new.

I clamp them in a big ass vice and bend them back and forth in the area that is needed. Or put the bar across a couple of 2X4's or 4X4's on the ground and put your weight on the bar and bend it. you can put the boards closer together or far a part depending on where the bent part is.

Just keep lookin' down the bar rails every so often and use a straight edge... you'll prolly never get it perfect. Especially on real long bars like a 32". But you might be able to make it work.

Good luck! Cool avatar BTW... :)

Gary
 
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The bar appears to be bent at the dogs. There doesn't appear to be any warp or twist. I wouldn't be as upset if this bar was worn out but it is pretty new. This is the third bar that someone has bent for me. Two were done trying to muscle through a stump cut and one was done tring to for a dull chain through a piece dry oak until the paint burned off the bar. Thanks Gasoline for the comment on Avatar. That is my 11 y.o. daughter. I was taking down the pine tree and she said that she wanted to try the spikes. I told her that they wouldn't fit. She proved me wrong. She went up 40 ft and hung out and then walked back down. I was belaying her on the way up and she was tied in with a Distel. I have a son too but my daughter is more interested in climbing.
 
That is awesome... :) My 15 year old daughter went up in my spikes about 20 feet once when she was about 12... got a little shaky and came down... I have no pics though... didn't have the camera with me...

Gary
 
Alot of times when stuck with a near new bent bar , I will try to straighten and run it out (wear wise) ..... often a 20" with a slight bend that will not make acurate falling cuts would be content to run out it's useful life cutting brush or limbs ... Dave
 
Its trash even if you get as straight as your eye can see it will always cut as if threre is a bur on the bar, the outer chain rivets are the only kerf area where the bar can flex ...
 
thats what I meant .... it will still cut brush and (small) limbs 'till it wears out .... (that is if you are NOT in the position of discarding , and buying NEW) ....
 
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An arbor press works well to unbend a bar . You can do it with a flat surface like a welding table using a dead blow hammer and strategically placed blocks .

If you don't get it pretty much dead on though the damned thing will try to cut in a circle or fling the chain . Don't run it crooked that's a good way to get hurt .
 
Here is a pic from the STIHL Bar & Chain Manual:

[image]/https://www.masterblasterhome.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=17601&stc=1&d=1240104544[/image]

So as Al said an arbor press or maybe even your drill press so you can watch as you apply pressure and let it flex back and maybe be a little more accurate than a hammer.
This will be harder though since it is bent close to the bar mount end.
If it is an ES (solid) bar keep an eye on it since a crack at the flame hardened edge will eventually migrate all the way across the bar.
 

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I'd try and see if you can straighten by whacking your buddy up side the head with it repeatedly.;)
 
giz and gas,
cool bout the kids guys
my 11 yr old daughter can footlock 20 ft and has belt climbed a 30 ft maple
my 8 yr old son
can footlock and wants to climb, he's tying these almost right knots that work for him since he is light weight
i hope they run this for me when im older
 
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