Pferd Guide Bar Dresser

The Pferd guide bar dresser holds a flat file square to the bar so you can dress worn, uneven, or burred rails. Squared-up rails keep the chain upright in the groove and stop the saw from pulling to one side.

Why you dress a bar

Bar rails wear unevenly, especially if the chain was filed lopsided or run dull. When one rail is lower than the other the chain leans, the cut curves, and the saw fights you in every bucking cut. Rails also roll over at the edges into burrs that grab the drive links.

A bar dresser holds the file square to the side of the bar so both rails come out flat and level. Run it along the rails with steady, even strokes until the burr is gone and the rails match. You can find files and tools in our wrenches and files section.

Good habits

Dress the bar when you change chains or whenever you feel a burr along the rail edge. Flip the bar each time you sharpen so it wears evenly, and clean the groove and oil holes so the chain gets oil. If the rails are badly worn, pinched, or the groove is too shallow, replace the bar instead of filing it further.

Wear gloves when handling the chain and bar, and keep the saw off with the chain brake on when you work on it. When the file stops cutting cleanly, swap in a replacement file.