Teach me about race chains

[bow-junky11]

Hey guys. I'm curious to know what you do to a chain to make it race ready? I'm extremely ignorant in this department so any info you have to share I'm all ears! Or refer me to a good thread. Thanks!

 

[mdavlee]

Look up friendly chain competition

 

[Gypo Logger]

Save your time and energy, its addictive and costly as well as expensive unless you plan on being Timber sports material, although you can learn lots that you can use for regular falling and crosscutting. Its all about the chip channel. I made a lot of race chain but never got beyond amateur and didn't want to.

 

[cedarheaven]

It's a combination of depth, clearing & chain aggression...

 

[Huskybill]

On a 3/8” chain, I take a 7/32” round file and hog out below the cutting edge giving the tooth more chip room so it can curl and get exhausted faster. The top edge of the tooth I use a file guide with a 1/4” round file. This puts a steeper angle on the cutting edge so the chip isn’t pushed into the lower arc for clearance. The raker depth I set to the type of wood were cutting. For pine it’s .040” and more. For hardwood it’s .030”.
I change to a rim floating sprocket one tooth larger. Plug the govenor in the carb.

The rest is your state of mind. Back in ‘83 I lost my job because of cheaper imports from Japan. So if there’s a Japanese saw in my class the fangs came out.

 

[James Miller]

On a 3/8” chain, I take a 7/32” round file and hog out below the cutting edge giving the tooth more chip room so it can curl and get exhausted faster. The top edge of the tooth I use a file guide with a 1/4” round file. This puts a steeper angle on the cutting edge so the chip isn’t pushed into the lower arc for clearance. The raker depth I set to the type of wood were cutting. For pine it’s .040” and more. For hardwood it’s .030”.
I change to a rim floating sprocket one tooth larger. Plug the govenor in the carb.

The rest is your state of mind. Back in ‘83 I lost my job because of cheaper imports from Japan. So if there’s a Japanese saw in my class the fangs came out.

All your saws are imported.

 

[Huskybill]

It’s very important to make the gullet a large 7/32” radious. Then I put a 1/4” file in the file n guide and sharpen the upper edge. The chips can’t jam up in the gullet they have room to exhaust.

I lost my job do to cheaper imports of machine tools.

 

[abs111999]

how about using 7/32 and then 3/16 on the top edge??

 

[cus_deluxe]

round files are not going to make competitive race chains.

 

[stihl86]

It’s very important to make the gullet a large 7/32” radious. Then I put a 1/4” file in the file n guide and sharpen the upper edge. The chips can’t jam up in the gullet they have room to exhaust.

I lost my job do to cheaper imports of machine tools.

Old old post I know, but, you saying to put a large "hook" in the cutter THEN sharpen the top portion.
Sounds completely wrong, but makes perfect sense.

 

[Huskybill]

Do the gullet with a size file the fits under the upper cutting edge. Open up the gullet from the drive link to under the cutter. On smaller size chains use the file n guide on the upper edge. Sometimes it’s a smaller diameter file.
Set your rakers just a tad deeper.

Once you try this you won’t sharpen it any other way.

 

[Huskybill]

round files are not going to make competitive race chains.

Cus, I filed my 404” race chain, by opening the gullet up and filing the cutting edge a smaller diameter file. The larger gullet is for chip exhaust.
We speed cut square timbers at the local fairs. Setting the rakers at .040/.050” I did 8 cuts pies, bored two holes without breaking out in 17.5 seconds. I cleaned house with my husky 2100, w/16” bar and a 8 pin rim with the govenor plugged and timing advanced.

 

[Huskybill]

how about using 7/32 and then 3/16 on the top edge??

I’ve gone as far down to 5/32 files.

 

[Huskybill]

round files are not going to make competitive race chains.

It was for fun with local loggers, we intertained the locals not that serious like the pros.

 

[Bjorn T]

Aggresiv square filed tooth.

 

[Bjorn T]

This Will also eat some chips.