Do all the cutters on a chain need to be the same size?

[Al Smith]

Mike throwing a curve,egads,no way.

 

[lostone]

I voted all the same, but I am speaking from little experience sharpening a chain, I had one on a small saw that I rocked out and used a guide to file them but didn't have the cutters all the same length in the end, it did cut but not well, I read some on here and resharpened it in the same manner but keeping them the same length (well very close) and it cut better.

 

[Tree Sling'r]

Liked stated by another member - no. As long as the teeth have a proper angle and are sharp and your rakers are filed to the right gauge of the size of the tooth it will be fine. Most times, people who run into this proplem are also running a bar with loose and un-even rails, so that automatically blame it on the chain. The two make for funny bucks and binding. Luckily for me I run the Silvey Pro-Sharp chain grinder and the Silvey Depth Gauge Grinder - so I have no problems. bad chain just cost me money. Killin' trees is my business and business is good.
Take Care, Tree Sling'r.

 

[Bill G]

I have two vises, & several vices. I'd like a really big Wilton vise, but I can't afford one because I spend too much money on my main vice.......................

According to to Webster's a vise and vice are variants of each other "An evil, degrading, or immoral practice or habit. A serious moral failing. Wicked or evil conduct or habits; corruption. " They then go on to define it as a clamping device. I have plenty of vices that pi'' off my main "squeeze" to the point that she wants to put my """""""""" in a vise.

Bill

 

[shtoink]

I'm a total neewb and have no idea about this one, so my vote refelcts that. What I would really love to see is the math behind all the physics involved in the "optimal" condition for the chain to be in for the best cut. This would help me understand why certain angles, highths, depths, and so on would be best used under various circumstances. I guess this is just proving what a geek I am

 

[Ekka]

I voted.

And I reckon you should get some video demos on here of same case scenarios ... hmmm, I personally don't want to do it as all my chains are nice and even and I'm not going to stuff one up just incase.

 

[Kneejerk Bombas]

Mike

Didn't you learn anything from Uncle Art?

Ricky

Yes, they must be the same.
Most of the replies so far indicate what I see in the field, people think of chains as one dimensional. They look at the top plate and concentrate on how it cuts, but the top plate doesn't do much cutting, the side plate does all the work.
When you file a cutter back, it gets narrower. So a wide tooth following a narrow tooth is just re-cutting the fiber to widen the kerf. Re-cutting is slow and redundant.
The kerf you cut will end up as wide as the two widest right and left hand cutters, much of the work the narrower ones do is wasted energy.

 

[Kneejerk Bombas]

The bend in the depth gage is only to put it in line with where the pressure is, at the corner of the cutter. That reduces side torque on the cutter. It also opens up the chip channel. It does not control the depth of the side plate cut.

 

[Crofter]

I think that the shape and position of the depth guide does have an influence on the lateral angle of attack of the tooth. In other words it does have an effect on how much wider the kerf is than the relaxed width of the chain. As a chain is taken back into the area above the rear rivet there is virtually no lateral raker clearance left. Now stone the edge a bit to further decrease the lateral angle of attack and you have a cutter that spends a minimum of energy annoying the end grain needlessly. Different tooth lengths do affect the width of the cutters passage; as Mike points out severing the end grain more than once is a waste of energy. It shows up as a more raggedy cut and it sure shows up if you are trying to make any kind of a competition chain. What is perfectly acceptable length tolerances in a work chain could easily add 25% to your cut times for a race chain

 

[buckwheat]

Here's one... I bought a used saw with a 20" bar. While checking it out I put it to wood and it cut well. My visual inspection showed that the chisel cutter chain was sharp, but only had about 25% life left in it. It was not until I got the saw home when a friend noticed that the loop was actually half chisel riveted with a section of chipper cutters. Over the next year, the saw ended up costing me more in repairs than I paid for it, but I still keep that loop of chain hanging in the shop to remind me about checking things out a little closer.

 

[Stumper]

Frank used the magic word-tolerances. I don't think that anyone would dispute that all cutters identical and "just right" is the ideal. Because there are tolerances everywhere(bar groove, drivers, rivets etc.) the chain can travel in waves -both vertical and horizontal. The "slop" allows for some compensation over minor differences betwixt teeth-does this mean that sloppy sharpening is just dandy? No, but a well filed chain with a few short cutters will cut well-far better than a slightly dull("but it ain't too bad yet",- Bubba) chain with all the cutters precisely equal.