Marky Mark
Hell's Kitchen Trapper
I know this one was stopped dead in his tracks.
Filing question...
- Thread starter Typhoon
- Start date
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Gypo Logger
Timber Baron
Hi Barky Bark, that's right down nasty!
Now Rocky will be using that as his avitar.
Please don't hurt those Red Squirrels, I like them. In the West they call them Mountain Boomers and Chickarees. They anounce to other forest animals what is going on around them. The Grizzly bears dig them out for food in the winter on warmer days. I like the way they put the run on Black Squirrels and Blue Jays.
John
Now Rocky will be using that as his avitar.
Please don't hurt those Red Squirrels, I like them. In the West they call them Mountain Boomers and Chickarees. They anounce to other forest animals what is going on around them. The Grizzly bears dig them out for food in the winter on warmer days. I like the way they put the run on Black Squirrels and Blue Jays.
John
Hemlock
ArboristSite Member
Great thread! I have to admit that it's been along time since I've had to be that picky about how my saw cuts but here's my 2 cents worth. On both large and small saws having a sharp saw is important, but that's only the half of it. Rakers can make you or break you, literally. I would have to say that it just depends on what you are using the saw for.
In my experience FWIW, if you are sawing soft wood with a 5 cube or bigger saw the hungrier the better, up to a point. If you get into hard wood you'll want to tame them down or you'll pay the price. I like square chain full skip for falling and round chain for general work. Small saws seem to be alot less forgiving when you go to experimenting with raker height (poor little things).
Maybe someone else has used an adjustable raker guage. Mine is worn out. It says GUIDE DE PROFONDEUR ADJUSTABLE DEPTH GAUGE and has a symbol with a 2T products on it. It is about 2"x4" with a dial in the center that you can adjust from about 15 to about 45 thou. I needed the flexibility when production and youth was a factor. Now a standard raker guage works just fine and if I want it hungrier I give it a few extra licks. Be careful though. If that thing starts jumping, stalling, pulling, vibrating, or kicking hard its hard on the saw and more importantly, you.
When limbing and bucking junk (small pulp wood), and clearing trails, cutting roots, dirty wood, or when the chain is about used up I darn near take the rakers off. Not too sure if a beginner would want to do this though.
Filing chain is alot of fun but I guess it's up to the individual whether it is more scientific or a work of art (necessary evil). I tend to get confused with all the mathematical jargon and do it more by feel and by eye. Can't get it right if your afraid to ruin a few chains learning. All this stuff I do with my feet planted firmly on the ground and the proper safety gear and humbly defer all arborist type advice about sharpening to the folks who have alot more "heavenly experiences" than I do and suggest you ask them on their site if thats what you are going to do with a saw. Almost forgot, Lots of guys really know how to make the chips fly and are not "too snooty" to help a guy out. The name PREDATOR comes to mind.
In my experience FWIW, if you are sawing soft wood with a 5 cube or bigger saw the hungrier the better, up to a point. If you get into hard wood you'll want to tame them down or you'll pay the price. I like square chain full skip for falling and round chain for general work. Small saws seem to be alot less forgiving when you go to experimenting with raker height (poor little things).
Maybe someone else has used an adjustable raker guage. Mine is worn out. It says GUIDE DE PROFONDEUR ADJUSTABLE DEPTH GAUGE and has a symbol with a 2T products on it. It is about 2"x4" with a dial in the center that you can adjust from about 15 to about 45 thou. I needed the flexibility when production and youth was a factor. Now a standard raker guage works just fine and if I want it hungrier I give it a few extra licks. Be careful though. If that thing starts jumping, stalling, pulling, vibrating, or kicking hard its hard on the saw and more importantly, you.
When limbing and bucking junk (small pulp wood), and clearing trails, cutting roots, dirty wood, or when the chain is about used up I darn near take the rakers off. Not too sure if a beginner would want to do this though.
Filing chain is alot of fun but I guess it's up to the individual whether it is more scientific or a work of art (necessary evil). I tend to get confused with all the mathematical jargon and do it more by feel and by eye. Can't get it right if your afraid to ruin a few chains learning. All this stuff I do with my feet planted firmly on the ground and the proper safety gear and humbly defer all arborist type advice about sharpening to the folks who have alot more "heavenly experiences" than I do and suggest you ask them on their site if thats what you are going to do with a saw. Almost forgot, Lots of guys really know how to make the chips fly and are not "too snooty" to help a guy out. The name PREDATOR comes to mind.
Since we are talking about rakers......about three years ago when I asked the Husky/Stihl dealer (that I bought my saw from) about the rakers, he said "if you need to file them you might as well get a new chain." I don't do business there anymore. How do these people become dealers?
I've been trying (a little) at free hand. I normally use a guide with good results. But without the guide I am not hitting the top plate. I marked the cutter with a sharpie to see where I was removing the metal from. What would cause this? It doesn't feel any different and I'm doing it the same way just without the guide.
Thanks,
Doug
I've been trying (a little) at free hand. I normally use a guide with good results. But without the guide I am not hitting the top plate. I marked the cutter with a sharpie to see where I was removing the metal from. What would cause this? It doesn't feel any different and I'm doing it the same way just without the guide.
Thanks,
Doug
JohnL
Addicted to ArboristSite
You may not have the file high enough in the cutter, the upper edge of the file should sit a little higher than the top plate
treeslayer
Addicted to ArboristSite
File the rakers off completley. duct tape the throttle on wide slam open. strip naked and cut poison ivy covered Kentucky coffebean.
Then post pictures.
Then post pictures.
Originally posted by treeslayer
File the rakers off completley. duct tape the throttle on wide slam open. strip naked and cut poison ivy covered Kentucky coffebean.
Then post pictures.
That would be a sight......hehehe
rakers
Woodtick007, get the rakers right and you can feel the chainsaw pull it's self through the cut when the chain is sharp. 50 chains and you'll be there a while. At a beer a chain you'll notice the last few chains cut like you walk after that many beers, A little wobbly.
Woodtick007, get the rakers right and you can feel the chainsaw pull it's self through the cut when the chain is sharp. 50 chains and you'll be there a while. At a beer a chain you'll notice the last few chains cut like you walk after that many beers, A little wobbly.
