Oregon depth gauge on Makita new chain

[Ioan Dragulescu]

Hello,


I just bought a Makita uc4051A electric chainsaw. Haven’t tried it yet but after doing a bit of research I wanted to complete my "kit" for it and this would include some sharpening tools. Since I couldn't find an Oregon complete sharpening kit around here I had to buy the depth gauge separately. Today it arrived (it's the saddle type from Oregon with 0,25 " depth) and I put it on the chain just to see what not. Now to my surprise, the rakers go a bit over it. Unfortunately the chain came in a simple plastic bag in the box and the only thing written on it is Dolmar 492. Searching a bit online I actually managed to find the specifications of the chain . As far as it says there this should have a 0,25" (0,63 mm) depth.


Now my question is .. is it normal for a new unused chain to show up like this when measured with a depth gauge ?

Also would the 91 VXL be a better choice for this saw?


Tnx

 

[Ioan Dragulescu]

Bump...

Anyone ?

Tnx

 

[CR888]

Nothing unusual, when chain is new the depth gauges can be a little higher. Search 'progressive depth gauge' and read about them. 91vxl is good chain and has nice long cutters making it good value.

 

[fearofpavement]

Is it possible the rakers are higher due to it being an electric saw? The electrics vary in power but some are pretty weak and wouldn't be able to take a very big bite of wood.

 

[Philbert]

Welcome to A.S.!

I love my Makita UC4000 electric saw (earlier version of that model). I run it with Oregon PowerSharp chain and it is my 'low maintenance' combination.

Back to your question, you are fine. The Dolmar/Makita chain was probably made by Oregon. The 0.025 inch offset does not have to be exact, but should be the same on each cutter.

Try your chain before you make any decisions about it. You can always take a little more off the depth gauges if you want a more aggressive chain. You can also measure the exact offset using a straight edge and automotive feeler gauges if youwant a more precise measurement.

Philbert

 

[Philbert]

Is it possible the rakers are higher due to it being an electric saw?

Same chains. 3/8 low profile (Oregon type 91).

Philbert

 

[OldJack]

The last two Oregon chains I bought were a bit irregular in raker height. One is a 91PX - S57 for my Worx 303.1 which has about the same power as your Makita. The other one is a 20BPX - H72 for a saw with double the power. Both had rakers in the .018" - .025" range. I filed them all to .025". My theory, for what it's worth, is that Oregon makes a million rakers a day and has a fairly wide tolerance. I'd file down the obviously high rakers and go cutting wood.

 

[Ioan Dragulescu]

Thanks for the replies


So it's not unheard of for a new chain. Now I searched a bit about progressive depth gauges and as far as I understood their great if one does not care too much about filing the teeth to have the exact same length since they are angle based as they measure, related to each raker’s own tooth so to speak. Now I have the saddle one so I will try to work with that. In the future, maybe I will buy a Husqvarna kit since those are available here, no File-O-Plate though.


In other news, today I just made my first cut with a chainsaw, ever ... very rewarding experience I must say. And maybe it was my enthusiasm or maybe the Makita is really good but I really got a feel for what I was doing, I really felt the machine and it was sturdy and precise. I didn't got to cut the tree I was supposed to, a bit complicated for a noob and it needed some branch trimming first but because I lacked a proper ladder and the light was going fast I just tried it on a decent plank. Awesomeness , it cut fast, the chain oiled properly so ... yeah, I can't wait to use it again and I must get the VXL and see the difference vs. the Dolmar chain that came with the saw.