This article will cover the right techniques and schedule for sharpening to ensure safe and efficient cutting. If the saw is cutting to the left rather than straight down, then you need to apply more force or increase the number of strokes when filing the right facing cutters to get them all evenly filed. Sharpening on a regular basis can vary depending on how often you are cutting, for how long, and what kinds of trees you are cutting.
STIHL Pro Tip Providing you observed these rules you will achieve perfect sharpening results, the correct side plate and top plate angles will be obtained automatically and best possible cutting performance guaranteed. The filing gauge for the next chain pitch up may be used for this purpose. Count the number of file strokes and use the same number on each cutter to obtain cutters of identical length.
filing chainsaw top plate Related Question:
What is the top plate on a chainsaw?
The top plate is the cutting surface located under the top of the cutter and is perpendicular to the direction the chain spins. Many of the manufacturers of chains today scribe the correct filing angle into the top of the cutter.
What degree is needed to file a chainsaw?
Always file at right angles to the guide rail. The right sharpening angle depends on the saw chain and the wood that you want to cut. The sharpening angle will generally be between 25° and 35° – the harder the wood, the greater the angle.
What happens if you file rakers too low?
If the rakers aren’t at the right depth, your saw won’t self-feed and you’ll find yourself pushing down on the saw as you cut. That not only wears you out, but it wears out the bar and chain as well.
What does a chainsaw Raker do?
Chainsaw rakers control how deep the chainsaw tooth cutter penetrates the wood. Essentially what they do is prevent the edge of the tooth from biting too much into the wood. Rakers help determine the height that the teeth cutters will cut into the wood.
What angle do I set my chainsaw sharpener?
Always hold the file at a right angle (90°) to the guide bar. The file only sharpens on the forward stroke – lift the file off the cutter on the backstroke. Rotate the file a little at regular intervals while filing to avoid one-sided wear.
How do I make my chainsaw chain more aggressive?
In general, if you want to have an aggressive cut, you are going to need a chainsaw chain that operates as quickly as possible. A chainsaw chain with full chisel teeth means that you are cutting with a very high speed. Speed being one of the main ingredients behind an aggressive chain, this is clearly vital.
What is the best angle to sharpen chainsaw blades?
Most standard chain is sharpened at 25-35 degrees for crosscutting wood and for ripping with the grain it’s best to use 10 degrees. So if you are cutting with the grain, you should be using 10 degree sharpened chain. They do make ripping chain that comes sharpened at 10 degrees for cutting with the grain of a log.
What size file do you use on a 3/8 chainsaw chain?
With that said, the Stihl 3/8″ chain is identical in size to Oregon and other brands which all recommend a 7/32″ file.
What degree do you sharpen a 3/8 chainsaw chain?
What degree do you sharpen a 3/8 chainsaw chain? If you don’t know, or cannot figure out which chain you have, you can use the ‘default’ angles that most shops will use when sharpening chains that customers bring in: 30° / 60° / 0°, with a 0.025″ depth gauge offset.
Why does my chainsaw pull to the left?
One major reason a chainsaw curves to either the right or left during a cut is that it was unevenly sharpened. The unequal teeth of the chain cause it to take a different-sized bite into the wood. What is this? The uneven sharpness of the chain is mainly due to manual sharpening, especially with the use of a file.
What is a chainsaw file?
As their name suggests, chainsaw files are used primarily for sharpening chainsaws. They are shaped to fit snugly against the cutting edge of a chainsaw’s teeth. For a step by step guide, see: How to sharpen a chainsaw with a file.
Which direction do you file a chainsaw?
File the teeth from the inside towards the outside. The easy way to remember the correct direction is that the tip of the file should always point away from the engine. Hold the file at a 90-degree angle to the flat sides of the guide bar. Move the file at a 30-degree angle to the straight line of the chain.
Why does my chainsaw chain dull so quickly?
Dirt Causes A Chainsaw To Dull If you’re cutting through logs and your angle of approach is too steep, a simple cut through could nick dirt or even worse, rocks on the floor causing your chainsaw to jerk, thus dulling.
Why do Loggers Run chainsaw bars upside down?
Every chainsaw bar has been designed to be mounted right-side up or upside down. The reason for this is that it allows the user to extend the life of his chainsaw bar by 50%. Flipping the bar will give the heavily-used areas some relief from wear and tear.
What chainsaw chains do professional loggers use?
Full-chisel teeth chains are usually used by professionals on large saws. Semi-chisel teeth are rounded, so the risk of kickback is less, and they stay sharper longer. Semi-chisel teeth cut slower but are a better choice in dirty wood than full chisel.