Maybe all Your chains are turkey chains, You have to force it down their throat to feed them round and fat!
Just kidding.
I usually have only 1 or 2 chains "in use per saw" at the same time (one almost worn out & one newish) , that means that I depend on a proper sharpening to get the work at hand done.
I by no means have no spares, on the contrary I like to have new spare chains and bars just in case - but that doesn't mean that I use them whenever I notice I didn't get my chain(s) "self-feed-sharp".
Considering what all seems to pass as a sharp chain, sharpening a chain does not seem to be rocket science.
I for one prefer chisel tooth chains as I can somewhat relate to how the edge should look like and I most of the time get them to self feed nicely.
But I have a hard time to get round tooth chains to self feed (my little Sachs-Dolmar 105 uses those).
Prior to purchasing my Dolmar PS-6400 which came set up with a chisel chain I didn't even know there are other tooth styles and I just coasted along with the round tooth chains that I bought by article number.
By now I can't stand sharpening chains other then chisel which is also a reason why I won't bother with semi-chisel on my two big girls. I'll rather do a touch up or two on a chisel chain then having to hassle with a semi chisel or round tooth chain.
A chisel tooth comes somewhat natural to me as it is very similar to the cutting plate/edge of a drill bit which I work with and sharpen, successfully and very aggressively if I want to, day in day out at work.
All good troubleshoot suggestions have already been given by other fellow members.
I'd suggest taking one or two of those turkey chains and invest the time and sharpen them by hand with a file and a file guide. That should give them a proper edge and might help identify whether the bar(s) might be at fault.
I might get burned for writing this , but to my limited experience constantly adjusting the rakers is over rated for normal usage - I lay a flat file on the top of the sharpened teeth of my chain and if the rakers are lower the the top plates of the teeth I don't bother touching them. The chains may not cut at 100% intended speed , but they sure self fed and cut straight.
When I purchased my used PS-7900 it came with a half way worn grind sharpened chisel chain and
rakers down 1-1.4 mm !!! This chain cut like crazy and the PS-7900 pulled it with serious grunt. It was a very rough cutting chain in thinner wood, as one can imagine, but it was thrilling to use in strong wood.
That been said, I tend not to over think the height of the rakers - a little too shallow cuts slower but very smooth, a little too deep cuts faster but a bit rough. Either way it doesn't affect self feed and straight cuts much (if any).
Clearly, there are lots of ways to sharpen a chain - can make you nuts! People need to find a way that works for them.
IMHO, it helps to have a clear picture in your head of what you want your cutters to look like first, then use any method you choose (file, guide, grinder, Dremel, etc.) to achieve that. The tools won't do that by themselves.
Philbert
Agreed!
I have a cheapo (overpaid) supermarket grinder and I hate that thing!
When I bought it I tried doing all my chain sharpening on it - unsuccessfully.
It was too much of a hassle to set the grinder up properly and no matter how I set it up those chains never tended to truly cut as I like them too. Filing them freehand afterwards was also a big issue as the grinded teeth gullets didn't have a proper round shape to help support/guiding the file.
Needless to say that the grinder quickly went back in its box collecting dust most of its existence. I use it rarely when a lot of chain tooth needs to be removed (after hitting a rock or something). But even then after grinding off all the damaged part of the teeth I take a second go at the chain in question and file all the grinding marks out and re-shape the gullet using a file & filing guide.
All that been said:
- I love it when my chain self feeds nicely and I got best results using a file and occasionally a file guide.
- I like chisel chains and I like to think that I do "OK" sharpening those. I can not relate to round tooth, and I never tried semi chisel chains.
- I don't sharpen chains or use chainsaws commercially, it is just private homeowner usage and it doesn't butter my bread - but it keeps me warm.
- I still use the original 9 years old (at least 5 or 6 chains worn out to ZERO) OEM bar my PS-6400 came with as my "main" bar. With a well sharpened chain it still cuts straight in wood up the size of the bar (20"), once the chain gets dull it will cut in a circle prompting me to stop cutting and touch up the chain. I did have to deepen the groove once, the groove gauge is certainly wider then it should be and most likely V shaped from wear by now - but the bar still has life in it. I am by no means a cheapo , I have spare chains and bars to last me Years to come.
- I dress the rails of my bars freehand with a flat file and I don't have a 20-20 eyesight.
- I prefer a 7 tooth sprocket over a 8 tooth sprocket as the slower chain will take a better bigger bite then the speeding chain is able too (I mostly cut oak).
- What I deem workable and/or good doesn't necessarily work for somebody else, every individual must figure out a way that works best for them.
Good luck pinpointing the issue!
Cheers
