carlton file-o-plate

[MCW]

MCW,
Any chance of posting some more photos of the FOP in use. I can't for the life of me figure out how to use the depth guage. I got a few chains from Bailey's and they gave a FOP with each one. Man, not a single word of instruction given at all. I guess you get what you pay for...

Here you go mate. Hope these pictures help. I've shown the tip of a Vallorbe flat file to try to show the angles that I'd come in at with the file. This is 3/8" Carlton Semi Chisel and the appropriate File-O-Plate model. I only file a couple of depth guages in the vice to set up for the grinder but if just using a file leave the chain on the bar and on the saw...
P.S. I may even have the File-O-Plate around the wrong way. They seem to be just as effective either way ???

 

[angelo c]

So the front of the FOP is resting on the pins of the plate/chain in the front. there must be some angle to the FOP to use it then. It's hard for me to see from the "overhead" shot.
Thanks for the effort though I do appreciate it.

 

[MCW]

So the front of the FOP is resting on the pins of the plate/chain in the front. there must be some angle to the FOP to use it then. It's hard for me to see from the "overhead" shot.
Thanks for the effort though I do appreciate it.

The right hand end of the plate is indexing off the bottom rear of the cutter (top of drive link) and the left hand end of the plate is sitting on the frone of the next cutter. Therefore the "straight" line between both determines what height the depth guages get filed at.

 

[brncreeper]

FOP for 404 chain. The "A" setting for normal raker depth.

The "B" setting for deeper depth gauge settings.

 

[angelo c]

Judging by the shadows it looks like there is an angle. That's what was confusing me as I thought is was to lay perfectly perpendicular to the drive links.
Thanks guys for going the extra mile ( or km for the aussies)
A

 

[mtngun]

Here's how I remember to set up the FOP for rakers.

-- the FOP "points" in the opposite direction as the chain. If you are filing rakers with the chain installed on the saw, the FOP will point toward the powerhead.

-- the slanted edge on the FOP will be parallel to the edge of the tooth that is underneath the FOP

Hope this helps. I agree that Carlton should provide better instructions.

 

[brncreeper]

If in doubt, you could take a new chain and make sure the depth gauge is flush. That way you can double check your FOP set up procedure.

 

[tramp bushler]

I,m beginning to see why some of you guys use semi chisel .... This is the truth , to cut for 7 or 8 hours , burning 2 1/2 gal gas thru a 660 or 395 , and still have the chain sharp enough to where you consider leaving it on the bar over night , Instead of taking it home and grinding it is not at all uncommon . And an experienced cutter should be getting at least 5 hours ,1 1/2 -1 3/4 th gallon of gas before he needs to change a chain in Southeast, Alaska ....
.
. You will notice it sooner with full skip , then semi skip . and usually a full comp 3/8 will make it all day ....As long as a guy doesn,t get into the dirt and rocks bucking ................... Or the blastin crew didn,t shoot the timber full of rock puting in the roads ...... One driller / blaster gave me and 2 other guys a full 100' roll of chain because he over loaded a ditch line //......
.
... I am going to bring a few semi chisel chains with me the next time I go out to a camp ..
.
.
. I,ve been doing a test ,with the chain that came on my 353 Husky ... .325 Full comp semi chisel .... When I first looked at it I thot it would last one tree or less .. .. I have now cut around $ 2,400.00 worth of spruce and Silver Poplar with it ........... Bar is wearing out ... Chain is still about 50% ........ It doesn,t cut as fast as Chisel bit does , and properly ground or chisel filed chisel bit will smoke it for cutting speed ... .. But the fact remains that I,m making good money with that chain .. I,m very impressed ....... When the timber freezes it will be interesting to see how it does .... But in the hot and dry conditions we have had it has worked great .......
.
. Would I buy a roll of it , probably not , but I think I will try some Chisel bit ,325 ..

 

[Philbert]

Nice detail photos guys. Thanks.

Interesting how much the F-O-Ps vary between chain models.

Philbert

 

[MCW]

I,m beginning to see why some of you guys use semi chisel .... This is the truth , to cut for 7 or 8 hours , burning 2 1/2 gal gas thru a 660 or 395 , and still have the chain sharp enough to where you consider leaving it on the bar over night , Instead of taking it home and grinding it is not at all uncommon . And an experienced cutter should be getting at least 5 hours ,1 1/2 -1 3/4 th gallon of gas before he needs to change a chain in Southeast, Alaska ....

Let us know how you go mate I really do think that in the real world semi chisel is highly underated. If you want nothing but speed then stick with the full chisel/square but if you don't like filing then semi chisel or even chipper is good stuff.

 

[SawTroll]

I don't really understand how anyone can have a problem with how it works - it is very simple and streight-forward - and a much better option than the bar or bench mounted guides........:monkey:

Anyway, I prefere to "free-hand" the cutters (unless I have to take off a lot), but I like to use the guides on the rakers!

 

[MCW]

Anyway, I prefere to "free-hand" the cutters (unless I have to take off a lot), but I like yo use the guides on the rakers!

I thought a man of your calibre would just use your fingernails to file chain and undo the bar nuts with your teeth?

 

[mtngun]

I don't really understand how anyone can have a problem with how it works - it is very simple and streight-forward

Simple, yes. Straight-forward, no.

The reason these "How do you use a FOP" threads keep popping up is because the FOP does not come with instructions. Until Carlton decides to include instructions, expect to see another FOP thread about once a month. At least now we have a good thread to refer them to.

 

[tdi-rick]

Simple, yes. Straight-forward, no.

The reason these "How do you use a FOP" threads keep popping up is because the FOP does not come with instructions. Until Carlton decides to include instructions, expect to see another FOP thread about once a month. At least now we have a good thread to refer them to.

That's odd.

Every FOP I have came in a little plastic bag with a sheet of instructions and model numbers/appropriate chains.

 

[angelo c]

the four I recieved had no instructions at all. Had I thought more about it I would have ordered different chains to compare each other, then I would have different FOPs too. oh wait Bailey's is 24 hours ?....

 

[MCW]

I've got two of every File-O-Plate and although the instructions are pretty lame they've all got them?

 

[PetrolHead]

Sorry to bring this thread back to the top again, but I have a genuine question. I've had a FOP for a few years now and can't remember taking the cutters back to the minimum with this tool, that's because I don't often find Carlton locally (Riverland to the rescue). I've noticed that the plate sits down on the tie strap and exposes a small portion of the drive link, my question is; does the file start to contact the top of the exposed drive link as the cutter nears the end of it's life? It looks like it might.

Thank you.

 

[MCW]

Sorry to bring this thread back to the top again, but I have a genuine question. I've had a FOP for a few years now and can't remember taking the cutters back to the minimum with this tool, that's because I don't often find Carlton locally (Riverland to the rescue). I've noticed that the plate sits down on the tie strap and exposes a small portion of the drive link, my question is; does the file start to contact the top of the exposed drive link as the cutter nears the end of it's life? It looks like it might.

Thank you.

I presume you mean Depth Guage and not Drive Link? If so, you'll generally find that until the cutter has been ground/filed/worn back to about 2/3 it's original length that your file won't even touch the depth guage when using a File-O-Plate. In the life of a cutter I'll probably drop the depth guages around 3-4 times. Sometimes I'll notice that the chain just doesn't seem to cut properly and I'll realise it's time to do the depth guages again. Once you've adjusted them you probably only need to touch them every half a dozen sharpenings depending on how much meat needs removing from the cutters when sharpened. I generally cut a fair bit of nasty wood so tend to find I'm taking more off the teeth when sharpening than most.
Its fair to say that my chains cop a bit of a flogging. When you get asked to drop a dead old gum for someone that's full of termites and associated dirt they always seem to ask that you flush cut the stump down to ground level then chop the mangey tree up into bits that will fit their fireplace! What starts out as a 15 minute job ends up an hour with half a dozen blunt chains as a rule

 

[PetrolHead]

Thanks for the quick reply.
Na mate, I was actually talking about the cutter itself, I've managed to get a clear pic of what I'm talking about. The top of the drive link is just above the F-O-P, so I was wondering if the file will contact it when the cutter has been filed back some ways?

http://users.adam.com.au/wford/F-O-P.jpg

 

[PetrolHead]

By the way Matt, I meant to ask before.
What the hell's wrong with that cat mate?