Does anyone else find it amazing how many people simply cannot sharpen a saw?

[Wood Doctor]

I don't get too hung up on the length of the cutters. I try to keep them close, but if one gets damaged I'm certainly not wasting the steel on the others to even it up. I go easy on the short ones until the others catch up. Heck, most of my chains have a different number of cutters on one side vs the other, or two in a row from the same side. I've never had a chain that would not cut straight. I think angle and sharpness are far more important.

Well, you might look at it this way. The average chain carries over 60 cutters and some have over 100. If one or two of them are smaller for some reason, the rest will carry them as baggage. I usually can get 8 to 10 sharpenings per chain, so I figure I can let one or two smaller cutters rest for the next pass. Eventually they all become the same size. Sometimes the side with the extra cutter also has the smaller one that might be left duller so that cancels things out.

What amazes me are the stories that men tell about owners that throw away dull chains and never sharpen them, only having used them a few times. Think of the miles of saw chain per year that are thrown away and could have been saved with a simple sharpening job.

 

[Chris-PA]

Well, you might look at it this way. The average chain carries over 60 cutters and some have over 100. If one or two of them are smaller for some reason, the rest will carry them as baggage.

I doubt it works that way. I understand the cutter rides on the depth gauge and actually rotates off the bar into the wood. That being the case, the slightly shorter cutters are not going to be held off the wood by the longer ones - the chain is simply not that tight. They will do their part just the same.

 

[branchbuzzer]

the following sums it up pretty well, from Beranek - Fundamentals :

"If there are just one or two odd short cutters on the chain, bringing the rest down to match will be a waste of chain, time and money. An odd short cutter on the chain won't hamper the overall performance of the chain, but most persons that file chain habitually sharpen one side shorter than the other. In this case, the longer side should be brought down to match the shorter. To minimize differences, the beginner is advised to improve the platform and stance they file from."

 

[mdavlee]

The chain goes down the bar in a wave motion any way. The shorter cutters will still get a bit here and there. Not every cutter is cutting wood the whole way down a cut.

 

[lone wolf]

Well, you might look at it this way. The average chain carries over 60 cutters and some have over 100. If one or two of them are smaller for some reason, the rest will carry them as baggage. I usually can get 8 to 10 sharpenings per chain, so I figure I can let one or two smaller cutters rest for the next pass. Eventually they all become the same size. Sometimes the side with the extra cutter also has the smaller one that might be left duller so that cancels things out.

What amazes me are the stories that men tell about owners that throw away dull chains and never sharpen them, only having used them a few times. Think of the miles of saw chain per year that are thrown away and could have been saved with a simple sharpening job.

Until some one hits a rock!

 

[Philbert]

I understand the cutter rides on the depth gauge and actually rotates off the bar into the wood. That being the case, the slightly shorter cutters are not going to be held off the wood by the longer ones - the chain is simply not that tight.

Might depend on how much difference there is between the cutters - they have to 'catch the wood' to rise up. In any event, it will not be as smooth a cut, or as low vibe, with cutters lifting up and slapping down more. And it still means that the next cutter will have to do more with the kerf.

The chain goes down the bar in a wave motion any way. The shorter cutters will still get a bit here and there. Not every cutter is cutting wood the whole way down a cut.

I am not sure that this is accurate. I know that the Carlton illustrations suggest this, but we need some slow motion video of a chain in a cut. (I looked on YouTube: we need ULTRA slow motion video!)

When crosscutting, we get lots of little chips because the gullet acts like a chip breaker. But when noodling, we get lots of long chips: this would not happen if the cutters were 'porpoising' in the cut.

Until some one hits a rock!

!!!

Philbert

 

[mdavlee]

You can get long chips when cross cutting. I got some 3" long ones in maple. Keep the gullets real low and a nice ground or filed chain and you can get some longer chips.

 

[Philbert]

I get longer ones crosscutting with the PowerSharp chain also, I think due to the twist in the cutter. But I think that this supports the cutter staying in contact with the wood (like a plane) instead of making intermittent contact (like a router). I could be wrong. Just seems to make sense.

Philbert