Depth Gauge Tools for Saw Chain

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Sorry in advance for this side tangent but I've been meaning to ask you guys about the Husqvarna roller guide. How do you feel about the angle that guide suggests? I think it's too much, it looks to be nearly 30* my only complaint with it is the angle. What are your thoughts on this?

Regarding rakers, I read an interesting post a while back where a guy was adjusting his raker with his round file. He filed the back of the raker towards the cutting direction. This opened up the gullet area in front of the cutter. What's your opinion on this method?
In theory, it makes sense in every way
 
Sorry in advance for this side tangent but I've been meaning to ask you guys about the Husqvarna roller guide. How do you feel about the angle that guide suggests? I think it's too much, it looks to be nearly 30* my only complaint with it is the angle. What are your thoughts on this?

......
The indicated top-plate angles are the same conservative ones as Oregon recommends (usually 25 degrees for chisel and 30 for semi-chisel) - but you really can file at any angle you want. I use file handles with angle indicators, and it can be combined with the roller guides.
 
I have yet to get myself a FOP or a decent sharpening system, for now I hand file without a guide. Using RS chain that's about 2/3rd worn I set my rakers to .045" with feeler gauges off the top of the teeth and it seems happy there (cutting fir). At some point I'll get something better
 
I got a file guide.. can't remember what they're called.. can set all the angles up, it clamps to the bar and holds the file.. not the greatest thing around, but it does help a little
 
2f75e91e40dbe322ae1604e9408b2523.jpg

These are in my bag every day, stihl files and file holders for 1/4" picco mini micro piddly teeny on ms150t, then .325, .404, 3/8 and 3/8 picco

I dont like the stihl depth gauge tools so these came from Husqvarna with the exception of the 1/4"pmmpt which had to be from stihl.
I use saws everyday and with this combination I find they give good cutting speed, good durability and unless cutting dirty stuff or really hard wood I don't need to sharpen very often, though this is for arboriculture not firewood or logging. I have found though that my fellow workers who all file free hand have to sharpen more often than I do. Also, the smallest chain - 1/4", which gets most use is the one that needs sharpening least though it's not usually doing dirty work. Having said that, I used it to cut dead fronds out of a Phoenix date palm that was full of dirt and it was still sharp enough afterwards to deadwood 4 big gums.
We only use stihl chains and I file left and right handed over the saw from behind, which gives great results and very even cutters and works on your knees, in a bench vice or in a log vice banged into a log


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I cut sticky pine trees and less sticky birch trees with .325 Oregon 21BPX chain that I did sharpen with help of Husky roller file guide and depth gauge combination.

Got my hands messed with pine sap and nice long chips when cutting rounds off from the logs.

I did set rakers with "soft" slot in Husky depth gauge tool, chain did cut quite well and I think it became better after few cuts.

Somehow manage to keep my chain sharp when I stack logs to holder thing I welded together from old rusted pipes, but sometimes without any sensible reason I try to cut those pipes with the chainsaw and it does not do any good to my chain, I wonder why is that... :p
 

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I cut sticky pine trees and less sticky birch trees with .325 Oregon 21BPX chain that I did sharpen with help of Husky roller file guide and depth gauge combination.

Got my hands messed with pine sap and nice long chips when cutting rounds off from the logs.

I did set rakers with "soft" slot in Husky depth gauge tool, chain did cut quite well and I think it became better after few cuts.

Somehow manage to keep my chain sharp when I stack logs to holder thing I welded together from old rusted pipes, but sometimes without any sensible reason I try to cut those pipes with the chainsaw and it does not do any good to my chain, I wonder why is that... :p

I usually use the "soft" setting for birch as well - but you better make a stack holder out of wood, as you are bound to hit it with the chain now and then.
 
Sorry to resurrect an old thread but seemed like I should post here rather than make a new one.

I am not sure about if I am sold on the progressive raker idea but figured I would make a gauge and try it out... PDf is the drawing. Also included 2 pics of the finished product. Had to make a few changes but did not update the drawing yet... I may have to make changes to get it to fit the chain for my ms171, I have confirmed it works for the ms261.

Aaron

Progressive raker gauge 1.jpg Progressive raker gauge 2.jpg
 

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Where can I find one of these flat Husqvarna plate guides? My dealer only shows the roller guide. I use a F-O-P whenever possible, but they can be kind of chain type specific.
I dont see the flat ones offered on Husqvarna website?
At our dealers the Husky roller sharpening guide tool has the flat plate for raker height attached it swivels out. I also tried out the the filing guide reviewed by Philbert on a Knackered 3/8 Lo Pro chain & it cuts well So flushed with success I will when I have time attack the pile of " Scrap "chains inthe corner of the shop.
 
At our dealers the Husky roller sharpening guide tool has the flat plate for raker height attached it swivels out. I also tried out the the filing guide reviewed by Philbert on a Knackered 3/8 Lo Pro chain & it cuts well So flushed with success I will when I have time attack the pile of " Scrap "chains inthe corner of the shop.
The depth raker plate on the husky roller guide works good on newer chain but once your tooth is about half used up the rivet starts to rest on top of the tooth on one side and not the other which causes the chain to cut sideways. You can find just the plate on Amazon
 
Sorry to resurrect an old thread but seemed like I should post here rather than make a new one.

I am not sure about if I am sold on the progressive raker idea but figured I would make a gauge and try it out... PDf is the drawing. Also included 2 pics of the finished product. Had to make a few changes but did not update the drawing yet... I may have to make changes to get it to fit the chain for my ms171, I have confirmed it works for the ms261.

Aaron

View attachment 533725 View attachment 533726


That one doesn't look progressive to me?
 
It rests on 3 teeth and butts against the front of a tooth, the top of the "fork" (lacking a better term) is cut at 6 degrees from the corner the tooth sits in... as the tooth is filed back and the distance between the front of the tooth and the raker/depth gauge increases... the raker is progressively filed lower as the distance between the 2 grows due to the 6 degree angle on the top of the fork.

The attached picture should show the angled fork better. I will get a picture of it on a chain this weekend.

Aaron

Progressive raker gauge.jpg
 
It rests on 3 teeth and butts against the front of a tooth, the top of the "fork" (lacking a better term) is cut at 6 degrees from the corner the tooth sits in... as the tooth is filed back and the distance between the front of the tooth and the raker/depth gauge increases... the raker is progressively filed lower as the distance between the 2 grows due to the 6 degree angle on the top of the fork.

The attached picture should show the angled fork better. I will get a picture of it on a chain this weekend.

Aaron

View attachment 533883

That may work, provided the angle is calculated right - but a raker guide that rests on more than one cutter (tooth) only will work right if all cutters are exactly the same length. If you try to do that, you will "use up" the chains much sooner than needed, as you will file much more than needed.
 
Geometry/angle is good, I drew it up in Solid works and cut it out of red board on the mill at work.

As for resting on multiple teeth, you bring up a valid point I had not put much thought into. I do tend to take a little more off the left teeth than the right. But the left and right stay pretty consistent perspectively.

It may be as simple as cutting a relief so it sits on 2 teeth on the same side. I will have to put some thought into it.

Aaron
 
Glad you did . I picked up a few pointers already from this thread and the links. I got invited over to that "another forum" and learned more there also , all this has me rethinking my approach to filing depth gauges by hand and working up the courage to do depth gauges on my grinder which will be an all time first for me. This not so old dog is learning some new tricks.
 
, all this has me rethinking my approach to filing depth gauges by hand and working up the courage to do depth gauges on my grinder which will be an all time first for me.
My experience:

http://www.arboristsite.com/community/threads/depth-gauges-on-a-grinder.200410/

Biggest problem I had was with reduced kickback chains that have the larger, bumper tie straps. The newer ones with the bumper drive links are not so bad. For chains without any low kickback bumpers, consider profiling a wider (1/4" or 5/16") wheel, and it will go quickly.

Philbert
 
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