chain sharpening observation

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Nathan Graff

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I was filing a used chain the the Husky 365, and I found some cutters that had a really deep gullet cut, but the edge of the cutter wouldn't allow the file to bite. So, I switched to a flat file to take the edge of the cutter back a bit. No dice. The file skated over the edge like you want to happen on Forged in Fire.

As I couldn't figure out any other way to do it, I took a fein angle grinder with a cut off disk and lightly dusted the edge off till it looked like the gullet was shallow enough to be sharpened with a file. I was very careful not to burn the cutter. Just enough pressure to cut properly, and for a second or 2 at a time with about 5 seconds off.

So, what causes cutters to harden like that, or could that be a factory defect in the cutter? Anyone else run into this 'issue'?

It was an Oregon chain btw.
 
Work hardening and heat cycling up followed by a rapid cool down.

I see this when I'm doing a lot of ground cutting of large logs in winter, tooth heats in the cut, hit the snow ... hard to sharpen.

Try a better brand of file or a new one ...

Keep on .... Runnin' Loads !!
 
Work hardening and heat cycling up followed by a rapid cool down.

I see this when I'm doing a lot of ground cutting of large logs in winter, tooth heats in the cut, hit the snow ... hard to sharpen.

Try a better brand of file or a new one ...

Keep on .... Runnin' Loads !!
It was a Stihl file. So, not a cheap one.
 
Ya I use Stihl files also as that's the best I can get locally and have had hardened teeth that even a new file skated on and left a flat spot on it. More pressure and a few strokes took it off.

Keep on .... Runnin' Loads !!
 
For some reason, these were a no way no how to get a file to bite. That was my first time sharpening that chain since I had bought it.
 
I was filing a used chain the the Husky 365, and I found some cutters that had a really deep gullet cut, but the edge of the cutter wouldn't allow the file to bite. So, I switched to a flat file to take the edge of the cutter back a bit. No dice. The file skated over the edge like you want to happen on Forged in Fire.

As I couldn't figure out any other way to do it, I took a fein angle grinder with a cut off disk and lightly dusted the edge off till it looked like the gullet was shallow enough to be sharpened with a file. I was very careful not to burn the cutter. Just enough pressure to cut properly, and for a second or 2 at a time with about 5 seconds off.

So, what causes cutters to harden like that, or could that be a factory defect in the cutter? Anyone else run into this 'issue'?

It was an Oregon chain btw.


I use a grinder to fix a glassed over tooth cause that the only way to get through the hard steel. If it's glassed over you don't need to worry about getting it hot. Fact is by letting it get hot again and cool slowly it might take some of the hardness back out.
Usually once I grind off the hard steel, it will sharpen like normal again. The drier the wood and the longer you cut with a dulling chain, the better chances you will have of glassing the teeth over.
 
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