What's wrong with me? My chain? My saw? See this dust flying fine as flour?

[777funk]

I have been cutting for 5 or 6 years now and I think I know how to sharpen and cut, but this new to me Husqvarna 281xp with a Stihl 20" chain isn't cutting it. This is the most powerful saw I've owned. I don't think it's the saw. The chain looks sharp to me. Am I missing something? It isn't my choice in a chain (prefer chisel) but it was on the saw when purchased.

EDIT: info added: This is off of an HF Tools sharpener with stock wheel and after 10 minutes of rip cutting in the pictured dead maple nasty (many branches). And no I don't normally rip firewood. I use ugly pieces to carb tune and test saws since it's slow and hard.

What's wrong here?

 

[82F100SWB]

That chain is not sharp. There's a few filings left in it, but as it sits I wouldn't expect it to do much other than make powder.
It looks sharp but isn't like this one:

Note the top plate is not sharp.
It should look more like this at its point in life:

 

[777funk]

That chain is not sharp. There's a few filings left in it, but as it sits I wouldn't expect it to do much other than make powder.

Thanks for the reply. Maybe I don't know what I should be looking for. What do I have wrong here. See this closeup... That's dust on top of the tooth... BTW.

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[82F100SWB]

I'm having a very difficult time getting my phone to take decent pictures of my more worn chains. But this is a good sharp chain on its first filing.

 

[hseII]

Thanks for the reply. Maybe I don't know what I should be looking for. What do I have wrong here. See this closeup... That's dust on top of the tooth... BTW.

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Buy this.

STIHL 5605 007 1029 Complete Saw Chain Filing Kit For 3/8-Inch, 13/64-Inch https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002YT2UUS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_ap9JDbS2PE0TB

File to the angles on the guide & use the supplied gauge to get all your depth gauges, ( the shark fins), correct.

Husky has something similar but I’ve never used theirs.

Consistency is the goal.

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[catbuster]

Your chain isn’t sharp. Not even close. That top corner is almost squared off.

It should come to a point up at the top corner with some clearance underneath. People worry too much about the top plate angle, as long as it’s close it’ll be fine. The corner & clearance underneath is important.

That chain may very well be unsalvageable at that point in its life by the time the corner’s cleaned up and the gullet it cleared.

 

[John Lyngdal]

Looks dull to me and like someone has really worked over the rakers on your chain. .025" below the top of the cutter is what I have mine filed to.
I'd just purchase a new Stihl RS chain for it and see what a factory sharpened chain will do for comparison.

 

[Short timer]

What are you trying to do with that log? How you’re cutting it is not helping that dull chain.

 

[777funk]

I have a bunch of nasty logs I noodle away at to tune carbs on.

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[ray benson]

Odd looking depth gauges. Never saw any with that profile.

 

[Short timer]

I have a bunch of nasty logs I noodle away at to tune carbs on.

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That’s not noodling, you need to lay the log down and cut 90 degrees to how you’re doing it.

 

[HarleyT]

Looks like you have some full chisel cutters on it.

 

[HarleyT]

Or vice versa.........

 

[user 122190]

Doesn't look especially sharp to me. It has been in wood, so maybe its sharpness is masked.

Here's what would be most helpful, for starters. Sharpen the chain, i.e. and show us what you think is sharp.

 

[Ginger15]

Looks like you have some full chisel cutters on it.

View attachment 762411

Semi-chisel is what I know it as.

I agree though, thats not noodling and cutting that way will produce dust. At least it has when Ive seen it done.

 

[HarleyT]

There are two different style cutters that I have circled.

 

[Huskitoter]

Thanks for the reply. Maybe I don't know what I should be looking for. What do I have wrong here. See this closeup... That's dust on top of the tooth... BTW.

Sent from my SM-G920P using Tapatalk

File depth is too high on that one. Try to match the depth of the clutch side tooth shown in 4th pic.

 

[HarleyT]

Another full chisel is circled in blue, so someone may have spliced in the semis in the middle.

 

[Bobby Kirbos]

Looks like you have some full chisel cutters on it.

View attachment 762411

Frankenchain. Is that a semi-semi-chisel?

 

[Bob Hedgecutter]

There are two different style cutters that I have circled.

Maybe it is one of them fancy semi/full - skip cutter chains?

Or maybe..... it is a backyard botch up where someone got a chain from somewhere and it did not fit the bar for this saw, so they found a broken full chisel chain and banged a few extra drive links and cutters in to make her fit?

Either way...... it is still blunt!