Drag/raker question

So I am loving life with the Husky 460, lots of storm damaged trees to cut up for FREE fire wood. Lots of Maple and Ash came down.

Anyways, I have been getting pretty good at the chain sharpening thing but have a question. I put the depth gauge on the chain and a little bit of the raker pokes above. So I file it but seem to be just scoring up the gauge more than the raker.

How often do the rakers really need to be taken down? When I sharpen, I just use the file guide and file inside the tooth. Nothing else.
Thanks for any feed back!

The rakers should be looked at every 3 or 4 sharpenings. What I do is use the raker guide on one raker, count the number of file strokes, then free hand the rest, checking my progress with the guide once in a while to make sure I'm on the right track.

I check my rakers about every third time I sharpen. I use a guide to take them down. Make sure your file is clean and free from oil. Alot of times you will be able to tell when the rakers need to be filed by the way the saw cuts, if you have to really press/dawg the saw in the cut but are still throwing big chips than the rakers need to be taken down and the chain is sharp. Hope this helps

TS

Its a gauge not a file guide or holder, check the height with the gauge, if its high remove the gauge, file a couple of strokes off the raker, try the gauge again, file more if necessary. If you file with the gauge in place it will be ruined as the file cuts down the gauge some each time the file rubs across it.
Pioneerguy600

The gauge I have I also use as a guide. It must be made out of some really hard steel because running the file across it doesnt even scratch it.

TS

Turkeyslayer said:

The gauge I have I also use as a guide. It must be made out of some really hard steel because running the file across it doesnt even scratch it.

TS

Click to expand...

If it is of the hardened steel type a file will not gouge it, the OP claimed his file was scoring his gauge.
Pioneerguy600

After about the 2nd sharpening take a light 2 licks on each drag with a flat file. As it gets more wore out, you can feel when you have to "push" to make it bite, when this happens take one more lick. If it is real grabby, it will be fine next time you file the cutters. No need for a guage.

pioneerguy600 said:

If it is of the hardened steel type a file will not gouge it, the OP claimed his file was scoring his gauge.
Pioneerguy600

Click to expand...

My bad, I read the post but the brain didnt fully comprehend.:monkey:

TS

Sort of a trick, or more of a visual aid then anything....

Look at how big a rectangle the freshly filed DG is, and file for that 'look' on all of them, checking often.

It takes a knack or 'feel' as 4 fair file sweeps is like 3 good ones, or 5 or 6 bad sweeps are nothing like 3 good file bites. IOW, don't go by sweeps alone.

Having a good visual/mental picture of what you want will match the steel coming off to the DG you want.

Keep in mind, nothing is perfect, close cuts just as good by the end of the day.

ShoerFast said:

Sort of a trick, or more of a visual aid then anything....

Look at how big a rectangle the freshly filed DG is, and file for that 'look' on all of them, checking often.

It takes a knack or 'feel' as 4 fair file sweeps is like 3 good ones, or 5 or 6 bad sweeps are nothing like 3 good file bites. IOW, don't go by sweeps alone.

Having a good visual/mental picture of what you want will match the steel coming off to the DG you want.

Keep in mind, nothing is perfect, close cuts just as good by the end of the day.

Click to expand...

Agreed. My left hand pushing bites better than my right. So i have to lighten up on that side. I do the rectangle thing but wasn't sure anyone would know what i meant.

I check my depth gauges before every sharpening. I am comfortable using an .040 depth gauge. If anything pokes out (I only check a couple) I get out the ol dremel and take them all down. Works for me and the type of wood I cut. ymmv

pioneerguy600 said:

Its a gauge not a file guide or holder, check the height with the gauge, if its high remove the gauge, file a couple of strokes off the raker, try the gauge again, file more if necessary. If you file with the gauge in place it will be ruined as the file cuts down the gauge some each time the file rubs across it.
Pioneerguy600

Click to expand...

My gauge is the aluminum one that Stihl sells. I was shown to put the gauge on the chain and file. But like I said, it is getting scored. Makes sense, I will remove and give some swipes and then recheck.

I rocked the chain pretty good last time, sharpened it the other night and it throws some nice chips now! 30 strokes and she was good.

Weird but the tree that I was cutting smelled like weed. I think it was a young Maple?

I used to use the depth guage but found that I like to free hand 2 or 3 strokes with a flat file better. Sometimes I use the chain grinder just so the dang thing gets used. I would much rather do it by hand as I would to sharpen the cutters.

HuskyMike said:

My gauge is the aluminum one that Stihl sells. I was shown to put the gauge on the chain and file. But like I said, it is getting scored. Makes sense, I will remove and give some swipes and then recheck.

I rocked the chain pretty good last time, sharpened it the other night and it throws some nice chips now! 30 strokes and she was good.

Weird but the tree that I was cutting smelled like weed. I think it was a young Maple?

Click to expand...

"My gauge is the aluminum one that Stihl sells"......Well theres the problem. LOL

"Weird but the tree that I was cutting smelled like weed. I think it was a young Maple?".......Maybe it hybridized, you will have to wait till this fall to smoke it (in the wood stove):jester:

TS

If it is a hybrid weed plant, I am sitting on a gold mine!!!!

hahahaha thanks guys!

i got a guage too. i just use it as a guide as stated above. ill take say 3-4 swipes or or however many are needed. its not rocket science sometimes a little more comes off sometimes a little less. absolute worst case is the chain get a bit grabby. ive never had it get to that but i bought a used saw that had REALLY low rakers and that chain was wicked grabby. but that chain didnt get there by a couple extra swipes of the file. either he did it in purpose or he thought every raker needed a good 20 swipes of the file lol.