30 Years of Not Using the Sharpening File Correctly - Doh

[5backacres]

I acquired some sulfuric acid and some glass jars. Having chemistry background & common sense like Philbert's post if you had dulled edges, and the etch removes small layers of material over the entire surface area; sharp and flat, then a dull area will still be dull just thousandth thinner. The phosphoric acid would remove rust and in so doing tend to loosen/remove contaminants plugging the top surface of the file. Yes storage of items exposed to acid fumes will corrode those items sensitve to the fumes. Salt ( sodium chloride) will corrode items stored close to it even though there's no appreciable fumes like from an acid. I'll probably use the drain cleaner (sulfuric acid) as drain cleaner! thanks for the input.
Make sure your tetanus shots are up to date with in 10 yrs.

 

[Xmaniac]

I'll take a brand new full skip chain out of the box, set depth guage and dress the cutter's a few licks with round file, then hit the rakers one solid lick.... it'll rip... never was a fan of raker guage guides... nor the all in one filing gizmos. Dremels and bench grinders have their uses, but tend to over temper metal and not give you the edge a round file can....

 

[Evan]

I file the tooth then set each raker to each tooth. Yes I use a grinder to set tooth quickly.
Ive never met a logger that didnt know how to service his chains. Must be different kinda loggers in other parts of the world that lack that skill compared to idaho loggers. Or possibly logging is all machines now and that skill is fading.

 

[GrizG]

I file the tooth then set each raker to each tooth. Yes I use a grinder to set tooth quickly.
Ive never met a logger that didnt know how to service his chains. Must be different kinda loggers in other parts of the world that lack that skill compared to idaho loggers. Or possibly logging is all machines now and that skill is fading.

Seems many of the "tree service" guys around here don't know how to sharpen and some don't even know how to change a chain... My son sells Stihl and Husky saws and "pros" ask him to put new chains on all the time and throw away the old one... in some cases they bought the "old" one the day before! A different customer from the Idaho loggers.

 

[sean donato]

Funny how depth gauges keep getting called "rakers" by the pros.

 

[PV Hiker]

Funny how depth gauges keep getting called "rakers" by the pros.

It is a saying that will be around forever since chains replaced crosscut saws. I understand what people are talking about using the term rakers. I don't mind the term but use Depth Gauge when in conversation.

Yesterday I grabbed my box of flat files and on the Stihl box written "Flat File for maintaining Depth Gauges"

 

[Philbert]

Funny how depth gauges keep getting called "rakers" by the pros.

Philbert

 

[old guy]

Rakers is a lot easyer to spell than depth gauges.

 

[Philbert]

And, a ‘depth gauge gauge’ sounds funny.

Philbert

 

[GrizG]

And, a ‘depth gauge gauge’ sounds funny.

Philbert

....like a stutter.

 

[pdqdl]

...

The second thing I learned is not to file back and forth: single strokes only in one direction but I'd never been told that.

Feeling really foolish rght now and laughing. Better late than never.

When i first learned how to hand file my dad let me have at it. So i filed back and forth and just made a fool of myself. ...

There are YouTube videos of folks that have set up machines to test the wear on a file with "back and forth" and with the "proper procedure" of lifting the file between strokes.

There is no discernible difference between stroking and lifting and just plain "back and forth" with the file. It was a very thourogh test, and completely debunks the idea that backstroking with the file dulls it somehow or reduces the file's effectiveness significantly.