brooksa
New Member
Is it ok to round file and then clean up the top plate with a flat file a couple of strokes? I just messed with this a tax but don’t want to get carried away and mess my chains up. The flat file gets the top plate sharp fast
Filing question - top plate
- Thread starter brooksa
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You shouldn’t be using a flat for anything but taking ur rakers down not exactly sure what ur doing
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Gone fishing
You do not ever touch the top surface of the chain thooth, thats a super thin layer of hardened metal.
You grind that and you have a tooth sharp edge with the hardness like butter.
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brooksa
New Member
Here’s what ur chain should look like after filing , round file only
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You trying to square file ?
brooksa
New Member
I know a lot of people do. That’s why I was wondering if there is anyone who does a mix of both
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Gone fishing
If you consider your file have a 30/60 degree angle to the tooth top suface, that will be perfect.
The gullet won't dissipate of the chips as good as a round gullet though.
The gullet won't dissipate of the chips as good as a round gullet though.
You either round file a chain or square file a chain not mixing both together here is a square file chain
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Square filing is more involved of course than round filing
As you progress with square down the tooth you can clean up the gullet as you go like round
There are proper files for square filing of different designs
Karrl
ArboristSite Operative
Stihl Hexafile system kinda of accomplishes what you’re getting at. It’s a hexagonal file that you use like a round file and you get results similar to square. The files are pricey otherwise I’d be more interested.
https://static.stihl.com/upload/ass...led/zoom/330741d3f1494e52be8d81f77684a584.jpg
Also this isn’t exactly the same as square filing, both files make an angular tooth but square filing has a different profile and should cut the fastest.
https://static.stihl.com/upload/ass...led/zoom/330741d3f1494e52be8d81f77684a584.jpg
Also this isn’t exactly the same as square filing, both files make an angular tooth but square filing has a different profile and should cut the fastest.
Your chains will lose their sharpness faster if you do that. Leave the tops of the teeth alone. You want the hard chrome layer on the tops of the teeth to extend to the very end of the tooth so it forms a hardened cutting edge. If the edge is formed of the regular tooth steel it will go dull fast.
Welcome to A.S.!
Lots of was to sharpen a chain, and you can try ‘hybrid’ methods to see if they work for you (tell us if they do!).
But, starting with fundamentals, each modern chainsaw cutter has 2 cutting edges: one on the top and one on the side. When Joe Cox, the founder of Oregon Chain, invented this chain, about 76 years ago, a key design element was sharpening BOTH the top and side edges with a single pass of a round file. This was revolutionary. For real.
So, if you choose to focus on one of these edges, you need to consider how it affects the other edge. TRIGGER WARNING!!! A lot of guys don’t realize that the 30° ‘top plate angle’ really shapes the side plate cutting bevel. The top plate cutting bevel is shaped by the diameter and height of the round file.
‘Square filing’ (done with special files) shapes these edges differently. Which may be fine if done intentionally, or just to experiment. But taking a conventional flat file to a conventional cutter will likely mess up the side plates, which do the bulk of the work (cutting through the wood fibers) when cross-cutting.
Philbert
Lots of was to sharpen a chain, and you can try ‘hybrid’ methods to see if they work for you (tell us if they do!).
But, starting with fundamentals, each modern chainsaw cutter has 2 cutting edges: one on the top and one on the side. When Joe Cox, the founder of Oregon Chain, invented this chain, about 76 years ago, a key design element was sharpening BOTH the top and side edges with a single pass of a round file. This was revolutionary. For real.
So, if you choose to focus on one of these edges, you need to consider how it affects the other edge. TRIGGER WARNING!!! A lot of guys don’t realize that the 30° ‘top plate angle’ really shapes the side plate cutting bevel. The top plate cutting bevel is shaped by the diameter and height of the round file.
‘Square filing’ (done with special files) shapes these edges differently. Which may be fine if done intentionally, or just to experiment. But taking a conventional flat file to a conventional cutter will likely mess up the side plates, which do the bulk of the work (cutting through the wood fibers) when cross-cutting.
Philbert
brooksa
New Member
Thank you sir. And everyone that responded.
SawBawss
ArboristSite Member
My dad told me of a way he used to file when he was logging. He took a smaller round file to sharpen the tooth and a larger round file to take out the gullet. I have not tried it yet, but he said it was the poor mans way of goofy filing.
Not only that, but making the top plate thinner will result in it failing earlier.
