Filing semi-chisel

[Blowdown1]

I've been using full chisel (round) and the Husky roller guide w/ good results. I'm thinking of trying some semi-chisel since a lot of what I cut has been on the ground for awhile and is not clean wood.

My question is; can I use the roller guide and same round files for the semi-chisel as long as the pitch and gauge are the same as the full chisel I am using now? In other words, are the angles the same?

 

[brent denny]

You didnt say which size chain you have so Im going to guess its 3/8. The file size should be the same. 7/32 is the norm (some use 13/64 on stihl chain). The angles may be slightly different on a guide for chisel vs. semi-chisel. Chisel is USUALLY filed at 30 degrees across and 10 degrees upward. Semi chisel is 35 degrees across and straight (no upward angle). This varies depending on chain manufacturer and opinion. These may be changed depending on wood species, frozen wood, raker height, etc. That being said you probably wont notice a huge difference so go ahead and try using the same guide. I have one of those roller guides I sometimes use on .325 pitch chains and it works great. If you have .325 chains there a lot more choices in file size. File size may be 5/32, 4.5mm, 3/16, or 13/64 depending on chain mfg and type. The roller guides are different for chisel, semichisel and narrow kerf. Let me know what chain you are using and maybe I can help you more.

 

[Blowdown1]

I am using the 3/8 .050 Oregon/Husqvarna full chisel chain w/ 7/32 file and the roller guide. I've gotten good results, but it seemed like there would be a difference in angles or something when filing semi-chisel. Just wanted to make sure before I buggered up a new chain using the wrong filing setup. Thanks for the tips.

 

[brent denny]

Hi, Blowdown1. I just checked the husky website and looked at their filing guides. They show one guide for 3/8 lo-pro (which you obviously dont have), one for full size 3/8, and two for .325. So to answer your question, Yes. You can use the same guide for both semichisel and chisel. Like Frank said in another post, tooth and raker uniformity are much more important than a couple of degree differences in angles. As the tooth gets filed further back, you may want to switch to a 13/64 file to keep the correct hook and file the gullets out a bit for more chip clearance. Cleaning out the gullets is something I learned here recently and it does make a difference! Its fun to try different things to your chain to improve cutting performance but hard to keep track of the improvements because there are so many variables.

 

[glens]

The roller guides either do not provide for a 10° up-angle or using it on semi-chisel doesn't matter.  I've modified one of the roller guides to match the tooth height and receding-angle of my Stihl RS and RM (chisel and semi-chisel) chains and it works admirably on either when needed.

If the heights and angles of the cutters on your two chain types match you'll have excellent success using the guide on either.

I take extremely little care in matching cutter length and realize no detriment.

Glen

 

[glens]

I should have said <i>little</i> detriment.&nbsp; I'm aware that precision in results in precision out, but I'm not racing and a couple tenths of a second, and maybe somewhat-furry cut surfaces don't matter much to me for normal use.

The important thing, in my book, is to use a ramped depth gauge guide which will provide for the proper adjustment for each individual cutter tooth.

Glen

 

[Crofter]

Glen, you say you take very little care in matching cutter length. does that mean that your method results in very little difference in length or does it mean that big differences in length are normal for you and OK. Having the right raker height for each of the teeth whether long or short results in the same depth of cut on each tooth, but the differences in length also result in a big difference in width that makes a chain grabby on the side and rougher cutting. It might be tolerable, but it is not good practice in my opinion. If you want to really see the results of that magnified, try it in ripping.

 

[Al Smith]

Well.I can only speak for myself,but I have rocked a few chains.Anyone that does any amount of cutting has.Rather than cut the links all down to match the damaged ones,I file the depth gauges accordingly to get the right amount of tilt on the cutter as per length.I know it's not the best practice ,but I don't see a whole lot of difference in the performance.It doesn't shake rattle and roll,or cut in a circle.I had a new 36" full skip .404,and was tweeking a saw ,in a big piece of red oak,when I found a splitting wedge I had lost,duh.I had to use the Dremel on that one,duh,again.

 

[glens]

Frank,

I certainly don't get the calipers out!

We all know that counting strokes is ultimately little better than nothing unless you're using robotics.&nbsp; Some cutters require a few more strokes because maybe the odd corner got rounded on something or the top plate somehow got very dulled, and I sure don't feel like taking every tooth on that side of the chain back to match the one short one.&nbsp; I realize this reduces the efficiency of that cutter as compared to the others, but the next one along winds up taking a bit deeper cut right at the edge of the kerf.&nbsp; Maybe that'll be the next prematurely-rounded corner...

Neither the chipper nor the woodstove care if the cuts are a little fuzzy.&nbsp; I'm not milling and I'm not racing, so the loss of a few percent in overall speed or cleanliness are acceptable to me.

I'm usually much more of a perfectionist, but in my advancing age, I find myself caring less and less about more and more.

Glen

 

[bwalker]

I try to keep the cutter lengths equal, but dont lose sleep if they are not. I would rather loose a slight amount of performance than to expend the energy and chain life on keeping them equal.

 

[Crofter]

Yes I have some chains like that too for jobs where you know you are going to rough things up. However if I damaged one side of a chain extensively I would not merely sharpen up that side and reset its rakers and feel it was good to go. Too much chance of starting the bar rails wearing unevenly and ruining a good bar. I still think reasonably uniform length cutters important advice to someone learning to file instead of saying that lengths of the teeth dont matter much. Experienced filers know what they might get away.

 

[Al Smith]

Well that is a good point Frank.The guy was asking for advise,and here are a bunch of old dudes telling him unconventional methods.Shame on us :angel:

 

[Crofter]

Al, Glen has this fascination with the trivial fact that with a conventional sit on top of two or more teeth raker depth guage that there is an average result between two teeth instead of a precise individual setting This is so, but it is a solution for a problem that should not exist in the first place (if the cutters were reasonable similar in length). You see he likes to explore possibilties, and even if you heard hoofbeats on the roof at christmas, he would argue, that it COULD be zebras!

 

[Al Smith]

Zebras,aye,egads! Say it isn't so.I had my bib in place on that one.

 

[glens]

Scuppers, Al, you need scuppers.