Got bored while visiting the inlaws, and spent the $5 on eBay to get the 1959 Oregon booklet. I thought I'd share a couple of things I found useful. Maybe it's old news for everybody else, and probably available elsewhere, but it was news to me!
Seems obvious now, but I had never thought to "funnel" the bar groove at the chain entry (the diagram shows a square chisel file being used) to avoid having the chain contact the sides. Might even help that chain-tossing 141 of mine.
There's also a chart for minimum bar groove depths:
Pitch_____minimum depth
3/8 ---------> 7/32"
.404 --------> 21/64"
7/16 --------> 5/16"
1/2 ---------> 21/64"
9/16 --------> 11/32"
5/8 ---------> 3/8"
3/4 ---------> 7/16"
(I'd love to see a 3/4" setup in action)
Checking for spread rails: if you can lay a straightedge flat on the bar (perpendicular to the long axis of the bar, with one end on the bar) by pushing the chain over with the top of the straightedge, the rails are too splayed. If you have any clearance at all (chain prevents straightedge from laying flat), the rails still are good.
Top plate angle on square chain should increase from 20 degrees to 25 degrees as the cutter is filed back.
Past the halfway point on the cutter, you should drop a file size (1/4" -> 7/32" or 7/32" to 3/16") on narrow kerf chains.
One thing I see people joking about a lot is soaking chains in bar oil. Times and lubricants may have changed, but in 1959 the oil on a new chain was only for rust prevention, and Oregon recommended soaking a new chain overnight, working oil into the moving parts, and oiling the bar groove prior to the first run.
And remember: "Chisel chain requires expert filing!"
Seems obvious now, but I had never thought to "funnel" the bar groove at the chain entry (the diagram shows a square chisel file being used) to avoid having the chain contact the sides. Might even help that chain-tossing 141 of mine.
There's also a chart for minimum bar groove depths:
Pitch_____minimum depth
3/8 ---------> 7/32"
.404 --------> 21/64"
7/16 --------> 5/16"
1/2 ---------> 21/64"
9/16 --------> 11/32"
5/8 ---------> 3/8"
3/4 ---------> 7/16"
(I'd love to see a 3/4" setup in action)
Checking for spread rails: if you can lay a straightedge flat on the bar (perpendicular to the long axis of the bar, with one end on the bar) by pushing the chain over with the top of the straightedge, the rails are too splayed. If you have any clearance at all (chain prevents straightedge from laying flat), the rails still are good.
Top plate angle on square chain should increase from 20 degrees to 25 degrees as the cutter is filed back.
Past the halfway point on the cutter, you should drop a file size (1/4" -> 7/32" or 7/32" to 3/16") on narrow kerf chains.
One thing I see people joking about a lot is soaking chains in bar oil. Times and lubricants may have changed, but in 1959 the oil on a new chain was only for rust prevention, and Oregon recommended soaking a new chain overnight, working oil into the moving parts, and oiling the bar groove prior to the first run.
And remember: "Chisel chain requires expert filing!"
