Remove rakers?

[Billy_Bob]

Rakers or "depth gauges" are there for a reason. Chain saw manufacturers have engineers with years of experience who test and design these things. And they of course want theirs saws to cut as fast as possible, but as SAFELY and fast as possible!

With that said, you can buy a "depth gauge' tool like the following which is .25 and is factory spec...
Bailey's - Oregon Depth Gauge Tool

You place that on your chain and the lower portion over a raker. If you can feel the raker sticking up a bit, then you can file each raker down a bit. Maybe try two or three swipes with a flat file on all the rakers. Then check with the depth gauge tool again.

All the rakers need to be the same height, so always file all of them and file each the same number of swipes. Then they are all taken down the same amount.

And the thing is, .25 is pretty high and does not allow much of a cut, HOWEVER this height might be perfect for a harder wood like oak!

I can file them a bit lower for a softer wood, but then if I use that saw for a hard wood like oak, it can become almost uncontrollable! (Saw goes wild!)

Anyway .25 is a good starting point. But don't get very far away from that and only for softer woods.

They sell these depth gauge tools at chainsaw shops as well as online.

 

[GASoline71]

Rakers, shmakers... 'round here we call 'em "riders".

Gary

 

[madhatte]

Rakers, shmakers... 'round here we call 'em "riders".

... or "Drags", same diff.

 

[dingeryote]

Rakers, shmakers... 'round here we call 'em "riders".

Gary

So then whaddya call riders when they aren't Drags?

Stay safe!
Dingeryote

 

[Slamm]

Never heard of the Riders, but I have heard of Drags and have used it sometimes, usually I just call them rakers.

Sam

 

[GASoline71]

All the old fallers here used to call them "riders' and "drags". I never heard them called "rakers" till I joined AS.

Gary

 

[Slamm]

"Bumpers" is another one.

Sam

 

[lone wolf]

You friend is not smarter than hundreds of engineers:msp_w00t:

 

[Terry L]

Removing rakers is very stupid

The reason this guy gets away with removing his rakers is because he doesn't know how to sharpen the chain properly. The cutting surface of his chain is tending to repel the wood. I only sharpen with a Silvey or Simington, always run chisel chain sharpened square ground. I also use a Silvey depth gauge machine to take down the rakers. It is about 10 times more accurate than any other method. If I screw up and take the rakers down too far that chain will grab the wood and stop moving-not productive! Even .005" makes a huge difference.

That dude is not someone to learn anything about cutting wood from!

 

[les-or-more]

Rakers, shmakers... 'round here we call 'em "riders".

Gary

Up here riders are the guys on the short bus

 

[paccity]

The reason this guy gets away with removing his rakers is because he doesn't know how to sharpen the chain properly. The cutting surface of his chain is tending to repel the wood. I only sharpen with a Silvey or Simington, always run chisel chain sharpened square ground. I also use a Silvey depth gauge machine to take down the rakers. It is about 10 times more accurate than any other method. If I screw up and take the rakers down too far that chain will grab the wood and stop moving-not productive! Even .005" makes a huge difference.

That dude is not someone to learn anything about cutting wood from!

small world, welcom. sort through the slash and enjoy the rest. oop's noticed you've ben a member for a while.

 

[mitch95100]

Ummm...your friend knows some guy who is fixing to get dead or mangled, at some not too distant point in the future.
In addition, never buy a saw from this genious.

Have a distant cousin that did the same dumbassed thing. He got cocky bucking a good sized log, and now the guy puts his teeth in a glass at night. The rakers are there to control the depth or bite, that the cutters take, and have nothing to do with "Kickback".

They do however keep the saw from busting the chain, the crank from snapping off, and clutches from getting fried every other week. LOTS of big money, and a bazillion hours of engineer time, plus a bazillion hours of saw geek time have gone into figuring the most efficient raker height. Not one of 'em has come to the conclusion that Rakers need to be removed, for any reason.

Next time ya hear that sorta stuff, just grin and agree, and DON'T run thier saw or stand near 'em when they do.

Stay safe!
Dingeryote

Thats what i thought they were supposed to do if keep the cutter from taking too big a bite not kickback

 

[LoggingEngineer]

Always heard them called riders or rakers here.....drags is new to me.