I just found part of the problem with the Timberline. I measured the cutters and the one I have been using for the 3/8 chain is actually a 7/32 cutter when it should be a 13/64 cutter. So that is why the cutter was sitting too high in the tooth, it is a size to big. I measured the other cutters I have and they measured right. I used a drill bit gauge to measure them.
I got some other pics of a different chain I want you to check out. I will post them in a little bit, got some stuff to do outside.
Here is a pic of a .325 chain on the JD CS56. Now I know this chain looks like it has it metal and that is what I wanted to discuss. The thing is the teeth seem to be perfectly flat and not rolled under like it looks like in the pic and all the teeth look like this. Would hitting mud or dirt cause the teeth to look like this? I do know last time we used it, he did hit some mud and it dulled instantly but he tried to keep cutting after I tried to get him to stop.
Another thing is I have made 20 strokes with a file and it still looks like this. From the front, the tooth looks sharp but not sure. I am debating to grind the tooth all the way back to get rid of the possibly damaged part. Again it looks sharp from the front. Has anybody else had a chain look like this but still cut like brand new? This is a semi chisel chain.
Another thing is I am hitting the tie straps on every tooth as you can see in the pic. How do I avoid this? I am using a 3/16 file with the right guide and I am holding the file level. I would think as the tooth gets smaller, it will get worse.
Back to the 3/8 chain, some of you have said the chain looks trashed. Okay, I don't know why it should be. I haven't been doing anything out of the ordinary with this chain like cutting stumps or anything like that. I have just been cutting firewood. Alot of the wood we cut can be dirty, they are logs that have been drug through the dirt. Would cutting dirty wood cause a chain to look like that?