Responding to dangerous practices

[Ianab]

Exactly.  If you sharpen the chain as soon as it starts to get dull, then 3 or 4 strokes is about right. If you hit fence wire, or the chain has been otherwise abused, then you sharpen until you get a good edge. If that takes 10 strokes, so be it. Watch the top of the plate. If you can see they shiny rounded over edge shining away there, then keep filing.

Same with the rakers. If a chain gets an easy life the rakers can actually wear down on their own. But if you have to give it a heavy sharpen after hitting a rock, then the rakers will usually be too high. Take them down "as needed".  The exact ideal height is going to depend on "things" Saw power, what wood you are cutting etc. The factory height will be a good average, but you can maybe vary that a little and get better results in a specific scenario.  A powerful saw in softwood will probably cut faster if the rakers a bit lower etc. 

[Al_Smith]

Ya know there's as much controversy of raker filing as there is brands of chainsaws and oil mix ratios .

I personally in the entire usable life of a chain might only hit the rakers 3 or 4 times .

[CTYank]

Ya know there's as much controversy of raker filing as there is brands of chainsaws and oil mix ratios .

I personally in the entire usable life of a chain might only hit the rakers 3 or 4 times .

Or less. Exception being a rocked chain. As Ianab noted, a chain that's led a "quiet" life doesn't need much stroking on the depth gauges. Except in dirty wood (don't see much of that) one stroke per tooth every other fillup, with Granberg guide, and cutters stay like razors.

Any dirt on the wood, time for semi-chisel. Once some full-chisel chains are used up, all my chains will be semi. Way more productive over the course of a day. (Yes, I hit them a stroke every other fillup. A light stroke.)

Meanwhile I'm trying to get the attention of some fellow sawyers that they need to check/set their depth gauges after I grind a chain of theirs that's been rocked. Blank stare sez it all.

[ZeroJunk]

It's been a long time since I kept a saw long enough to mess with rakers. Matter of fact if I hand file more than a couple of times before it is off to some happy home it is unusual. So, I know little about the job.

I had a saw shop "touch up" the rakers on a chain a couple of years ago and it was so grabby you could hardly use it.

So, I take it is an inexact science.

[coxy]

I also found that if rakers are down to far and saw is grabbing take a few more strokes off the chain

[thecfarm]

@Al_Smith,I'm with you on the rakers. I just guess at the grinding off part with my 4 inch grinder.   ;D  Seems to work. Most times I wait until the chain is just about gone before I touch the rakers. Must be doing something right,it draws into the wood by itself.

[Al_Smith]

Once I discovered chisel chain I never went back to semi or chipper except on the antiques .Even some of them are wearing chisel  8)

I've got stump cutters if I need them which is seldom .Stumpers being a chain with about 1 or two more filings left before you pitch it .

If it's good chain just getting short in the tooth  I might cut it down to 16" and make a racer out of it if the mood strikes me .Lately not so much .

[Mn woodchuck]

I run chisel on everything. Stay out of the dirt and off the rocks !!!
ThAt will eat any chain ..