Teach me to cut fast

[Sgriff]

Holy crap!

Funny cause i leave new chain rakers alone but put a proper edge on the cutter,I will hit the rakers 2 strokes each at the time of every 3rd sharpening (as long as im not banging rocks n dirt),i do use skip tooth on all bars over 16"(granted i go to 28" from there)fwiw.... Lots of sound advice from some tried vetrans here.

 

[Mick!]

Doesn't anyone use those little raker guides? Slip it on the tooth if you can see the raker looking across the groove, give it a rub.

Saves all the guesswork and counting of strokes.

 

[SeanKroll]

I have them for my crew, and recommend them to customers all the time.

I think its like being able to effectively file cutters, after a while of filing and testing, you get to know.

As I understand it, raker offset can increase as tooth size decreases from sharpening, from a recommended ~0.025 to about 0.035-0.040", possibly learned here. likely.

You tooth gets narrower as it gets shorter, so your kerf is narrower, too, allowing thicker ribbons with the same power.

 

[woodworkingboy]

We have a 'Houser here who experienced that!

I wonder if chicks dig that scar? It looks a little samurai.

 

[Nutball]

I don't use the guide because it doesn't go low enough for my liking, but I'd use it to even them up if I needed to, and they were long enough to use the guide. I don't think I'll do much more with the depth gauges past the first or second filing of them because they will definitely be low enough to last the rest of the cutter life without adjustment, and I don't trust myself to keep them even very far beyond one filing. I try to keep my saw to myself too because of the higher kickback, and I don't want my saw abused, different story if I'm the one abusing it, but I try to take care of my stuff so it works without time wasting problems.

I wonder what the details were about that injury, just for learning. The closest I can remember to getting hit was when I was not expecting kickback. I was just running the saw near a log testing the oiler, gave it a rev and it went up and hit the wood and flew up. My wrist hit the brake, and lesson learned without pain.

 

[squisher]

Doesn't anyone use those little raker guides? Slip it on the tooth if you can see the raker looking across the groove, give it a rub.

Saves all the guesswork and counting of strokes.

I've always just laid the flat file across the top of two cutters to gauge the height of the raker.

 

[Marc-Antoine]

I don't trust my eye gauge, so it's the little guide. It's far more accurate.
The first time I fill the rakers on a chain, I use the guide just one or two times to know what's needed and go with the stroke's numbers on each raker after that. It's quicker.
The next raker's fillings, I use the guide more often, until at each raker at the life's end of the chain. It's slower but more accurate when the chain could have some variations in the teeth's length. Usually, it's when comes the need of a caliper to regularize the teeth.

 

[Chris E]

I've always just laid the flat file across the top of two cutters to gauge the height of the raker.

Same here, if it looks too close then 2 light strokes per raker.

 

[Altissimus]

I've always just laid the flat file across the top of two cutters to gauge the height of the raker.

...Then a match book under the file over the rake. A matchbook is the height

 

[treebilly]

Pferd 2 in 1 file guide works a charm. Great for new guys to get a good sharp chain with. Doesn't work with skip tooth though.

 

[Nutball]

What do you guy's do on a big bar? I got a 42" today, for tomorrow's job, I'm not touching the depth gauges due to the amount of power needed for such deep cutting. I'm using a skip chain though. I still file down my 32" a little since it has the power for it, and the time saved in cutting 30" logs faster is probably magnified by the longer single cut time in general. Come to think of it, I used my 32" skip chain for the first time 2 days ago with the depth gauges filed, and it went pretty quick for a log that big. I stared to outrun my wedge guy, but there was a good bit of rotten wood in that oak tree.

 

[Nutball]

Time to start some power mods, I just can't resist. I want to start with the easy stuff and progress to the harder stuff. So far I've bent up the exhaust deflector some to increase flow as well as remove the spark screen. I was going to take the top cover off too adjust the carb needle limiters and remove the spark screen and sheered a t25 trying to undo one of the cover screws. Then after grinding the bit out with a carbide dremel bit I sheered a flat blade screw driver too. What a pain Now I need a new screw. Anyway, what are some good mods for a 390 muffler? And the big question is how do I need to tune it after opening up the muffler? That's why I went to increase the rich range on the needle. What got me going on this was remembering how RC Airplane gas engines have an empty can for a muffler, and a 60cc engine has nearly twice the diameter hole as a 90cc chainsaw muffler. Oh, and RC engines are usually rated at 1hp per 10cc's while chainsaws are around 2/3 of that.

 

[MasterBlaster]

Get your mod on!!!

 

[Nutball]

How do you guy tune these things when they have a built in rev limiter? I have not done much tuning yet on this saw, but the only time I can get the 2 stroke lean sound is at around 1/3 throttle, otherwise it sounds like the rev limiter is cutting out the spark. Do you tune it in wood? The only problem with that other than safety is the screw driver shaking so much it is hard to get much precision work done before it is through the wood. Anyway, I fired it up for a few seconds without the cover on to blow out the metal shavings in the muffler after cutting some holes and although it was doing that cold start thing, which mine usually never does, where each time you try full throttle it almost dies, each time it tried to accelerate seemed like it was going to do it twice as fast as usual, so at least something improved. Oh, and it's loud even with earplugs... it was already loud with earplugs, but now I might need my ear muffs over ear plugs. I did a little mod to a friend's dying 455 too, so I have 2 to retune.

 

[Marc-Antoine]

I don't know much about the limiter, but just stop the engine, adjust a little bit the screw, start again and listen the saw cutting.
Beside that, she want more fuel to eat. She's hungry and doesn't have what she needs when she rev's up, showing some lack of power and running lean.

 

[Nutball]

I guess that's about the only other way to do it. That's what I'll do.

 

[Magnus]

Setting after performance is the key. If the saw perform at its best and correct, what more can you want?

Its hard to hear difference in them when limiter hit and when it four strokes, but its a different tone in them when limiter hits.
You don't need that rpm anyway as its set to perform its best in lower rpms.
Max power output is often 15-20% lower rpm. Thats were you want to set it. If not it consumes more fuel and do less, even when set lean it consumes more, oddly enough..

 

[Nutball]

My dad told me he heard filing to 0 degrees, or close to it, cuts faster than 30 degrees. Which is best? I assume 30 since most chains come filed to 25-30.

 

[woodworkingboy]

Your dad is talking about ripping chains (cutting with the grain), or he should be.

 

[Burnham]

Agreed.

 

[Magnus]

I file ripping chain here and 0 degrees to some that want it.
Found around 5-10 to be most efficient in most wood.

When I fell and cut Elm I usually file with 6mm file and 20 degrees. Cuts about 15% better and last twice the time.
Hard wood with fibers left to right more than up and down could be the reason this work better.

I try all ideas, not many improve cutting, but when they do I try to stick with them. Filing vertical, adapt filing to work and wood, keep file clean and make sure it cuts, not grind is the top stuff on the list.
And yes, there is a list.
I call it next level filing class. Its for those that is not content when it cuts well.