Sharpening the Bottom of the Chain

I saw this in the CS-590 manual:



I've never done this - is it actually important? If so how often should it be done?

 

This is the first I've heard of this.

 

Never. Not once. Didn’t even know it was suggested!


Mike in Ok

 

Same here

 

Don't remember that in the 590 manual. I'll have to look through it.

 

I don’t recall ever seeing that in the old fashioned Oregon sharpening manual.

 

It might be an Echo thing. Pretty sure it's in both my 501p manual and the manual I downloaded for the 40+ y.o. 750evl.

 

Nope, never bothered and I'll bet you'll be hard pressed to find someone that does.

 

First ive heard of it too.

Maybe if you flip the chain inside out and cut???

 

mebbe its in the new one???

 

“Drive link serves to remove sawdust” hmmm, I feel like it serves to drive the chain! I also have never heard of this. File the occasional burr of a drive link, yes. Is this what they refer to as “sharpening”?

 

And even harder pressed to get any of us to buy into the concept

 

Truth. I've seen this before, can't remember where but never blinked at the idea.

 

Pretty sure that's pure bogus....
I've spent thousands of hours running saws and never once have I "sharpened" the drive links....
But what do I know, I ain't got no degrees in nonsense....

 

Do you think it would "cut" better if it was square ground?

 

I think it would destroy the drive sprocket pretty quick.

 

The drive tooth doesn't even touch the bottom of the bar groove.

 

If there's actually "sawdust ", then your cutting teeth need to be sharpened. Unless, you're milling and sawdust is unavoidable. I can't think of why they'd need to be sharpened otherwise.

 

It does if you've dressed/filed your rails down far enough. I've personally not gone that far. That's why this tool has lines on it:

 

I believe the idea is that it helps clean the bar rails out and then ejects the goo as the chain comes out of the bar and around the drive sprocket, rather than continue to pack it down into the rails like some older chains do.

I’ve never done it either