Chain sharpening tutorial.

Here is my 511A set to 55/30/10 (proper tilt)

Chain self feeds very well and its cutting edge lasts

 

Here is my 511A set to 55/30/10 (opposite tilt)

Chain self feeds very well, allmost overly aggressive, but chain dulls quickly

 

Thanks for taking those pics Moparmyway. Maybe I'll get a chance to grind a chain tomorrow.

 

Here are some pics of a chain I just hand sharpened. Was wondering what you guys thought and what I could do better.

This one's of the right cutters. Second one is of the left.

 

Gullets are cleaned real nicely !!
Some cutters look to have the right amount of hook, while others appear flatter with less hook.
Pictures can be deceiving though, but one thing that does stand out is the raker height.
The cutters look to be about 50% with what appears to be stock rakers.
IMHO, rakers need to progressively get deeper as the cutters are filed away to maintain bite.
I like .025" for new round filed chisel and .035" for end of life round filed chisel

I bet that chain will cut nicely with the rakers taken down to specks and profiled for smootheness

 

Looks like raker have seen a file at least once to me?

 

I see what you mean about them having different hooks. That very well could be sense it was all free hand. I also see what you mean about raker higher hight. I never noticed those marks before. I also noticed that I can see the shape better in pictures.

 

They were once. Lol I haven't checked them yet after this clean up. Figured I'd make a few cuts first then see. It's on a 445 husky so don't want then real low. We'll see how the saw pulls it now.

 

So have the raker never been filed? If they have they look filed on the back side and not much on leading edge?

 

Yes they've been filed once. Never noticed that line on them before. I'll try and follow that better when I touch then up.

 

Looks like some rakers got filed and some didnt, or got very little. Good eye Clem !!

IMHO, rakers need a rounded profile the whole way, it frees up some friction for easier porpoising.

 

Just shoot for the rakers to all be similar, and Mopar is correct, if you can round the tops a bit, you'll see less friction and smoother cutting..

Svoboda... That name sounds familiar to me..
What part of MI you from?

 

Funny thing on rakers. I have a forester chain I bought a few years back. I just pulled it out a month or so ago to use to noodle some rounds. Its a 3/8 24/25" loop. I ground it once or twice and went to check raker. They needed like three strokes to get them back lower. But one raker was like hardened or something??? I could not take anything off of it no matter how hard I pressed. The others cut just like butter with the same file!!! Talk about inconsistency! And yes I know a forester chain is not known for quality. But for the $13.50 or so I paid for it shipped I figured I would try it.

 

The very southwest part. Down around Benton harbor.

 

I've had one tooth on a husqvarna chain that wouldn't sharpen for the life of me. Sounds very similar to your story. Sure makes it frustrating for someone with OCD.

 

Your cutters look good. To add to what others have said on your depth gauges it looks like you're filing them tilted into the cutter. The tops should be level with the witness mark or angled upward following the shape of the gauge.

 

Those 2 pics are an excellent example of why I (& others) say 60° is not the correct angle on an Oregon type grinder. Look how much more hook the filed tooth has.
Oregon (replicas) need a lot more angle to even match a factory grind.
I use 50° on an Oregon and it holds the edge just fine for several tanks in clean wood.
My Silvey round uses even more angle at the factory hash marks.
You will take off less material from the tooth if you touch up with a file in the woods grinding at 50-55°

If you like 60° stick with it.

 

So were saying on the oregon copies. Like the one I got from northern tool I should be closer to the 50° mark to get the hook needed?

I know my chains dont self feed like they should and still dont match new quality. But I dont grind that many and still refining my angles and techniques.

 

My grinder is set at 52 degrees currently to try and duplicate factory hook also..

 

Yes. The stamped marks are not exactly precision engineering.
Lol...