How do I find out what size depth guage I should be using, not that the store seems to sell more than one size.
I've set my Stihl 360 , 3/8th's chain rakers down to .030 at times... I love the way the saw cuts then.. I also take 3 strokes off the rakers on a brand new chain, then use a 4th stroke to round the leading edge of the raker to provide a smooth entry into the wood.. I know most gauges are set for .025... I keep a sharp chain so with the .030 setting , the saw still stays pretty smooth on the cut and it doesn't lug the motor down.. Just have to watch if you undercut with an aggressive raker setting, it can send the saw flying back out at you surprisingly fast if your not use to cutting with that raker setting..
I do the same - 4 strokes with a file every 3-4 sharpenings. Once in a while I go a little ''heavy'' by mistake.When cutting denser stuff it really lets me know quickly.Especially when I used same chain on softer stuff previously & forget to swap out chains. I've seen the results of having .040 or so with 90cc+ saw in softwoods,havent tried that yet in Honey Locust or White Oak
Hehehe, .040 in dense wood at 90cc will pull you right in & rattle you a bit. Made that mistake with my "pine chain". However, .040 on a 20" bar on the 046 with the 8 pin rim in soft maple, or med hardwood like Ash or Elm is fun. Light touch on the saw, & heavy on the trigger, & you'll almost think you're superman for a minute or two. A C
If you would like to make a chain self feed more, but don't want to lose the smooth operation, you can put a little more hook on the teeth. Also, .025 is fine when the chain has relatively full sized cutters, but as they're filed back, you'll need to make that closer to the .035 or .040 setting... Remember, It's the angle of engagement the cutter makes that matters... Not the space difference between the raker and corner. ~ 6 degrees is optimal... There are many tricks to making a chain cut the way you want. Maybe Mike can start a chain thread here on this site for general info...
