I didn't see a thread for this so, at what point should you replace your chain catcher? Mines been hit twice and I'm really wondering if I can just file down the burrs and keep going. I've bent it back into shape and filed it down some to keep from pieces getting sucked up into the drive.
I’d think a long as it’ll do it’s job it’s fine. If it’s been cut halfway through or something similar I’d probably replace it
I'd be more concerned about why you've hit your chain catcher twice. Are you new to sharpening? Because I broke two chains when I first started sharpening (oct-2019) so I know firsthand.....and I'm 99% sure it was because I was too aggressive with my file and ended up filing the top of the links......and combined with using the wrong file size (i.e. too big) that caused 2 of my chains to snap on me. Do you have a picture of it?
Both times the chain threw was when I was cutting on the top of the bar after having cut for a while. I think what happened is the chain loosened up and when I switched to the top of the bar it created enough slack over the nose and caused it to slip. I'm not new to sharpening and the chain top side was not damaged when I inspected it. The second time it threw I believe it was exacerbated by a drive tooth that was damaged a bit. Since then, I ditched that chain and inspected the bar and sprocket assembly and filed the catch smooth and everything has been working correctly since.
