Bar binding in cut.

Y'all remember this sticker from the motorcycle/atv days? It's easy to forget the simple stuff.

My 036 came with a slightly used safety chain on it that had a big hump on the links in between the cutters. It looked fine, sharp and no damage. It wouldn't cut straight enough to keep from binding. The same problem Clem was having. I filed it 2-3 times and no improvement. It would throw nice big chips for the first 3" of a cut and then bind up/start smoking. I gave up on it, bought a full chisel, dresser the bar and all was well.

 

I have one of those low vibe or anti kickback or whatever husky chains. I have that chisel chain razor sharp and it just won't cut with the non safety versions? Even folding the raker down on the safety one?? I just dont use them anymore. Got um free so I dont care.

 

I notices the burned sap too..telling me it needed sharpening but I have never seen this before. I have put some chains into the dirt and turned them butter knife dull.. they just made the saw struggle and throw dust...never seen one act like this.

But like I said you live n lean when I'm 70 years old I ought to be a pretty smart fella

 

Maybe just luck, but I never went through a free-hand filing phase. For many years, I only file chains, with a Granberg clamp-on-file guide.

Enormous improvement over alternatives. Trivially simple to do all the cutters the same, in a stroke or two, with minimum metal removal.

No need for stump vise either. That guide has place of honor in my tool-bag.

OP, forget all blind assumptions. Touch up all cutters every other fillup. Period. Then we avoid all this arm-waving. K.I.S.S.

 

I normally use the pallet pete method. Take a bunch of loops with you and swap as needed.

 

Pete's method works for me as that is what I have always done, but once in awhile ya just get into something very uncooperative, mostly when your a dozen or miles from no where. Then the files come out.

 

The Ganberg looks nice, just more money and time that I don't want to spend. I do kick around the idea though.

I don't free hand, I use an Oregon file guide. But if you use more pressure on one side of the chain than the other, it cuts crooked. Eventually.
Tried the Husqvarna roller guide, not for me.