I'm looking at buying a raker bar style depth gauge but I see they come in different depths. I’ve seen .025 in and .030 in and .65mm. I use full chisel chain and I wander which depth I should get. And also my saws are ported so I’ve been told I can go a little shallower on the rakers?
Does anyone use the bar type raker gauge?
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I just switched all of my chain to 3/8” & am running mine @ .025”. I would stick to .025” in hardwoods, softwoods you can take more off. If you take more off the chains can get grabby. No doubt the ported saws will pull them with more than .025”. The .025” will allow you to maintain a higher rpm in the cut & end up cutting faster. Some of the folks I talked to said more off the raker was harder on the crank bearings. I always assumed that more off the raker took bigger chips leading to faster cutting but I have since done some comparisons & found the taller raker smoother & faster cutting.
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Ashful
Minister of Fire
The primary variables here are:
1. Stock chain spec.
2. Horsepower of your saw vs. bar length
3. Personal preference.
If you’re staying toward the lower end of the recommended bar lengths for your saw (eg. 18” on 63cc), then you can afford to take those depth gauges down a bit below the stock height for that chain. It will get more grabby when starting a cut, and can be real grabby when the amount of chain in the kerf is very short (eg. Limbing), but that all smooths out when you have at least 3 - 4 full teeth in the kerf. Speed is definitely improved with the lower depth gauges, if you don’t mind these issues, and have the horsepower to support it.
I’ve been taking the depth gauges down .005” or more below stock on my larger chains for several years. But I leave my top handle saw at stock depth, if not a bit shy of stock, I don’t need a grabby top handle!
As I hammered out my reply last night I was hoping you would chime in @Ashful. I remembered you discussing this in another thread right after I joined the site.
Ok I just got my first top handle saw it already is a bit jumpy so I’ll keep those chain depth gauges higher. I think I’ll get both of the gauges, .025" and .030" and see how it goes. As far as bar lengths I have 28"/ported 390xp, 20"/ported 562xp and 16"/ ported 343xp. All within reason I think.
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And then there are bozos like me that only grind the rakers a couple of times in the life of the chain. I compare the limit marks on the raker to the limit marks on the tooth by eye and guess at half, 3/4, etc. then nail the raker with a grinder!
64cc saw with 20 or 28” bars in softwood.
64cc saw with 20 or 28” bars in softwood.
SpaceBus
Minister of Fire
I use a cheap Oregon depth gauge. It's marked 0.025" but I figure 0.030 would also be fine for my soft woods. I've read on Arborist forums that progressive raker filing is a must for optimum performance. Essentially the bar/flat gauges are less accurate as the cutters wear down. There are jigs out there that can compensate for this, but I just don't know if that's worth it for me. Perhaps if I had a sharpening service it would be worthwhile, maybe I'll look into it when I have more time.
Attachments
Sawset
Minister of Fire
How does chain pitch change things. Does one depth rate the same on .325 and .375 pitch?
I checked one currently on one of the saws:
.325 pitch
Pferd filed
Rakers stand high .005 vs reference oregon gauge.
I checked one currently on one of the saws:
.325 pitch
Pferd filed
Rakers stand high .005 vs reference oregon gauge.
Attachments
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Ashful
Minister of Fire
I usually spot check mine with a feeler gauge and a machinist ruler or other flat scrap of metal, as I always expect that cheap piece of stamped metal to be inaccurate, but they’re actually usually pretty darn close.
I figure out how many swipes (usually 1-3) one depth gauge needs to put it where I want it, double check that on a second one, and then just repeat for that entire side of the chain. I repeat this process when I flip the chain to do the other side. Pretty quick and easy.
SpaceBus
Minister of Fire
Honestly, sometimes I do just take three passes with a flat file on every raker. Every other time I sharpen the chain I hit the rakers, with or without the guide. Without any gnarly hard woods on my land I dont worry about it that much.
lsucet
Minister of Fire
I became lazy lately that I ended up getting the sharpening tools from Husqvarna and from stihl for my saws. Anyway I used stock chain, I just went to a pro chain on my poulan but it is the same as as the Husqvarna. The stihl saws I have .325 and 3/8.
I asked the old timer that owns the service station here in town how he checks the rakers and he uses a flat piece of iron too and lays it across the chain on a old bar that he puts the chain into when he hand files the cutters. He said he wants the gap between the rakers and the bar to be a dimes width and no more. He’s sharpened a many chains in the 50 years he’s been there since his dad had the place and he said he’s sooo sick of doing it lol. Good ol’ Al
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Isaac Carlson
Minister of Fire
A dime is .050".
I have filed mine down to where they were at the bottom of the top plate, so maybe a bit more than .050. They still cut fine.
Lawyers are very involved in suggested settings, and we know what that does.
I think .030-.040 is a nice spot.
I have filed mine down to where they were at the bottom of the top plate, so maybe a bit more than .050. They still cut fine.
Lawyers are very involved in suggested settings, and we know what that does.
I think .030-.040 is a nice spot.
Ashful
Minister of Fire
Stihl used to spec 026” for all but pico and .404 chains, but as noted in my post at the top of this thread, I’m landing in the low to mid .030’s on my chains, excepting those for the top handle saw.
Going to a dime thickness? Don’t think I ever took one down that far, but maybe I should try it for fun. Put a 20” bar on an 85cc saw, and have it spitting playground chips!
Running a smaller bar on a bigger saw definitely helps with the deeper depth gauge setting. It sure is fun cutting with friends, when they see you cutting 3 logs to their 2, and they start asking how the hell you can cut so quick. 😀
Going to a dime thickness? Don’t think I ever took one down that far, but maybe I should try it for fun. Put a 20” bar on an 85cc saw, and have it spitting playground chips!
Running a smaller bar on a bigger saw definitely helps with the deeper depth gauge setting. It sure is fun cutting with friends, when they see you cutting 3 logs to their 2, and they start asking how the hell you can cut so quick. 😀
Isaac Carlson
Minister of Fire
I've had plenty of people come up to me and ask about my saw. Most of them ask why it cuts so fast or sounds different. Most end up commenting that they could buy 2 more poulans for the cost of a port job. 😂
I always feel like I'm being watched when I'm cutting.🤔
Ashful
Minister of Fire
I know people like that. Tell them you could also buy a whole case of Coors for one 4-pack of Allagash... but I wouldn't. 
It's fun when a half dozen guys show up with their chainsaws and other cutting paraphernalia for a church or community clean-up day, after a hurricane or tornado rips thru, both of which seem to be getting worse and more frequent around here. It's become routine now, but we all start cutting, and by the time we take our first break to load trucks and trailers, they usually make a group decision to just let me do all the cutting for the rest of the day. I don't mind, I'd rather cut than load or clean up.
It's amazing how many people own saws that never get sharpened.
It's fun when a half dozen guys show up with their chainsaws and other cutting paraphernalia for a church or community clean-up day, after a hurricane or tornado rips thru, both of which seem to be getting worse and more frequent around here. It's become routine now, but we all start cutting, and by the time we take our first break to load trucks and trailers, they usually make a group decision to just let me do all the cutting for the rest of the day. I don't mind, I'd rather cut than load or clean up.
It's amazing how many people own saws that never get sharpened.
SpaceBus
Minister of Fire
I like running .050 on my 395xp (95-ish cc) mill saw using a 16" bar. It rips up to 10" boards with speed usually reserved for band mills. For a smoother finish I'm closer to .020 drop. I have a straight edge and feelers if I want to get really precise, but my Tecomec Super Jolly usually does a good enough job that I don't have to do all of that.
I know people like that. Tell them you could also buy a whole case of Coors for one 4-pack of Allagash... but I wouldn't.
It's fun when a half dozen guys show up with their chainsaws and other cutting paraphernalia for a church or community clean-up day, after a hurricane or tornado rips thru, both of which seem to be getting worse and more frequent around here. It's become routine now, but we all start cutting, and by the time we take our first break to load trucks and trailers, they usually make a group decision to just let me do all the cutting for the rest of the day. I don't mind, I'd rather cut than load or clean up.
It's amazing how many people own saws that never get sharpened.
Any time I see another person using a chainsaw the chain is almost always dull, too loose, and the user is doing really stupid stuff. These are often older people as well, but I know a guy my age that bought the biggest saw at Home Depot to clean up a 14" DBH poplar in his yard.
Isaac Carlson
Minister of Fire
Ashful- that's usually what happens when I show up too. Someone will always take charge (because they have a saw), but when the chips are down, they just hand everything over to me. I can keep several people busy loading while I cut. Problem is, nobody knows how to load firewood into a truck.........
I never got the knack of checking those things. I tried hitting them with a file. A couple strokes. They seamed hard to cut. I do very good sharping the cutting tooth with a round file. I go to a new chain after a dozen or so sharping. Probably it's not down to the rakers yet.
SpaceBus
Minister of Fire
Ashful
Minister of Fire
You need a good sharp file. The ones made by Stihl (or probably any chain maker) are good, because:
1. They're designed with cutting chains in mind. I think they're mostly mill bastard profiles.
2. They (at least the good ones) have no teeth on the edges, meaning you won't accidentally hose up your cutting tooth sharpening job too bad, if you accidentally bump them.
If your files aren't new (or good) send them out for sharpening. It makes an enormous difference. Of course, don't waste the cost of sharpening on cheap files, either.
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