# First time sharpening chain...now it smokes



## HybridFyre (Jun 6, 2014)

Hi there. First time sharpening a chain. Not this particular time...I mean it was my first time sharpening ever. It's a stihl MS 271 and a green anti kickback chain (safety chain). I probably went about 5 or so fill ups which I'm sure was too long. 

Anyways I bought the hand file stihl kit with the guide file and the metal tab thing to measure the taker depth. I filed 5 times per tooth because it had gotten pretty dull. I am sure I had the right angle. When finished I put the metal raker guide on and there was just a little tiny nub showing so I left it. 

Start the chainsaw. It cuts great for 1 minute throwing good chips and then it bogs down and the bar starts smoking and it even threw a spark or two. I figured the oiler was actin up since the chain was just sharpened. I let it cool. Swapped the chain to a brand new yellow a stihl chain. Not a safety chain. Then it cut great. No sparks no slowdown or bar smoking. 

So what's the issue? Is that little nub overhang on the raker really make that much difference? I'll put the chain back on tomorrow and try to get a close up pic so you guys can tell me what the issue is.


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## lazeedan (Jun 6, 2014)

That does sound like an oil issue. Always make sure the oil holes in the bar are clean. I like to used compressed air to make sure they are clear.


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## HybridFyre (Jun 6, 2014)

That's just it. Before I sharpened the chain I took it apart and cleaned up the whole thing and blew out the bar. I didn't clean a thing when it started smoking and changed to the new chain. Second chain worked flawlessly for several cuts till I was done. No idea what to think except it was something with the chain. Can a little bit of raker height make that big of a difference? It also cut like crap after the first minute too before it started smoking the bar. I did however hold the bar near a piece of wood and it was still throwing some oil though not as much as I would have liked.


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## lazeedan (Jun 6, 2014)

Raker height will not make chain smoke. Rakers control size of chips you get.


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## BrotherBart (Jun 6, 2014)

Put the old chain back on and tighten it correctly and give it a go and get back to us.


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## TreePointer (Jun 7, 2014)

When I first started sawing, I put a chain back on the bar after sharpening it, it cut like crap and made a lot of smoke in the cut.  Then I realized that I had put the chain on backwards.


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## Jon1270 (Jun 7, 2014)

Maybe you hit a rock or a nail?  A picture or two would really help here if you have a camera capable of taking a good closeup of the chain's teeth.


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## mike van (Jun 7, 2014)

Too tight?


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## HybridFyre (Jun 7, 2014)

I will put it on and try again and take a pic. It sure didn't seem to hang too loose or too tight for that matter and when I finished the cut with the new chain the piece was clean and I didn't notice any nails. No rocks I was cutting it on a sawbuck


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## maple1 (Jun 7, 2014)

5 tanks may or may not be a long time - depends what you're cutting. But anything not soft & clean it might be.

Every new chain I've ever had I didn't need to touch the depth (rakers) until after a few sharpenings.

5 strokes per tooth sounds OK - but it depends on how dull the chain was.

Did you take the chain off or loosen the bar nuts at all in your sharpening process? Is it making chips, or dust? Should be able to tell a bad sharpening job long before it gets so hot it smokes - like as soon as the chain hits the wood.


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## HybridFyre (Jun 7, 2014)

I did not take the chain off or loosen bar nuts during sharpening. When I first hit the piece of wood it threw great chips for about a minute and then started cutting like crap and a minute later it started smoking. That's why I thought the oiler but when I changed chains the bar channel wasn't clogged and neither was the oiler hole and the new chain cut like butter for 10 minutes till I was done.


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## HybridFyre (Jun 7, 2014)

Here is the new chain. If I pull up in the middle by the weight of the saw this is the clearance I get. Too tight?


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## maple1 (Jun 7, 2014)

Is there any sag at all on the bottom of the bar under the chain when it is just sitting there? I just tighten mine up enough to almost take all the sag out and there's still just a little bit of space at the bottom. Can you spin it easy by hand?


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## Jon1270 (Jun 7, 2014)

I haven't found the size of the gap when pulling on the chain to be a useful tension indicator.  Instead, I adjust it so that all of the slack is taken out and the chain lightly snaps back into place when pulled away and released.  Typically I start with the chain hanging a bit loose, turn the adjuster until the chain just pulls up against the bar, move the chain along the bar several inches by hand, which distributes the tension easily and usually causes a bit more slack to appear, and then turn the screw a bit more to take out that new slack.  You don't want it sagging off the bottom of the bar, but you also don't want tension that makes it difficult to draw the chain around the bar by hand.


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## Jon1270 (Jun 7, 2014)

Also, how about a pic of the chain you sharpened?


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## blades (Jun 7, 2014)

If you were filing by hand it looks like the file may have been the wrong size. If you get the top plate of the cutter edge too thin and long  it will cut great for a short but quickly dull just like a knife. An extremely thin edge will get razor sharp but will not hold up long, a fat edge on the other hand because it has more support behind the edge will last much longer.  So I would say you were guilty of the thin edge. its tough to judge by pics and I would take a pass or two on the depth gauges.  not a lot, just a light stroke , too much and it will get really grabby ( chatter) which is hard on the saw.


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## mike van (Jun 7, 2014)

The chain in the pic isn't the green safety type, can you do a pic of it Chris?   Where in Ct. are you?


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## tsquini (Jun 7, 2014)

Were you doing any punch cuts or large rounds? I have had the chips clog up the bar making the chain slow down and the chain eventually jamming. Yes, there is smoke when that happens.


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## HybridFyre (Jun 7, 2014)

Ok put the chain back on. Here's the deal. 

Took the chain off that was running fine. Weeper hole is nice and clean still and so was the bar. So unless the bad chain somehow clogged the bar more than the new chain I'm not sure that is the reason. 
	

		
			
		

		
	




The file is the right size. I have a .325 chain and the file is 3/16's. Just like the directions say it should be and it's the stihl sharpener kit with a stihl chain. 

Here are some close ups of the chain. Same amount of slack I had before. Turns pretty easy without too much slack. And some close ups of the chain itself. I don't think I sharpened it too thin but it's my first time maybe I did. I haven't run it again yet to see if the issue persists.


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## maple1 (Jun 7, 2014)

It might be possible that your chain/bar picked up some dirt/chips after you sharpened, then got rid of them after you put the other chain on. The timing with the sharpening might be coincidental. My 250 will jam up the grove & nosewheel sometimes if I bury it in a soft cut. I can usually feel it happening, pull it out, give it some revs, and it will clean out again. I have never seen smoke coming from the chain/bar though, no matter how dull or jammed up it gets.


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## tsquini (Jun 7, 2014)

when I see smoke it is coming from the clutch not the bar or chain.


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## HybridFyre (Jun 7, 2014)

Definitely smoking from the bar. Usually the top of the bar stops digging altogether and then it starts slowing down and not throwing many chips and starts smoking. 

The only non Stihl product I'm using is the bar oil. I'm currently using jonsered bar oil.


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## bobdog2o02 (Jun 7, 2014)

What kind of tree are you cutting.  I also notice the cutter doesn't have any "clean" shiny cutting edge like I am accustomed to seeing on my chain.


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## HybridFyre (Jun 8, 2014)

It may not have a clean edge because I took it off after it cooled and then coiled it up and put it back in the chain box. Probably got it dirty in the process. 


The cut is a hard maple. First cut about 2 months ago. Been sitting since. It's a biatch to hand split. My axe just bounces off most of the rounds.


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## Jon1270 (Jun 8, 2014)

I'm with bobdog; that chain does not look like it was sharpened only 1 minute of runtime ago.  Dirt picked up while coiling it and putting it in a box doesn't explain that sort of discoloration.

It's hard to judge the sharpness, tooth shape and condition from that picture.  Have you tried cutting with it again since it has cooled off?


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## 1750 (Jun 8, 2014)

You mentioned you were throwing sparks.  I also wonder if you hit something (buried nail or a rock) that took the edge off of your chain.  

I hit a nail cutting yesterday and the symptoms were just like you described:  cutting great, sparks, bogging down and cutting crappy.   Though after I sharpened we were back to cutting great again.

Good luck.


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## TreePointer (Jun 8, 2014)

It may not be the only issue with your old chain, but some of the rakers and guard links are out of profile.  It's often difficult to discern from a picture, but some look too high and some look to be the wrong shape.


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## byQ (Jun 8, 2014)

Rock/stone or metal can dull a chain quickly (even dirt). For example, I put on a new chain and started cutting through some lodgepole pine on a hill. I made a couple of cuts. I didn't see a rock on the other side on my 3rd cut. Next thing you know I have a dull chain. It can happen that fast.

Half the battle is "organizing the wood" before you cut it. Is it off of the ground? Can you move it so that it is off of the ground? If you can't then don't try to cut all the way through it. Cut through part ways and then move it when possible - like when there is a safe place to cut all the way through the log.

Also, try to cut the wood that is highest and least obstructed first. And work your way down to the lowest sitting/most obstructed wood. Maybe stop your saw and rearrange the "badly sitting" wood (like place the uncut on some of the cut).  In your mind, you should always be trying to protect the edge/sharpness of your chain (while being safe).


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## HybridFyre (Jun 8, 2014)

Thanks guys. I'm gonna re sharpen this week and try again.


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## Rickb (Jun 8, 2014)

Chain looks a little to tight as well.  Should see a little bit a sag on the bottom with out having to pull on it.


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## TreePointer (Jun 8, 2014)

TreePointer said:


> It may not be the only issue with your old chain, but some of the rakers and guard links are out of profile.  It's often difficult to discern from a picture, but some look too high and some look to be the wrong shape.



Here's a little more of what I mean about the rakers and guard links.  It could simply be the angle of the photo, but those guard links with the red arrows on them look to be at least as high as the rakers on your cutter links.  They are also pretty squared--meaning they don't have the desired sloped ramp.  I'd lay a solid metal straight edge across the top of the cutter links and then measure the raker distance with a feeler gauge.  If not at least .025", file them some more and round out the front edge.


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## bobdog2o02 (Jun 8, 2014)

I think tree pointer is right here.....  If those rakers are too high the cutters wontntouch the cut and will get hot as he11.


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## Jon1270 (Jun 8, 2014)

I see what TP means about the poor shape of the rakers, but neither the height nor the shape of the rakers explains why it would've cut well for a minute and then quit.  If the rakers were the culprit, it would have performed poorly from the get-go.


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## bobdog2o02 (Jun 8, 2014)

Jon1270 said:


> I see what TP means about the poor shape of the rakers, but neither the height nor the shape of the rakers explains why it would've cut well for a minute and then quit.  If the rakers were the culprit, it would have performed poorly from the get-go.



Unless the cutters were filed just a bit off angle and the tips burned off.............


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## Jon1270 (Jun 8, 2014)

bobdog2o02 said:


> Unless the cutters were filed just a bit off angle and the tips burned off.............



If you say so.  I can't see it happening.


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## TreePointer (Jun 8, 2014)

I'm not saying the rakers and guard links are *necessarily *causing the original issue, but It's something that I see that needs to be addressed.


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## HybridFyre (Jun 8, 2014)

I appreciate the insights. I'm hoping to try correcting based on some of these tips and try again. I'll take pics of the chain after I file it so I can verify it looks better next time


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## Jags (Jun 9, 2014)

HybridFyre said:


> Thanks guys. I'm gonna re sharpen this week and try again.



I would try this.  Maybe it is just the pic, but those cutters don't look right to me.


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## HybridFyre (Jun 9, 2014)

Jags said:


> I would try this.  Maybe it is just the pic, but those cutters don't look right to me.



What's not looking right in your opinion? Angle or sharpened too thin at the edge?


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## Jags (Jun 9, 2014)

Compare the pics of the old chain to the new.  The old cutters look blunt and dull from the pic.  Again - it could be that the pic is just not showing it well, but it doesn't look right to me.


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## HybridFyre (Jun 9, 2014)

Thanks Jag. The old chain is a green band safety chain, the new chain is the yellow band full chisel chain. Could that also explain it? I don't know enough about differences in the two kinds to know how different they should look.  It may be best if I just hold off on posting further until I resharpen and try again in a few days.


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## Jags (Jun 9, 2014)

The proper file should yield a profile similar to the new chain even though they are a different type.


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## Jon1270 (Jun 9, 2014)

I zoomed in on one of your pics, and the two teeth where we can see the point of the cutting edge are hideously dull.  I'm more confident now that you hit something hard and/or highly abrasive like a rock or nail.  It will take quite a bit of filing to get past the damage visible here.


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## TreePointer (Jun 9, 2014)

Yeah, that chain just ain't right.  There is no roundness to the gullet underneath the top plate of the tooth.


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## Jon1270 (Jun 9, 2014)

TreePointer said:


> Yeah, that chain just ain't right.  There is no roundness to the gullet underneath the top plate of the tooth.



Partly that's because so much of the point is missing, but it also suggests the file was positioned too high and/or was too large in diameter.


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## HybridFyre (Jun 9, 2014)

The file sits pretty well into the groove beneath the tooth. It has a line guide to make sure you hit the 30 degree angle. Where should I put pressure when I push the file forward. Upwards so it cuts under the tooth with the most pressure or downwards or neither and just straight forward? Directions weren't very specific except to go nice even strokes.


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## Butcher (Jun 9, 2014)

I would re check the file size cuz that chain looks like a garden hoe and your angle is way off. And from my experience at taking out stumps and rocks and cable wires with a saw I can garuntee that chain has seen more than just wood unless you been wackin up RRties. I spent 5 hours brushin this mess today and the fresh chain I put in don't look any where near as filthy as yours.




Just sayin. Practice makes perfect. Keep at it.


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## Jon1270 (Jun 9, 2014)

Yeah, that part is tricky.  You want to maintain the original profile of the tooth, so that the top of the tooth and the filed surface intersect at the correct angle to form an efficient and durable cutting edge.  Too much downward pressure and the teeth become hooked, i.e. the angle at the cutting edge becomes too small, making it both too aggressive and too fragile.  Too much upward pressure and you get what you appear to have, i.e. a blunt cutting edge that scrapes rather than cuts.  This is all made even more challenging when you're filing the chain while it's on the bar, because the pressure from the file can cause the tooth to tilt backwards, increasing the tendency to file too much off the top of the tooth.   You said you got the kit with the filing guide, which should've helped a lot.  I haven't tried the Stihl filing guide so I'm not sure of its strengths or weaknesses.  Maybe you were just pushing too hard and tilting the teeth back so that the file tended to cut too high? The sort of maintenance sharpening people to do to keep their chains in top shape is fairly light-handed, not meant to remove a lot of material.  Remedial sharpening where you have to take off a lot of metal because a chain has gotten into bad shape takes careful attention.

The bottom line is that there's no one simple instruction anyone can give you that will reliably give good results -- no  'push up / down / straight back,' etc.  You really have to know what tooth shape you want to achieve, and push in whatever direction is necessary to achieve that.  Of course nobody knows what to look for at first.  Everyone learns by screwing up a few times.


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## TreePointer (Jun 9, 2014)

If you are using the file guide correctly, one side should rest on the cuter and the other side should rest on the depth gauge (raker).  No matter how hard you push down, you shouldn't be able to go lower than the guide permits.


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## BrotherBart (Jun 9, 2014)

That chain is toast.


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## HybridFyre (Jun 9, 2014)

Butcher said:


> I would re check the file size cuz that chain looks like a garden hoe and your angle is way off. And from my experience at taking out stumps and rocks and cable wires with a saw I can garuntee that chain has seen more than just wood unless you been wackin up RRties. I spent 5 hours brushin this mess today and the fresh chain I put in don't look any where near as filthy as yours.
> View attachment 134167
> 
> View attachment 134168
> ...



I'm not so sure it's filthy from dirt and grime. I think it turned black from burning it after it started smoking. At this point it sounds like you guys think I should have this chain professionally sharpened to repair it.


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## Butcher (Jun 9, 2014)

HybridFyre said:


> I'm not so sure it's filthy from dirt and grime. I think it turned black from burning it after it started smoking. At this point it sounds like you guys think I should have this chain professionally sharpened to repair it.


 Actually what I would do if I was you would be to go buy a new chain. Soak that old chain in ammonia for a day or two and clean it in hot hot water and use the burnt chain to practice your sharpening skills on. And not to start a pizzin match but as far as the raker profile not being rounded like fresh outta the box?, that really makes no difference at all.


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## HybridFyre (Jun 9, 2014)

Ok thanks I appreciate all the pointers guys.  I'll clean it up and try again. In the meantime I have my new full chisel chain to use.


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## Isaac Carlson (Jun 9, 2014)

BrotherBart hit it on the head.  That chain has been run hard, dry, and hot, and has been filed the wrong way.  It would take a good hour to get that chain back in shape by hand.  A grinder would do it in about 10 minutes.  Get a file jig that clamps to your bar of a grinder and get that chain sharp.  Also make sure that oiler is turned up.  You bar is getting burrs on it and your chain might be shot from no oil.  Not razzing on ya, just saying it how it is.  Everybody starts rough.  Fill your oil every time you fill the gas.  CUT CUT CUT


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## bobdog2o02 (Jun 9, 2014)

HybridFyre said:


> Ok thanks I appreciate all the pointers guys.  I'll clean it up and try again. In the meantime I have my new full chisel chain to use.



Oh my, Full Chisel.  Why?


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## HybridFyre (Jun 9, 2014)

Isaac Carlson said:


> BrotherBart hit it on the head.  That chain has been run hard, dry, and hot, and has been filed the wrong way.  It would take a good hour to get that chain back in shape by hand.  A grinder would do it in about 10 minutes.  Get a file jig that clamps to your bar of a grinder and get that chain sharp.  Also make sure that oiler is turned up.  You bar is getting burrs on it and your chain might be shot from no oil.  Not razzing on ya, just saying it how it is.  Everybody starts rough.  Fill your oil every time you fill the gas.  CUT CUT CUT



I do fill the oil every time I fill the gas and check it every time I start it up. I don't see any way to adjust the oiler though. Is that a standard feature on all chainsaws? I have an ms271. 

Also bobdog I was mistaken and just double checked my new chain is a semi chisel not full chisel


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## 1750 (Jun 9, 2014)

Jon1270 said:


> ...the point of the cutting edge are hideously dull.





TreePointer said:


> Yeah, that chain just ain't right....
> 
> 
> Butcher said:
> ...


You guys are harsh.


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## Jon1270 (Jun 10, 2014)

HybridFyre said:


> I don't see any way to adjust the oiler though. Is that a standard feature on all chainsaws? I have an ms271.



No, adjustable oilers are not universal.  I've never handled an MS271, but from what I'm finding online about it, your saw doesn't have one.


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## maple1 (Jun 10, 2014)

I've never used any kind of filing guide - always freehanded it, from way back when I was a teenager.

As was said, there are no concise directions. You basically need to hold, angle, & pressure the file to maintain the factory profile as you remove material. Trial & error, practice makes perfect and all that - but it looks like you've got a good chain to practice on. Also, every time I file, if I've got a couple bad teeth say from nicking  a rock, I don't file those any more than the rest. That will lead to some teeth being shorter than others over a few sharpenings. Better to have those couple teeth not quite as sharp, and catch them up on sharpness over a few filings, than have them all sharp but some half as high - IMO. If I said that right.

Also, in the future - try to get a feel & eye & ear for when your saw isn't cutting right, or for when your chain is tightening up from dirt or lack of oil or whatever. You need to stop right then & fix it. Running it to the point of smoking is something to never do.


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## Isaac Carlson (Jun 10, 2014)

I have ruined a few chains in my cutting adventures.  Sometimes you have to do what you have to do, but if you have the option to remedy the problem, then do it.
You will have to keep an eye on the chain to make sure you don't starve it for oil.  Some saws can outcut their oiler and that will ruin a chain quick too.


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## Kool_hand_Looke (Jun 23, 2014)

You need this...

http://m.stihlusa.com/products/chain-saws/accessories/filing-tools/2in1file/


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## xman23 (Jun 24, 2014)

That's not the first sharping that chain has seen, it must have been done by a shop before, It looks like it's got a million logs on it. Rakers take a long time to become an issue, but these look bad. The cutters look like crap. Sit the file into the cutter of the new chain. You will see it fits nicely under the cutter when it's at the correct angle and level. I don't think it will do the same on the old chain. Was the old chain sharpened with a grinder, and then by you with a round file? That chain is shot.

Start with the new chain, when you feel the chips getting to be dust and the engine picking up some speed, it's time. If I'm careful and cut green oak.  I can cut for days, maybe 4-8 tanks of gas before a touch up. Touch up is 2-3 forward cutting strokes.

This is rare. but you can get a dead tree that gets so hard it will through sparks and dull a chain. I has this happen with a 3 inch dead tree. I took a lot to make one cut to get the thing down.


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## HybridFyre (Jun 24, 2014)

xman23 said:


> That's not the first sharping that chain has seen, it must have been done by a shop before, It looks like it's got a million logs on it. Rakers take a long time to become an issue, but these look bad. The cutters look like crap. Sit the file into the cutter of the new chain. You will see it fits nicely under the cutter when it's at the correct angle and level. I don't think it will do the same on the old chain. Was the old chain sharpened with a grinder, and then by you with a round file? That chain is shot.
> 
> Start with the new chain, when you feel the chips getting to be dust and the engine picking up some speed, it's time. If I'm careful and cut green oak.  I can cut for days, maybe 4-8 tanks of gas before a touch up. Touch up is 2-3 forward cutting strokes.
> 
> This is rare. but you can get a dead tree that gets so hard it will through sparks and dull a chain. I has this happen with a 3 inch dead tree. I took a lot to make one cut to get the thing down.



Thanks for the info. This was a new chain...it came new with the chainsaw. Probably had 5 or 6 tanks of fuel run through it. Never run into the ground. But it had cut a few logs worth of standing dead. It had never been sharpened prior and I did it by hand never taken to a grinder. I soaked it in ammonia for a day as someone suggested. I know it's shot but I may see if I can revive it to practice on.


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## Woody Stover (Jun 25, 2014)

Isaac Carlson said:


> Get a file jig that clamps to your bar of a grinder and get that chain sharp.


I touch up several times by hand, then use the jig every so often to get all the angles and lengths back to a good baseline. Even with the jig, it takes some experience to set it up and use it right.


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## xman23 (Jun 25, 2014)

HybridFyre said:


> Thanks for the info. This was a new chain...it came new with the chainsaw. Probably had 5 or 6 tanks of fuel run through it. Never run into the ground. But it had cut a few logs worth of standing dead. It had never been sharpened prior and I did it by hand never taken to a grinder. I soaked it in ammonia for a day as someone suggested. I know it's shot but I may see if I can revive it to practice on.


 
It was a hard to tell the total condition from the picture..... but if it's not cutting, it's dull. Maybe you hit a nail, you never see them, the tree grows around them, or that rare dead standing that becomes petrified. As I said, I had one. I used to through mine away when they got dull, until I got that file on the frame. I'm on the same chain for the second year. Give it another try.


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## D8Chumley (Jun 29, 2014)

And keep that chain for cutting stumps or "iffy" stuff. No sense ruining another good chain if you have a beater chain. I have a few 20" that are a sharpen or 2 from the trash can and thats what I use them for


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## Clarkbug (Jun 29, 2014)

HybridFyre said:


> Thanks for the info. This was a new chain...it came new with the chainsaw. Probably had 5 or 6 tanks of fuel run through it. Never run into the ground. But it had cut a few logs worth of standing dead. It had never been sharpened prior and I did it by hand never taken to a grinder. I soaked it in ammonia for a day as someone suggested. I know it's shot but I may see if I can revive it to practice on.



You can fix it with plenty of filing, there is life still to be had.

Most likely when you sharpened it, something was a little off somewhere, and you may have blunted the cutting edge.  The smoke from the bar was probably due to the buildup of heat, which cooked the oil/dust onto the chain, making look not as nice.  

File it back until you are past any damage, nice and easy.  Then use your guide to hit the rakers and bumper links, and file anything that sticks out past the guide.


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## Firewood Bandit (Jul 1, 2014)

BrotherBart said:


> That chain is toast.


 

I would not say it's "toast".  Rather it has never been sharpened, gullets maintained or rakers set and profiled correctly.

I am very confident that chain could be resurrected in short order.


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## HybridFyre (Jul 1, 2014)

i'm gonna ask a dumb question. What is a gullet? Is that the curved opening under the tooth of the chain?


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## Firewood Bandit (Jul 2, 2014)

HybridFyre said:


> i'm gonna ask a dumb question. What is a gullet? Is that the curved opening under the tooth of the chain?


 

There are no dumb questions.

Here, I plagiarized this:

The gullet is the space between the depth gauge and the cutting corner. The gullet provides an opening for wood chips to exit the cut, and when the trailing edge of the gullet is sharp, it contributes to the cutting action of the cutter. Sometimes the gullet's edge has a round profile, but in some chisel cutters, the gullet is sharpened to a squared stair-step profile. Square gullets are more aggressive than round gullets, but they're also significantly more difficult to sharpen.


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## JayD (Jul 4, 2014)

BrotherBart said:


> That chain is toast.


I agree!! That chain has seen it's day. GO here all The info you need   http://www.madsens1.com/muu_barchain.htm    Jay


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## Corey (Jul 5, 2014)

Is there a possibility you hit a piece of metal or rock after the 'one minute' on that first cut?  It's not out of the question to have a piece of barbed wire, nail, spike, etc which has grown deep into the tree.  Or possibly an unseen rock below the log?  Thought I remember someone even posting a picture of cutting through a shotgun slug or a rifle bullet?    Any of those objects or something similar would dull the chain in very short order and cause it to smoke.  I think my record is also about 1 minute from touching up a chain with a file during a gas stop to hitting a piece of barbed wire buried in a hedge tree.

To me, the chain still looks to have plenty of 'meat' on the teeth, so assuming the 'smoking' didn't get the metal so hot it was tempered back from its original hardness, then some filing should be able to straighten it out again and restore the sharp edge.


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## smokedragon (Jul 16, 2014)

bobdog2o02 said:


> What kind of tree are you cutting.  I also notice the cutter doesn't have any "clean" shiny cutting edge like I am accustomed to seeing on my chain.


Ditto to this......a freshly sharpened chain (with one minute of cutting) should still look pretty fresh.


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