Just found out I've been sharpening my chainsaw wrong for 5 years

Was reading a Stihl maintenance guide last night and realized I've been filing at the wrong angle the whole time. Has anyone else been doing their chains backwards or am I the only clown out here?

2 comments

2 Comments

lucas_price831d ago

30 degrees is the standard for most Stihl chains but I've seen guys run everything from 25 to 35 depending on the wood they're cutting. I did the same thing you did for about three years before a logger buddy pointed out my rakers were way too low too. The kicker for me was when I finally matched the factory grind angle and the chain actually started pulling itself through oak instead of me fighting it. Your mileage may vary but if you're running a .325 pitch chain double check that your depth gauges aren't hanging you up too. A flat file guide is worth the twenty bucks just to save your shoulders from the extra pushing.

ramirez.caleb1d ago

You know @lucas_price83, I used to be one of those guys who thought any angle close enough was good enough. I ran 25 degrees on everything for years because I figured a sharper angle meant faster cutting. Man was I wrong. Switched over to 30 degrees after reading a similar post and it was like a different saw. The chain stopped grabbing and bouncing and just started chewing through ash and maple smooth as butter. I still mess with raker height sometimes depending on the season but factory angle is where it's at for daily cutting.