After five filings, the rakers are the problem, not the chain

After five hand filings, the rakers on your chainsaw are likely sitting too high, and a depth gauge tool is the only reliable way to bring them back to spec.

Here’s what’s going on. Every time you file the cutter, you’re removing a tiny bit of steel from the top, lowering it. The raker in front doesn’t change. So after five passes, the gap between the raker and the cutter has shrunk. Now the raker is riding on the wood instead of letting the cutter bite. The saw stops pulling, you push harder, and the chain starts vibrating and burning.

Could you just file the rakers by eye? Sure, if you’re good at guessing thousandths of an inch. But file too much and the chain bites way too deep, which is how you get kickback. The gauge is cheap, takes ten seconds, and gives you a consistent depth setting. That’s all it does, which is exactly why it works.

A $10 gauge is cheap insurance against a wrist injury.