jetsam
Super OPE Member
- Local time
- 5:49 PM
- User ID
- 15814
- Joined
- Feb 24, 2021
- Messages
- 112
- Reaction score
- 330
- Location
- Trogdoria

I've noticed some semi chisel doesn't like any tilt, like my Stihl 1/4 .043. My ripping chains, Oregon, Carlton, and Archer 3/8lp, all call for 10* tilt, and I can definitely notice if I don't do it. For two years I was sharpening my Stihl micro picco chain with the tilt and recently I noticed that Stihl says specifically to keep the file perpendicular to the bar. Stihl is definitely correct and I don't give it any tilt now. I kind of feel stupid now since I should have known something was up when I couldn't file the chain without hitting the tie straps with any tilt.
My bet is that if we were able to find and interrogate the engineers that design this stuff, we'd learn that it is much more complicated than we think, and there is actually a reason they want or don't want the tilt on certain chains.
So I'll keep grinding to the manufacturer's spec for whatever chain it is, but I don't think it's the end of the world if you get it wrong.