Hand-Filing Husqvarna X-Cut Chain

[chipper1]

View attachment 397370View attachment 397371

Exactly.

 

[davidwyby]

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[Wilhelm]

Husqvarna makes a file guide specifically for the X-cut chain...
https://www.hlsproparts.com/product-p/586938502.htm

I have a Husqvarna 3/8" roller guide set like that, iffy at best.
Round and flat files are better that Stihl's, the file holder is really nice.

The roller guide is questionable though as it is made to fit a specific chain chassis.
I had issues with the guide not setting over Oregon Full Skip chain, so I had to file the guides notches wider to slip over the chains tie straps.
Then I noticed that the round file does not position equally under the cutter on different brand and model loops as they feature differences in tie straps and tooth height - it often positions too high generating a slow cutting chain.
The only positive thing about this Husqvarna guide is it works on semi & full skip chain, which the Archer FastFiler doesn't.

Just saying!
No hate here, it just didn't live up to expectations.
I try many guides in the pursuit for easier sharpening and faster cutting chains.

X-Cut 3/8" is a great chain, even simply round ground!
Currently my favorite.

 

[Squish9]

Are you guys see much difference between them filed round or new? I'm getting much better results in our hard wood after filing it round.

It's on a little saw so maybe throwing more power at it makes a bigger difference but it felt the same on the 7900 for me. This is just sharpened by an idiot with a 5.5mm (7/32) round file while the saw was in a stump vice. 30 degrees, 10 down. It's nothing special.

I'll attach some pics of the new chain I used, it's not damaged and didn't hit anything, it just cuts better in dry hard wood round than new.

 

[WI_Hedgehog]

Are you guys see much difference between them filed round or new? I'm getting much better results in our hard wood after filing it round.

Out-of-the-box X-Cut vs "something else" out-of-the-box, X-Cut should cut faster (usually). X-Cut is basically race chain, it's good stuff when speed is considered.

With that said, if you tune "the other chain" to your saw and the wood you're cutting, then yes X-Cut can be outrun, but taking a stroke off the X-Cut depth gauges and repeating that until the X-Cut chain creates the same load as hand-filed chain, X-Cut will likely come out ahead with the OEM cutter profile. It is fast chain, and being fast is what it's designed to do, and it unconventionally does that. Filing it is a bit of a pain-in-the-ass, but hey, it's basically race chain.

Mind you that's my opinion from studying the profiles of that and other chains, under magnification and in test wood. I heard about X-Cut at a get-together where @bradb123's ported saws were tearing it up, and he was running X-Cut ( @bradb123 is a really nice guy by the way).

 

[Woodpecker]

Out-of-the-box X-Cut vs "something else" out-of-the-box, X-Cut should cut faster (usually). X-Cut is basically race chain, it's good stuff when speed is considered.

With that said, if you tune "the other chain" to your saw and the wood you're cutting, then yes X-Cut can be outrun, but taking a stroke off the X-Cut depth gauges and repeating that until the X-Cut chain creates the same load as hand-filed chain, X-Cut will likely come out ahead with the OEM cutter profile. It is fast chain, and being fast is what it's designed to do, and it unconventionally does that. Filing it is a bit of a pain-in-the-ass, but hey, it's basically race chain.

Mind you that's my opinion from studying the profiles of that and other chains, under magnification and in test wood. I heard about X-Cut at a get-together where @bradb123's ported saws were tearing it up, and he was running X-Cut ( @bradb123 is a really nice guy by the way).

Have you ever looked at or run actual race chain? X-cut is similar to regular fast square ground chain, but actual race chain…. Nah.

 

[huskihl]

Have you ever looked at or run actual race chain? X-cut is similar to regular fast square ground chain, but actual race chain…. Nah.

Xcut (and Hexa) is pretty much a round filed chain with 10% of the file above the tooth as opposed to the normal 20-25%. Kinda like factory RS Pro. It’s pokey. Definitely not race chain though . Even with the aggressive underside of the top plate, square filed race chain is more like 30° tilted down and 60° to the rear, as opposed to the opposite 60 and 30 of a round filed chain

 

[Lions fan]

Those broken fins won't cause any problems.

Are you guys see much difference between them filed round or new? I'm getting much better results in our hard wood after filing it round.

It's on a little saw so maybe throwing more power at it makes a bigger difference but it felt the same on the 7900 for me. This is just sharpened by an idiot with a 5.5mm (7/32) round file while the saw was in a stump vice. 30 degrees, 10 down. It's nothing special.

I'll attach some pics of the new chain I used, it's not damaged and didn't hit anything, it just cuts better in dry hard wood round than new.View attachment 416228View attachment 416229View attachment 416230

My filing skills are nothing extraordinary, but if I touch it up when needed and keep the rakers set where they need to be I don't notice much difference between the factory grind and round filed with a 7/32".

 

[Woodpecker]

Xcut (and Hexa) is pretty much a round filed chain with 10% of the file above the tooth as opposed to the normal 20-25%. Kinda like factory RS Pro. It’s pokey. Definitely not race chain though . Even with the aggressive underside of the top plate, square filed race chain is more like 30° tilted down and 60° to the rear, as opposed to the opposite 60 and 30 of a round filed chain

Ed Zachary. I’ve ran some xcut, no hexa, and plenty of rspro. It’s faster than normal round and can rival square done on the slowest work setting on my Simington. Anyone who’s actually looked at the different chains in real life and not on the interwebz can pick out the differences between them all. And none of them look or cut like square race chain.

 

[Squareground3691]

Ed Zachary. I’ve ran some xcut, no hexa, and plenty of rspro. It’s faster than normal round and can rival square done on the slowest work setting on my Simington. Anyone who’s actually looked at the different chains in real life and not on the interwebz can pick out the differences between them all. And none of them look or cut like square race chain.

It’s the sharpest otta the box chain I know of , with out touching it up before using, RS Pro to ,

 

[Woodpecker]

It’s the sharpest otta the box chain I know of , with out touching it up before using, RS Pro to ,

Good chain for sure. But race chain was just a bridge too far for me.

 

[WI_Hedgehog]

Have you ever looked at or run actual race chain? X-cut is similar to regular fast square ground chain, but actual race chain…. Nah.

I've looked at how race chains are made, not run it. The X-Cut rivets are tight, almost like ground but not. The hook on the top appears square-ground and not the same profile as round-filed chain, also seems to overhang the side cutter instead of meet the side cutter. The side cutter is round-filed, and has a pretty sharp angle, sharper than what someone would normally file and not matching the top plate. The depth gauge is pretty light-weight, not thick front-to-back like newer chain. To me it looks "like factory 'race' chain," not something that's going to win a competition but something the average person can use out of the box. Hence saying "basically," it isn't race chain but it's not "normal" chain either. What would you call it?

 

[Woodpecker]

I've looked at how race chains are made, not run it. The X-Cut rivets are tight, almost like ground but not. The hook on the top appears square-ground and not the same profile as round-filed chain, also seems to overhang the side cutter instead of meet the side cutter. The side cutter is round-filed, and has a pretty sharp angle, sharper than what someone would normally file and not matching the top plate. The depth gauge is pretty light-weight, not thick front-to-back like newer chain. To me it looks "like factory 'race' chain," not something that's going to win a competition but something the average person can use out of the box.

You should probably run some race chain before you call it race chain

 

[Squish9]

Out-of-the-box X-Cut vs "something else" out-of-the-box, X-Cut should cut faster (usually). X-Cut is basically race chain, it's good stuff when speed is considered.

With that said, if you tune "the other chain" to your saw and the wood you're cutting, then yes X-Cut can be outrun, but taking a stroke off the X-Cut depth gauges and repeating that until the X-Cut chain creates the same load as hand-filed chain, X-Cut will likely come out ahead with the OEM cutter profile. It is fast chain, and being fast is what it's designed to do, and it unconventionally does that. Filing it is a bit of a pain-in-the-ass, but hey, it's basically race chain.

Mind you that's my opinion from studying the profiles of that and other chains, under magnification and in test wood. I heard about X-Cut at a get-together where @bradb123's ported saws were tearing it up, and he was running X-Cut ( @bradb123 is a really nice guy by the way).

I'm struggling to get a good read on the factory C83/85 angles. Do you know what they are?

Checking the one I sharpened it's 30 on top, 60 degree side plate and approximately 55 degrees on the top plate cutting angle. Not a easy one to measure.

The specs say 30/60/60. File 30/90. Mine was done 30/10. Depth gauges were done with a 0.25 Stihl constant gauge so nothing fancy there and they seems to line up with what it is new.

 

[Squareground3691]

Good chain for sure. But race chain was just a bridge too far for me.

Yup

 

[WI_Hedgehog]

I'm struggling to get a good read on the factory C83/85 angles. Do you know what they are?

Checking the one I sharpened it's 30 on top, 60 degree side plate and approximately 55 degrees on the top plate cutting angle. Not a easy one to measure.

The specs say 30/60/60. File 30/90. Mine was done 30/10. Depth gauges were done with a 0.25 Stihl constant gauge so nothing fancy there and they seems to line up with what it is new.

Angles for round filing and how they were measured are in the first post of this thread--they're not what's on the box.

I'm calling it "basically factory race chain" until someone comes up with a better name because it has a lot of similarities to race chain--other than very short cutters. If a factory were to make race-like chain for general consumers, in my estimation X-Cut would be it. If there is another bulk available factory chain other than X-Cut I haven't seen anyone mention it in an X-Cut discussion.

 

[Stump Shot]

Good chain for sure. But race chain was just a bridge too far for me.

Just so you know, at the Wisconsin GTG of mine, X-cut is a top performer. We cut in full size hardwood logs bark on, no sawed popple or soft pine cants. Which pretty much eliminated the use of race chains being effective, as well as a fella wouldn't want to run his expensive race chain and risk busting the teeth off.
Seeing as that is about all of his experience with it ... here we are.
And that's way more splaining than I should have to do.

 

[huskihl]

Not sure how square ever got compared or confused with round/hexa.

Square chain
Note the line/angle change between the top and side and the line from the outer corner to the inner corner. And vertical side plate





Not square chain

 

[Woodpecker]

Just so you know, at the Wisconsin GTG of mine, X-cut is a top performer. We cut in full size hardwood logs bark on, no sawed popple or soft pine cants. Which pretty much eliminated the use of race chains being effective, as well as a fella wouldn't want to run his expensive race chain and risk busting the teeth off.
Seeing as that is about all of his experience with it ... here we are.
And that's way more splaining than I should have to do.

Steve you would think if a fella was going to
speak from such a place of knowledgeable authority on a chain they would want some more experience. Calling something race chain without having actual experience with race chain seems pretty naive. At a recent gtg Stihl rspro was beating up on some square ground chain a little bit. Maybe we should start calling that factory race chain now too.

 

[Maintenance Chief]

I just treat my x-cut just like any other round filed chain because I hand file.
I did wack a good chunk of earth with my 32" loop of lgx a few months ago ( doesn't happen often but always with a bar longer than 20"!), and I was experimenting with the goofy file to see if I could mimic the x-cut profile? The round side is a little too small but it did under cut the top plate to the corner like a razor, it was very fast! But only for 6 trees.
The x-cut is just a fantastic out of the box chain, but I can hand file some pretty good stuff too.