HELP! How to know when you have too much hook

[STOVE]

I’m slowly trying to convert from 2 in 1 filing to hand filing. How do you know when you are getting too much hook to your cutter?

Is the fix more passes to get the underside of the top plate? Photo is my first hand file on dukes Orange chain

 

[Maintenance Chief]

I’m slowly trying to convert from 2 in 1 filing to hand filing. How do you know when you are getting too much hook to your cutter?

Is the fix more passes to get the underside of the top plate? Photo is my first hand file on dukes Orange chain

Remember that you should have 10-15% of the round file above the top plate. If the file is diving down farther in the cutter your getting too much hook.

 

[hacskaroly]

How do you know when you are getting too much hook to your cutter?

Is the fix more passes to get the underside of the top plate?

I lock my bar into a vice so that when I am running the file, I can give the file a little upward pull while filing and that seems to help me from digging into the cutter and ending up with a pronounced hook.

One of the best things I found is getting some junk chain (loops others might be throwing out - or if you have some) and then just filing away to get the motion down. Since you are not going to use the chain, it won't matter if you get lopsided or dig too far into the gullet on accident and if you do, you can practice correcting it. This is something I also did when learning to put chain together, used scrap or junk loops and practiced popping out the rivets and then putting them back together. Again, it just really helps with the muscle memory the more you practice.

You didn't say what chain size you are working on, if it is 3/8" then there are two file sizes you can try, either 7/32" (recommended by Husqvarna) and 13/64" (recommended by Stihl) - only 1/64 difference between the two, but I like starting with the 7/32" and then as I get to the end of the cutter switch to the 13/64" (personal preference), others just stick to one or the other.

 

[EFSM]

I’d say that looks pretty good. If anything it’s on the aggressive side.

 

[EFSM]

It all depends on what you’re looking for. The sharper the hook the faster it should cut but it will have a more fragile cutting edge.

 

[huskihl]

This^.

Sharper angles cut faster but don’t last as long. Blunt angles cut slower but don’t dull as easily.

When your file is too low, you start to get underneath the cutter more and thin out the top plate at a sharper angle. Like a C shape.
When you raise the file higher, you are making a more blunt cutter like a ( shape.

Yours is close and will cut really well. Like mentioned, it’s just a hair on the aggressive side. But it would work good in soft wood with no knots if that’s what you’re cutting.

 

[Sloughfoot]

All good advice. Something else you can do is put your file in a new chain. Just touch it up lightly going to what's there. Make note of how much file is above the cutter and what angle it's at. Before you get through a whole chain, you'll have it.
In addition to putting the bar in a vise, jam something like a felling wedge between the bar and chain to hold it snug so the tooth won't move when you file it.

 

[STOVE]

I use a c clamp with a base plate. It’s screwed into a piece of 2x8 so I can bring it anywhere.

I typically set it up on a stool so I can get my chest on the power head and eyes directly over the chain so I can get a better look at my angles. Still a novice at best. I still use the 2 in 1 PFerd on my picco chain.

 

[edisto]

I lock my bar into a vice so that when I am running the file, I can give the file a little upward pull while filing and that seems to help me from digging into the cutter and ending up with a pronounced hook.

I have had at least 2 people ask me how to file a chain, because they couldn't get it sharp. Once I explained to them that it is the edge on the top plate that they are trying to sharpen, they knew where to apply the pressure.

I didn't ask, but I assumed that that they were just filing into the gullet and hoping for the best.

 

[Squish9]

I didn't ask, but I assumed that that they were just filing into the gullet and hoping for the best.

This is the most common thing I see these days. People have heard get the gullet, they dig in deep, miss everything that matters and end up with a chain that doesn't cut.

File height control is the most critical part of all this and is the hardest bit to control. It takes time and practice to be able to do it well

 

[Sloughfoot]

This is the most common thing I see these days. People have heard get the gullet, they dig in deep, miss everything that matters and end up with a chain that doesn't cut.

File height control is the most critical part of all this and is the hardest bit to control. It takes time and practice to be able to do it well

Yeh, I take the gullet out with a bigger round file occasionally only to get it out of the way. Hitting it unnecessarily when sharpening just wears the file out quicker.

 

[huskihl]

This is the most common thing I see these days. People have heard get the gullet, they dig in deep, miss everything that matters and end up with a chain that doesn't cut.

File height control is the most critical part of all this and is the hardest bit to control. It takes time and practice to be able to do it well

Spot on. Thing is, cutting hardwood under 28-32”, you can’t make enough chips for the Buckin Billy Gullet to make any difference at all. Folks need to focus on file height hitting the working corner and fugg the gullet

 

[EFSM]

There is no substitute for knowing what a properly sharpened chain looks like.

 

[Traprunner]

I have always hand filed but as my eye sight isn't very good I have been making friends with the husqvarna roller gauge. Then can take more out of the gullet as needed. Not sure if Stihl has this type of gauge for their chain?

 

[Junk Meister]

There is no substitute for knowing what a properly sharpened chain looks like.

AND give your chain a looking over to know what you need to do before you start filing.

 

[jacktheripper]

To answer the OP’s question, every man hooks a little bit. Left or right. Don’t be self conscious about it.

 

[STOVE]

To answer the OP’s question, every man hooks a little bit. Left or right. Don’t be self conscious about it.

What if you have some tilt?