A lot of guys misunderstand what they’re trying go do when they watch Billy Ray’s videos. You’re not trying to file the gullet away into nothing. You’re simply trying to get down in there and sharpen the gullet as agressively as you do the top cutter. With a matching angle.
What he’s honestly preaching is filing at the correct height relative to the cutter. The shape of the tooth makes novice sharpeners want to work with the file up too high and only focus on the top cutter, because that’s what they can see. The side plate isn’t sharpened, and it certainly isn’t maintained at it’s proper broad “C” shape.
In general I find I need to push down and in for the first 3-4 strokes to get the side plate roughed in, then come in and slightly under the top plate and finsh with the file at the correct height, with everything being uniformly contacted with each stroke at the finish.
That’s also what Billy Ray actually does, if you watch his file work.
Buckin’ is good fun to watch, but he’s a hyperactive squirrel which makes him a lousy teacher. You have to learn to emulate what he’s doing because his words are misleading. Mostly because he can’t stay on topic for more than 17 seconds.
