"Brent" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 8 Feb 2010 15:16:14 -0800, Steve B wrote:

Secondarily, watch for rocks, dirt, wire, metal, barbed wire, etc.

Interestingly, I knew it was dull because sparks were coming out of the
tree limb I was cutting (but there was nothing but virgin wood) and the
bottom half of the limb circle was burnt black.

I think the minimum I need, based on your recommendations, is the 5/32"
(4mm) round file and a flat file.

I see some don't recommend the jig tool that goes with the round file but
what about the jig tool that goes with the flat file?

If you have a file, you have the tool you need. Place it on edge on two
teeth in a row. The top of the raker should be 1/10" below that line. Now,
1/10" is fairly easy to guess. And I always wonder why they make those
spendy devices that fit over the rakers out of aluminum. They file off
REALLLY FAST. Seems like they'd make them out of stainless or something
harder. The height of the raker dictates the aggressiveness of the saw,
i.e. how big a bite it takes. So, even if you over do the trimming a
little, you will have to use less pressure to cut. It's all a dance, and it
can be done with a lot of different variables that all do not have to be
minutely absolutely correct for the thing to function.

If you were seeing sparks, you were hitting something metal, or your saw was
about to do something nasty.

Steve