Thread: Rakers

Sorry MM, I forgot to reply regarding the FOP ya found on Ebay, it is a version of a FOP, but this is the one I have...


no picture on file, will post it later today...

Originally Posted by MAPLEMAN

Are the rakers factory set when new? I did request the chain be sharpened,and rakers set, when i ordered the chains new,and when i picked them up,assumed they were..unfortunately,after 2 sharpens,they are still corrugating the surface ..MM

Yes the rakers are set at the factory but I don't reckon the rakers have much to do with corrugations.

Have the top plate cutting angles been modified to suit ripping?
If the top plate cutting angle is still at the higher cross cut angle (25 - 35º) then this will not help as at those angles will cause the cutters to dive sideways more than they would at 10º.

What size logs are you cutting?
One thing you can do is slow down the cutting speed and if the corrugations disappear then its the synchronisation effect that I wrote about above.

Originally Posted by BobL

Yes the rakers are set at the factory but I don't reckon the rakers have much to do with corrugations.

Have the top plate cutting angles been modified to suit ripping?
If the top plate cutting angle is still at the higher cross cut angle (25 - 35º) then this will not help as at those angles will cause the cutters to dive sideways more than they would at 10º.

What size logs are you cutting?
One thing you can do is slow down the cutting speed and if the corrugations disappear then its the synchronisation effect that I wrote about above.

Thanks for that Bob...Top plate angle is 10*,and diameter of logs around 500-600mm..is chain tension a contributing factor regarding corrugations?Cheers MM

Originally Posted by MAPLEMAN

..is chain tension a contributing factor regarding corrugations?Cheers MM

Could be, as chain tension affects the extent of the "wood grab" a cutter can make.
Most people don't realise how chainsaw chain works.

From the Carlton manual

A loose chain will come up further off the bar which also means it can moves further sideways to create a deeper corrugations.

Have a play with the tension and see what it does.

Originally Posted by BobL

Could be, as chain tension affects the extent of the "wood grab" a cutter can make.
Most people don't realise how chainsaw chain works.

From the Carlton manual

A loose chain will come up further off the bar which also means it can moves further sideways to create a deeper corrugations.

Have a play with the tension and see what it does.

If i tension chain too much,the nose gets way too hot(starts smoking)..and i am not over tensioning ..MM

Originally Posted by MAPLEMAN

If i tension chain too much,the nose gets way too hot(starts smoking)..and i am not over tensioning ..MM

OK - not good.

I'm not familiar with tensioning on a Lucas so I'll have to pass on that one.

Mapleman, on chain tension, I like it where I can pull it out from the bar about an inch, just using pinch pressure between thumb and forefinger.

If your roller smokes when it's set up similar to this, I'd say there may be an issue with it.

Couple of questions, did you get the slabbing bar new? ie. may the sprocket be worn? or in an 'unknown' condition when you got it? does it turn freely? I can get the air nozzle to run the sprocket like a racehorse from about an inch away.

Is the oil groove standard from Lucas? - personally I think it's way too small and the potential for lack of oil is too great. The oil tube also has a tendency to 'curl' away from the oil groove. Dunno if you saw it but take a look at page two https://www.woodworkforums.com/f132/s...36/index2.html for the modifications I do to the slabber bar. it is a bit fiddly and takes about an hour all together, but long term I think it is worth the confidence. I didn't mention it in the write up, but I also trimmed the end of the tube to make it totally flat with the bar, this way I figure the drive links set up a little Venturi effect and 'pull' the oil onto the chain.

Originally Posted by Sigidi

Mapleman, on chain tension, I like it where I can pull it out from the bar about an inch, just using pinch pressure between thumb and forefinger.

If your roller smokes when it's set up similar to this, I'd say there may be an issue with it.

Couple of questions, did you get the slabbing bar new? ie. may the sprocket be worn? or in an 'unknown' condition when you got it? does it turn freely? I can get the air nozzle to run the sprocket like a racehorse from about an inch away.

Is the oil groove standard from Lucas? - personally I think it's way too small and the potential for lack of oil is too great. The oil tube also has a tendency to 'curl' away from the oil groove. Dunno if you saw it but take a look at page two https://www.woodworkforums.com/f132/s...36/index2.html for the modifications I do to the slabber bar. it is a bit fiddly and takes about an hour all together, but long term I think it is worth the confidence. I didn't mention it in the write up, but I also trimmed the end of the tube to make it totally flat with the bar, this way I figure the drive links set up a little Venturi effect and 'pull' the oil onto the chain.

I can't tension beyond having it about 50mm from the bar when pulled,the bar was bought new from lucas,however have milled a few hundred slabs with it..i have turned the bar around as well to the side the has little to no wear...getting a bit as i was supposed to have slabs ready yesterday for a customer ..maybe i come kidnap you for a few hours ..i am now thinking this could be a bar problem crikey..MM

Originally Posted by MAPLEMAN

I can't tension beyond having it about 50mm from the bar when pulled,the bar was bought new from lucas,however have milled a few hundred slabs with it..i have turned the bar around as well to the side the has little to no wear...

Is the corrugation more on one side of the cut than the other?
If so you the chain is laying over preferentially and this will definitely cause corrugations and you will need to dress (square up) the bar.
BTW I flip the bar on my chainsaw mill after about every 4 or 5 logs.

Originally Posted by BobL

Is the corrugation more on one side of the cut than the other?
If so you the chain is laying ver preferentially and this will definitely cause corrugations and you will need to dress (square up) the bar.
BTW I flip the bar on my chainsaw mill after about every 4 or 5 logs.

The corrugation is both sides of the cut Bob...MM

Finally!!! pics of my FOP.....

WP_001245.jpg

The one on the left is the Carlton original, the one on the right is what Lucas supply now with the slabbing gear. You'll notice it only has one 'depth' of raker available, which corresponds to the 'A' position on the carlton FOP. I like the versatility of having both positions, I've got 4 chains out of my 6 ready for slabbing in the morning and 2 are on position 'A' and two are on position 'B' One ended up on 'B' because the 'A' slot was a bit too high for a few rakers and as such I didn't want there to be some 'high' rakers until I hit it a few times with the file, so I hit them all with 'B'. The other chain is almost at the end of its life,so it's on 'B'

O/K..this is the nose end of the slabbing bar..deep wear and it has been cooked in recent weeks ,seems the nose does not separate from the bar,so it can't be replaced,and i feel the wear in the nose is too deep to be dressed and sorted ...is it a write off??...MM

It looks like the sprocket teeth have worn internally so much the chain is now riding on the nose.

If it was me I would try setting up another aux oiler to dribble oil onto the nose before the chain goes around the bar.
The bar will continue to wear until the sprocket teeth takes up some of the load.

It's bummer that the nose can't be (easily) replaced.
If you lived a bit closer I would offer to replace it for you.

Originally Posted by BobL

If you lived a bit closer I would offer to replace it for you.

Cheers Bob ,should be more blokes around with your kind of attitude..whenever advice is needed,you help out..really appreciate the time you take out of your day to help folk..MM