The best way to tell if you have you’re rakers down far enough is your chips curl. Analyze the chips (sawdust) after cutting a piece. They should look like curly-ques. If it is fine sawdust you may need to sharpen the cutters but if the chips still aren’t curls and still sawdusty you may need to take your takers down.
As for sharpening the cutters, you want to maintain how it comes from the factory. They are all perfect when they are new so after each days work you should check them, especially if you rocked the chain (like when bucking downed logs and you go too deep and hit soil) or if you hit a nail in a tree. Inspect for bad cutter teeth and start sharpening the worst tooth. Count strokes as you sharpen. When it is satisfactory then take that same amount of licks off each following cutter. Do both sides the same (left and right cutters). It will j-cut if one side is sharper. It just won’t cut straight. There is an angled line on top of the cutter. That is a guideline so that you know what the factory angle was.
I ended up spending about 18 hours on that fire last Friday through Saturday. We got relieved yesterday afternoon and slept the rest of the day. Now it’s my off day so pics will be coming of saws and now I’m thinking about doing a tutorial for free hand sharpening for you guys. I go back to work on Wednesday.