Saw chain with improved cutting depth control

A saw chain including side links and center links wherein certain of the side links are cutting links and the center links are drive links, said saw chain comprising;

• a gulletless cutting link including a body portion having an inner edge adapted for engaging a guide bar, a cutter portion protruding outwardly from the body portion and positioned rearwardly on the body portion, and a depth gauge portion projected outwardly from the body portion forwardly of the cutter portion and in close proximity thereto, said cutter portion having a side plate laterally angled from the body portion and a top plate extending from the side plate back over the body portion, said side plate and top plate having leading sharpened edges forming cutting edges, and the juncture of these edges forming a cutting edge corner that is, relative to the plane of the body portion, the furthermost point of the cutting link both laterally and outwardly, and said depth gauge portion extending rearwardly from the front of the body portion toward the cutter portion and being laterally angled from the front to the back in the direction of the cutting edge corner and terminating with an outer corner in close proximity to the cutting edge corner being spaced therefrom a distance no greater than about 20% of the cutting link pitch, to thereby effectively eliminate the sharpening-enabling gullet spacing between the cutting edge corner and depth gauge;
• and a center line having a body portion and an outwardly directed guide portion positioned rewardly on the body portion, said guide portion having a rearwardly inclined outer edge, said center link pivotally connected to the cutting link forward of the cutting link and said inclined leading edge of the guide portion in substantial alignment in side view with the inclined edge of the depth gauge.