Square filing. Who has tried, and given up?

[gallegosmike]

Mike,
I'm too close to White Sands National Monument & Missile range to have much clean wood here. When the wind blows everything turns grey until it rains.
Square ain't for everybody, but once most learn to maintain it they never look back.

Andy

I see! I cut most of my firewood on land that is near poor grazing land. The soil is really coarse sand with a wee bit of soil. That area gets short rain falls with alot of wind! It causes the sand to stick to every thing. I really miss the pnw and the "clean" we had over there! LOL

 

[B_Turner]

Although square doesn't last as long as round chisel, the difference is less than commonly cited IMO.

But once the tip dulls, you have to stop using it or you will pound the tip back and sharpening takes longer.

I always bring a bag of chains when I cut, with multiples of every bar length I pack. Not saying no one sharpens well in the field, but I've only met a couple folks that actually did really good job on site in the heat of the moment.

Typically just too much going on for them to take the time to do a really good job. With me I swap in a fresh chain.

I have been told by friends in the business that studies show on the average productivity is better with swapping in fresh chains rather than sharpening on the stop, and I believe it.

 

[Gypo Logger]

Although square doesn't last as long as round chisel, the difference is less than commonly cited IMO.

But once the tip dulls, you have to stop using it or you will pound the tip back and sharpening takes longer.

I always bring a bag of chains when I cut, with multiples of every bar length I pack. Not saying no one sharpens well in the field, but I've only met a couple folks that actually did really good job on site in the heat of the moment.

Typically just too much going on for them to take the time to do a really good job. With me I swap in a fresh chain.

I have been told by friends in the business that studies show on the average productivity is better with swapping in fresh chains rather than sharpening on the stop, and I believe it.

I've always found that two things are extremely sacreligious in the bush, one being hitting abrasive material and chain derailment. I rock out about every 10 cords and haven't had a chain throw in over 30 cords.
I can file under every circumstance whether it's a stump, 12" of moss or on my lap. That's only because I've done it for so long, however, one of my favourite spots is on the tailgate or on top of the freezer on the back porch. Lol
John

 

[parrisw]

I believe I can file round pretty darn good. But I really like doing it with the saw in a vise, just feels much better that way. I'd love to have a vise mounted to my truck.

 

[Gypo Logger]

I believe I can file round pretty darn good. But I really like doing it with the saw in a vise, just feels much better that way. I'd love to have a vise mounted to my truck.

I agree, the beauty of the vise is that you can use both hands and do in one stroke what you can do in two strokes with one hand, plus I think you can be more accurate with two hands.
Gypo

 

[parrisw]

I agree, the beauty of the vise is that you can use both hands and do in one stock what you can do in two strokes with one hand, plus I think you can be more accurate with two hands.
Gypo

Yup exactly! I've been thinking of welding up a stand that plugs into my receiver on my truck, and that has a vise on it.

 

[Gypo Logger]

Yup exactly! I've been thinking of welding up a stand that plugs into my receiver on my truck, and that has a vise on it.

That would be a cool bumper hitch. Nobody would tailgate, especially if you had a big saw in there, but maybe they would tailgate, just to get a closer look! lol
John

 

[Gypo Logger]

Speaking of hitch recievers, I think it was Cliff Helsel who has a hitch receiver and load binder that will accept a short log for test cutting. Great idea, just the right height.
John

 

[BobL]

I agree, the beauty of the vise is that you can use both hands and do in one stroke what you can do in two strokes with one hand, plus I think you can be more accurate with two hands.
Gypo

I agree two hands and a firm stand or vice helps. Sharpening with the saw on my mill with my anti-bar-sag device fitted is a good as vice.

I always bring a bag of chains when I cut, with multiples of every bar length I pack. Not saying no one sharpens well in the field, but I've only met a couple folks that actually did really good job on site in the heat of the moment.

I agree I do a better job of sharpening in the quite of the evening than I do on the job. But if I had to carry all the chains I would need for a weekends milling I would need to bring along about 20 chains for my 60" bars or about 500 ft of chain. I have 5 chains for my 60" bar and generally only take 1 on the saw and 1 or 2 spare with me. I can touch up chains for my 42" bar faster than I can swap out even though I can remove chains from my saw without removing the saw from the mill. I realize this is in unusual wood and circumstances and is not what the majority of CS users are doing.

 

[Metals406]

Yup exactly! I've been thinking of welding up a stand that plugs into my receiver on my truck, and that has a vise on it.

My brother and I have been CLing for vices for that very purpose. A hitch vice mount is the cats ass.

I have my vice now to make the hitch. . . Now I just have to weld it up.

 

[parrisw]

That would be a cool bumper hitch. Nobody would tailgate, especially if you had a big saw in there, but maybe they would tailgate, just to get a closer look! lol
John

LOL, ya. people would be like WTF???

 

[parrisw]

Speaking of hitch recievers, I think it was Cliff Helsel who has a hitch receiver and load binder that will accept a short log for test cutting. Great idea, just the right height.
John

Great Idea!

My brother and I have been CLing for vices for that very purpose. A hitch vice mount is the cats ass.

I have my vice now to make the hitch. . . Now I just have to weld it up.

Well what u waiting for LOL. When you do it post it up, I'd love to see it. Would have to come up with an idea that holds the stand from wobbling, since the hitch receivers never fit tight, if you had a stand on that was high, it would wobble around.

 

[wsg]

Great Idea!



Well what u waiting for LOL. When you do it post it up, I'd love to see it. Would have to come up with an idea that holds the stand from wobbling, since the hitch receivers never fit tight, if you had a stand on that was high, it would wobble around.

Maybe silly idea but how about a scissor jack underneath to put pressure on it stabilizing it.. or and old trailer tongue jack if ya had that lying around. Id worry about weight but then again your talking about a vise to begin with.

Just an idea.

 

[Gypo Logger]

LOL, ya. people would be like WTF???

Ya, or who's this redneck? I think he spun a bearing! Lol

 

[parrisw]

Ya, or who's this redneck? I think he spun a bearing! Lol

ha ha ha

 

[MCW]

I have been told by friends in the business that studies show on the average productivity is better with swapping in fresh chains rather than sharpening on the stop, and I believe it.

I agree with this 100% and the longer the bar length the more obvious it becomes.

Yup exactly! I've been thinking of welding up a stand that plugs into my receiver on my truck, and that has a vise on it.

I made one up for my ute (pickup) about 3 years ago. Haven't used it yet. Just plugs into where the tow hitch and ball goes and the pin goes in to lock it. Would work a treat if I used it but I get just as good of a job done on the rubber mat on the ute tray.

 

[pgg]

I have been told by friends in the business that studies show on the average productivity is better with swapping in fresh chains rather than sharpening on the stop, and I believe it.

That's not the case when on the saw for long hours though, because it takes about the same time to swap out a blunt chain for a fresh than it does to plonk down on a bank or log and quickly sharpen the blunt one. It only takes a couple of minutes to hand file an average chain.

Thinning in the forests where you're covering a lot of ground, once a new chain has had a bit of use, I start to sharpen it pretty much every tank. That's about once every 35-40 minutes with a 60cc-70cc saw depending on tree size, the bigger 20"-24" trees you'll drop about 30 an hour, average thinning size is about from 12" - 18" where 50 an hour is normal, or early thinning of young small trees that are about 20 feet tall and easy meat and 100 an hour is childs play

A clued-up operator immediately stops and sharpens the chain the instant it starts to feel a bit dull, instead of carrying on blunt, and the instant you hit the dirt is the instant you should sharpen, secret is to spend all day with a 100% sharp chain 100% of the time, not only are you using a hell of a lot less effort and a lot less fuel, but in the long run the whole saw/engine/clutch/bearings/chain/ bar etc.. all live a lot longer. You'll find chain swapping over long periods of time just isn't practical for lots of reasons, and a 'chain swapper' is always going to find himself running a blunt chain sooner or later - usually sooner!

 

[MCW]

That's not the case when on the saw for long hours though, because it takes about the same time to swap out a blunt chain for a fresh than it does to plonk down on a bank or log and quickly sharpen the blunt one. It only takes a couple of minutes to hand file an average chain.

Thinning in the forests where you're covering a lot of ground, once a new chain has had a bit of use, I start to sharpen it pretty much every tank. That's about once every 35-40 minutes with a 60cc-70cc saw depending on tree size, the bigger 20"-24" trees you'll drop about 30 an hour, average thinning size is about from 12" - 18" where 50 an hour is normal, or early thinning of young small trees that are about 20 feet tall and easy meat and 100 an hour is childs play

A clued-up operator immediately stops and sharpens the chain the instant it starts to feel a bit dull, instead of carrying on blunt, and the instant you hit the dirt is the instant you should sharpen, secret is to spend all day with a 100% sharp chain 100% of the time, not only are you using a hell of a lot less effort and a lot less fuel, but in the long run the whole saw/engine/clutch/bearings/chain/ bar etc.. all live a lot longer. You'll find chain swapping over long periods of time just isn't practical for lots of reasons, and a 'chain swapper' is always going to find himself running a blunt chain sooner or later - usually sooner!

In clean wood I tend to agree depending on bar length. If you get into grubby ones with dirt in the bark etc where chain wear is more than normal then I tend to find swapping is faster. Although if you're in a forest wanting to carry as little as possible I'd file all the time instead of carrying a dozen chains.

Where I had been dropping Casuarina windbreaks (clean trees by my standards but hard on chains if you lived in a rainforest) swapping chains was faster. What WASN'T faster was getting home stuffed and grinding for another hour I was paid per hour in the field, not when I got home...

 

[Metals406]

Great Idea!

Well what u waiting for LOL. When you do it post it up, I'd love to see it. Would have to come up with an idea that holds the stand from wobbling, since the hitch receivers never fit tight, if you had a stand on that was high, it would wobble around.

Will,

There are a few options to get rid of the slop.

1) You weld shim stock to the tubing to get rid of the slop.

2) Run stringer welds the length of the tubing and grind them down until you have a tight fit. . . Or mill them off if you have a mill.

3) You drill an extra hole in your receiver and weld a 3/4" (or 5/8" or 1/2") nut to the outside of the hole, and use a bolt made into a t-handle set screw. . . Tightens her right up.

 

[mdavlee]

A small metal wedge or extra scrench jammed into the receiver will tighten it up pretty good.