The Shooters Apprentice
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When I first started sharpening I would break out the calipers and measure teeth. Anymore, I just let the raker guage take care of any variance.
Whats the easiest to learn chain sharpener
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That wasn't what he asked for, he asked for the easiest way to get dummy proof results...
The Shooters Apprentice
Addicted to ArboristSite
I don’t know that any of them are really dummy prove. I’ve had a ton of chains come through my shop that had been done at other shops before me and were done wrong on a grinder.
Just have to pick something and then get good at it.
Yes, but I will say hand filing is an art, even with a guide... if a guy is struggling and an occasional user, way better off with a grinder or a granberg...
I’m a dummy and the Husky roller guides work best for me.
This chain has cut 68 cords (real cords) of blocks so far. My goal is to hit 75 before I retire it.
Hand filed with the Husky roller guide every one or two tanks fuel and once on the grinder to even out the teeth. (I tend to shorten left teeth more than rights)
Still cuts straight and fast.
Seriously, as long as the file is aligned and rolled straight without wobbling, even a dummy like me can’t mess it up.
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This chain has cut 68 cords (real cords) of blocks so far. My goal is to hit 75 before I retire it.
Hand filed with the Husky roller guide every one or two tanks fuel and once on the grinder to even out the teeth. (I tend to shorten left teeth more than rights)
Still cuts straight and fast.
Seriously, as long as the file is aligned and rolled straight without wobbling, even a dummy like me can’t mess it up.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
The Shooters Apprentice
Addicted to ArboristSite
Those r
Those roller guides work good. That’s what I recommend to people who are looking for a file guide.I’m a dummy and the Husky roller guides work best for me.
This chain has cut 68 cords (real cords) of blocks so far. My goal is to hit 75 before I retire it.
Hand filed with the Husky roller guide every one or two tanks fuel and once on the grinder to even out the teeth. (I tend to shorten left teeth more than rights)
Still cuts straight and fast.
Seriously, as long as the file is aligned and rolled straight without wobbling, even a dummy like me can’t mess it up.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Shaun Bowler
ArboristSite Operative
How do those people carry a mid-range saw, fuel, and enough 'supplies, to last a few days? Regarding "sharping"; if you do not know how to sharpen a saw you should not be using one. Ask a friend who knows a friend of a friend. Most important-use a "fresh file" and get rid of it when it stops cutting.
Howard Justice
ArboristSite Operative
Shaun, depending on the quantity of material to be removed… They might carry gear in a backpack… There have been times they will also use a chopper to drop supplies in specific locations depending on weather conditions… And on some trails in this national park llamas are occ used to transport supplies in certain locations. They often work in concert with dedicated trail crews that are not necessarily rangers.… hope this helps.
Just because people can't sharpen a chain doesn't mean they should not use the saw. There are many people who can't change a flat tire, or change their own oil. If you can't sharpen carry extra chains.
Hermio
Addicted to ArboristSite
However, you can save a few bucks by buying the exact same product under the Pferd brand name. Pferd makes it for Stihl. I guess orange plastic costs more than blue.
I have not used the 2 in 1 or the granberg or the timberline or a grinder. Hence consider it only a partial answer.
The easiest way and fool proof as possible imo is to package up a bunch of chains and send them to the razzor sharp guy. Of course the upstart chain from walmart.com or ebay is so inexpensive in this size, make your own determination.
I put a picture of what the husky roller sharpener is for that class of chain look for h35 and h36. The depth gauge tool is pictured it is not like earlier in this thread and not like on the printed material. It seems to work well for at least the first few normal sharpenings. The correct file size fits in the hole as shown. Should pretty much eliminate any error due to file flex.
I have it on a few small solid bars as in not laminated. These have much more precicse groove in them and will eliminate a lot of wiggle compared to what I believe you have from skimming your prior posts on this site. There are vices of sorts to really firmly hold the drive links.
Reading post 1 and the part about multiple devices and just dust my guess would be not removing sufficient material. Remove material until a fingernail rubbed in a manner like cutting wood on the corner kind of hangs up. Then do depth gauge if needed. The Stihl depth gauge tool in 0.65 mm with the filing portion on the end was not available for the picture. It is pretty simple if the chain does not dig in well then raise the far end 3/4 inch for a first testing. Maybe one more gentle pass after the depth gauge adjustment for good measure.
If you had used that file guide from new to where the tooth length is now I would expect the wear on the rollers to be over a much higher percentage of the length. Those things sit a bit on an angle front to back so the same percentage of the file diameter is above the cutter top.I’m a dummy and the Husky roller guides work best for me.
This chain has cut 68 cords (real cords) of blocks so far. My goal is to hit 75 before I retire it.
Hand filed with the Husky roller guide every one or two tanks fuel and once on the grinder to even out the teeth. (I tend to shorten left teeth more than rights)
Still cuts straight and fast.
Seriously, as long as the file is aligned and rolled straight without wobbling, even a dummy like me can’t mess it up.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
The picture shows a brand new C85 guide used just once on that filing. I had been using my previous H48 guide up until then on the same chain. Rollers are more worn for sure.
Angles are slightly different between guides. One filing adjusted them to the C85 recommended 30,0,60
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Angles are slightly different between guides. One filing adjusted them to the C85 recommended 30,0,60
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
user 183493
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Husqvarna file handle with basic file guide. 2in1's are easiest to learn, but I teach my students to cut with a new chain, cut with a worn chain, once they've felt the difference, the aim is to make the old chain cut again. No need for fancy kit, just hard graft, callouses & perseverance.
user 183493
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Husqvarna file handle with basic file guide. 2in1's are easiest to learn, but I teach my students to cut with a new chain, cut with a worn chain, once they've felt the difference, the aim is to make the old chain cut again. No need for fancy kit, just hard graft, callouses perseverance.
Basic file handle with angles marked, clean file, the guide is marked on the file handle. Practice, practice, practice.
FNEC
ArboristSite Lurker
Expensive ones I imagine are very stable, but my cheapy style one as you move the grinding head down you can with a little pressure change its angle of attack a little left or right, well that makes a big difference on a tooth, even a long tooth perhaps providing resistence to the angle. A longer tooth I find having to apply a little more pressure against the tooth to get its size down (if I am trying to even out teeth) and making sure you go right down into the gullet stop you set to ensure full grind........ whilst sounding off topic, it is not, it goes to show that even a supposed fail safe option of a grinder has nuances and difficulties. Even using a grinder you need to know what exactly is beign sharpened and the geomtry so you can tell if you are getting it done correctly. Still easy to grind badly.
FNEC
ArboristSite Lurker
I can put a sharp tooth on a chain hand filing, but I realised that only doing that I was getting differing teeth lengths as certain teeth needed more effort to get sharp (and I wasn't over compensating in better teeth) and angles were getting out of line despite a guide one on the tooth. An occasional grind can correct this easier than hand filing your way out of it....
FNEC
ArboristSite Lurker
Back to thread specifics..... from what others have said, grinding seems easy but as you are not buying an expensive grinder then cheaper ones have issues that mean certain things are not done correctly and they require setting up to get chain ground right.....so you need chain knowledge, sharpening knowledge and user knowledge....so not easy by any stretch.....and expensive if you are not correcting 5 chains one after the other etc (as in heavy users it becomes more effective)....so likes of granberg as long asyou can set it up, it takes care of all the sharpening knowledge and does it by the book. In the field it si easy to dull a chain and if you have no spare then quick and easy(with a little youtube help) the 2in1s are good at what they do but require a little user sharpening knowledge to perfect. So the AIM is not too fiddly or hard to setup yet the actualy sharpenign does not need a lot of knwoledge or skill...
^What he said, above^.
“Lots of ways to sharpen; everyone has to find something that works for them” - Philbert
If you know what you want your finished cutters to look like, you can probably use a variety of methods. In practice, you will likely prefer one method over the others. This is why I encouraged the OP to find a local mentor. Each method has its nuances.
When I work with new volunteers, they often prefer the ‘2-In-1’ file guides, because they eliminate the need to do the depth gauges as a separate task. But the still need sharp files, a way to stabilize the bar and chain, and how to know when the edges are sharp.
Philbert
“Lots of ways to sharpen; everyone has to find something that works for them” - Philbert
If you know what you want your finished cutters to look like, you can probably use a variety of methods. In practice, you will likely prefer one method over the others. This is why I encouraged the OP to find a local mentor. Each method has its nuances.
When I work with new volunteers, they often prefer the ‘2-In-1’ file guides, because they eliminate the need to do the depth gauges as a separate task. But the still need sharp files, a way to stabilize the bar and chain, and how to know when the edges are sharp.
Philbert
The reason to hand sharpen is that all the teeth are different. The reason to grind with a grinder is all the teeth are the same. If you have a chain that has hit a few rocks or knots then you need to bring all the cutting edges sharp regardless of how they compare to each other. Because of this the chains last much longer. If you take the same chain to a grinder and three teeth are nicked down 50% then all the teeth will be ground to 50% of original. the same chain hand sharped would only have a few teeth filed down to 50%. When I sharpen I make sure that I have made the teeth and rakers uniform so as not to pull one way or the other. For certain situations regardless of the condition of teeth it is not practical to hand sharpen twenty chains in a row. For those who spend plenty of time holding a chain saw hand filing skill is very worthwhile. For those who do not want to learn to hand file then they will hire some one to service their saws and chain. Thanks
