Whats the easiest to learn chain sharpener

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It was hard for me to understand the different ways of people. Since I was young I just had a knack for doing things ( jack of all trades master of none) . It was only recently that my wife thought me the error of my ways. She said most people can't do things like that because they just don't want to know or it's not in their mentality to do so. She told me your not a rocket scientist so quit thinking everyone else should be. Not everyone is going to get sharpening. Just life.
 
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
A good word.
 
Glad I learned with just a file. Made moving to the gadgets easier. Except for the Huskey roller. It does not fit my current Stihl chains, OR, I'm missing something. I have some Husky chains up next and will try again. For now, the roller is in a tool box.

One thing I did early on that helped was to draw 25- and 30-degree lines on top of vise jaws. My hands and eyes follow them well.

The best mentor that helped me, sharpened tooling for a living. Some of what he showed me of saw chain sharpening would start a war if I typed it here due to going against internet sawing protocol.

You need to find the chain AND the system that works for you. But that don't fit todays right here right now mentality.

Edit, Someone mentioned that soft Oregon chain. That was my preferred chain when I was starting out. Now I can file most any brand.
 
A good word.
TED JENKINS, I am going out on a limb to disagree? NICKS in cutters do not really hurt a chain in cutting ability. BENT cutters will leave gouges/ washboard, so STRAIGHTEN any/ all bent cutters and then grind as normal. NO NEED to shorten all cutters to match 1-2 that maybe shorter, if they balance w/ one on opposite side? This is NOT Like a planer/ jointer, where a raised bead area from a cutter gouge is left on the face finish, even in milling. In fact, the SIDE of a cutter is the only part that affects wood finish, and then only the top 0.025+/- of the cutter side? Anything touched by TOP of cutter is converted to wood chips/ dust? Even a Granberg style or skip/ super skip works well because deviation is offset by same on an alternate cutter. If you are converting a crosscut chain to a ripping chain, you do not have to change full face of cutter angle all at once, you can do it in 3-4 sharpenings to extend chain life. The CHIP that was removed by the cutter will not CARE, LOL :) Now, to clarify, I do believe that the LEAST vibration will be all cutters same length, depth gages same.
 
Glad I learned with just a file. Made moving to the gadgets easier. Except for the Huskey roller. It does not fit my current Stihl chains, OR, I'm missing something. I have some Husky chains up next and will try again. For now, the roller is in a tool box.

One thing I did early on that helped was to draw 25- and 30-degree lines on top of vise jaws. My hands and eyes follow them well.

The best mentor that helped me, sharpened tooling for a living. Some of what he showed me of saw chain sharpening would start a war if I typed it here due to going against internet sawing protocol.

You need to find the chain AND the system that works for you. But that don't fit todays right here right now mentality.

Edit, Someone mentioned that soft Oregon chain. That was my preferred chain when I was starting out. Now I can file most any brand.
I'd like to know the answer to your question about the roller guide as well. Bailey's has three variations for different pitches but far as working with other brands of chains.....good question.
 
I'd like to know the answer to your question about the roller guide as well.
The Husqvarna roller guide does not physically fit over / straddle some types of STIHL chains or bars. It takes a little work with a file to open up the notches. Plenty of people have done this.

STIHL also makes a variety of roller guides, but they are not as popular.
Philbert
 
The Husqvarna roller guide does not physically fit over / straddle some types of STIHL chains or bars. It takes a little work with a file to open up the notches.


Philbert
Thanks. I don't have one, yet, but maybe in the future. My firewood cutters are a MS180 and CS590. Seems like a handy little gadget if they work well. Some folks don't seem to care much for the raker filing feature.
 
Au contraire! A lot of folks LOVE the ‘progressive’ depth gauge settings! Some will buy the separate gauges just for this feature.

Browse through the threads below:

https://www.arboristsite.com/threads/stihl-progressive-depth-gauge-tool.336757/
https://www.arboristsite.com/threads/are-fop-really-progressive-depth-raker-generators.114624/
Philbert
I get it. Some, not all, maybe not even many, don't care for it. I've not tried one so can't give an honest opinion on the tool. This comes from YouTube reviews I watched and purchaser reviews from online purchases when I was trying to get some info on the tool. And this is the Husqvarna combo tool, not the roller by itself with the separate raker gauge.
 
The Husqvarna roller guide does not physically fit over / straddle some types of STIHL chains or bars. It takes a little work with a file to open up the notches. Plenty of people have done this.

STIHL also makes a variety of roller guides, but they are not as popular.
Philbert
Philbert do you like the depth gauge on those little small stihl roller guides
 
Couple things I would suggest. View attachment 964865
Husqvarna Roller guide is the best guide I've used, and most come with a depth gauge attached for checking drag height. Also make sure your files are sharp/ new and of a good brand. Cheap junk files won't give good performance. Grinders are "easy" to use, but I found I can get a chain sharper with a file. Not to mention the troubles that can come from poor use of a grinder, burnt cutters, taking off too much and using up your chain etc. Plus field maintenance is easier once you learn to file properly. Taking 3 chains to the woods, and taking the time to change them, dropping bar nuts in the snow..... You get the picture. What brand of chain are you running?
Hope this helps.

That's my favorite. I prefer using that guide even to free-hand filing, which I have done for about 30 years now. It's just better and easier.
 
TED JENKINS, I am going out on a limb to disagree? NICKS in cutters do not really hurt a chain in cutting ability. BENT cutters will leave gouges/ washboard, so STRAIGHTEN any/ all bent cutters and then grind as normal. NO NEED to shorten all cutters to match 1-2 that maybe shorter, if they balance w/ one on opposite side? This is NOT Like a planer/ jointer, where a raised bead area from a cutter gouge is left on the face finish, even in milling. In fact, the SIDE of a cutter is the only part that affects wood finish, and then only the top 0.025+/- of the cutter side? Anything touched by TOP of cutter is converted to wood chips/ dust? Even a Granberg style or skip/ super skip works well because deviation is offset by same on an alternate cutter. If you are converting a crosscut chain to a ripping chain, you do not have to change full face of cutter angle all at once, you can do it in 3-4 sharpenings to extend chain life. The CHIP that was removed by the cutter will not CARE, LOL :) Now, to clarify, I do believe that the LEAST vibration will be all cutters same length, depth gages same.
I do not see much written here where as to disagree. In general most people running a grinder will grind all the teeth the same whether they are dull or not. However you or people like you will decide some teeth not to be ground to make them all even. That is a common accepted fact. Those that want their chains sharpened in a professional way will take their chains off put them in a bag and drop them off where a shop or person will clean them up for a fee. This process fits for some and not for some. It takes a few minutes to take a chain off of a saw and put another chain back on a saw. From my experience when working for a Stihl dealer several years ago it took close to ten minutes per chain accounting for some time to make a few adjustments to grinder. This process fits well for companies that have multi saw teams working on a job or an individual who is an occasional firewood cutter. Those that want to make their time most effective will grab a file and have a sharp chain in fifteen twenty minutes. In this process an experience person will even out the cutters and rakers with little effort then making chips fly. Thanks
 
I think Philbert has stated people need to find out what works best for their situation. I do not see a debate worthy as one system works best for every one. There are many upon many videos that explain technique for setting up a grinder well to achieve a very productive chain. There are plenty of videos that explain how to grab a file and be back making chips fly quick. I think guides and such gadgets not only do not work but mislead people into not understanding what an why they are doing. That is to say there are plenty of folks that have guides and are very happy with them. However if they understood what they were doing they would not need any guide. Thanks
 
Just a quick addition - the most useful thing I have learned (after 25+ years not doing it) is to clamp the bar in a vise when sharpening. In a vise, both hands can be on the file, and the file will travel in a straight line. I used to balance the saw on the bench, and hold the file with one hand while supporting the bar / tooth with the other. NOWHERE near as effective, and the file would flop all over the place.

I like to clamp the bar in the vise with the saw upside down. I prefer it that way, as I am facing toward the saw and don't have to file over the powerhead. (In the field, I keep the saw right side up using the stump vise)
 
Agreed…. Saw this set up in a friends disaster response trailer last week…. “Vise in the field”
 

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