Yeah, I have a Stihl grinder at home. What usually gets me is barbed wire in the middle of something. Even hit a porcelain insulator . Other that that I hit it about three licks with a file.
If you sharpen a chain when it is still in the bar don't you run a risk of the harden steel filings being introduced into the chain and also the bar causing bar wear?
Chisel tooth chain is a bit more aggressive. It cuts deeper into the wood, but dulls a bit quicker. If working in hardwoods, it is generally thought to be too aggressive, so it gets tuned back to 25°. For some folks, not all.
I've ground them all sorts of ways, and I mostly agree: there isn't much difference between 25° & 30°. The witness marks on Stihl chisel tooth chain are set at 25°, I believe, but I am certain that the Oregon chains work that way. I don't buy Stihl chain, so I'll not claim any expertise on their chains.
I don't cut alot so I was thinking of getting the stihl 2 in 1 file thing. Are those any good.
In the 1970s with the oil crisis, my dad bought a Sears craftsman chain sharpener. Takes the stones. Has a little guide that helps with the angles. Also came with a jig to help you file off the rakers.
I believe most sharpening instructions come at 30° for semi-chisel, and 25° for chisel tooth.
The only issue is that the diameter of the stones change as they wear, so you may need to compensate for that
Can't speak for that particular one but I have and use its predecessor mostly when I hit a rock or something. The rest of the time I use a regular hand file with an attached depth guide.Are these anygood
I have the same grinder, and although I purchased it in 1976, I still have regrets over having picked the 115 volt version rather than the 12 volt. I had countless times, where my friend and I were cleaning out slash piles, that one of us would catch some dirt or small rock embedded in the bark, and we would dull one or more teeth. We solved the problem by carrying an extra chain, but that was far more of a pain than it would have been to dress up a couple of teeth on the saw. (Hand filing, was sometimes an option, but there always seemed to be one or more teeth that needed extensive filing).I have the same ball-bearing Sears grinder. bin using it for 30 years , no guides. Finally sold my stand-up foley grinder. Never used it. It was so time consuming. I'm a machinest, so hand grinding lathe tool bits, drill bits , taps.
end-mills. So for me chainsaw is easy.
I use digital depth gauge on the rakers,
sometimes I get a little greedy thou.
Probably for most "stones". I've tried out a diamond file in the dremel, and it did ok until it was bald. That didn't take very long, either. I'm sure someone somewhere makes a good one, but I've never developed any reliance on a dremel for sharpening.
I've also seen some really lousy store sharpened chains that this beats. But I'm sure its not going to top pro grinders.
More often than not, it’s the Indian, not the arrow@Grandedog was offering some ABN/CBN stones for these types of grinders several years ago, but I think that they are NLA. If anyone knows where to find them, please post that information. Thanks.
Neither the file, nor the grinder, nor the guide sharpen the chain: a person sharpens the chain, and these are some of the tools they may use.
Possible to sharpen or ruin a chain with any of them.
Knowledge, skill, experience, and attitude play a big part. Pick one method, and focus on improving each time.
Philbert
Suppose I feel better given the responses. Was taught in highschool wood working how to sharpen a chisel as well. There is a certain feel you develop about angles.@Grandedog was offering some ABN/CBN stones for these types of grinders several years ago, but I think that they are NLA. If anyone knows where to find them, please post that information. Thanks.
Neither the file, nor the grinder, nor the guide sharpen the chain: a person sharpens the chain, and these are some of the tools they may use.
Possible to sharpen or ruin a chain with any of them.
Knowledge, skill, experience, and attitude play a big part. Pick one method, and focus on improving each time.
Philbert
Priceless Philbert! Put that in your signature and let them read it.Neither the file, nor the grinder, nor the guide sharpen the chain: a person sharpens the chain, and these are some of the tools they may use.
What the heck are they charging you for a new chain then?$3? Lol
going rate now is closer to $15
$30-40What the heck are they charging you for a new chain then?
What are they charging you for a new chain then?Most shops around here won't even touch the depths.
$8-20+ depending on the DL.
Price on File-n-Joints around here have skyrocketed, too. $55-75 before tax. Metal is weaker than the older models, more prone to breaking.
I wanna see the chain…and the saw…that came off ofHere's a guide I show my students when teaching proper chain sharpening. This is what it should look like... you have to set the proper depth with round file right off the bat. Using one hand is only going to tickle the chain tooth... you want uniformity in tooth angles and length, rakers as well or else your saw will cut sideways. Everybody has a strong and weak side when filing.. it's imperative to compensate for the weak side. I'll take a brand new chain out of the box and hit it a few strokes with a round file, then take the rakers down one solid lick with flat file. Remember, chains sharpened by a machine and then put in a box that gets thrown around will get burs, nicks on the edges, plus a machine can't mimic the love a skilled sawyer has... same thing with File's. If they are just rolling around in a toolbox, they also will get dull. I put plastic drink straws over them and store them in a 1.5" pvc pipe with screw caps on the ends...bench grinders and rotary dremels have a tendency to over temper the tooth if not careful but work great for chains that hit rock's or concrete... sharpening is an art, different angles work better for soft and hard wood's, especially if you're running modified saws...
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