How NOT to sharpen your chain
- Thread starter gmax
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scotclayshooter
Addicted to ArboristSite
RaiseByWolves made some great posts in favour of filing from outside in!
I cant find the thread, But someone will remember where it is?
I bet that guys chains cut fine!
I cant find the thread, But someone will remember where it is?
I bet that guys chains cut fine!
Log Splitter
ArboristSite Guru
I free hand my chains all the time when I'm in the woods cutting. I don't have any problem with what the guy is doing, other than I file 'inside out'. It's better to touch them up free hand when they start to lost their edge than to let them go until they are beyond dull because you are waiting to get back to the bench where the file guide or bench grinder is kept.
Scooterbum
Addicted to ArboristSite
I don't see a thing wrong with what he's doing.
Other then the count.
When sharpening I can feel when the tooth is sharp,not by counting.
Just get used to feeling the resistance change as you sharpen,whether it's 2 or 5 strokes.
Other then the count.
When sharpening I can feel when the tooth is sharp,not by counting.
Just get used to feeling the resistance change as you sharpen,whether it's 2 or 5 strokes.
Bowtie
Gearhead
At least the guy has a system, better than some people. One person I watched run the file back and forth as fast as he could, never paying attention to angles or nothing. Then he wondered why his chain wasnt sharp. I wonder if he knows how fast he is trashing his file as well.
czar800
ArboristSite Guru
That's not how I sharpen me chains, He's all over the place no control of anything even the saws moving around. I bet that chain makes smoke, not chips..
SawTroll
Information Collector
I totally agree. :rockn: :rockn:
ericjeeper
Addicted to ArboristSite
I have learned the hard way about the glove
But to me he has it on the wrong hand.
I have a nasty scar on my index finger from the one time the file slipped out of the tooth. Trust me the previous tooth was lazer sharp. Cut me very deep.. Now I only hand file with two leather gloves..
The guys technique is not that bad. Beats working a dull saw to death.
But to me he has it on the wrong hand.
I have a nasty scar on my index finger from the one time the file slipped out of the tooth. Trust me the previous tooth was lazer sharp. Cut me very deep.. Now I only hand file with two leather gloves..
The guys technique is not that bad. Beats working a dull saw to death.
berryman70
ArboristSite Guru
I don't think he's doing real bad & his saw probably will cut ok. He should have a way to keep the bar secure & use both hands on the file to hold a better angle. I think inside to out works better on round ground & round file.
oldsaw
"Been There, Milled That"
If you listen to him, your blade will always be sharp....
He did much better after he turned the saw. On the first teeth, he was swinging his elbow quite a bit. That one isn't going to cut straight a lot faster than the 15 times before it goes to the shop. He may make 10, maybe.
He suffers from bad form and bad terminology.
Mark
He did much better after he turned the saw. On the first teeth, he was swinging his elbow quite a bit. That one isn't going to cut straight a lot faster than the 15 times before it goes to the shop. He may make 10, maybe.
He suffers from bad form and bad terminology.
Mark
318firebug49
ArboristSite Member
Good point. Inside out would be a little easier with a round file, and without getting into too many little nitpickin details, a vise and a pair of gloves is always the best option regardless of in out or out in.. by the way, the only way to properly sharpen a full chisel point chain is with a flat beveled edge file from the outside in at a high angle- look at the teeth before you run the chain for the first time. If you are sharpening them with a round file you might as well be running semi chisel chains...
Also, just a thought, how many of you sharpen your knife using a backdrag motion vs forward drag, (Cutting into the stone). And next question- which direction gets your knife sharper and holds an edge longer?
berryman70
ArboristSite Guru
But I think he just has semi chisel & using a round file.
TooTall999
ArboristSite Operative
Only thing I'd add to his explanation would be to check for any damaged teeth,then count the number of file strokes to repair that one,and use that as your count for the rest
berryman70
ArboristSite Guru
Maybe I'm wrong on my line of thinking, but when I hand sharpen a chain I don't worry to much about getting every tooth the exact same length as long as the angles are right & the depth/rakers are at the right height for each tooth. Correct me if I'm wrong (I'm sure someone will)
reachtreeservi
Addicted to ArboristSite
Expert Village ?
I don't think so....
Here's the definition of expert:
An "expert" is someone widely recognized as a reliable source of technique or skill whose faculty for judging or deciding rightly, justly, or wisely is accorded authority and status by their peers or the public. An expert, more generally, is a person with extensive knowledge or ability in a particular area of study. Experts are called in for advice on their respective subject, but they do not always agree on the particulars of a field of study. An expert can be, by virtue of training, education, profession, publication or experience, believed to have special knowledge of a subject beyond that of the average person.
Does that fit this guy ?
I don't think so....
Here's the definition of expert:
An "expert" is someone widely recognized as a reliable source of technique or skill whose faculty for judging or deciding rightly, justly, or wisely is accorded authority and status by their peers or the public. An expert, more generally, is a person with extensive knowledge or ability in a particular area of study. Experts are called in for advice on their respective subject, but they do not always agree on the particulars of a field of study. An expert can be, by virtue of training, education, profession, publication or experience, believed to have special knowledge of a subject beyond that of the average person.
Does that fit this guy ?
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vapnut257
ArboristSite Operative
The guy is sharpening a friggin' chain... not playing a violin or a fiddle! There's a critic born every minute. His chain will cut just fine, at least he's trying. I'd like to see some of the experts here post video of their techniques on chain sharpening for comparison. That would be useful. Especially the ones that do it freehand.
MotorSeven
Addicted to ArboristSite
The out/in file topic has come up before. I used to file out, then when i got my Woodbug CSM, the video & instruction manual showed to file from the cutting edge in. This was explained that the hard chrome coating on the cutter gets fragmented when the file pushes out & away from the edge. Filing towards the chrome(into the cutter) it leaves a smoother edge that stays sharp longer. I tried it on the mills skp tooth & it seemed to work well, so i then started doing all of my chains that way & i do think that they stay sharp longer.
I agree the guy's form/positioning is poor. I sit on the ground and make sure the saw dosen't move & my strokes are even. Like Scooterbum said, i can feel when the individual tooth is sharp, some take 2 swipes, some many more.
For those that haven't tried it, go for it. You can't hurt the cutters & you may find that ergonomically it is an easier way to file.
RD
I agree the guy's form/positioning is poor. I sit on the ground and make sure the saw dosen't move & my strokes are even. Like Scooterbum said, i can feel when the individual tooth is sharp, some take 2 swipes, some many more.
For those that haven't tried it, go for it. You can't hurt the cutters & you may find that ergonomically it is an easier way to file.
RD
Simonizer
Addicted to ArboristSite
Terrible method. There is no way to be consistent the way this moron is filing. I file at 25 degrees with saws bar in a vise. File is tilted up about 5 degrees and I file in the opposite direction as this guy. I always have the rakers 30 thou below the cutter and make sure to maintain equal and adequate hook. This results in a smooth and aggressive chain for the wood on the West coast. Still, ground chain kicks butt on anything but most homeowners don't own a Silvey grinder.
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