For hire in your area: sharpen chains by hand

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My dealer uses a Franzen sharpener. It does the rakers as it sharpens the chain. He charges $5.50 per chain. If I didn't /couldn't do my own chains I would take mine to him but I handfile mine. I don't think it would be cost effective for Joe homeowner to pay say $10 a chain for handfiling. They probably wouldn't know the difference anyway.
Near us Steve?
I wanna see one.
 
There's a guy on here that made a raker/depth gauge tool that measures to 1/1000ths of an inch. IMO, jolly good for him and to those that think that is awesome. My wood stove don't care.
I got to agree totally.
Different brands
Different sizes
The time it takes to make all these gauges and measure and feed the formula I’ll be cutting during that time with my”hit it a couple of times with the file” chains and outfit him.
 
I have been buying bags of presets and replacing broken or bent cutters on chains with life left and just peening the rivets over with a hammer. Some chains I have 4 or 5 cutters replaced lol on a 20 inch chain. Chain isn't cheap in nz so my relaxing time with a beer in the shed is free and a few bucks for some links why not I say. And old chain cuts really nicely too.

Yep, if you want it done you will probably have to do it yourself. There are a lot of folks around here waaaaaaaaay better equipped to repair every aspect of a chainsaw than the majority of the branded dealerships. Nature of the beast these days.

I work my stuff, nobody else’s and nobody else works mine. Everybody's happy.
 
I have been using one of these now for a month. Along with my reading glasses, the details can be seen and appropriate adjustments can be made. Makes a HUGE difference.
Very Star Trek looking. Can't tell if you are being serious or trolling me!

All I 'gots' is one of these:

Screen shot 2019-07-22 at 5.46.06 PM.png

Philbert
 
Very Star Trek looking. Can't tell if you are being serious or trolling me!

It is real. Lots and lots of light pointed directly at my line of sight. Not heavy, in fact I barely notice it there. There are many different looking ones, many are less Star Trek looking but all put the light right where you need it.
 
I got to agree totally.
Different brands
Different sizes
The time it takes to make all these gauges and measure and feed the formula I’ll be cutting during that time with my”hit it a couple of times with the file” chains and outfit him.

I probably spend way more time then I should cleaning and maintaining my saws. But measuring the depth gauge to 1/1000ths is IMO a giant waste of time. But for the super gadgety guys, if that is what blows your hair back, then go for it.
 
It is real. Lots and lots of light pointed directly at my line of sight. Not heavy, in fact I barely notice it there. There are many different looking ones, many are less Star Trek looking but all put the light right where you need it.
Would be handy when I hit the Mammary Bars!!!!
It is important to get correct dollar bill placement!!!!
 
By not adjusting the depth gauge the potential for kickback is reduced. As most shops are not set up to adjust the depth gauge with the exactness that the chain came from the factory it is regarded as best to leave the factory depth gauge as is. The average chain saw sharpening machine is not as accurate before the operator is even involved, and all the guides to help people achieve some sort of unity across the length of chain are also not exact cutter to cutter in regards to as new from the factory, let alone most do not restore the depth gauge to the exact factory shape.

Depth gauge adjusting and replacing broken or damaged links are fading into the past. Spinning chain off a reel in house is getting rare, let alone bar maintenance.
the stihl usg is precise
 
I think its a regional thing Jeff, Maine and NS hardwood is very clean and dust free, I handle my hardwood mostly during the winter, keep it off the ground and no mud or debris on it and I can cut a full day not dulling the chain. One cut through frozen on soil or woods debris and that chain needs attention.

I too cut in the winter then in the spring I carry tree length to where I want to split it with the tractor bucket clamp. Then with the tree up 3-4 feet above the ground I saw it stove length. No dirt no dust of any sort just clean hardwood.
 
I have been using one of these now for a month. Along with my reading glasses, the details can be seen and appropriate adjustments can be made. Makes a HUGE difference.

61N-cik2C2L._SL1000_-600x600.jpg

@MontanaResident Link for this? Looks interesting.
 
Yep, if you want it done you will probably have to do it yourself. There are a lot of folks around here waaaaaaaaay better equipped to repair every aspect of a chainsaw than the majority of the branded dealerships. Nature of the beast these days.

I work my stuff, nobody else’s and nobody else works mine. Everybody's happy.

Yeap it also amazes me how many shops up there with you blokes will not shorten chain or make chains off a roll it's the only way you buy chain here if a saw shop didn't join chain then they are not really a saw shop in my eyes. Saying that there is only 1 shop in town who can dress a bar but close rails or regrind a groove forget about it. I dress my own old bars with a square a light and an angle grinder. You don't really need all the flash gear especially for a weekend firewood hack and why throw away a nice old Windsor bar from the 70s with really good steel. I hand file all my chain at smoko times at work I have learnt heaps here and now they cut very well. I'm a believer in the teeth can vary quite a bit to cut well as long as the rakers are set to each tooth and yes philbert is right they may be a little shaky perhaps or could cut a bit faster but once again for a firewood guy it eather cuts nicely and straight or it don't

Turn up the volume pm800 with old type muffler hand filed no guide semi


 
Jethro I hear ya brother. I started out filing chains in the late 60’s/70’s. I learned to use the FG to hit the very top edge of the tooth, I hog out the gullet with just a file. The rakers I do by eye making the same number of passes. My chains cut perfect. My bars I square on a HF 1”/30” belt sander $59.

If I wasn’t doing it right my chains and bars would cut on an angle. One more important think is I grinned down a hacksaw blade to fit inside the groove in the bar to pull out the saw dust. I grinder a hook parrot bill on the knife edge, I bolted it to a file handle I slotted. You must keep the groove in your bar clean too so the oil can flow.

Don’t forget to open up the gullet. It’s like chewing a mouth full of food and can’t swallow. The chips need to exit, exhaust faster than the chain can cut. Once you set the rakers even with the height tool or it’s a new chain that’s cutting saw dust make two even passes on each raker they will be equal. Once you get the hang of looking straight down the bar you can eyeball the rakers together in-line of sight.
 
the stihl usg is precise

In the world of hand grenades it is a shot gun held by a blind guy. I know more individuals that own those than I have been to Stihl dealerships that use them, might take a look at one later this week.

I seem to have started a grinder collection, not as interesting as files however nifty in its own way.
 

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