Hand filing is for beginners?

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TheDarkLordChinChin

Der Teufel der lacht nur dazu! HA HA HA HA HA!
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What do you guys think? Is a grinder the only way to go?
I have always hand filed. Im the type of guy who will spend an hour getting an 84 driver chain perfect for the morning. If I get it right my chains will cut much better than stock chain from the factory.
 
I use grinders these days just because I can do chains fast after a days cutting with good consistent cutter profiles. But ALL saw users should learn to hand file, it's a must have skill if your going to run saw's. At least be half decent at it. Saws are a portable tool, so are hand files, grinders... not so much.
 
What do you guys think? Is a grinder the only way to go? . . . If I get it right my chains will cut much better than stock chain from the factory.
Dozens and dozens of 'file-versus-grind'' threads here on A.S., and you have been here long enough to see some (several?).

Bottom line: 'Sharp chains are important - everyone has to find something that works for them' - Philbert
As far as people who are offended that someone else sharpens a chain differently than they do (including paying someone else to do it), I have as little time for that stuff as i do for people who say 'masks are more dangerous in a pandemic'.

As far as 'factory grind' being the ultimate metric of perfection, that is an old canard too. Companies like Oregon, STIHL, etc., sell chains to millions of users, cutting thousands of different species of trees, in hundreds of countries, using dozens of different brands of saws. If you understand that chains can be optimized for different cutting situations, applications, trees, saws, etc., you can understand that manufacturers have to pick one, general, 'all-around', factory grind for stock, 'out-of-the-box' (OOB) settings. If they make the cutting edges 'too fine / too sharp', they may become damaged in shipping and handling, as the chains rattle around in their boxes.

Just like fine woodworking tools that have to be honed before use, some people will always want a finer edge on their chainsaw cutters than stock. For others, OOB is 'good enough'.

??? Nothing showing, Phil?
Just a space holder - mark a thread I read on my phone that i want to reply to using a keyboard. You were too fast!

Philbert
 
I've never owned a filing guide let alone a grinder, and I've always felt my hand sharpened chains cut just as well as new so long as I didn't get to heavy handed setting the rakers. My father in law has cut wood for probably 75 years, starting back in the misery-whip and buck-saw days. I don't think he can sharpen a chain by hand, he's always used a grinder. Different strokes for different folks I say.
 
Well said Philbert.

Between my three saws, I have about half a dozen chains. I do not feel the need for a grinder with so few chains, so hand filing suffices for me. I stink at free hand filing so I bought the Granberg File n Joint. Works quite well for my purposes.
 
What do you guys think? Is a grinder the only way to go?
I have always hand filed. Im the type of guy who will spend an hour getting an 84 driver chain perfect for the morning. If I get it right my chains will cut much better than stock chain from the factory.

Just another thought with grinding you’re more likely to do your other maintenance like cleaning rails, flipping the bar, cleaning the clutch cover out, and greasing the clutch bearing. What chain are you using? How do you like them to cut?


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Personally- I only ever hand file. When I was learning, it was about the only available option, grinders were in shops- in towns, not garages and home workshops back then.
But, I can also trace a fair bit of family history back to Scotland, have deep pockets and short arms, could peel an orange in my pocket (Darklord will know that saying).
Biggest thing to remember is files are not lifelong items- good chain of around 24-30 inch 3/8 full comp- a file lasts about 5 filings. I am not talking a brush between tanks, I am talking 5-10 full strokes per tooth type full filings, then swap it out for a new one.
Files are cheap and nothing cuts as well as a new one.
 
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