12 volt sharpeners

[tony marks]

until recently i had a fella that did all my chains. hes gone now so decided to try one of the oregon 12volt sharpeners.
plenty sharp,but it just dont cut like it should.is there a trick to these little tools or is it just the wrong tool.by the way the fella that always sharpened my saws,always made it cut better than
new chain.after that it just disgust me to work with a saw chain thats not right.also i do fair with a file but not really the way i want it to be.any ideas appreciated

 

[treeclimber165]

The secret to filing is to repeat the same stroke EXACTLY when filing a tooth, then repeating the same stroke on each tooth. I saw one ol' boy once trying to sharpen a saw, looked like he was playin' a fiddle!
I've always liked the Stihl chain with the 'cheater' marks. I simply match the side angle with the slash on the tooth and angle down about 10 degrees. If you prefer other chain, or need more guidance, there are several good file guides available cheap.
Before I got decent with a hand file, I had one of those 12 volt sharpeners (it's still over my workbench). It was better than paying $3 per chain to have the shop grind them but I soon tired of paying $3.50 per wheel. As I got better with a hand file, I quit using it and can now keep my chains perfect by simply hitting each tooth 2 strokes every time the chain needs adjusting.

 

[jsikkema1]

Rakers???

You didn't mention but... if you don't re-dress your rakers to compensate for the top plate 'kerf' then you'll get reduced performance after sharpening with that 12VDC job...

 

[tony marks]

thanks for the advice.funny thing ,i remember being able to get my old super xl chains pretty well,but after going with the
fella that use to sharpn for me,i gave the job to him.
might be like cooking. some people make food something special,others mostly make dog food. long as the dog aint particular . thanks again, later .

 

[toolmaker]

I used to use an electric grinder before I started filing. Something I noticed is that if you change the color of the tooth at the cutting edge, it makes the tooth softer and wears out faster. It will first turn a straw color, then brown, then blue when it is way too hot. In my experience in working with metal, this is actually re-heat treating the steel, and that is not good. Another thing is that the diameter of the wheel must be correct in order to maintain the proper "hook" under the cutting edge. Personally, I like filing the best. It does not heat the tooth, and is easier to keep the correct shape of the tooth.

 

[TheTreeSpyder]

If we have to take a lot of metal, we use elctric or have done for us.

In any case overheating and changing the temper of the metal; so it won't hold an edge or even become brittle is imperative.
When using an electric, we sue one of the lube stix, wax, soap or something as lubricant, and only give intermittent contact to each tooth. Sometimes, even coming back around and finishing off each tooth after only doing a so-so job on the first round, just to break up the heating of the tooth.

Proper stone size and angle is important because there are like 6 diffrent angles that have to be maintained for the machine of the tooth action to work correctly. The size of the stone, and angles it is held determine this. Each tooth is slanted so it gets lower as it is sharpenned, the raker must be lowered to allow the lowered tooth it shields to be exposed for a set bite. It can even be lowered too much; so that the tooth can even be sheared off or stahl the saw, if too much of the tooths bite is exposed.

 

[WOLF_RIVER_MIKE]

simply hitting each tooth 2 strokes every time the chain needs adjusting.

i agree w/ treeclimber165
study the angle on the tooth, the secret, at least from sharpening a machining tool, is to keep one angle. don't wobble your file as you stroke. feather stroke your chain frequently to keep a constant edge, instead of waiting until major surgery req'd. Kind of like shaving. If you shave every morning, it's quick and effective. Wait 10 years like I have... well just go get a new chain. good luck tony

 

[tony marks]

after 30 yrs of fooling with these things,im afraid i will need luck or somethin.what id really like to find is my old chain man,where ever he went.most times it was a couple o bucks an was worth
a lot to me to know the chain would be right. appreciate the answers.

 

[homelite360]

i found that if you are not that confident with hand filing get one of those oregon file guides that just clamp on to the file. it will make chains so sharp they are scary. that is what i used untill i got goo at free hand filing. good luck

 

[wendell hollis]

Hey Howdy Hey,

I'm back the old dino computer broke down, low priority on the repair list compared to a Jonsey, Wait a minute a Jonsey don't break down. I owned a oregon grinder and when it got stolen out of my truck I didn't count it as a loss. It was fun at first but then I got tired of buying stones also. A lot of things a fella has to keep an eye on when sharpening. Just got tired of employees blueing the cutters and wearing out stones.

Wendell