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