Sharpening?

alderman · Mar 3, 2009

I've read some threads on here where people claim to run a saw all day without sharpening. It has been my experience that even after cutting a pickup load the chain could use at the least, a few good strokes with the file. Is it possible to cut all day long without putting undue stress on the saw with the chain getting dull?

mattmc2003 · Mar 3, 2009

I think it is according to how picky the guy running the saw is. Me, i always want it razor sharp. I sharpen a lot of times when i don't need to, just cause i have time, and its not a fresh sharpening. But, i guess if you were in perfect wood, it could last all day without needing a sharpening, but it for sure couldn't cut like it did that morning.

synness4 · Mar 3, 2009

:stupid:

chowdozer · Mar 3, 2009

Sharpening a chain is a good oppurtunity to drink beer. I drink beer when I sharpen. When I'm done with the beer, I'm done sharpening. So I grab another beer and sharpen some more. After 6 or 7 beers, sharpening becomes a real art form. Usually I can wear out a chain in a half case.

Soilarch · Mar 3, 2009

I doubt it....I'm anal about how sharp my knives, lawnmower, razors, axes, and chains are...so I know I'm biased

I'll sometimes stop before I run out of gas even!

I could see how someone could argue 2 or 3 gas tanks,which is the better part of a day on some days.

I'm less worried about undue stress on the saw and more worried about undue stress on ME!!!! I've finally learned that taking time to sharpen the chain will actually save me time...and makes for an easier and shorter day.

Of course I've never cut softwoods?

willsaw4beer · Mar 3, 2009

Any chance to run a file through the cutters is how often they should be sharpened. You can get a good bit of wood cut if you keep the chain out of the dirt, avoid the knots, etc. but keeping a chain sharp with quick touch ups is better than letting it get to the point where it's dull and won't cut well.

Swamp Yankee · Mar 3, 2009

Depends

Seen some people that cut wood and have a hard time burning a tank in a day, so I guess maybe.

Touch up with fill up is my practice.

Take Care

mile9socounty · Mar 3, 2009

If I can keep it out of the dirt. I sharpen it atleast twice a day. Otherwise, it sharpened as needed. Sometimes I've had to take a third of the tooth off just to fix it.

Cedarkerf · Mar 3, 2009

Never file. chips and cutting action tell me when to put a fresh square ground chain on.

flatpikr · Mar 3, 2009

Personally, and I don't mean to sound flip, I change my chain when it needs to be changed--- not cutting as fast, chips getting smaller, more dust appearing, smoke pouring out of cut, forest catches fire -- yeah-- then I would consider changing my chain. I only sharpen in my shop (bench grinder). I take a box full of chains with me when I go cutting.

tlandrum · Mar 3, 2009

i touch up about every other tank or as needed but i use skip chain and can touch up quickly. i go thru a chain every week on my felling saw (460) and we go thru 1 every week on the bucking saw (660). i seem to be anal about my felling saw having to be grinder fresh all the time. faster it cuts the more wood i send to the mill

Pooh · Mar 4, 2009

i touch up a chain with a stroke or two at every fill. but im not sure im doing it right. when u file, do you run the file from the short point of the angle to toward the long point or vise versa? i dont know how else to describe it.

Patrick62 · Mar 4, 2009

If it is cuttin'

... I will leave it alone (mostly).

I used to do the swap chains routine. On a badly rocked chain, it is faster.
Knowing how to get it sharp with a file is good, and usually practical.

"keep it sharp, and keep it in the wood" is the advice I was given.

Metals406 · Mar 4, 2009

I personally just set my dull chain next to a 361... When I pick them up again they're sharp! :biggrinbounce2:

Jacob J. · Mar 4, 2009

Cutting firewood is a situation where you'll usually need to touch up or swap out chains throughout the day. If the wood has been laying on the ground with fresh dirt, even just rainfall can throw dirt up into the bark.

Falling timber is a different story. Your cutting conditions (here in the PNW) are typically pretty clean in softwoods (excluding Spruce) and you can get a day out of a chain.

superfire · Mar 4, 2009

meez sayz

i sharpen as it slow and smallish chips :chainsawguy: a dull is a safety problem.
sharp chain means a power head will last longer:biggrinbounce2:

:cheers:

:greenchainsaw:

BarkBuster20 · Mar 4, 2009

honestly i might cut 2-3 cord of wood before i need to sharpen my chain...if i sharpened it more often it would be a tad bit sharper but it dont dull up much as long as i dont run it into the dirt. i wont cut with a dull chain but ever tank sounds almost rediculous. every truckload of wood is understandable for some people cause you can notice a slight change in the sharpness if your not to carefull with running it into the ground or cutting dirty wood. and as for keeping axes real sharp if your using them for splitting firewood thats bad. the axe works as a wedge when it splits so a dull axe (to a certain degree) will split better than a razor sharp one, especially if splitting real hardwoods (axe gets stuck) my .2

Soilarch · Mar 4, 2009

Maybe it's the wood I cut, it might even be a flaw in how I sharpen chains, but I'll be done throwing chips long before I load a full cord of 16" logs. I take great care to keep it out of the dirt. Worked with gf's dad last weekend and I kept my mouth shut but I was cringing every time he'd cut into the dirt. He did comment that he thought I did a better job sharpening his chain than the shop he pays to have them sharpened at!

I agree with you on splitting axes...although it's nice to have enough of a "blade" to cut the stringies on hickory.

mattmc2003 · Mar 4, 2009

BarkBuster20 said:
honestly i might cut 2-3 cord of wood before i need to sharpen my chain...if i sharpened it more often it would be a tad bit sharper but it dont dull up much as long as i dont run it into the dirt. i wont cut with a dull chain but ever tank sounds almost rediculous. every truckload of wood is understandable for some people cause you can notice a slight change in the sharpness if your not to carefull with running it into the ground or cutting dirty wood. and as for keeping axes real sharp if your using them for splitting firewood thats bad. the axe works as a wedge when it splits so a dull axe (to a certain degree) will split better than a razor sharp one, especially if splitting real hardwoods (axe gets stuck) my .2

You can't have a good and sharp chain after 2-3 cords. Im not believing that.

Metals406 · Mar 4, 2009

I think hardwoods and softwoods make a big difference here... I think the hardwood guys chains will dull faster than us softwood cutters.

Sharpening?

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