A question for all you guys that sharpen chisel chains

[fossil]

Up until now I have only used semi-chisel chains. When sharpening those, the file stays at right angles to the bar.

I just got a new bar and chisel chain for my Echo 6700.

I am curious as to why you hold the file at a 10 degree slope when sharpening chisel chains.

Thanks

 

[Dennis Cahoon]

You need slope to cover the top plate.

 

[fossil]

Thanks!

 

[lambs]

I like to think of it as "cleaning out" the point on the cutter, dressing it back into a sharp point.

 

[blsnelling]

The 10° angle is not required. Many do not do it, including myself. Some chain manufacturers don't call for it either.

 

[FrankHgh]

The 10° angle is not required. Many do not do it, including myself. Some chain manufacturers don't call for it either.

I agree, the 10 degree is a user issue. as for me. the 10 degree tends to get dull quicker.

 

[MCW]

I've tried both 0° and 10° and haven't seen any major difference. I'm sure in a race situation you'd notice but in general field use the 10° can complicate things if you don't have a good eye.
I file/grind at 0° and am very happy with the way it cuts and wears despite mainly running semi.

 

[procarbine2k1]

I hand file at 10 degrees, and grind at 0. My grinder does not allow for vice tilt (Silvey), and my last one didnt either (Tecomec).

 

[SawTroll]

I've tried both 0° and 10° and haven't seen any major difference. I'm sure in a race situation you'd notice but in general field use the 10° can complicate things if you don't have a good eye.
I file/grind at 0° and am very happy with the way it cuts and wears despite mainly running semi.

I have also tried both, agree that it doesn't really matter much. Looking at what you are doing is more important than the exact tilt angle.

Btw, seeing what you are doing is harder on a semi-chisel than on a chisel.

 

[outdoortype]

Oregon reccomends 10 degree tilt on round chisel LG, LGX, etc

Oregon specs say 10 degree but Stihl says 90 or no tilt. Ten degrees aint much and seems like a pain to free hand on the back of a pickup or wherever you touch up in the field. Maybe the 10 degree thing gives more efficient cutting but dulls quicker because the semi chisel has no tilt.

 

[Mastermind]

I've been playing with (another learning curve to aspire too) filing guides and different angles. The 10 degree angle most definitely makes a sharper chain.

 

[fossil]

Thanks guys. I do like the sharpest chain possible but touching a chain up on my knees in the bush with the black flies and mosquitoes chewing at me makes the 0 degrees seem a lot more attractive.
I might try an old chisel chain I have at 10 degrees and see if I can notice the difference and keep the new one at 0 for now.
I have the new bar and chain and I am just waiting for a clutch drum bearing to get her going.

I appreciate all the advice as always.

 

[Jacob J.]

I've been playing with (another learning curve to aspire too) filing guides and different angles. The 10 degree angle most definitely makes a sharper chain.

Stihl recommends the 10 degree angle in their bar and chain catalog for cutting frozen wood.

 

[fossil]

Stihl recommends the 10 degree angle in their bar and chain catalog for cutting frozen wood.

That's interesting.

I haven't cut any frozen wood yet and that's not to say I won't be.

Usually the only frozen wood I do cut is my head by standing up too quickly under a low branch while hunting grouse in January.

 

[H 2 H]

Damit Jim; I forgot to out the degree wheel on my file this morning

 

[carym2a]

Damit Jim; I forgot to out the degree wheel on my file this morning

That might call for pictures, If got an extra one in my hotrod junk i might need to put together with my chisel bit files.

 

[Philbert]

Oregon specs filing their chisel chains at a 10 degree 'file guide angle' in their Maintenance and Safety Manual but then states,

"When using an Oregon Filing Guide, ALWAYS hold it level, 0 degrees, flat on the top plate" (their emphasis).

I believe that this is because those, and similar file guides, are designed to ride on the top plates and depth gauges of the cutters. This is so the file is held at the right height to form the correct hook shape on the cutters. If you hold these file guides at an upward angle, the file does not contact the cutters correctly.

OREGON Maintenance Manual

But, to confuse things, their illustration describing 'file guide angle' appears to show their filing guide being held at both 0 (or 90) degrees and at 10 degrees!!!

To me, this suggests that a 10 degree angle would improve performance with chisel chain, but is not required. Similarly, some of the Oregon/Tecomec style grinders have a vise tilt feature to allow this angle, and some of the more basic models do not. Tilting the vise for each side takes a few extra steps; more if you go back and forth.

What I have found from sharpening other people's chains is that it is best to pick one and stick with it, whether filing or grinding. If I grind a chain at 0 degrees that was previously sharpened at 10 degrees, or vice versa, I have to remove more metal for the wheel to make full contact with the cutter. This means that I am shortening the life of the chain by going back and forth.

Philbert

 

[SawTroll]

To confuse things, their illustration describing 'file guide angle' appears to show their filing guide being held at both 0 (or 90) degrees and at 10 degrees!!!

To me, this suggests that a 10 degree angle would improve performance with chisel chain, but is not required. Similarly, some of the Oregon/Tecomec style grinders have a vise tilt feature to allow this angle, and some of the more basic models do not. Tilting the vise for each side takes a few extra steps; more if you go back and forth.

As I recall it, Oregon recommend 10 degrees on chisel chain, and 0 (or 90) on most semi-chisel ones.

 

[galde]

The 10-degree tilt is not an option when using a filing guide or Grandberg or Dremel grinder with a flat plate guide that rests on the top plate since any tilt would jack up the file/grinder bit at the point of the tooth. The 10-degree tilt does two things to the top plate. The file makes more of an undercut at the heel of the top plate than at the toe. It also makes the resulting top plate angle somewhat smaller than the actual filing angle because of the greater undercut at the heel of the top plate. I quit doing the tilt long ago since I couldn't see enough benefit to bother with it. Also on .325 low profile teeth (Oregon 3x), you quickly get into the tie straps when tilting the file or grinder. The key to getting the maximum number of resharpenings from any chain is to keep the cut uniform for each sharpening -- the only change being the switch to the next smaller file size when the tooth is about half gone.

 

[Denis Gionet]

Also on .325 low profile teeth (Oregon 3x), you quickly get into the tie straps when tilting the file or grinder. The key to getting the maximum number of resharpenings from any chain is to keep the cut uniform for each sharpening -- the only change being the switch to the next smaller file size when the tooth is about half gone.

That comment just earned you some rep ! Thanks for the tip !