Another Wood Story

[DSS]

Get some Save Edge files. Nothing else comes close. And they're cheaper than a lot of the other junk out there. As far as I can tell, an Oregon file is made of cheese.

 

[leo58]

What Eecho said

Use your vise and a grandberg type sharpener. I like the look of the grandberg it being all metal. I have a similar looking one that was my dads. It was given to him in mid seventies and has seen countless hours of use. I tend to get sloppy when freehand sharpening. In a hurry,tired or otherwise having a bad day. this tool eliminates these variables. Set it up the first time on a new chain if possible to learn the correct angles for your application.

 

[Dan_IN_MN]

Congrats on the wood score.

As to the sharpening with a file when I started out in logging on a pulp cutting crew 35+ something years ago, I was the "apprentice" (aka GoFor), to a crusty old gent that for whatever reason took a liking to me. When I asked him to teach me to sharpen a chain I started with all same questions I read here on the forums, what file, what angle, how deep, how many swipes, etc. etc. His reply which made a huge amount of sense, and one that I have never seen posted though I may have missed it, was simply, "learn what a sharp chain looks like and how it feels in the cut and the rest will come." He then gave me a chain he had sharpened and told me to study it, and refer to it as I sharpened. Look at the differences between what I was doing and what he had done, and after a fashion I would be able to sharpen not based upon angles and depths but by eye and the knowledge what a sharp file maintained chain is supposed to look like.

The point of this long winded story is simply this, it matters not how much you practice filing until you know what the end result of the sharpened cutting tooth is supposed to look like. Without this knowledge, you're simply randomly removing metal. So the first thing I suggest is ask the foreman of that tree crew, assuming he is capable, if he would hand file a chain for you so you can take it home and use it as a reference while you practice. A jig such as a Granberg may make it easier for you to be consistent and teach your hands the feel developing muscle memory of sharpening.

I have always found that employing a simple file holder is a great help too. It just makes hanging onto the file in a consistent manner easier and keeps your hands from cramping up especially on the long chains.


Take Care

Maybe it's good to know what a dull cutter looks like. There should be a sharp edge between the top plate and the arch of the radius of the file. For this cutter to be sharp, it needs to be filed until all of the rounded edge is gone. Three strokes on this cutter isn't going to 'cut' it!

 

[Hedgerow]

Get some Save Edge files. Nothing else comes close. And they're cheaper than a lot of the other junk out there. As far as I can tell, an Oregon file is made of cheese.

Are the save edge files better than the Stihl files? If so, I need to get some...

 

[DSS]

Are the save edge files better than the Stihl files? If so, I need to get some...

I think they are. They seem smoother to me and they certainly last longer. If you try a box I don't think you'll ever go back.

I really liked the Woodland pro files from Baileys too, but they don't seem to have them any more. They put a really nice edge on.

 

[slowp]

Don't sweat the details! Get a proper sized file of any brand and get going. It is the way you file--not the brand of file, that makes a sharp chain.

 

[Dogsout]

Well here are the first 2 loads from the from the pile that I have been allowed to cut from. All ash and from what I saw none in the limb and log pile cut any longer then 8 to 10 feet long. The trailer might leave a little to be desired but for $75.00 and for what it will haul I am happy with it. Looking forward to a good summer of wood gathering! Cut it all with the Husky so after lunch I am going to put saw on vice in shop and have at it with the file. When done I might try and post a picture and let the board critique my sharping skills.

 

[DSS]

Don't sweat the details! Get a proper sized file of any brand and get going. It is the way you file--not the brand of file, that makes a sharp chain.

This is true. But good files just make your life so much easier that you don't mind sharpening a chain.

 

[Dogsout]

Here is the picture that I said I would try and get posted up. The one to the left is the one I filed, to the right has not been filed. After using the advice given to me in this thread and comparing my tooth to a new chain and Manyhobies picture I might have found my biggest problem. Not filing enough to put edge on tooth. The picture below was 3 hits with the file. Looking at this picture I can now see that I have not brought the filed edge up to the top edge of the tooth. Most of the videos and a lot of the comments on filing threads on here warned not to over file. Most recommended 2 to 3 strokes per time. So I never gave any chain over 3 strokes. Would it be a fair assumption that I let the chain go way to far before I file? I can say without a doubt that the vise plus two hands on the file sure was more comfortable and I thought that I got a much better stroke on each tooth. Picture is not the best but a least I got the date fixed. (Took 15 minutes to figure this one out) Any comments would be welcomed.

 

[1project2many]

With a chain like that there were probably a *few* symptoms the chain needed sharpening:

Needing down pressure to finish a cut
Having to "rock" the saw back and forth to finish a cut
Leaving piles of saw dust instead of saw chips
Smoke/steam escaping from cut.

Any of these symptoms mean the chain is overdue for sharpening. A sharp chain on a vertical cut in Ash will dang near pull itself through the wood. A sharp chain can go through Ash with only one hand on the saw to operate the trigger.

The fellow that posted the advice to look at a sharp chain is right on. I taught myself by reading a few things, then dulling up a few chains and filing each link until it looked like a new one. I had the new chain sitting beside me while I did it. That process trained me to look at what's wrong as well as what's correct. I'm no expert but I can recognize a few mistakes.

Look at link on right. Notice how curved area under flat is C shaped? Now look at link you sharpened. Lower C has been changed to more of an L. In the corner of L is where the file was running. Looks like you're filing without a guide and you're too deep in the tooth. A guide really helps as it sets the file at the correct depth. I know some old bucks who file without a guide but as a "part timer" I have no problems with using one.

I don't use a vice. I developed a method where I sit down on a flat surface, set the saw beside me, wrap one hand around the saw, and file with two hands. I keep my arm wrapped around the saw to keep it from rocking. I work to pay attention to how my hands are moving so I don't get to rocking the file back and forth. It's natural on the forward stroke to push down without even realizing it. As mentioned previously the file needs to be at the same angle the entire time.

 

[Turkeyslayer]

I agree it looks like you are filing to deep into the gullet. I have used a bunch of different guides over the years and have found the jonsered(husky) roller guide to work about the best and is super simple to use.

 

[Turkeyslayer]

Good score by the way!

 

[DSS]

Yup, you're a little too deep. You need to be lifting up a bit. It's going to take some filing to get that chain back to where it should be, but once you get it there, it's easier to keep it there.

See how your drive links, under the rivets, are starting to wear? A chain with that much tooth left shouldn't be worn there yet. Likely from pushing down too hard because of the dull chain.

You won't learn this overnight, but you're doing ok, keep at it.

 

[DSS]

And use a vice! At least until you get good at it. Never mind trying to hang onto a loose saw, you've got enough to think about.:smile2: