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
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...
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.
Enter your email address to join: