Bad chain filing

[Vintage Engine Repairs]

Not a piss taking thread, we’ve all got a lot to learn and we are all at a different stage on our journey, but I thought it could be fun to see pictures of some pretty bad chainsaw cutters that you’ve come across.

This one is rather interesting, though not the worst, it didn’t take the owner long to miss shape the profile.

A quick before and after (though actually they are different teeth but you get the gist)

 

[anlrolfe]

I've f-ed up some chain before. As a young boy, I made one cut curves. I must have filed the heck out of one side. Lessons learned and water under the bridge. This is an example of how things get better with practice.
Stay safe and keep burnin' wood.

 

[Vintage Engine Repairs]

I've f-ed up some chain before. As a young boy, I made one cut curves. I must have filed the heck out of one side. Lessons learned and water under the bridge. This is an example of how things get better with practice.
Stay safe and keep burnin' wood.

I’ve been fortunate enough to come to chain filing at a time of the internet and skilled people sharing their knowledge so although I’m still fairly average with my sharpening, I’ve got enough knowledge to be dangerous

 

[CR888]

I’ve been fortunate enough to come to chain filing at a time of the internet and skilled people sharing their knowledge so although I’m still fairly average with my sharpening, I’ve got enough knowledge to be dangerous

Your cutter looks really nice.

 

[Vintage Engine Repairs]

Your cutter looks really nice.

Thank you, I have found going up at least a file size or two, to really help the process. This is .404 chain but I’m using 1/4” files. I’d like to try 5/16 on .404, that would be awesome. Maybe when I wear through the current 1/4”

 

[Ando81]

My hand filing looks just like the top pic. I need to sacrifice a chain and keep filing to be able to keep filing material away to see if I can clean out the gullet and get the “hook” look on the cutter.

 

[trains]

Wrong file size etc.




after re profiling the tooth, and yet to set the gullet and raker.

 

[Patrick62]

a few years ago, a box of chains came in, and they looked like this:

 

[Bango Skank]

I briefly climbed for a guy and his company in 2004, and he would take his dull chains to someone he knew that had a disc sharpener type machine. He’d pay however much for the guy to scorch the cutters black while barely putting an edge on the left cutters and not improving the edge at all on the right cutters. He’d yell at his employees when the saws made crooked cuts and he’d yell at me whenever I pulled a file out of my truck to fix the chain. He didn’t like my hourly wage being used to sharpen chains on the job. Pinching pennies while not smart enough to see it was wasting dollars.

I wish I’d had a camera phone back then to share a pic of these chains that he spent money on, it was ridiculous. It got to the point where I was begging him to just learn how to hand file for himself if he wouldn’t let me do it.

 

[Vintage Engine Repairs]

I briefly climbed for a guy and his company in 2004, and he would take his dull chains to someone he knew that had a disc sharpener type machine. He’d pay however much for the guy to scorch the cutters black while barely putting an edge on the left cutters and not improving the edge at all on the right cutters. He’d yell at his employees when the saws made crooked cuts and he’d yell at me whenever I pulled a file out of my truck to fix the chain. He didn’t like my hourly wage being used to sharpen chains on the job. Pinching pennies while not smart enough to see it was wasting dollars.

I wish I’d had a camera phone back then to share a pic of these chains that he spent money on, it was ridiculous. It got to the point where I was begging him to just learn how to hand file for himself if he wouldn’t let me do it.

That’s sad. I do wonder how some people can run their own business like that…

 

[buzz sawyer]

Wrong file size etc.
View attachment 927943



after re profiling the tooth, and yet to set the gullet and raker.

View attachment 927944

Maybe it's the viewing angle but it looks like it needs deeper gullet.

 

[frank_]

the op ones look like they were machine ground but with the depth stop too short to me
mine are freehand ghetto ground with a reinforced 3mm wheel, that fits all chain sizes
so on my big saw its a semi square low raker

 

[Bango Skank]

the op ones look like they were machine ground but with the depth stop too short to me
mine are freehand ghetto ground with a reinforced 3mm wheel, that fits all chain sizes
so on my big saw its a semi square low raker

View attachment 927994

Honest question; How’s that treat you?

I’d except it to vibrate/ chatter like crazy, and would need some pretty high chain speed to get the cut started.

 

[frank_]

Honest question; How’s that treat you?

I’d except it to vibrate/ chatter like crazy, and would need some pretty high chain speed to get the cut started.

not sure tbh, i,ve only used it to log 3 small conifers and chop a load of pallets
customers rakers just get a tickle, apart from polesaws

 

[HumBurner]

Honest question; How’s that treat you?

I’d except it to vibrate/ chatter like crazy, and would need some pretty high chain speed to get the cut started.

If not chatter and bounce, it would probably pull the saw from you.

Had a coworker make his chain way too aggressive one time. He didn't tell me this. Lent me his saw for a minute to limb up a tree higher (5'5" vs 6'3" and longer arms.)
The thing was through the limb before I got the throttle up to full. No joke. The saw pulled away from me so, so fast.

Probably would've been great for bucking, IF it could feed without binding.

 

[Northerner]

I should start taking pictures of some of the saws that come through my shop for other work. Worst thing is I have to sharpen them whether I want to or not to try them out.
I can’t stand super dull chains when testing a saw.
Pretty easy to go through a file per chain or more, time to start charging for the files I think.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Huskybill]

Tip, on 3/8” chain I take a 3/16” file below the tooth and file a large radious gullet. Then I take the file n guide with a 7/32” file or 5/32” file and sharpen the top of the tooth only to the correct angle. Then correct the depth on the rakers.

I don’t care I’ll spend an hour to setup the chain correctly then in the field it’s one swipe with the file n guide.

 

[trains]

Maybe it's the viewing angle but it looks like it needs deeper gullet.

yep, thats what I said, I had only sorted the correct file size, and re profiled the tooth in that picture, as stated, then I would set the raker, then another pass on the tooth, as that changes the top angle of the tooth now the file sits a bit lower due to the correct height raker, then free file out the gullet.
Some teeth need more work than others.

 

[Stonewoodiron]

I briefly climbed for a guy and his company in 2004, and he would take his dull chains to someone he knew that had a disc sharpener type machine. He’d pay however much for the guy to scorch the cutters black while barely putting an edge on the left cutters and not improving the edge at all on the right cutters. He’d yell at his employees when the saws made crooked cuts and he’d yell at me whenever I pulled a file out of my truck to fix the chain. He didn’t like my hourly wage being used to sharpen chains on the job. Pinching pennies while not smart enough to see it was wasting dollars.

I wish I’d had a camera phone back then to share a pic of these chains that he spent money on, it was ridiculous. It got to the point where I was begging him to just learn how to hand file for himself if he wouldn’t let me do it.

it amazes me that someone would run a business that way. Unbelievable. I haven’t scorched a chain and I only have done about 10 so far. Some were reprofiled. Been into saws for 9 months. If the idiot homeowner knows how to do it, how is it that the professional can’t? And WHY would your boss still pay that guy to ruin a chain!? When he is told what the issue is?!! And why wouldn’t he do in house sharpening?!?! No wonder you were only employed there a short time. Good thing you left before you got hurt. That business couldn’t have lasted more than a couple years.

 

[Huskybill]

It took me a few tries to learn it, the exhausting chip clearance is the most important thing. If the chip can’t exhaust quickly in the gullet the next chips that follow will choke it all up. Some don’t focus on chain sharpening. I can’t cut unless my chain is sharpened to perfection.