Chain sharpening help

[Bill G]

Me I do not ask for cash here but accept payment in 2 litre bottles of my favourite beer Kamenitza $1.50 and several of them also give me salami or bacon. I always tell them to bring just their chain. It used to piss me off in UK if I did some peoples chains, do the chain, clear out the crap from bar and crap off power head then them to say it leaks, my answer was it was so full of sawdust it soaked it up so just chains now but I do my chains with a file.

salami and bacon...the staples of life

 

[HumBurner]

What are they charging you for a new chain then?

I dunno. The .43/.325mini chains I last bought were $25-30 a pop, but that's the Husqy brand.


I have a couple rolls I bought in 2020 or early 21 that I'll be working off for a while.

I imagine a 72dl 3/8 semi-chisel Carlton chain would be 30-40 new, after tax. The Carlton was cheaper than Oregon when I ordered the roll, even. They were usually more expensive in the past.

 

[Evan]

Yeah idaho is going ****ing nutz

 

[Bill G]

I dunno. The .43/.325mini chains I last bought were $25-30 a pop, but that's the Husqy brand.


I have a couple rolls I bought in 2020 or early 21 that I'll be working off for a while.

I imagine a 72dl 3/8 semi-chisel Carlton chain would be 30-40 new, after tax. The Carlton was cheaper than Oregon when I ordered the roll, even. They were usually more expensive in the past.

I suggest you find a new dealer

 

[Xmaniac]

We invested in a breaker/spinner and buy chain by the reel. You'll save hundreds per spool(depending on brand name and company you buy it from... look for deals with suppliers.. I personally prefer Oregon's quality to price ratio... Stihl, Husqvarna chains are more expensive and I've had bad overtempured chains from the cheaper companies)compared to local saw shop Mark up prices... plus always have new chains readily available on demand. If a chain breaks a link, you can fix it, instead of purchasing a new one. The spool comes with master links and boxes. You just mount the spinner at front of bench a little past the finishing nail that's used to hold the first link of chain, mount the breaker at the other end. You can manually mark the bench with drive link numbers of different sizes of chain from finishing nail or buy the Oregon chain drive link measurement sticker pack. I engraved all my drive link,chain and bar size measurements on a piece of aluminum flat stock that butts up against the nail because it's a more durable, longer lasting option for my personal specific situation due to the fact that we store the saws on the same bench... so oil leaks, constant abrasion, scratches, etc.. destroyed the sticker and removed the marks

 

[Xmaniac]

Just a promotional gift I picked up from a husqvarna representative... it would be an huge ass saw though.... that tooth is 5×3 inches....

 

[Welderman85]

On the 2 in 1 can you change file sizes or do I need a whole new set up

 

[trains]

different 2 in 1 for each chain size.

 

[trains]

Hello all. This will probably sound dumb but I need some help with starting to sharpen my own chains. I used to just have a few chains and when one would dull I would have the little shop in town fo it for 3 bucks. Well they retired so now hear I am lol. I don't cut alot so I was thinking of getting the stihl 2 in 1 file thing. Are those any good.

just a bit of an update, came across this vid , and it covers the basics, and is a good start.

 

[Philbert]

We invested in a breaker/spinner and buy chain by the reel

Pricing of a full reel vs individual loops can vary, depending on sale prices, etc.

The real cost savings from a spinner and breaker set is in saving, repairing, and resizing chain loops, vs throwing them out when they just need a little attention.

Philbert

 

[Xmaniac]

Pricing of a full reel vs individual loops can vary, depending on sale prices, etc.

The real cost savings from a spinner and breaker set is in saving, repairing, and resizing chain loops, vs throwing them out when they just need a little attention.

Philbert

I totally agree... plus the convenience of having chains readily available at all times and of your preferred brand, sequence...

 

[056kid]

I taught myself how to freehand file back in the 1970s.

We'd by some files, cut ~ 5"lengths of ~ 11/2" hardwood branch, and tap the pointed file end into the pith. That's how we made file handles.

One other thing, always wear some good gloves when filing. Even a dull cuter can skin a knuckle.

I have taken so many chunks out of the back of my right hand fingers..

A high quality chain grinder does a great job with most chains period. The process is very slow and much more expensive than hand sharpening. A machine sharpened chain will probably last half as long or less than a hand sharpened chain. If you promised me the moon to hand sharpen thirty chains in a day I would not do it. For those that occasionally cut a few cords a year likely it would be best for them to take a few chains to a shop and let them sharpen. For all others that want to be more productive and effective it is worth the effort to learn the hand sharpen system. Most OP do not realize that to take a chain off the saw and a sharp one back on takes plenty of time. I think ALL file guides are junk. I know many folks who with the aid of a guide get some teeth just right but can not get the opposite teeth to match. Years ago I would make a cut into a log or some stable section of wood put the bar into it and sharpen away. that process is not as effective as using a bar vice by far. For those who want to learn should watch some videos to start with and see if the process becomes satisfactory. Then find some one who is accomplished show you some methods to do it well. Few people mention that as the process is going on the OP needs to lift the file a little to get the leading sharp edge really sharp. The rakers usually need at least one stroke for every tank of fuel or two or three after several tanks. A couple of hours each day of cutting for six to ten times should get the OP into a high quality bracket of fast cutting with satisfying flying chips. Thanks

Cutting rakers after every tank? God almighty!! my rakers would be gone in a day!

 

[056kid]

A grinder has it's place in this deal but 99 percent of the time you can "touch-up" your chains with a file and get right back to work with the saw.

I've been hand sharpening since the 1970's and pretty good at it. My routine is to take 4-5 saws to any outing, cleaned, fueled, razor sharp chains and ready to go. If you hit something or stick it the dirt, or the saw you are using just stops cutting well just grab another and keep working.

I used to touch them up in the field or carry extra chains but these days I will NOT take a saw apart for any reason till back to the shop. It's just a PITA to mess with all that oily sawdust and fiddling with bar nuts and adjustors. Filing without a shop vise can also be a lesson in humility.

Back at the shop after every outing my saws get blown off with compressed air, chains tightened, touched up, bars greased, and saws topped off with fuel and oil. A big shop vise firmly mounted on a heavy duty table is a must for sharpening chains. Make sure they are tight, correct size file, and follow the original angles. It takes some practice but very quickly you will get good at it saving both time and money.

I take the rakers down if/as needed. Used to measure them but these days I just file them couple of strokes and keep moving. I spot-check once in a while to make sure angles and cutting depth is correct. These new chains with the line on the cutting teeth really help to keep you from going too far off course.

Sooner or later you are going to shove the chain into a big piece of sandstone laying on top of the ground, or hit a nail driving in the tree decades ago. Those chains need a grinder in most cases to get them back to even on both sides/angles back to where they should be. You will also get more life out of a chain "touching" it up vs grinding with a machine. They tend to take off more material even when you are pretty good at setting things up.......FWIW.......

Whats so hard about taking a clutch cover off? If you're running anything longer than 28" swapping a chain takes about a minute if you know how to roll your chain onto the bar.

 

[cahaak]

In the long run, you are much better off learning to sharpen your chain free hand, which may mean learning with a guide, but ideally you learn from someone who knows what they are doing and shows you personally. All of the chains that I use have witness marks on each tooth, so these are quite easy to follow for the horizontal angle. I typically use about -5 degrees for my vertical angle. I file my chain every tank or two depending upon the cutting situation. Normally running a 72 DL, and that takes less than 5 minutes to file. I wear my glove on my left hand and hold the file one handed in my right - helps to have a good handle. I place one of my left hand fingers right at the rear of the tooth I'm filing, 2-5 strokes and on to the next one. It is very fast, just let the file do the work on the forward stroke.
I am usually just bucking wood for firewood and usually pretty clean. I can cut 20-30 cords of wood on a single chain before the tooth length is too short. I just hit the rakers when I can feel and see the chip size is incorrect and too small. I try to take care to not hit things if I can, because it is a pain to put the chain in the grinder and grind it out.
A whole box of 12 files is pretty cheap, just knock of as many filings as you can when you are done and store them in the sleeve they came in. Filing is really quite simple, there is nothing magical about it.

 

[holeycow]

I like everything about your post. I am sometimes dumbfounded by all the sharpening hullabaloo. Anywho..

Ps, I wear both gloves. Had a sawhand on a job get a NASTY cut while sharpening his chain barehanded. Pretty much to the bone. A sharp tooth is SHARP!

 

[ZeroJunk]

I have taken so many chunks out of the back of my right hand fingers..

It's really fun when you have been on blood thinners for 20 years. Black electrical tape works OK .