Filing kits

[Angelos]

Been sharpening my chainsaw at my local Husqvarna dealer.
When I asked him if I could hand file the chain he said it's too difficult,you'll do it wrong, you'll get vibrations etc..
He can sharpen the teeth , but he can't lower the depth gauge. Same thing with the Stihl dealer.
I was thinking to buy a filing kit , but he said that I'll propably destroy 15-20 chains until I do it properly.
Is it so difficult?
Since I cut wood for my fireplace twice a week , buying a grinder would be I guess too much for me.
Shall I choose a hand filing kit? Which one should I choose?Any suggestions?

Thank you,
Angelos

 

[natems361]

Husqvarna makes a good kit flat file depth gauge for hard and soft wood for rake. file guide on rollers it clips over each tooth sharpening file worked good for me dont need it any more.

 

[bigredd]

Stihl Filing Kit

I really like the Stihl filing kit. Get some extra files as well. Stihl also has some very informative videos on chain sharpening, maintenance, etc. on their website.

STIHL Incorporated USA -- Information -- Manufacturing the World's Number One Selling Brand of Chain Saws

 

[Bob95065]

I wouldn't go back to either of those shops again.

I went up to Webb Farm Supply and got a 1 1/2 hour lesson from Lowell Webb on how to file chain saw chain. I didn't mess up any chains and I have filed my own chains for 10 years.

This is what I bought: Oregon 7/32" Chain Saw Sharpening Kit Fits All Large Saws,Stihl,Husky,Echo,Sears | eBay I got this set first then Lowell sold me a dozen Forester files. I'll never go back. They cut well and last a long time.

Anyway, you can learn all there is to know about filing your chain here: OREGON Maintenance and Tips Check out Madsen's site: Guide Bar & Saw Chain Menu You will learn more there than you thought you could know about chainsaws. Caution: Don't go to this site unless you have at least two hours to kill.

The biggest advantage to hand filing is I can sharpen my chain in the field. I use a stump vice: stump vice | eBay to hold my bar steady.

Lowell taught me to use two hands when filing. Be sure to maintain the cutter's angle. Be sure the teeth are all the same length. WHen you are done file the depth gauges.

When I come back after cutting firewood I put my saw bar in the vice on my bench. The first thing I do is measure all the teeth with a digital caliper. I find the shortest tooth and sharpen it. I remeasure that tooth and zero my caliper. Once I have that reading I sharpoen the rest of the teeth until they are all within 0.010" of each other in length. I know it seems like overkill but when I use my saws there is no vibration. Also I am a weekend cutter that is only out for firewood.

Lowell showed me a way to inexpensively measure tooth length in the field. He used a 1/4"-20 bolt and four nuts. Thread two of the nuts on the bolt and lock them together. Next, put the edge of the nut against a tooth. Thread the other tow nuts on the bolt until the inside nut is touching the tooth. Using the fourth nut lock the nuts together which will set the two pairs exactly the tooth length apart. You can use this "poor man's micrometer" to keep the tooth lengths consistant on the chain.

I hope this helped. I can get my chain sharper with a file than a grinder. I can file them whenever I want and it doens't cost me anything until I need a new file.

Bob

 

[CTYank]

Been sharpening my chainsaw at my local Husqvarna dealer.
When I asked him if I could hand file the chain he said it's too difficult,you'll do it wrong, you'll get vibrations etc..
He can sharpen the teeth , but he can't lower the depth gauge. Same thing with the Stihl dealer.
I was thinking to buy a filing kit , but he said that I'll propably destroy 15-20 chains until I do it properly.
Is it so difficult?
Since I cut wood for my fireplace twice a week , buying a grinder would be I guess too much for me.
Shall I choose a hand filing kit? Which one should I choose?Any suggestions?

Thank you,
Angelos

Absolute BS. I spent an hour or two 30+ yrs ago figuring out how to best use Granberg's "File n Joint" and have not found a better way to sharpen chains. Clamps on bar and holds angles/height you set. Very consistent results, minimum metal removal. Pop in a flat file and depth gauges are trivial to set precisely. This file guide is so simple to set up and use that it's easy to keep cutters like razors.

IMHO, grinders destroy chains. He's an idiot/liar/thief.

 

[craig71]

Wear gloves and dont forget to breathe.

 

[zogger]

You can do it man, it isn't that hard to achieve sharp "good enough" status.

those guys at those shops just want you to keep coming back in to get your chainsharpened, then sell you a new chain.

A round file and flat file are loads cheaper.

Take a brand new chain, set it aside. approach your dull chain. LOOK AT THE NEW CHAIN real close

Match what you see on the dull chain as best as possible. Think about all your angles and how you are holding and stroking with the file.

I am SURE the various filing jigs and guides work better, but I have never owned one. Just sat down years ago with a dull chain and figured it out. It's like sharpening anything else, just get your angles and strokes down so you achieve the best shape and angle and don't flinch and round off anything you have sharpened.

And quit while you are ahead, avoid excessive filing. Less strokes and better quality strokes is better than filing like crazy and getting all wiggly on yourself.

 

[stihlrookie]

You certainly can hand sharpen you chain, with a bit of patience you should even be good at it. Pick up a kit with a guide for the cutters and a depth gauge for the rakers, I personally use the Stihl kit mentioned by a previous poster. Just take your time and pay attention and you will do fine. You can start with a a chain that needs just a little touch up and follow the angles of the cutters to get an idea. I don't care for gloves, can't get a good "feel" for when the file is biting right. I do, however, recommend wearing some protective glasses. I had a bit of metal come off the chain last year while filing and pop me in the eye, not fun. I quit taking chains to the shops around here because the guys on the grinders were pretty heavy handed and I was only getting 2-3sharpenings before the chain was done.

 

[Eecho]

+1 for the granberg you just cant get better results so much so that I sharpen factory stihl chain out of the box . Once you set it up on the bar you wont go to another saw shop for chain maintenance. Buy good quality files and you will have some of the best results . It will also file every cutter to the same length which is where vibration comes from . Saw shops around here have 20,000$ Full automatic grinders that cant produce a better result then my granberg and the owner openly admits it after seeing my chains. .

 

[Angelos]

Thank you all for the replies , you've been very helpfull.
First thing I do tomorrow is to buy a depth gauge tool and a flat file cause I have already sharpened the teeth about ten times without lowering the gauge.
Now about filing kits, my only option here is stihl or Husqvarna kit.This Granberg sure looks interesting, it seems to get the job done much more easier.
I guess I'll go with that.

P.S. When I asked my Husqvarna dealer how to lower the gauge, told me to forget it and buy a new chain.The Stihl guy said there are a few people who can hand file a chain properly and that no one does anymore.
Great!!!I guess when you are new to chainsaws, all you can hear is BS.

Thank you again,

Angelos

 

[lambs]

check your flat file before you buy it

Make sure your flat file has smooth sides so it won't ding your razor sharp cutters as you file the depth gauges.

 

[Terry Syd]

Here is the best thread on this forum for setting the rakers. I use the Husky roller guide with the PROGRESSIVE RAKER PLATE. Read the thread and you'll understand a Hell of a lot more than that idiot Husky dealer.

http://www.arboristsite.com/chain-sharpening/114624.htm

 

[Sagetown]

A Granberg kit for the teeth. A raker flatfile for a couple of light passes across the raker tops when needed. Follow the direction that come with the chain, and before long you can eyeball it for touch ups. A Norhern Tool electric grinder can clean up very abused chains quickly, then you can get back to hand filing.

 

[fossil]

It's a lot easier to touch up your chain frequently and keep it sharp all the time than let it get really dull and have to restore it.

 

[Sagetown]

My son filed his .404" chains with a 5/32" round file a whole lot before conceeding I needed to show him what he was doing wrong. That kind of abuse calls for a major clean up with a grinder.:bang:

 

[timber_horse]

If you can, try to get this file kit. Then you sharpen the teeth and sett the rakers in one operation. Only works for Stihl chains thoug.
Wery easy to use, with the bar in a vise an both hands on the file. Just flipp it over to do the other side.

 

[angelo c]

Thank you all for the replies , you've been very helpfull.
First thing I do tomorrow is to buy a depth gauge tool and a flat file cause I have already sharpened the teeth about ten times without lowering the gauge.
Now about filing kits, my only option here is stihl or Husqvarna kit.This Granberg sure looks interesting, it seems to get the job done much more easier.
I guess I'll go with that.

P.S. When I asked my Husqvarna dealer how to lower the gauge, told me to forget it and buy a new chain.The Stihl guy said there are a few people who can hand file a chain properly and that no one does anymore.
Great!!!I guess when you are new to chainsaws, all you can hear is BS.

Thank you again,

Angelos

First of all "angelos" is a great name.

You've gotten some great advice above so far. I'll add that most of the posters hear have wayyyy much more knowledge then local dealers(yours in particular is a moron). Hang around here for a while and you'll be well informed. also I'll stir the pot some. I was taught that each individual tooth to raker relationship is the key, not getting each tooth the same height then matching all the rakers as well. Hope that makes sense. I think some guys put too much effort on counting strokes and trying to get equal tooth heights. Its the relationships between each tooth/raker that matter.

 

[jeepmedic]

I have used the Stihl kit and have had really good luck. I am new to sharpening chains as well, and the folks on this site have lots of good advise and info.

Take your time, and plan on trial and error. I butchered two chains on my grinder, am getting much better, and after lots of practice can sharpen by hand with a file good enough for my needs. Pay good attention to the wood shavings/chips when cutting. They are a good indicator on how sharp your chain is, along with how smooth it cuts.

The best advise I have gotten is to only file enough off to make the metal look new again, and to not forget the rakers.

Sharpening is an art, can be done by anyone with patience, and just takes time to learn

 

[slowp]

Make sure your flat file has smooth sides so it won't ding your razor sharp cutters as you file the depth gauges.

When it is time to do the rakers, file them before doing the teeth. The rakers aren't done every filing and just take a couple of strokes to do.

 

[Currently]

If you can, try to get this file kit. Then you sharpen the teeth and sett the rakers in one operation. Only works for Stihl chains thoug.
Wery easy to use, with the bar in a vise an both hands on the file. Just flipp it over to do the other side.

I am definitely going to give this a shot .... now only if my dealer can know what I am talking about to get one ordered.

Noticed you are from Norway, let us see if the US distribution has a clue what this is ...