Hand Held Chain Sharpeners

[AJLOGGER]

I Was Just Wondering If The Handheld 12 Volt Sharpeners Are Any Good? I File Some But I Just Can't Get The Chain Back To New Performance. I Saw These Handhelds And Was Curious. Thanks.

 

[lcso10]

I am not sure how well they work but I sell a bunch of the Stihl hand sharpeners and the little bits that fit them. I dont recall anyone complaining on there performance. Must work fairly well.

 

[Urbicide]

Are you free hand filing your chains now? I am one of the unfortunate ones who can't maintain a consistent angle when sharpening a chain. I ended up buying a Granberg filing guide. It took alittle practice to get the hang of it. It works fine and saves me $8 everytime I use it over what a shop was charging to grind my chains.

http://store.baileys-online.com/cgi-bin/baileys/31?mv_session_id=39ubyRxA&product_sku=15200

 

[Lakeside53]

I use the 12 volt Stihl grinder (relabled Granberg) when touching up my chain on the mill - can't get a file in from one side, so both sides have to be sharpened from the open direction. Works well... but I'd rather hand file if I could.

 

[AJLOGGER]

Are you free hand filing your chains now? I am one of the unfortunate ones who can't maintain a consistent angle when sharpening a chain. I ended up buying a Granberg filing guide. It took alittle practice to get the hang of it. It works fine and saves me $8 everytime I use it over what a shop was charging to grind my chains.

http://store.baileys-online.com/cgi-bin/baileys/31?mv_session_id=39ubyRxA&product_sku=15200

yes i'm free hand filing. i'm not very good at it. i put a new chain on and it cuts like butter but when it gets a little dull, i'll try and file and i just can't get it like new. maybe i'm just not using the right method. any suggestions would be appreaciated

 

[Urbicide]

What type of chain are you using? I am cutting alot of dead elm and locust on my property. Some of it is on the ground. It's hard stuff! I'm also cutting grapevines which also are to some degree in the dirt also. I have been using semi-chisel chain (Woodsman Pro) from Bailey's. It is not as fast cutting as round chisel but it does last longer between sharpenings for me. Alot of people recommend Stihl chain and I would use it if I could get it at a reasonable price.

Do you check your rakers (depth guages)? It is amazing what taking those down after a number of filings will do. You can use the Granberg filing guide to hold a depth guage file.

CaseyForest has a Stihl bench mount filing guide which looks like it would be a good investment. With this setup you don't have to have the chain mounted up on the saw. He has posted pictures of his guide here before.

 

[Kneejerk Bombas]

Try this:http://www.oregondealer.com/aerialequipment/merchant.cfm?step=4&pid=59

 

[Brit101]

Urbicide recommends the File-n-Joint, here is a recent thread about hand filing and the merits of the FNJ, RaisedByWolves has three posts in the thread and they are noteworthy, explains how the FNJ will give you a long lasting edge and why.

http://www.arboristsite.com/showthread.php?t=34258

 

[redwood logger]

Stick with the hand filing, if you practice long enough you will get it. If you are using chainsws on a regular basis you need to know how to do it. To not know how is like a contractor using a nail gun because he can't drive a nail with a hammer! The satisfaction you get from hand filing will be your reward when you see your saw cut like its going through butter.Im no expert,but this is what works for me. Start with your chain tight. (helps hold it steady) Look for the tooth that looks the dullest,start there. Just try to keep your angle consistant.(I've seen people make saws cut at almost any angle) Make sure you file it down all the way past the bad part of the tooth (this is the most important thing!) Count how many passes that took and do all the other teeth the same number of passes to keep the teeth the same size.Don't be a cheapskate, throw your file away when you can't get it to cut anymore,otherwise your wasting your time! I take the rakers down with a flat file about every 3rd sharpening.Remember, the more you take the rakers down, the more hungry your chain will be. Hungry is good for limbing, but not so good for big cuts. How much to take your rakers down depends on what you do most with your saw. Remember to count the passes and keep the rakers even. When I was learning the biggest mitake I made was never filing the teeth down far enough! When you rock A saw real bad it can take 30 passes on each tooth to get sharp again. This will wear you out when your not used to filing alot. You will try alot harder to not rock your saw when you get done doing all that filing.Also, stop and sharpen it when you first notice it not cutting good. It will be less work that way and make your cutting more enjoyable. Stick with it, you don't want to look like some city boy out there with your guides, gauges and jigs! TAKE IT FOR WHAT IT'S WORTH !! (maybe nthing!) I have 6 saws 4 of which run 32" and 36" bars and I hand file them all myself with this method. They cut good! GOOD LUCK!!!!

 

[clearance]

Yes and yes again to Redwood Logger, he has it right. Practice, practice, just keep doing it. It is good thing to know, you can use whatever you want, but if you only have a file one day, then what?

 

[Ianab]

Yup.. that Oregon sharpening kit with the file guide, depth gauge and files is all you need.

Redwood is right on his post too. If the chain is badly blunt you need to file the heck out of it to get back to clean chrome on the outside of the cutter. Anything less it will go blunt again as soon as it touches wood. Raker height, check it from time to time and file them down as needed.

With a little practice you can have the chain as good as new, with a lot of practice you can get it even sharper

Cheers

Ian

 

[poleframer]

I use the 12 volt Stihl grinder (relabled Granberg) when touching up my chain on the mill - can't get a file in from one side, so both sides have to be sharpened from the open direction. Works well... but I'd rather hand file if I could.

Ditto, I file my milling loops in a vice with a file, but use a granberg to touch up the chain in the mill. Good tool.