how often to sharpen chain?

[DangerTree]

pretty much every tank of fuel for me with 044 and 24" bar with full compliment. 3 strokes per tooth usually. I find I can refuel, re oil, sharpen my whole chain, re-set chain tension and be back to work in about 5m minutes. 7-8 minutes if using a 36" bar. I can go 2 tanks, but then I find I need 7~8 strokes per tooth. I dont mind the 5 minutes as it's a good break for me. In a good day I might go through about 10~12 tanks of


Shaun

What are you tilling that requires you to sharpen so frequently?Do you plant seeds thereafter.

 

[imagineero]

nothing special really, mostly older radiatas, all residential. I dont mind nails/wire etc that often (once in two years) but the bark on these seems pretty tough. I can push 3-4 tanks through a chain, but by that time I find that the chain really needs some work. As soon as I go from big chips to small chips I sharpen. It's easy work.

I think it is the bark, felling, limbing and bucking can be a big job on some of these poorly shaped bigger fat old ones. bifurcated and trifurcated trunks sometimes, and we do live in the mountains with quite a bit of sandstone (and sand) around.

I milled up a log couple of months ago and I cut the first slab with the bark on. I got one slab to the first tank and the chain was a mess. Peeled off all the bark, sharpened and found I could get 3-4 slabs between sharpenings.

Shaun

 

[DangerTree]

What is a radiata please post a picture if you have one

 

[K7NUT]

huh?

when it gets dull.

:hmm3grin2orange: :hmm3grin2orange:

You beat me to it!
:chainsawguy:

 

[flushcut]

I keep my chains sharp there is no such thing as dull in my book. It is either sharp or slightly less sharp. I usually touch them up at every gas/oiling and right after hitting something like conduit that the HO forgot to mention he had a light in the tree twenty years ago!

 

[SawTroll]

huh?

when it gets dull. Sometimes hours and hours...sometimes just one cut on a dirty stump

It is best to touch up the chain before it gets dull enough to really notise, but some times it is just not possible, like you indicated with the comment on the stump........

I routinely do it every other tank or so, if no indications appear earlier.

 

[Jaberwky]

Since

Since the OP's question has been answered I will now hijack the thread by adding a related question.

How do you determine whether a file is "dead" or not? I think I might be trying to get too much use out of my round files but can't be sure.

 

[J.W Younger]

Since the OP's question has been answered I will now hijack the thread by adding a related question.

How do you determine whether a file is "dead" or not? I think I might be trying to get too much use out of my round files but can't be sure.

when it won't clean out a 1/8th" gullet in 4 swipes.

 

[Cliff R]

"I usually touch them up at every gas/oiling and right after hitting something"

+1

I touch them up after every outing as well, check to make sure they are tight, grease the roller nose, wipe off the saw, etc, etc. The idea when cutting wood is to get the most amount of work done in the least amount of time, not to run the crap out of your equipment and not get much done because the chain is dull!

Running with a dull chain works the engine harder, and having to bear down for cuts can be hard on the bar........Cliff

 

[Stihlcutter]

how often do you guys sharpen a chain? in cords or hours or whatever you want to measure with? do you sharpen after a hour or two?

When the chips on the ground are getting dusty, or real fine. Their is no real set time per say. Im also not like every one else out there who says to use certain kinds of chains for different jobs. Like the semi-skip for stumps or dirty wood. I just use full skip 3/8 and .404 all around all the time. Even on my 16" 021.
-ac

 

[B_Turner]

I sharpen all my chains every day whether I use them or not......I just love sharpening......

More seriously, I have been running hydraulic saw a few hours a day or more and since there is no oil or gas to mess with it (electric motor and the bar oil is hydraulic oil from the saw) makes it too easy to keep using a chain that is not optimum.

 

[tdi-rick]

What are you tilling that requires you to sharpen so frequently?Do you plant seeds thereafter.

Lucky it was only something soft like exotic radiata and not a Eucalypt like one of the Box's or Ironbark, etc.
The sharpening's are much much more frequent in any of our hardwoods.

It's a case of different part of the world, different growing conditions, Shaun wouldn't have been trenching

It was amusing for a short while whenever one of the Aussies posted a vid you'd see all the North Americans post "sharpen your chain !"
It took a while to educate the masses that's how our timber cuts. (and why Stihl and Husky developed their extreme conditions filters for here and South Africa)

What is a radiata please post a picture if you have one

Radiata=Pinus radiata/Radiata Pine, Monterey Pine.
While a plantation timber it's also considered a weed here.

 

[ChrisF]

Whenever I rock the chain or hit sand/dirt/gravel. Which I did TWICE today. MDESRGSDFTRBGHFDTRGAERGBT :censored:

 

[JustinM]

I've learned the hard way that it's not worth it to fight with a dulling chain to "make it" to the next refueling, or finish a certain tree off, or whatnot; you never end up saving time when it's all said and done. If it ain't cutting like it used to, time to shut down and get the file out. It's easier on you and the engine in the end.

Sound advice.

 

[Nitroman]

Immediately, if I notice myself having to work the saw harder to do the same work. I don't like having to dog in and torque on the bar much at all since a good sharp chain will do most of that work for you. So every fill-up I look at the chain; if I can see a good glint off the cutter edge, it gets a stroke with the file. I've learned the hard way that it's not worth it to fight with a dulling chain to "make it" to the next refueling, or finish a certain tree off, or whatnot; you never end up saving time when it's all said and done. If it ain't cutting like it used to, time to shut down and get the file out. It's easier on you and the engine in the end.

Very well said.

I will add: because of the shortness of the day here when I am cutting the most wood (winter), I carry two extra chains wrapped in oil-cloth in my grub box. If the chain on the saw gets dull or doesn't cut like I think it should, I swap it out. When I'm home, I'll touch that one up, then put the dull chain back on the saw to sharpen it again. And I only use SaveEdge files. They are not a gimmick.

 

[Richard C]

I gree wit mosa ya sep wun gi sez he kin fule n oel n shrpin n be bak kutin en 5 minuts. f we sar gi tac zo lawg wee tro em ofa da jawb. Hava grat dai.

Well! I hit a rock dulling one side of the chain way more than the other and not wanting to grind that much material away to bring the chain back ship shape, I gave it a wee bit of the stone. You guessed it! On a 14" log it cuts 3" farther to the poor side of the blade.

RE: When to sharpen
You guys said it more than one way, you sharpen the blade: "When it needs it."

There is no better site when it comes to Chainsaw than right here.

 

[DangerTree]

Since the OP's question has been answered I will now hijack the thread by adding a related question.

How do you determine whether a file is "dead" or not? I think I might be trying to get too much use out of my round files but can't be sure.

take a new file and compare. Run them between our fingers the old on will feel smoother and be shiny. You can tell when the file slides too easy and does not make filings. They are cheap buy a box use and discard with every chain!

 

[DangerTree]

Lucky it was only something soft like exotic radiata and not a Eucalypt like one of the Box's or Ironbark, etc.
The sharpening's are much much more frequent in any of our hardwoods.

It's a case of different part of the world, different growing conditions, Shaun wouldn't have been trenching

It was amusing for a short while whenever one of the Aussies posted a vid you'd see all the North Americans post "sharpen your chain !"
It took a while to educate the masses that's how our timber cuts. (and why Stihl and Husky developed their extreme conditions filters for here and South Africa)




Radiata=Pinus radiata/Radiata Pine, Monterey Pine.
While a plantation timber it's also considered a weed here.

Although not African iron wood try hackin' down some yew trees now theres some chain throwing beauties. Just nippin' limbs is like cuttin' ardox nails!

 

[mikefunaro]

Eat when hungry. Sleep when tired. Sharpen when dull.

 

[DangerTree]

I find I sharpen more often when someone else uses my saw!