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stihlrookie said:
Not sure how that pertains to my original post regarding sharpening but anywho, MS362, came with 25" ES bar, now running 20" ES bar primarily. I went into 3 shops looking for RSC and only RSF or RMC3 to be found. Obvious choice for me.

I don't care if the machine cost 1000.00, around here it is .10-.20 per driver. 10 minutes per chain, up to a hundred bucks an hour being made on that machine. I understand the shop has to buy the machine and pay someone to operate it, but after having 2 shops sharpen chain that then only lasted 2 sharpenings I can't fathom paying to have my chains destroyed any more. If they came back looking real nice and had plenty of meat left for future sharpenings then I could possibly see paying good money but not the case.
Click to expand...

Well just for fun, pop a loop in the mail to me, I will even pay for the trip back. I will take pix, give a try at sharpening, etc. No charge to you.
P.M. me
 
Fish said:
Well just for fun, pop a loop in the mail to me, I will even pay for the trip back. I will take pix, give a try at sharpening, etc. No charge to you.
P.M. me
Click to expand...

Man, you can't beat that offer! Is this a great website or what?
 
stihlrookie said:
Not sure how that pertains to my original post regarding sharpening but anywho, MS362, came with 25" ES bar, now running 20" ES bar primarily. I went into 3 shops looking for RSC and only RSF or RMC3 to be found. Obvious choice for me.

I don't care if the machine cost 1000.00, around here it is .10-.20 per driver. 10 minutes per chain, up to a hundred bucks an hour being made on that machine. I understand the shop has to buy the machine and pay someone to operate it, but after having 2 shops sharpen chain that then only lasted 2 sharpenings I can't fathom paying to have my chains destroyed any more. If they came back looking real nice and had plenty of meat left for future sharpenings then I could possibly see paying good money but not the case.
Click to expand...

you could always go buy a grinder.
 
I did mean I can use up a whole chain on one file. In winter I can go longer because there's less dirt to dull the chain = less filing needed.
I can generally file my 24" skip tooth in under 5 minutes if it's not really messed.
I prefer the skip because of the ease of filing.
The rakers in the pictures need to come down 2 swipes with a new flat file.

It's taken me 20+ years of filing 3-4 times almost every work day to get to this point.
 
Hey guys, nothing new to report on the chain sharpening. It's cold, didn't quite make it above freezing today. I spent the afternoon outside building a workbench for my outbuilding. That meant a trip to the hardware store which happens to be my nearest Stihl dealer. They have 1 loop of RSC in 20", I may go back tomorrow and pick it up, thats the bad part having a Stihl dealer less than a 1/4 mile from my house.
I realized after reading a few of the posts that I need a vice, yes thats right, I haven't been using one. I just didn't have a place to mount one so I basically have been sharpening one handed. Reason for taking the time today and building a bench. I hold the chain with my left hand as close to the cutter as possible and swipe through with my right. I now understand that this could be allowing some amount of unwanted movement in my file stroke as well as I notice I have difficulty keeping consistent pressure on the file on both sides of the chain.
Is a vice really needed though? I really hate to scuff up my bars, I guess I could apply something to the pads of the vice to keep it from scratching. Thanks guys for all the help.
 
Oldtimer,
Is your avatar from "Snatch"? Mr. Bricktop? Love that movie. The guy plays an excellent gangster.

Quote from Rookie,

Is a vice really needed though? I really hate to scuff up my bars, I guess I could apply something to the pads of the vice to keep it from scratching. Thanks guys for all the help.

Quote from Django,
"Are you freaking kidding me?"
 
django said:
Oldtimer,
Is your avatar from "Snatch"? Mr. Bricktop? Love that movie. The guy plays an excellent gangster.

Quote from Rookie,

Is a vice really needed though? I really hate to scuff up my bars, I guess I could apply something to the pads of the vice to keep it from scratching. Thanks guys for all the help.

Quote from Django,
"Are you freaking kidding me?"
Click to expand...

I have been sharpening the way I described for 3 years now and so no I am not kidding about the vice question. I am hesitant to change my method altogether since I do seem to be getting the cutters quite sharp. I will try using the vice tomorrow if I get it set up on the bench. From what I am understanding from previous comments, most of my issue at this point may just be the rakers being a touch high, don't think a vice will help with that though.
 
Rookie'
I am just bustin' on you a little, your post made me chuckle a bit. You're worried about scratching your bar? It's a bar, getting scratched is part of its job. You worried about resale value? If you clamp the bar solidly, all you'll get is some dimpling.

Filing without a vise puts you at a severe disadvantage. You need to use 2 hands, one on each end of the file, and push on that tooth. I can't emphasize this enough. If you sharpen in the woods, get a stump vise. They are very handy.

Just for Oldtimer:

" Turkish, put your dog on a leash before she gets bitten. You don't want to get bitten do you sweetheart?"
 
django said:
Rookie'
I am just bustin' on you a little, your post made me chuckle a bit. You're worried about scratching your bar? It's a bar, getting scratched is part of its job. You worried about resale value? If you clamp the bar solidly, all you'll get is some dimpling.

Filing without a vise puts you at a severe disadvantage. You need to use 2 hands, one on each end of the file, and push on that tooth. I can't emphasize this enough. If you sharpen in the woods, get a stump vise. They are very handy.

Just for Oldtimer:

" Turkish, put your dog on a leash before she gets bitten. You don't want to get bitten do you sweetheart?"
Click to expand...

No problem, I surmised as much. I didn't mean to come off sounding defensive about it, I am liking all the input I can get. Not worried about resale I'm just type A when it come to that kind of thing. If the vice is going to help me get my chains where I think they should be then I will just need to deal with it. I am going to see what happens after I knock the rakers down a bit tomorrow. Thanks.
 
Scooterbum said:
I still take awhile on the grinder otherwise I get blue cutters.
Click to expand...

+1 That's why I gave up on the HF el cheapo grinder. Either overheat or take forever to sharp a chain. I can do 2 or 3 chains using my 'on the bar' guide in the same time I can do one on the grinder. As for grinding back a rocked out chain - not a hope on a grinder or you risk overheating the tooth toget the job over with.

Harry K
 
stihlrookie said:
Hey guys, nothing new to report on the chain sharpening. It's cold, didn't quite make it above freezing today. I spent the afternoon outside building a workbench for my outbuilding. That meant a trip to the hardware store which happens to be my nearest Stihl dealer. They have 1 loop of RSC in 20", I may go back tomorrow and pick it up, thats the bad part having a Stihl dealer less than a 1/4 mile from my house.
I realized after reading a few of the posts that I need a vice, yes thats right, I haven't been using one. I just didn't have a place to mount one so I basically have been sharpening one handed. Reason for taking the time today and building a bench. I hold the chain with my left hand as close to the cutter as possible and swipe through with my right. I now understand that this could be allowing some amount of unwanted movement in my file stroke as well as I notice I have difficulty keeping consistent pressure on the file on both sides of the chain.
Is a vice really needed though? I really hate to scuff up my bars, I guess I could apply something to the pads of the vice to keep it from scratching. Thanks guys for all the help.
Click to expand...

You can get by without a vise. I just set the end of the bar down on a chunk of clean firewood. That will hold it in place adequately. I adjust to taste to get the height and resting angle I want. I can hit several cutters down the bar before picking up the bar tip with one hand and advancing the chain with the other.

Yes, I own a vise, I just don't bother. Learned to do it that way such a long time ago I just kept doing it, because it works out working on a stump/log/stack of chunks or off the tailgate on the truck, the two main places I sharpen.
 
django said:
Just for Oldtimer:

" Turkish, put your dog on a leash before she gets bitten. You don't want to get bitten do you sweetheart?"
Click to expand...

"You're on thin ####ing ice my pedigree chums, and I shall be under it when it breaks. Now, #### off."


"It was a rhetorical question Errol, what have I told you about thinking?"
 
Oldtimer said:
"You're on thin ####ing ice my pedigree chums, and I shall be under it when it breaks. Now, #### off."


"It was a rhetorical question Errol, what have I told you about thinking?"
Click to expand...

"No thank you Turkish, I am sweet enough"

I love that movie....
 
pic #39 shows alot of wear at the bottom of the chain, is your oiler working? I've got some old chains and I don't think they are that worn. You can see the rounded metal from the bar. I use a grinder and have only ground down the rakers on 1 chain just to see what difference it made. Didn't see a difference, guess I mustn't be grinding enough off the tooth.
 

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