Sharpening chains

[kzack]

Looking for advice on sharpening chains. This is a new venture for me (cutting firewood). The saw came with a file, but I quess you need a knack to sharpen them correctly because I can't get them sharp. I took them to the local shop and they ground them. They came back sharp, but they sure hog off a lot of material.

I'm willing to shell out the clams for an electric sharpener if it will work without having a "knack". Can any shmuck work one of these electric sharpeners and get good results? And what brands to look for.

Thanks, keith zack

 

[blackdogon57]

Look at northern tool

they have a good grinder for around $100. I tried both hand filing and hand held electric. Both a waste of time compared to bench mounted grinder. Not to say you can't get good results from hand filing - just not for me.

 

[stihl sawing]

Go to the stihl website and look up chainsaw sharpening. It will tell you how to do it. You can sharpen your own it's not that hard, You just have to do it at the right angle and use the correct file for your chain. You really need to learn with a file anyway so you can sharpen one in the woods. Electric grinders are good if you have damaged cutters. You still have to know how to use one of them too. You can eat a chain up quick with one if you don't watch it.

 

[Zackman1801]

the only way to aquire the knack for sharpening is to just do it untill you get better. you really just have to keep trying and eventually you will get better. ive really screwed up a few chains trying my hand a sharpening but ive gotten better and usually i can get them decently sharp in not too long.

 

[zanderson]

we use an Oregon electric chain sharpener. Not real easy to use, but read the manual and its not to bad. lot faster than doing it by hand..

 

[jah72577]

I just bought a grinder from harbor freight tools and it works great for $40.

 

[Zackman1801]

only thing about grinders is it can make some chains really hard to sharpen after they have been ground, and if you dont have a portable grinder you cant do a touch up in the woods if you rock your chain or see that its not cutting well.

 

[aokpops]

dremel for less than ten bucks quick an easy . tried every sharpener out there . files work good but I don,t like buying a dozen files per chain . I will get some flack for saying this but there no way I am rubbing away that much metal with one file. grinder work good but have to take the chain off .the dremel is the best bargain

 

[clearance]

the only way to aquire the knack for sharpening is to just do it untill you get better. you really just have to keep trying and eventually you will get better. ive really screwed up a few chains trying my hand a sharpening but ive gotten better and usually i can get them decently sharp in not too long.

Yep, practice. practice. I learned way back in '87 when I was 19. A decent man took the time to show me how. Since then I have filed hundreds of chains from new to done. On all kinds of saw from 020s to 395s. It is worth the effort, it gets easier and faster the more you do it. All you need is two files, and determination.

 

[abohac]

Looking for advice on sharpening chains. This is a new venture for me (cutting firewood). The saw came with a file, but I quess you need a knack to sharpen them correctly because I can't get them sharp. I took them to the local shop and they ground them. They came back sharp, but they sure hog off a lot of material.

I'm willing to shell out the clams for an electric sharpener if it will work without having a "knack". Can any shmuck work one of these electric sharpeners and get good results? And what brands to look for.

Thanks, keith zack

If you don't usse your saw a lot, learn to file it. Takes a little while but if you understand how a cutter works (look it up on the internet - tons of stuff) you can get pretty efficient pretty fast. If you buy a grinder, the angles are preset so it's hard to screw it up. Good luck. Oh, I bought a Silvey (kinda pricey but I sure like how it sharpens).

 

[Mike PA]

I second the dremel. Make sure you get the right size stone. Before I go out to cut, I make sure I have two or three sharp chains with me. Dremel makes quick work of it. Read up on filing by hand and use the dremel like you would a file.

 

[husky362]

light touch ups

i have used all three method's ..i prefer to touch up a chain before it gets dull. i hand file when i feel the speed of the cut falling off. i usauly do it when filling the saw up with fuel it takes a few strokes to touch up a chain if its not too dull and makes learning to file better you can see the factory angels. learning to file on a damaged real dull chain is not the best way or fun.i would use a hand grinder for that in the field or a spare chain

 

[Wood Doctor]

I use this one made by Granberg:

It works. Usually I can sharpen a chain at least a dozen times with it before replacing the chain. Here are a few fetaures:
(1) You do not have to remove the chain.
(2) You can sharpen at the worksite using the truck's 12-volt battery.
(3) All the chain's teeth stay the same size as you sharpen.

 

[Billy_Bob]

Also it depends on how bad the cutters on the chain are. If you have hit a rock or dirt, there can be little dings in the cutters and this could take forever to file.

I cut logs on the ground by first cutting almost to the ground (but never touching the ground), then I rotate the log and cut the remainder. This way my chain does not hit the ground and stays sharp much longer.

When my chain starts to become dull, I immediately change it or sharpen it. This saves time. It will take forever to make cuts with a dull chain, so no use even trying!

When sharpening a chain, you also need to lower the rakers by filing them. Get a raker depth guage so you know the correct height the rakers should be for *your* specific chain. If you don't know, ask the manufacturer. If they are too high, the chain will not cut. If too low, it will "grab" and this can be dangerous.

 

[danrclem]

I bought a little jig made by Husqvarna that slips right over the top of the chain. I think it works really well but probably would not be too good if you had to take very much metal off.

 

[Swamp Yankee]

Learn to file and keep an edge, your saw will thank you.

Find someone that knows how to file and ask them to teach you. I was fortunate enough years ago to have someone that had been logging for 25 years show me when I got started. Once you know the basics you can make your chains more or less aggressive depending upon the wood being cut and the power of the saw.
Next as previously mentioned is practice. The more you hand file the better faster you get. You'll also realize that using long bars as standard equipment isn't all it's cracked up to be.
Buy a decent file holder and handle. I use a holder just because it's so much easier to grip than just the round file, especially with gloves. Replace the file when it no longer cuts well. You'll know as the file will feel like it's skating over the tooth and not biting in.
Avoid grinding unless necessary. Grinding tends to work harden the teeth making filing more difficult.
There's all kinds of jigs available. Investing in one may make it easier for you to produce consistancy until you get the feel for hand sharpening.

Good Luck and Take Care

 

[Butch(OH)]

Touching up a chain should be a piece of cake, chains that have been rocked are not even that bad with a good file and technique. There are some real nice crutches (jigs) around that make filing a chain allmost foolproof. Of all of them I like the one sold anywhere, the flat oregon file guide the best. The biggest problem I see with people trying to file chains has little to do with the files or guides or talent. Its darned hard to file a chain correctly when the saw is moving around. Clamp the bar in a big vise, build a holder for the saw, have the ole lady sit on it, just dont try to learn how to file a chain with the saw rolling around. I have been filing saw chains for 40 years and still have a heck of a time when I have to do it on the tailgate of my truck with the bar sitting on a piece of wood. Get a good guide, read and head the instructions, clamp the dang saw down and enjoy good results. Yes, I have a grinder but because I am getting very lazy, not becuse of getting better results.

 

[ATS/TexasTree]

Hand file your chains- the files only cut on the push stroke.

Touch up sharpening every time you use it will keep it razor sharp.

Machine sharpening heats up the chain too much causing it to loose its temper so it dulls faster.

Also, machine sharpening quickly wears out the chain - 4 to 6 machine sharpenings and the chain is gone while with hand sharpening, you may get 10 to 15 sharpenings on the life of the chain.

If you buy you chain in bulk (100 foot rolls) you can cut way down on chain cost. At around $1.89 a foot for 3/8, .50 gauge, low profile chain, my trim saw chains cost about $3.50 each.


Learn to hand file, buy your chain in bulk, and save a lot of money.

 

[Wood Doctor]

ATS said, "...Also, machine sharpening quickly wears out the chain - 4 to 6 machine sharpenings and the chain is gone while with hand sharpening, you may get 10 to 15 sharpenings on the life of the chain..."
------------------
QFT. The only grinder I know that wears the chain down about the same as hand sharpening is the one I posted--Granberg. The major advantage the Granberg has over hand sharpening with a file is that it maintains an exact angle.

Every time I have had a chain sharpened professionally, they remove at least twice as much stock as I do. So, about four of those is all you get and the chain is through.

 

[retired redneck]

i have two org 511a chain grinders i sharpen stihl chains for year around wood cutters,from new chains to wore out about 12 sharpenings.It is most dealers that grind away chains in about 5 or 6, all you do is just touch them up unless they have ben rocked go slow and donot blue the cutters....