Sharpening chains

[Swamp Yankee]

Butch

Lived with the same problem of the wiggling saw on the tailgate. My solution for what it's worth, was to mount a cheap 4 inch vise on a piece of plywood, and glue a piece of router pad to the bottom, (tailgate) side of the plywood.
Did the same thing to another strip of plywood. Use two Irwin speed clamps to hold the assembly together with the tailgate sandwiched in between. The router pad protects the tailgate finish and helps keep the assembly from sliding on the tailgate. Takes about a minite to set up and will store under the seat of my pickup.
Another thing is I always take a stump vise into the woods with me. They work pretty well and are cheap, about $10. Makes those in the woods touch ups a lot easier.

Take Care

 

[Zackman1801]

we use the same method used above, take a vice and mount it on a piece of plywood. although you could also get a stump vise from the save edge sponsor at the top of the page. $10 gets you a vice you can use at any stump.

 

[echoman8]

sharp chain

Hi kzack,

There is a knack for sharpening a saw chain with any device. I was lucky that our old mechanic taught me when I first bought my small engine shop many years ago. I sold my shop, and years later, I did the 2 cycle repair for the oldest established shop in West Texas. The owner and mechanics were not properly sharpening the chains. So the question you ask is very important.

To learn, I strongly suggest getting a good magnifying glass. The crisp edge on the saw chain cutters is the object of sharpening. With normal use and, moreso, from hitting dirt, rocks, metal, etc some of the metal will be removed from the cutting edge (I will call this edge “dubbed off”). The cutter must be sharpened back past the area “dubbed off.” The end result will leave no evidence of metal damage on the cutter when looking through the magnifying glass.

The angle of sharpening should be about 30 degrees. If you should sharpen it at let’s say 45 degrees, then, it would look much sharper, but the leading edge will get hot quicker and dull. If you were to sharpen at about 20 degree, it would look like it wouldn’t cut, but it actually works very well for me at this angle. I have played with many angles and 25 degrees seems to be the best for me. More important than the degree of angle is that both left hand and right hand cutters have the same angle. If, say, your right hand cutters are sharpened at 35 degrees and your left had cutters are sharpened at 25 degrees, the bar will drift off to the side (while cutting) and jam, preventing you from finishing your cut (6” log or larger).

If you buy and use a machine sharpener, here are some tips:

Apply the sharpening stone to your cutters in short intervals. If you leave the stone on the cutter for an honest 2 seconds, you will change the temper in the metal.

Clean the sharpening stone often. The oil and other residue deposited on the stone will cause the sharpening process to be hotter which can change the metal temper also. I clean my stone twice on an uncleaned average length chain. The machine should come with a small cleaning stone.

In summary, the most important issues are “reading the cutter” with a magnifying glass (after practice, you will not need the glass), and not overheating the metal if you have a machine. I find it much easier to sharpen my chains with a file if it is a small chainsaw (low profile 3/8 chain). It is easier for me to sharpen the larger chains on my machine.

If a cutter is overheated, it will have a blue sheen where sharpened.

All other info should come with the machine if you go that route.

Many shops either fail to use the above info or aren’t aware of the damage they are causing to the chains they sharpen.

Good luck
de

 

[logbutcher]

Hand file: you gotta learn sometime if you work the woods. Look over the hand file posts here and on the ArboristSite forum on Sharpening under Chainsaws.

Then get a stump vise for touching up the chain in the field. Look for a sharpening tool by PFERD that does the cutting edge and raker on the same pass. With time you'll be able to sharpen as fast as a grinder except for hitting a rock, barbed wire, round in the wood. No ruining the edge by burning it. And no set up time or power needed! :monkey: PFERD makes the tool called "SharpForce", and sells it for Husqvarna under another name. Super tool.opcorn:

 

[retired redneck]

Butch

Lived with the same problem of the wiggling saw on the tailgate. My solution for what it's worth, was to mount a cheap 4 inch vise on a piece of plywood, and glue a piece of router pad to the bottom, (tailgate) side of the plywood.
Did the same thing to another strip of plywood. Use two Irwin speed clamps to hold the assembly together with the tailgate sandwiched in between. The router pad protects the tailgate finish and helps keep the assembly from sliding on the tailgate. Takes about a minite to set up and will store under the seat of my pickup.
Another thing is I always take a stump vise into the woods with me. They work pretty well and are cheap, about $10. Makes those in the woods touch ups a lot easier.

Take Care

I use 4'' vice mounted on square tubeing slide in stake hole on pickup bed......

 

[gtstang462002]

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.

I would hope that you can get more than 12 sharpenings out of one chain. I have the handheld version of this grinder made by oregon and have no problems with getting at least a seasons worth of use out of my chain. I cut close to 12 cords a year. With the 290 doing the brunt of the work. Seems everything that I come across that is free is over 24" across. But I take it because of the price tag....

 

[kzack]

Thanks a lot guys. I bought a hand file and followed the directions. I feel pretty confident in what I'm doing and the cutting edges are very sharp, verified by the way the saw cuts. The only thing is, it cuts extremely well after I sharpen it, but seems to go dull sooner. This may be because of the wood I'm cutting though. I was cutting a lot of poplar, now I'm cutting white oak. Is this to be expected or can you advise me on what I may be doing wrong.

Thanks, keith zack

 

[clearance]

Thanks a lot guys. I bought a hand file and followed the directions. I feel pretty confident in what I'm doing and the cutting edges are very sharp, verified by the way the saw cuts. The only thing is, it cuts extremely well after I sharpen it, but seems to go dull sooner. This may be because of the wood I'm cutting though. I was cutting a lot of poplar, now I'm cutting white oak. Is this to be expected or can you advise me on what I may be doing wrong.

Thanks, keith zack

Good for you, I hope you bought a box (12). They don't last long and its not worth it at all to use a dull file, its discouraging, been there. Does your chain have the angle marked?

 

[rtrsam]

I've always been a fan of hand filing chains. When teaching peple I recommend they use a file jig like Oregon makes, it takes most of the guesswork out when properly set up. Also keep a tooth or two of new chain on hand (like attached to a keychain) so you know what a properly filed tooth looks like. When habd filing I always file the right hand cutters first and advance the sharp teeth forward. Tha way if my file slips I punch the knuckles of my right hand into dull teeth instead of sharp ones. Don't have the problem when filing the left cutters...

About five years ago I bought a Silvey chain grinder and since then I've found myself more prone to carrying two or three sharp chains in teh woods with me in case rocks jump in front of my chain, and doing all the sharpening back in the shop.

Regards your chains getting dull faster, first thing to do is make sure you're cutting clean wood. A chain will cut for a long time as long as all it engages is wood. A little dust and dirt in the bark from skidding, or just rain splash, can make your chain dull real quick. Also check how "deep" you're filing, too deep a cut into the "gullet" tends to create too hooked a top plate angle which dulls faster. Is your file getting into the drive links at all? You're filing too deep (or using too large a file).

I was falling some trees next to a road over by Lake Tahoe a few years back. After falling one or two trees you had to touch up your chain. Finally figured out it was from snowplows stacking up dirty snow against the trees all winter long.

 

[Zodiac45]

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....

+1 absolutely right on. If you have too take it too your dealer for grinding at least tell the guy to keep it light and don't hog off and ruin the chain temper. At the prices they are charging today ($10) You can pay for a grinder fast. I have a Speed Sharp but the Northern Tool $100 Oregon 511A clone is a good value. Always just skim it and take the time too set up right. Learn too hand file too. It's not rocket science.

 

[echoman8]

sharp chain

Thanks a lot guys. I bought a hand file and followed the directions. I feel pretty confident in what I'm doing and the cutting edges are very sharp, verified by the way the saw cuts. The only thing is, it cuts extremely well after I sharpen it, but seems to go dull sooner. This may be because of the wood I'm cutting though. I was cutting a lot of poplar, now I'm cutting white oak. Is this to be expected or can you advise me on what I may be doing wrong.

Thanks, keith zack

Hi Keith,

On post #23 I was writing about getting a magnifying glass to inspect the sharpened cutters on the chain (while learning).

If you do not remove all of the damage on the cutter ("dubbed off"), the chain will get dull quickly. To the touch, a cutter can feel extremely sharp, but after a few cuts begin to slow when a tiny portion of "dubbed off" metal is remaining on the tip or side of the cutters.

Other conditions can cause it to dull quickly also, but I find this to be the most common and overlooked.

Good luck,
de

 

[DPDISXR4Ti]

I use this one made by Granberg:

Hmmm, never seen this before and I do already have the manual Granberg. Is the motorized unit available as an add-on?

 

[Swamp Yankee]

I'm with rtrsam

Filing too deep will give you a sharp edge but that won't hold up long especially in hardwood. Some hook is needed for chip clearance and removal but you need enough supporting material to keep the edge from rolling over.

Keep practicing & Take Care

 

[lectrocrew]

When habd filing I always file the right hand cutters first and advance the sharp teeth forward. Tha way if my file slips I punch the knuckles of my right hand into dull teeth instead of sharp ones. Don't have the problem when filing the left cutters....

I remember that my first year of running a saw. The fellow I learned from was known by all the area loggers as one of the best, but he had a speech problem, so I learned mostly by watching him. We always filed by hand on a stump / log in the woods so I got plenty of cut & busted knuckles before I learned to keep the file on the front side of the cutter. But before I learned that, I learned that a man who could not talk had very little problem laughing at me murdering my poor right knuckles.

 

[Moss Man]

Just the thread I have been looking for! I have "dubbed" around with saws as a hobby for years and had marginal success at sharpening because it has, until now, been just a hobby. Now that I have been processing wood with a Hakke Pilke 1x37 processor, all of a sudden chain sharpening as taken a turn for the serious. The problem I have with hand sharpening is that I believe keeping all teeth the same length and keeping the file the right depth in the tooth is almost impossible over the life of a chain. At best, you end up with teeth of different lengths and varying depths. I was considering an electric sharpener when I signed up and read this thread and now I'm not sure. We are processing a hundred cords a year and sharpening is consuming some time. With a sharp chain the machine can do a couple cords an hour, but dirt is the enemy here lately with all the rain.

 

[blackdogon57]

Processor chain

I also run processor (404/063 chain). Grinder is the only way to go in my opinion . I keep 4 chains sharpened so stopping to change a chain takes only a minute or two. If you are cutting clean wood you should be able to cut several cords without sharpening. When is is time to sharpen I cn do all four chains in about 15-20 minutes. You are bang on about the length of the cutters. if they are not exactly the same on both sides you will run into problems.

 

[Moss Man]

I also run processor (404/063 chain). Grinder is the only way to go in my opinion . I keep 4 chains sharpened so stopping to change a chain takes only a minute or two. If you are cutting clean wood you should be able to cut several cords without sharpening. When is is time to sharpen I cn do all four chains in about 15-20 minutes. You are bang on about the length of the cutters. if they are not exactly the same on both sides you will run into problems.

What grinder are you using? My research seems to favor the Oregon 511A at this point.