sharping help !

[Sagetown]

Electric SawChain Grinders do a professional job at maintaining proper teeth alignment. By doing that, handfiling is significantly enhanced. So, anytime the chain gets a little ragged looking, I touch it up with the Grinder, and it's good to go with the quick hand filing touches to keep the saw good and sharp.

 

[jeepmedic]

I have taken down the rakers quite a bit and now my cutting has improved. It appears I have completely butchered tow of my chains by overheating them on the grinder...but thats the price to pay for learning :msp_w00t:

My 290 has an adj. oiler, and is getting plenty of oil....so I dont think I narrowed the issue down to my sharpening skills (or lack there of! )

Thanks for all of your help !

 

[eriklane]

Take the bar off, make sure you have chain oil in the reservoir, start the saw and watch the output. Should come out in blurbs each time the oiler runs...also, make sure your bar is clean-I always run a thin metal finger file down the length of it to make sure all the crud is out, and, most importantly, clean out the little oiler hole that, if plugged, will not allow oil onto the bar and chain.

If a saw doesn't cut, its dull. I've struggled at times and finally come to realize that a very sharp round file is key, and, getting out a magnifying glass, or glasses, to check each tooth, and make sure that the top of the tooth is very even,and straight, like / If it's got pits or gashes or anything, it's in need of help. Each tooth must be totally sharp. And also make sure that you didnt miss the 'tilt' that some chains require. Most are flat, (0 degrees) but some ask for 10 degree tilt to get the gullet right.

This tool really helps me get a s traight cut, and I have a bench grinder that frankly, I don't like...Despite the fact that it's gonna give a consistent angle, the wheels are a bit rougher than a round file, that gives a very smooth edge... Make sure each tooth is held tightly when you file also...I like the tool below. Cheap, and holds nicely.

View attachment 230308

 

[H 2 H]

I milled out a channel on the bar beginning at the point where the oil contacts the bar and ending at the bar's oil hole. I did this on both sides of the bar. As the oil is pumped onto the bar it flows directly down the channel into the bar oil hole where the chain drive links picks up the oil and carries it into the bar groove. Does a great job for me.

I really like what you did on the bar; I'm going to do this on my MS 250 bar :msp_wink:

 

[Sagetown]

I have taken down the rakers quite a bit and now my cutting has improved. It appears I have completely butchered tow of my chains by overheating them on the grinder...but thats the price to pay for learning :msp_w00t:

My 290 has an adj. oiler, and is getting plenty of oil....so I dont think I narrowed the issue down to my sharpening skills (or lack there of! )

Thanks for all of your help !

When I first got my grinder I read some of the grinding techniques found on AS. As stated earlier, it just takes a touch with the disk and back off. Do that two or three times per tooth to insure you get a clean grind.

 

[Sagetown]

I really like what you did on the bar; I'm going to do this on my MS 250 bar :msp_wink:

Until I made that little mod, I had knots in my stomach. Brand new saw, and the bar was overheating. Never had that happen before.
Soon's I did the mod, I hit a nearby log a couple o times and pulled the bar cover. Don't that look pretty ?

 

[demc570]

Take the bar off, make sure you have chain oil in the reservoir, start the saw and watch the output. Should come out in blurbs each time the oiler runs...also, make sure your bar is clean-I always run a thin metal finger file down the length of it to make sure all the crud is out, and, most importantly, clean out the little oiler hole that, if plugged, will not allow oil onto the bar and chain.

If a saw doesn't cut, its dull. I've struggled at times and finally come to realize that a very sharp round file is key, and, getting out a magnifying glass, or glasses, to check each tooth, and make sure that the top of the tooth is very even,and straight, like / If it's got pits or gashes or anything, it's in need of help. Each tooth must be totally sharp. And also make sure that you didnt miss the 'tilt' that some chains require. Most are flat, (0 degrees) but some ask for 10 degree tilt to get the gullet right.

This tool really helps me get a s traight cut, and I have a bench grinder that frankly, I don't like...Despite the fact that it's gonna give a consistent angle, the wheels are a bit rougher than a round file, that gives a very smooth edge... Make sure each tooth is held tightly when you file also...I like the tool below. Cheap, and holds nicely.

View attachment 230308

never saw one of those tools,looks interesting,going to search for one....thanks
dennis

 

[demc570]

I milled out a channel on the bar beginning at the point where the oil contacts the bar and ending at the bar's oil hole. I did this on both sides of the bar. As the oil is pumped onto the bar it flows directly down the channel into the bar oil hole where the chain drive links picks up the oil and carries it into the bar groove. Does a great job for me.

thanks i have thought of doing that and wasnt sure the results,looks great...thanks for sharing:msp_smile: dennis

 

[FlyingDutchman]

Survey says... Take the guides down.

When you grind the guides, do it consistently... you don't want to do it all from one side, you want to alternate sides like you do when sharpening the chain... also, be sure you have EXACTLY the same height. If you grind one side higher, the chain will cut crooked!

Also, its a good idea to take the guides down before you actually sharpen the chain... I am always clumsy and nick the cutting teeth at least once or twice when I do it. If you sharpen the teeth afterwards, its not SO much of an oh sheet moment.

Also, despite many people saying so... I have absolutely no luck with chain files... And would not suggest one to anyone.

 

[deepsouth]

never saw one of those tools,looks interesting,going to search for one....thanks
dennis

That's the husqvarna tool. Make sure you get the. Orrect size for the chain being sharpened. Ie .325, 3/8, 3/8lp or .404.

Pretty decent I have a .325 for my small saw.

 

[lambs]

Survey says... Take the guides down.

When you grind the guides, do it consistently... you don't want to do it all from one side, you want to alternate sides like you do when sharpening the chain... also, be sure you have EXACTLY the same height. If you grind one side higher, the chain will cut crooked!

Also, its a good idea to take the guides down before you actually sharpen the chain... I am always clumsy and nick the cutting teeth at least once or twice when I do it. If you sharpen the teeth afterwards, its not SO much of an oh sheet moment.

Also, despite many people saying so... I have absolutely no luck with chain files... And would not suggest one to anyone.

I think you are decscribing the lowering of depth gauges with a chain grinder. Just curious as to you you know how much to lower them if you have not ground the cutters first?

 

[FlyingDutchman]

I think you are decscribing the lowering of depth gauges with a chain grinder. Just curious as to you you know how much to lower them if you have not ground the cutters first?

Honestly it is very much by feel and guessing... If the chain is throwing powder it's time to knock the guides down. Usually take them down a 1/16th or so. If I've hit nails I pick the worst tooth and go from there...

I am very much an amateur and hoping that more definite tutorial would get thrown out there on how to sharpen a chain like a pro. I would prefer to be corrected if wrong.

 

[066blaster]

I think you are decscribing the lowering of depth gauges with a chain grinder. Just curious as to you you know how much to lower them if you have not ground the cutters first?

If he's like me he takes so little off the tooth it probaly doesnt matter. I can get 20 sharpenings or more out of a chain. I'm not that fussy with the rakers I have just been taking an electric hand grinder lightly to them every third sharpening and havent had a problem. they cut good and straight. and it's quicker than putting the bigger wheel on the grinder and adjusting.

 

[old-cat]

Honestly it is very much by feel and guessing... If the chain is throwing powder it's time to knock the guides down. Usually take them down a 1/16th or so. If I've hit nails I pick the worst tooth and go from there...

I am very much an amateur and hoping that more definite tutorial would get thrown out there on how to sharpen a chain like a pro. I would prefer to be corrected if wrong.

Use a STIHL chain gauge to check the rackers. .025" is what it shows, if you go .030" your getting into the grabby chain area.
The most informative info you can get is the Oregon Maintenance Manual pdf.

 

[lambs]

There are some threads out there that will help you. I use grinders a lot because I sometimes do a half dozen chains at a time (not all mine). I do not consider myself a very good hand filer either.

I recommend you sharpen the cutters first to get them uniformly sharpened and to the same length on both sides, whether you are filing or grinding. There are several excellent tools (jigs) out there to help you with this if you are filing. Grinding, do some searches on that and you'll find comments and pictures too.

After sharpening the cutters, you need to check depth guage height and file or grind down if needed to lower them. The reason you do this after the cutters is that cutters have a little upward slope to them, so when you grind them you are also lowering them. So you'll need to file or grind down the depth guages to lower them as well in relation to the cutter behind each one.

I use the grinder to lower depth gauges when I need to remove a lot of material. This is usually because the cutters were dinged and needed a lot of grinding to properly sharpen them. I do not always use the grinder though, because it is not very accurate, and if I only need a file stroke or two on the depth gauges, I just do them by hand file. Get a flat file from Bailey's on line (they are an AS sponsor) or from your local saw dealer, not from your local builder supply store. The proper flat files for depth gauges will have smooth sides. This prevents the user from accidentally hitting and dulling a cutter with the edge of the file.

Your dealer should also have depth gauge tools that you place aross the top of the cutter and allow the depth gauge to stick up through a slot on the tool. Then you file the depth gauge off level with the tool. This will work for a sharpening or two, then you'll find that it does not lower the depth gauge enough for your liking. This is because although the tool gives you the same amount of drop from cutter to depth gauge in vertical distance, over time the amount of drop measured in degrees from horizontal (cutter to depth gauge) gradually decreases. When you adjust for this by filing each depth gauge with a couple more strokes to get the saw cutting well again, you are effectively doing what we call "progressive filing" of the depth gauges. In other words, as you take the cutters back more and more, you are progressively filing the depth gauge down by more vertical distance to compensate.

The File O Plate tool (again, Bailey's) approximates progressive filing, but there are others that apparently do it as well or better and may be easier to use. See the Husqvarna tool someone posted a picture of earlier in this thread. The FOP does not work with all chain, but was designed by Carlton for their chain although it seems to work pretty well on Stihl RSC chain. There are threads on these as well. The depth gauge tool Stihl sells only measures the vertical drop; I think Oregon has one like that too. But they are usually .025" drop. You can get them at .030" drop if you like a little more aggressive cut right from the start, but you might have to order it.

If you need to grind depth gauges, what I do is hand file one depth gauge on each side by hand until it's where I want it using a depth gauge tool or in my instance a digital angle finder (I'm really into this, some would say to an extreme). Then I use those depth gauges to set the grinding wheel to the proper depth to grind all cutters on that side to that depth, and then turn the grinder on and grind all of the depth gauges on that side. Then I index the grinding wheel to the other side of depth gauges and grind each of them. Finally I smooth off the front edge of each depth gauge with a hand file as needed.

Hope this helps you refine things a bit in your shop. Please let us know how it's going; we're here to help.

 

[mad murdock]

I milled out a channel on the bar beginning at the point where the oil contacts the bar and ending at the bar's oil hole. I did this on both sides of the bar. As the oil is pumped onto the bar it flows directly down the channel into the bar oil hole where the chain drive links picks up the oil and carries it into the bar groove. Does a great job for me.

New Oregon bars come out of the box with the oil hole milled how it is depicted in your pics similar to the way you modified the stihl bar. They oil real nice.

 

[Gushh]

But when will ALL bars come with this feature? surely manufacturing wise it can't be too expensive, it's an extra step, extra tool, but it would give them an impressive edge over the rest and they will just follow suit.

 

[stormpetrel]

never saw one of those tools,looks interesting,going to search for one....thanks
dennis

The Husky roller guide is THE way to go in my book: 3 strokes of the fileon each tooth after every couple of tanks, file the rakers every other sharpening or so, and you are good to go. I got mine online for $15 delivered. The only problem I had is with the files..they wore out fast. I just got a box of Pferd files, so far, so good!

 

[demc570]

nice!!! going to get one and try.....thanks for info

 

[Sagetown]

New Oregon bars come out of the box with the oil hole milled how it is depicted in your pics similar to the way you modified the stihl bar. They oil real nice.

I Marked to oiler port on the saw, then lined up the bar oil hole at the bottom, and marked the bar. Then I pushed the bar forward to its operating position with a tight chain, and marked the starting point to begin the tapered mill towards the bar oil hole.