First off, you guys are a bad influence. :greenchainsaw:
I sign up here back in February looking for advice on a new chainsaw. Got that taken care of, and this site is what pushed me to invest in more safety gear (chaps and steel toes).
I figured that I've done just fine for a number of years with a small saw that could run a 16" bar. I also had never owned a file to sharpen a chain - the local Amish saw shop was charging me <$4.00/chain so why spend the $ and time doing it myself?
I also thought that once I bought the 7900 with the 24" bar I'd never need a larger bar. That one is big enough to cut any wood that I'd come across, right? When I bought the saw, the shop had a slightly used 32" RW Oregon bar sitting there that he said he would make me a great deal on. I'll never need that one I said to myself. 6 months later I'm back in the shop asking if they still had the 32" bar....
Now, since I've got the larger saw, I'm cutting more wood and going thru more chains. The larger chains don't cost <$4.00 to sharpen either. I still haven't bought a file yet.
So, now I'm starting to look for a chain grinder. I figure that with the larger chains, and the amount of wood that I'm starting to cut, it'll be quicker to sharpen with a grinder than with a file. Plus, hopefully there will be a shorter learning curve with the grinder.
Also, my cousin, who lives a distance from me is having a hard time finding a good sharpening service. He has a firewood processor, and for the 20" chain that he has on it, the local guy wants $12/chain to sharpen them. He was going to buy a bunch of chains from Bailey's and send them to me to take to the local sharpener here. So, I figure that once I get my feet wet sharpening my own chains, I can do his just as easily.
I don't want to spend $1,000's of $ on a sharpener, but I don't want to buy a cheap POS either. I haven't read thru the whole Northern Chainsaw Sharpener thread yet.
What's your recommendations on a sharpener? The majority of the chains (both mine and my cousin's) are .375" x .050", with my smaller saw taking a .375" x .050" low profile chain.
BTW, as long as I'm trying like heck not to catch it, what does CAD stand for?
I sign up here back in February looking for advice on a new chainsaw. Got that taken care of, and this site is what pushed me to invest in more safety gear (chaps and steel toes).
I figured that I've done just fine for a number of years with a small saw that could run a 16" bar. I also had never owned a file to sharpen a chain - the local Amish saw shop was charging me <$4.00/chain so why spend the $ and time doing it myself?
I also thought that once I bought the 7900 with the 24" bar I'd never need a larger bar. That one is big enough to cut any wood that I'd come across, right? When I bought the saw, the shop had a slightly used 32" RW Oregon bar sitting there that he said he would make me a great deal on. I'll never need that one I said to myself. 6 months later I'm back in the shop asking if they still had the 32" bar....
Now, since I've got the larger saw, I'm cutting more wood and going thru more chains. The larger chains don't cost <$4.00 to sharpen either. I still haven't bought a file yet.
So, now I'm starting to look for a chain grinder. I figure that with the larger chains, and the amount of wood that I'm starting to cut, it'll be quicker to sharpen with a grinder than with a file. Plus, hopefully there will be a shorter learning curve with the grinder.
Also, my cousin, who lives a distance from me is having a hard time finding a good sharpening service. He has a firewood processor, and for the 20" chain that he has on it, the local guy wants $12/chain to sharpen them. He was going to buy a bunch of chains from Bailey's and send them to me to take to the local sharpener here. So, I figure that once I get my feet wet sharpening my own chains, I can do his just as easily.
I don't want to spend $1,000's of $ on a sharpener, but I don't want to buy a cheap POS either. I haven't read thru the whole Northern Chainsaw Sharpener thread yet.
What's your recommendations on a sharpener? The majority of the chains (both mine and my cousin's) are .375" x .050", with my smaller saw taking a .375" x .050" low profile chain.
BTW, as long as I'm trying like heck not to catch it, what does CAD stand for?