Whats the easiest to learn chain sharpener

Arborist Forum

Help Support Arborist Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
That clearly is a knowledge/ skill development thing.

Philbert
Gotta remember, I'm from Texas. Every kid we've ever hired said he knew all about guns and chainsaws... after watching them that first day running a chainsaw I certainly didn't want to be anywhere near them with a loaded gun...
 
I work with volunteers. Wanna guess how many ‘know’ things?

In fairness, I was handed a chainsaw at 16; shown how to start it, and told to only use mixed fuel. That was it.

Only many years later (surviving on experience and luck), did I start reading, asking questions, watching others and videos, etc. I am still open to learning, although, formal training in chainsaw use can be hard to find, unless employed in a related field.

Forums like this help. I may not agree with everything from everyone here, but I really appreciate honest perspectives from genuine experiences.

Thanks!

Philbert
 
I work with volunteers. Wanna guess how many ‘know’ things?

In fairness, I was handed a chainsaw at 16; shown how to start it, and told to only use mixed fuel. That was it.

Only many years later (surviving on experience and luck), did I start reading, asking questions, watching others and videos, etc. I am still open to learning, although, formal training in chainsaw use can be hard to find, unless employed in a related field.

Forums like this help. I may not agree with everything from everyone here, but I really appreciate honest perspectives from genuine experiences.

Thanks!

Philbert
Here Here
 
Maybe, when I cut hazard trees in yards with targets I usually have two saws, the one I'm running and another with a sharp chain and ready to go in case I hit something. There have been many times when cutting in general that I've damaged two new chains in the same wood(different locations not the same cut) as all I had was new chains :cry:. But the show must go on and filing a chain that hits metal isn't much fun, and I enjoy filing.

I trashed two chains earlier this week. A rock was imbedded invisibly in the middle of a stump I was cutting.

What knucklehead suggested previously that an experienced operator didn't need extra chains? I got some news for you...
 
...In fairness, I was handed a chainsaw at 16; shown how to start it, and told to only use mixed fuel. That was it.

Only many years later (surviving on experience and luck), did I start reading, asking questions, watching others and videos, etc. I am still open to learning, although, formal training in chainsaw use can be hard to find, unless employed in a related field.

Forums like this help. I may not agree with everything from everyone here, but I really appreciate honest perspectives from genuine experiences.

Thanks!

Philbert

Same here, only I didn't even get that much instruction. I bought a saw, and just figured it out.
 
I trashed two chains earlier this week. A rock was imbedded invisibly in the middle of a stump I was cutting.

What knucklehead suggested previously that an experienced operator didn't need extra chains? I got some news for you...
Yeah, so one day out of 100, lol, but I know you don't make a habit of rocking a chain
 
Yeah, wanted to see if Steve defined it that way. I'm going to suggest if you are needing to carry 4 chains to get through the day you should look at your cutting techniques...
I don't " need" 4 chains, I just
like to have redundancy.

Many times I use one chain for months, then I get farm yards trees with hiden nails, barbed wire, bullets etc.... Plus my customers want the stumps taken down to ground level and hidden gravel / rocks can be imbedded in the trunk flare.....

I carry 2 extra 9 mm mags along with my EDC carry. 2 is 1, 1 is none 😉
 
Yeah, so one day out of 100, lol, but I know you don't make a habit of rocking a chain

Not if I can help it. Kinda dulled one today, flush cutting in a mulch bed next to a bank. (of America)

BTW: You got that training the crew thing about right. Except... What do you do when your groundie would rather remain a brushdragger, and just let you do all the cutting?
 
Not if I can help it. Kinda dulled one today, flush cutting in a mulch bed next to a bank. (of America)

BTW: You got that training the crew thing about right. Except... What do you do when your groundie would rather remain a brushdragger, and just let you do all the cutting?
Are you kidding me?!? Let him drag brush, lol.
 
Not if I can help it. Kinda dulled one today, flush cutting in a mulch bed next to a bank. (of America)

BTW: You got that training the crew thing about right. Except... What do you do when your groundie would rather remain a brushdragger, and just let you do all the cutting?
Stop buying stihl ultra mix :baba: :laughing:
 
The gullet helps hold the file at the proper height to set the side plate angle/the hook. If you remove the gullet first on a newer chin then you will have to constantly hold the file up against the top plate.
That being said, you do need to remove a very small portion of the back of the gullet, but not as low as I clean them up when done filing the cutter unless you are further into the life of s chain.


I like them a lot, and I use them on chains that I get that someone thought getting the gullet hogged out was going to make their saw cut faster, it holds the file up onto the cutter nicely.
I've never had a chain last that long, I filed one this week down from 80% to 10%(if you stop at the witness marks), but I had to flush cut a bunch of stumps. Only touched it up once while cutting the trees down and limbing them, cottonwood and couple pine so it was softer wood.

That's great you had someone to stand beside and learn.
Waiting to here about he shared :innocent:.

It's funny when you watch a video on how to use the roller guide and then when it comes time to do the rakers they set it aside :laugh:. What they don't realize is how well they work for setting them to the proper height. The stand alone version is a much easier tool to hold and they last much longer though.
I don't stop at the witness marks. I keep cutting until a few of the cutters break off. As long as you use the progressive method of raker maintenance it cuts well enough until you lose enough cutters that it doesn't anymore.
 
Yesssss, texas is an interesting country to try and live in. It's been difficult getting anything done here since I don't speak Texan. Lol. And now there is no training required to carry. Unless you hunt, then if you were born after 1966 you have to take a safety class...for your rifle...but not your handgun.
 
I don't stop at the witness marks. I keep cutting until a few of the cutters break off. As long as you use the progressive method of raker maintenance it cuts well enough until you lose enough cutters that it doesn't anymore.
How are the dremel sharpeners?
 
I think Philbert has stated people need to find out what works best for their situation. I do not see a debate worthy as one system works best for every one. There are many upon many videos that explain technique for setting up a grinder well to achieve a very productive chain. There are plenty of videos that explain how to grab a file and be back making chips fly quick. I think guides and such gadgets not only do not work but mislead people into not understanding what an why they are doing. That is to say there are plenty of folks that have guides and are very happy with them. However if they understood what they were doing they would not need any guide. Thanks
As a Fella gets Older the eyes are open but don't see as well . Way back there some one said good Lighting. I always filed with a bare tang file and no gadgetry fast forward (Shocking how fast that is) to now and reading glasses and a gadget (slides on top of the tooth and raker) fastened to the file Keeps me from slipping and slopping up the sharpening Job. Most relevant up to this post (IMHO) Is KNOW what the chain should look like when done but don't forget to asses what it needs before you start. This has been a good thread.
 
How are the dremel sharpeners?
The problem with the Dremel is the sharpeners... as you grind it wears away, very fast, and the diameter shrinks, so your results are very inconsistent. If they had diamond sharpeners, and maybe they do now, I haven't used one in a long time, then it wouldn't be bad for a field fix on a damaged chain. The other problem is you are basically free handing, even with the little guide, and it is very easy to remove too much metal.
 
Left Coast Supplies had ABN ‘stones’ available for a while, that fit Dremel, and similar sharpeners. LCS is gone, but maybe someone still sells them?

*EDIT- In case folks are not familiar with it, I should explain that ‘ABN’ is similar to ‘CBN’: a synthetic abrasive bonded to a metal core, which wears very slowly, so the diameter of the grinding stone effectively does not charge *

Philbert
 
The problem with the Dremel is the sharpeners... as you grind it wears away, very fast, and the diameter shrinks, so your results are very inconsistent. If they had diamond sharpeners, and maybe they do now, I haven't used one in a long time, then it wouldn't be bad for a field fix on a damaged chain. The other problem is you are basically free handing, even with the little guide, and it is very easy to remove too much metal.

I've used diamond bits, but they were low quality and didn't last very long. Still... They were better than the carborundum bits that wore down too fast.

CBN bits would be good, as would a carbide milling bit. You'ld have to be light touched with a milling bit though!
 
Back
Top