What's the most common MISTAKE newbies make while sharpening a chainsaw chain?

[samuelanali]

We were all beginners once , and making mistakes is part of the learning process!

Comment down at-least one MISTAKE (even the SILLY ones!) you've made while sharpening a chainsaw chain (or, you see others making!)

Let me START -

I've done this a few times, and one mistake I made was not setting the rekers to the RIGHT depth after filing the cutters. (I was so focused on filing the teeth, LOL! )

 

[Bob Hedgecutter]

Asking the members of an internet group to quantify and critique their previous attempts.

 

[Wood Doctor]

Not cleaning off the grind stone as you move along from chain to chain and instead letting it build up with a black coating of filings than can settle all over the cutter's edge. It can set up a leading flair on the edge as well and make get red hot prematurely.

 

[HarleyT]

The biggest mistake is wearing your batman gloves!!

 

[trains]

Not listening to good advice from those with sound experience, but erring on the side of my fathers second uncle did this once to his 4th neighbors once removed brother in laws saw 40 years ago, and thats how I always do it now attitude.

 

[HansFranz]

Biggest mistake I've seen newbies make is bearing down too hard with the file, which causes it to catch and change the angle at which they're filing ... instead of making a smooth, long, controlled stroke, letting the file do the work and keeping the file angle constant.

People do the same thing when sharpening knives or chisels, resulting in a rounded-off edge instead of a straight bevel.

 

[NSEric]

I didnt pay enough attention when my dad was teaching me, he was good at it, I sucked at sharpening at first.
I wasnt getting the file under the top plate enough and my angles were off a touch.
Watching bucking billy ray on youtube taught me a lot about sharpening, his newest videos are crap but he can sharpen a chain free hand really good, the close up pics helped a lot.

 

[HarleyT]

The best thing is to know what you want to achieve, Use a brand new cutter to gauge things. I bought one of these to show guys what to aim for.

 

[pdqdl]

I'd say the most common mistake is not sharpening when you should. After that, I'm guessing not really getting it sharp would be the second most common mistake.

 

[sean donato]

Calling the depth gauge a raker (or reker as the op states.)
Not keeping the proper angles is probably what most struggle with.
Next would be clearing out the gullet, or not clearing out the gullet.
Then adjusting the depth gauge would be next. The cutter can be sharp as a razor and not cut anything if it can't physically get in contact with the wood.
Not realizing they won't get perfect chains the first few times. We all had frustration when we started.
Not throwing the dull file out. Actually I'd hazard a guess this is pretty common, especially if your using cheap junk files. Some chains are pretty hard and can dull a file relatively quickly.

 

[Mad Professor]

Forgetting to put gloves on and losing the skin off a knuckle when the file slipped.

 

[Hipastore]

One of the most common mistakes newbies make while sharpening a chainsaw chain is failing to maintain the correct angle of the file while sharpening. The angle of the file is critical to ensuring that the chain cuts properly, and if the angle is incorrect, the chain may become dull or even damaged.

Another common mistake is using too much pressure while filing, which can cause the teeth to become uneven or even break. It's important to use just enough pressure to maintain a consistent angle while filing.

 

[pdqdl]

Not throwing the dull file out. Actually I'd hazard a guess this is pretty common, especially if your using cheap junk files. Some chains are pretty hard and can dull a file relatively quickly.

OK. I'll put that #3 on my list.

 

[lwmibc]

I'll third the dull file. My recommendation to people has been to buy a good quality brand new file; file a few teeth with it. Then test the rest of your files; any that don't cut at least 80% as well--throw them out. I believe--from admitted personal experience--that a lot of people get frustrated filing a chain because of dull files. I find it quite pleasing to file chains with a good file.

 

[MacAttack]

Most common is probably dragging the file in the wrong direction on the cutter (should file from the "inside" to the "outside" of the cutter), that or basically filing both directions like they're sawing a piece of wood.

 

[pdqdl]

... that or basically filing both directions like they're sawing a piece of wood.

Ooooh! You may not realize the can of worms that opens. That topic will give a whole new life to this thread.

I've had dozens of guys tell me that even touching the tooth slightly while dragging the file back "ruins the file". I was never able to confirm that, and felt it was a highly exaggerated claim.

Then some guy made a fabulous YouTube video using various steel milling machinery to test that theory. He set up a machine to use a file with adjustable backstroke pressure, regular stroke pressure, then he tested the life cycles of files and the amount of metal they removed under varying conditions.

As I recall, backstroking while in contact with the metal was actually a bit faster filing, with no statistically significant difference in the life of the file. He was surprised that back stroking was actually faster cutting (but only slightly) than single direction filing. He speculated that the only reason he could think of was that metal filings were being dislodged on the backstroke, thereby leaving a cleaner file on the conventional stroke.

At least that's how I remember it. Somebody might just want to look up that video and prove me wrong.

 

[pdqdl]

On that topic...

I stopped by my mother's house one day, and the neighbor decided to cut down the sweet gum between the two driveways. His son and some "expert" had a scissor lift, and they were sure enough hacking it down.

I kinda slowly sidled into their work zone, and started chatting about how they were taking the tree down. I could tell at a glance that their saws were dull as hell, and I pointed that out to them. They told me they had sharpened, but I asked 'em if they had a file. "I'd sure like to see if I can make this cut faster"

Sure enough, they had an excellent file of the correct size, and I began putting a real sharpening on that chain. In few moments, the guy told me that he would like me to stop, on account of I was allowing the file to lightly touch the tooth on the backstroke. He was positive that the file needed to be removed from the chain and re-set into position for each stroke. So... I said "OK. No problem."

It took those guys more than 2 days to take down a 40' tall sweet gum that wasn't over anything but a fence.

 

[Del_]

A common mistake that I don't see mentioned yet is making sure that 20% of the diameter of the file is above the top of the tooth.

As mentioned already I bet a light drag on the return stroke just might dislodge metal fines from the file. I tap the tip of the file after every tooth and can see the fines fly.

 

[KostasVolos]

Well me thinks that the most common mistake people make while sharpening a chain is that
they forget that we live in an era
where getting all the theoretical information needed as a solid substrate for building a good enough sharpening skill ,
is just a matter of few clicks.

 

[sean donato]

Ooooh! You may not realize the can of worms that opens. That topic will give a whole new life to this thread.

I've had dozens of guys tell me that even touching the tooth slightly while dragging the file back "ruins the file". I was never able to confirm that, and felt it was a highly exaggerated claim.

Then some guy made a fabulous YouTube video using various steel milling machinery to test that theory. He set up a machine to use a file with adjustable backstroke pressure, regular stroke pressure, then he tested the life cycles of files and the amount of metal they removed under varying conditions.

As I recall, backstroking while in contact with the metal was actually a bit faster filing, with no statistically significant difference in the life of the file. He was surprised that back stroking was actually faster cutting (but only slightly) than single direction filing. He speculated that the only reason he could think of was that metal filings were being dislodged on the backstroke, thereby leaving a cleaner file on the conventional stroke.

At least that's how I remember it. Somebody might just want to look up that video and prove me wrong.

There's no supporting evidence of that, that I've ever seen. The file is harder then the chain, or it wouldn't cut it. The dulling of the file is from many, many, many strokes against the cutter acting collectively against a rather small sharp area on the file wearing it down. Back dragging the file should be more or less insignificant on the longevity of the file.