Hand Filing - Free-hand

[Nutball]

And Pferd are some of the cheapest, at least on TreeStuff

 

[cory]

pferd ftw.

 

[Nutball]

I got me summa dem this time around

 

[SeanKroll]

That's Pferd on Stihl chain?

 

[flushcut]

I run Oregon chain, Pfred or Save Edge files. In my service area it is a very rare occasion that a chain sees old age something kills them premature so I skip on the added expense of Stihl chain.

 

[SeanKroll]

Do you mean saw chain meeting metal, beyond economic salvageability?

 

[flushcut]

Yep, they all die young what ever brand of chain.

 

[Nutball]

I generally find my Stihl chains for Oregon prices on ebay. Otherwise I wouldn't be using Stihl. Oregon came out with a new more durable chain a while ago, it sounds like it might last as long as Stihl, it costs the same.

 

[SeanKroll]

Same as Stihl or old Oregon prices?

 

[CurSedVoyce]

They last longer so price is really not a consideration IMHO.
Oregon files are garbage these days.
Pferd and Stihl for the win.
If you want to go cheap, by Forrester Woody files and they still out last the Oregon crap they sell now.

 

[Nutball]

Same as Stihl or old Oregon prices?

New longer lasting Oregon is same price as Stihl normally is, but on ebay you can find Stihl chain for regular oregon prices. $20-35 vs $40-60 per chain

 

[rfwoody]

I showed my ground-man the 4x's zoom. He was astonished.

I can spot a not sharp chain from far away. I think in part because I had really good eyesight and bright Nevada sun to learn by.


From the blurry picture, I'd guess every front-working corner is bent down.

Round-top, aka chipper chain, aka micro-chisel is way more forgiving.




Side plate pictures?



13/64" or 3/16" round file?
Raker/ depth gauge offset spec?


Make sure you are using sharp files!

13/64" (5.2 Pferd)

.025 for the depth gauges

Stihl chain... must be the same one that came with it, because I mostly have Oregon chain.

Thanks Brian, Butch, Dave, Cory
Thanks Nutball... it's White Oak
Stig, Jonny, and All... pictures of chain coming soon!
Thanks Altissimus, Squisher, Steve

Thanks Sean (or others)........ when you say wipe BACKWARD-WIPE the files.... which direction is that? .... start at handle and go to end?

yeah, Stig, Sean, it is time vs. money, right? ... probably worth it for me to spend the extra time.

Thanks Raj

SEEMS MOST agree to tap file every few strokes?

Thanks Bodean, great idea (no problem... more pictures coming up).

yeah, Dave I keep a sharpie in my filing kit and started keeping 1.5x reading glasses.

Thanks a lot for all the detailed info, Magnus
*** what do you mean: "Keep riders high about 0,5mm ..." (is this what some call "rakers"? ... my Oregon guide is set to .025")? thx.
*** what do you wipe the file with, Magnus?
*** do "low riders" mean that the "rakers" have been filed too low?.... i.e. the tooth is trying to take too big a bite of wood? thx.
*** how do you file vertical? ..... lean the bar against a wall, tree, etc. and sit on your knees with your eyes right over tooth? (I saw "Logger Wade" file this way).
thanks again.

Thanks Flushcut.

Gary how do you orient you saw and yourself to file vertically? thx.

Cory, don't the metal shavings cut your fingers? (i.e. as I get older I'm more aware of little cuts and nicks).

Thanks Nutball.... how do you harden a file? .... oven? blow torch?

Thanks, Mr. Burnham.

Yeah Al, that's what I have Save Edge and Pferd .... and (mostly) Oregon chain

I run Oregon chain, Pfred or Save Edge files. In my service area it is a very rare occasion that a chain sees old age something kills them premature so I skip on the added expense of Stihl chain.

Same here.

Thanks Nutball, CurSedVoyce

Here are pictures of chain, following...

 

[rfwoody]

First....
Hand filed -- free hand -- 13/64" (5.2mm) file ... "rakers" are at least (and approx) .025 down.
... then ....
Cut 2 rounds of ~24" White Oak
Felled a single 22" Loblolly(?) Pine
... now ...
So these pictures are what the (Stihl) chain looks like now...


#1


#2


#3


#4


#5


#6


#7


#8

Thanks for any/all feedback.
Let me know if pictures aren't clear enough, etc. .... from Galaxy S5 camera.
I can see now some of them are blurry.

note: I have been getting the round ground chain... but this chain is apparently the one that came originally on the saw.

 

[Jonny]

Rakers look low. Easiest way to see if I'm right or wrong is if there's more vibration when cutting now. That can get physically painful on your hands and damage to the nerves and tendons can be permanent.

Try to get a straight line on the cutter edge. Pics 5 and 6 look like you're not maintaining that straightness throughout the file stroke.

I like to take the gullet a little deeper too, but if you're hitting the tie strap, I think you're just wasting files.

Should cut better than a dirt dull chain. Practice makes perfect. Looks better than some machine sharpening jobs an old boss used to pay for.

 

[rfwoody]

thanks Jonny.

I've been using the Oregon .025 "saddle" type raker gauge exclusively, but recently tried the Husqvarna "single tooth" guide, which may have made them lower.

I'm thinking I may have filed out the gullets too much on some of them causing too much of a beak.

Am thinking about alternating with the file guide (either single file and/or Stihl double file guide with raker file included).... off and on with free hand filing.

The un-straight top plate has been a pain for me for a long time.... I filed down some teeth by 1/2 trying to get it straight.... I'm thinking some of that has to do with getting the gullet the right "depth" so the file will ride ~10%(?) above the top plate like it is supposed to.

 

[SeanKroll]

You are doing pretty well.

Too steep of an angle. Tip is weak. Bends down easily.

IDK about that raker/ depth gauge being too deep.

Looks like the gullet is low enough, and approaching time to change file sizes. Maybe be able to go down to a lower depth a bit than 0.025", though, as Johnny says, feel the vibration. I'd slope the front of the raker, not the back.


Don't file the rag, drag it backward, not push it forward.

 

[cory]

RF, no the filings don't cut skin at all, NP.

FWIW, IMO, the gullet looks way too deep; the tie strap is being cut into

 

[SeanKroll]

On the side-plate, you want an even, round " C-shape", not "Italicized C-shape". Some are better than others.

10% of the file above the top-plate.

 

[SkwerI]

I saved this almost 20 years ago back on Arboristsite. Good reference, although Oregon wants you to file down at a 10* angle and Stihl wants you to file level with the top plate. Either works, or somewhere in between. Consistency is more critical, keep every tooth the same as the last. If they are all different and it doesn't cut well, you have no idea which teeth are right and which are wrong. Keep them all the same and you get a good idea really quick what works and what doesn't.

 

[Nutball]

Looks like the saw was still running through most of the pictures.

A tip: use lots and lots of light, you will never have too much light unless you are really resourceful. More light forces a higher shutter speed. Enough light (and shutter speed) will get a clear image even on a running saw with an unsteady hand.

 

[Al Smith]

I use the 10 degree on both Oregon and Stihl .A few years back Baileys had a deal on their house chain which was Carlton and 10 degree on it didn't work .Frank Wright AKA "Crofter " showed me the error of my ways .That's on chisel
Chipper or semi chisel you want straight across and the gullet down to the tie strap so it rolls and and holds a bigger chip.This stuff works kind of like a planer knife where as chisel works like axe strokes .Chisel of course being the faster .

 

[Magnus]

Great description, Magnus, thanks. I have started filing vertical also and I can certainly see the cutting edge of the tooth better.
If in my trailer I try to set up a shop light ... clamp on light so I get reflection off the edge to help. If outside I try to be sure the sun is at the best angle to help with that reflection.

If I file in shop I use a desk lamp with magnify glass (2 if needed) and file vertical in a vise with a bar cut in half set in it.
If I get curious, I use the magnify glas + reading glasses and get it big enough to see everything. If needed bigger its off to microscope.

It seems like wiping would pack the crap in deeper...

No, use a cloth or old towel etc and pull file thru it. Not push. That will fill the file with fiber from towel and be pretty counterproductive.

thanks Jonny.

I've been using the Oregon .025 "saddle" type raker gauge exclusively, but recently tried the Husqvarna "single tooth" guide, which may have made them lower.

I'm thinking I may have filed out the gullets too much on some of them causing too much of a beak.

Am thinking about alternating with the file guide (either single file and/or Stihl double file guide with raker file included).... off and on with free hand filing.

The un-straight top plate has been a pain for me for a long time.... I filed down some teeth by 1/2 trying to get it straight.... I'm thinking some of that has to do with getting the gullet the right "depth" so the file will ride ~10%(?) above the top plate like it is supposed to.

You are using oregon guage on a Stihl Product.
Its like trying to install Iphone stuff in you galaxy or using 3/8 fil guide on .325. It will not work properly.

Its too low in any case.

A better universal measurement is to find a straight part of bat and put a file across three teeth.
Then look. If you see distance its less than .5mm if you want to know, its just to measure exactly.

 

[Nutball]

I found the 2 in 1 stihl file took the depth gauges down too low when I observed someone using it. They didn't seem happy with it either. The saw cut really aggressively.

 

[Magnus]

First....
Hand filed -- free hand -- 13/64" (5.2mm) file ... "rakers" are at least (and approx) .025 down.
... then ....
Cut 2 rounds of ~24" White Oak
Felled a single 22" Loblolly(?) Pine

Look in side view, profile of tooth you see the shape of cutter.
You are too low in gullet and need to have file placed Higher in tooth. Easier to control if you file vertical.
You want less beek, More like ( than C or any other better way to explain it...
The closer it is to 90 degrees from bar the stronger it gets and the harder it gets to get sharp.

The key is not in how thin it is its the sharpness. Thin compensate for sharpness but loose in durability.

When you get it sharp and you feel how it cuts better in every way you should try to strive to keep it that way and never ever loose sharpness. As soon as you notice its not as good as it was you file, it can always get better.

Its smaller steps later when you done it good, but it just get better if you look for things to improve.
With hand filing you can easily adapt your filing to wood, saw, work method chain brands and models.
Its the interest that decide how far you get.

 

[squisher]

Great post Magnus.