How do you sharpen saw chain?

[Al Smith]

That 10 degree thing just puts the working corner of chisel chain more in line with the side plate .It works on some series of Oregon but not so well on Carlton or Stihl chain .It's hard to describe in words but easy to show it you see on the chain .Again though it's just a preference .I file it in ,most do not .

Oh,on that 038 Av ,that one I landed from a Stihl dealer for 45 bucks .Right place ---right time .

 

[Al Smith]

Raker depth is easily set using a depth guage specially made for the job,cheap .Because the cutting tooth is relieved or in other words tapered so it gets shorter as it wears ,the depth of the rakers will slowly change as the chain wears out .

On a race chain this can also be done with a straight edge spanning over several cutters and using a feeler guage .

Now I've found it doesn't do much good to go deeper than the chain manufacturer recommends .All you get is a jerky chain that really doesn't cut any faster plus it beats the dickens out of the bar plus whoever is running the saw .

 

[sotc]

Really fast if the chain is off the saw

 

[Magnus]

The top plate is angled. I find it best to have file paralell to top plate. Usuallu 10 degrees or a bit less.

Oregon have softer metal in frame, but not less or softer chrome.
This make it easier to file than with harder metal in center.

Filing these two different chain brands or any two different chains is never same.

 

[Jed]

Willie: Is that a round-grind wheel. If so: why not square?

 

[sotc]

Square

 

[Jed]

 

[winch]

Just got a batch of chains back from my man. 20 chains delivered to the door, $160 with shipping, so $8/chain this time.

This included 4 chains over 100 links.

A good deal to me.

And thanks for the overtly-congenial response, IJed. I had no idea that arborists could be so polite!

 

[stig]

Oh, the arborists on this site are very polite.
It is the damned loggers that are a nasty bunch!

 

[CurSedVoyce]

 

[Al Smith]

 

[HolmenTree]

Oh, the arborists on this site are very polite.
It is the damned loggers that are a nasty bunch!

I think thats because loggers only have to fight and curse at trees. But arborists have to have good customer skills [no cursing at the customers or in their yards]

I always file my chains on my customer's jobs. I'm not charging them by the hour

 

[woodworkingboy]

Sharpening on the job can make you further seem professional in the customer's eyes. Sharp tool, sharp mind. I mean the few customers that pay attention.

 

[HolmenTree]

Sharpening on the job can make you further seem professional in the customer's eyes. Sharp tool, sharp mind. I mean the few customers that pay attention.

Good for customer relations too, many of my customers who see me file come right over and ask for pointers.

 

[stehansen]

.

( the "her" was not dictated by PC. We have a local female faller who puts out more volume than most of the guys. Smallish woman, living proof that great falling tecnique and a sharp chain beats brawn any day)


That is all it means.

Got any pictures Stig?

 

[sotc]

Good for customer relations too, many of my customers who see me file come right over and ask for pointers.

Sounds like a consultation fee to me!!

 

[CurSedVoyce]

Sharpening on the job can make you further seem professional in the customer's eyes. Sharp tool, sharp mind. I mean the few customers that pay attention.

Good for customer relations too, many of my customers who see me file come right over and ask for pointers.

My customers respect that it is part of the job and often the difference between a hack and a professional. They see how my saws cut and those that figure it out know that I am going to save more time by taking the little extra time.
Often times I will have customers ask me to sharpen a saw for them before I leave the job and pay me to do so. The difference of a file sharpened chain vs a grinder sharpened or dull chain makes their eyes light up

 

[Al Smith]

More times than not when people drag a saw to me for repairs it's something real simple .A blocked filter ,stiff carb,fuel line or something .9 times out of 10 the chain is dull .

It's like they think some sort of magic was preformed on the thing when all it was was the use of a file for about 5 minutes . It's simple ,anyone could file a chain if they put their mind to it .

 

[woodworkingboy]

It seems that the biggest problem that limited experience folks have when sharpening, is that they can't see if the cutter is sharp or still blunted. They don't bring it to a fine edge.

 

[Greenhorn]

You guys use file handles? If so what kind, I hate the plastic ones but my only wooden oregon one is about wore out. Just put a nice gash in the tip of my index finger filing without, hard to type without it!

 

[SkwerI]

I have a half dozen of the Oregon wooden handles. I keep three in the shop and three on the bucket truck, one for each size file. I never liked the plastic handles either.

 

[Al Smith]

In addition to the Orgeon handles you can buy regular wooden handles fairly cheaply ,they last forever .I'll do a search in MacMaster Carr in a little bit .I get mine at work or from the collection of visiting auctions for the last 40 years .

 

[Al Smith]

I checked,they are cheap from 89 cents to two bucks for a chainsaw file size depending on the style .You can also find them at most old time real hardware stores if you can find one .An old broom handle cut short with a small hole bored in the end works well too .

 

[Al Smith]

There's also several job lots of 50 handles on flea bay right now for $12.50 plus $12.50 ship which would be 50 cents per .

 

[Burnham]

If you're a real scrimper, just cut a nice smooth piece of hardwood limb about the size of the handle you want, drill a hole in it and tap the file in...I've got a couple I made like this. I didn't even round them off or anything, but if you have a hankering to whittle, you could pretty it up easily enough.