sharpener

[kevin bingham]

a friend of mine gave me this. I don't know anything about them. is it worth my time to figure it out. if so, what do i need to know. thanks!

 

[kevin bingham]

I have been sold on this system for a while. my philosophy these days has been to sharpen on the saw till you file the teeth off and then buy a new chain. Anyone can file an acceptable cut with 10 minutes of training with these guides. but maybe having a sharpener could also be pretty efficient. although changing out discs and shit might be a pain. i do take the long chains to the saw shop if they ever come off the saw for unfortunate circumstances. there is a saw shop a couple miles from my shop that also does chipper blades. i just take them a stack every now and then along with my blades.

 

[stig]

The 2 Stihl sharpeners in the last picture are excellent.............for amateurs.

I sometimes do chainsaw courses for Woodturners and always show them how to use one of those.

For pro users I'd say one is better off learning to file free hand.

 

[SeanKroll]

Grinders are useful.

I can't remember the last time i used mine, though

Rocks and metal are the main reasons for a grinder.

Hand filing on the saw while taking a "break" is my go-to.



My grinder is very cheap, and gets rid of work-hardened edges without destroying a file. Gets it close. For me, it needs some extra finish-filing to make the chain professionally sharp.

I used to use a Silvey grinder, and went right to the wood afterwards, no filing.

Lots of nails in State Parks' campground trees. Lots more grinding in those days.

 

[lxskllr]

I just freehand it. I doubt I'd use a grinder if it were given to me. Aside from the hassle of setup, you're swapping chains in the field so you can take them home to grind. Alternately, you're filing in the field, then grinding when you get home. I don't see a lot of point in it.

 

[SeanKroll]

Shop days have about 25% of the W/C rates, here, compared to field days.

Most people can't freehand file worth much.

 

[pigwot]

Keeping the grinding wheel profile correct takes some effort, but once you have the angles set it is quick.
And, as was mentioned: for chains that hit metal or stone, it is a fast way to get back to a balanced, basic chain, easily finish dressed by hand and you have a chain, not a paperweight.

BTW, Kevin, how did it go for you in Williamsburg?

 

[pete mctree]

The grinder only gets used on long chains which are heavily damaged. Hand filing is a skill worth investing time and energy into as a good cutting chain is the start point for all treework