Someone Might Care... Who Knows?

[Tucker943]

I do not. Have I? Yes. Can I? Somewhat.

 

[stig]

Must be nice Stig. As a res. arb., (and a foreman, at that) I make $26 per hr. 48 hrs. Per weak. You can bet that I'm straightening out my bars. Other than the top handles, the shortest bars I run are 28".

What you are implying by your post, is that the "good ol' days", must have sucked; and I can testify that, yeah... They kinda do. Although I usually only do about an hour of saw maintanance.

Yup!
I'm not the least bit nostalgic about pulp cutting or clearcutting 40 year old norway spruce all summer.
Pay was lousy and saws were expensive.

I bitch and moan about the frigging harvesters stealing my job, but the fact is that around here those few of us who are still left in logging ( Who BTW are the cream of the crop) only log the good stuff. The biggish trees and the old ones, the trees where money can be made if you are skilled.

Logging mature hardwoods and making good money at it takes a lot of skill.
Pulp logging just takes the ability to do the same thing over again and again, like a machine.
Which is why it is now done by machines.

While I don't miss the old days, I am aware that the incessant hammering down, limbing and bucking of conifers, years after years is what gave me the falling skills that are keeping me in the game at 57 years of age

 

[HolmenTree]

I'm the only one I know that files that way. More then one person has given me a funny look.

Your wasting the upper part of the file covering it with your hand....unless you have awfully small hands.
I always use a file handle and my strokes are the full length of the file........one handed too.

 

[Tucker943]

Maybe so Willard, but much like tying my shoes, there's a way I go about it and it works extremely well, so its hard to justify making a change. I am a creature of habit with my methods. Just like when they tried to breathe GOL style saw starting down my neck a bunch of years back. It wasnt happening.

I have noticed the portion of the file I don't utilize though. It's occured to me before. I don't have huge hands, nor do I have kids hands. I'm missing a good 2 inches or so of file.

 

[HolmenTree]

Whatever works for you Chris doesn't need to be changed. I just thought I'd throw that out there for you.

 

[Magnus]

There is no limit to how good it can get unless you set it.
If you are happy and content that is were your limit is and your learning ends.

 

[Tucker943]

You're absolutely right. I would be happy to teach you more.

 

[cory]

 

[Magnus]

Hahaha!

You're absolutely right. I would be happy to teach you more.

Please do, I would like that very much.

I will never be content. I keep learning and testing almost every day.
If something works better than what adapt without thinking about it. A lot more fun when things improve.
Testing in it self is pretty fun as you see pretty fast what is better or not.

I also filed without handles for some years. Still do if I don't have a handle i like near.
I don't understand what it is that make your hand harder in palm?

 

[Magnus]

I am all ears...
Waiting patiently..

 

[Jed]

Hahaha!

Please do, I would like that very much.

I will never be content. I keep learning and testing almost every day.
If something works better than what adapt without thinking about it. A lot more fun when things improve.
Testing in it self is pretty fun as you see pretty fast what is better or not.

I also filed without handles for some years. Still do if I don't have a handle i like near.
I don't understand what it is that make your hand harder in palm?

I'm just like you in that I'll try something 300 different ways if I thought that there was even a long shot at a genuine improvement.

Other guys, like my good friend Chris Maragulia will only ever do things the one way they do them (Blakes hitch, round-file, etc.) because they know that they are extremely good at, and that's good enough for them. I am absolutely never happy.... Never... I'm my worst critic, and I always think that I could have done better.

 

[Magnus]

You're absolutely right. I would be happy to teach you more.

Still waiting.
Patiently.

 

[Magnus]

I'm just like you in that I'll try something 300 different ways if I thought that there was even a long shot at a genuine improvement.

Other guys, like my good friend Chris Maragulia will only ever do things the one way they do them (Blakes hitch, round-file, etc.) because they know that they are extremely good at, and that's good enough for them. I am absolutely never happy.... Never... I'm my worst critic, and I always think that I could have done better.

There is so much to try and test. Ideas that could be better and make my life more fun and better.

 

[Jed]

Our company, for reasons unknown to me, buys Echo 360t's. I guess they're a price point saw to start the new guys on.

I took one, cut the catalyst out of the muffler, ported the cylinder, and then modified the chisels into square with the "goof file". Now, most of my ground guys will grab that saw instead of their own 200t's.

 

[cory]

Didn't know you could change a round filed chisel into a square filed one.

 

[SouthSoundTree-]

So Jed, not only do your crew members bring in the right sized bars and chains for company projects, your own 200ts, also?Do you get to hang out if you get done earlier than the job is budgeted for, by bringing in the right tools for the job? No need to confirm online, but if you like to deny...

 

[HolmenTree]

Jed must be running Picco 63PS chisel chain on his top handles. To put a chisel bit edge in that round ground chisel chain you'd have to file the cutters back to blunt with the goofy file. Then you're set to go to file the edges in.
I've filed .325 square for curiosity but never the little Picco yet. Don't see any need too.........

 

[Tucker943]

Magnus, the best I can offer is to come visit me and I will get you on the road to sharper chains. In the mean time, I'm away visiting family for the holiday. Merry Christmas to you, or whatever holiday you celebrate. A happy new year to you as well. May it be a successful year filled with more saws, abundant business, good health, and improved social skills. Cheers my friend!

 

[Jed]

So Jed, not only do your crew members bring in the right sized bars and chains for company projects, your own 200ts, also?Do you get to hang out if you get done earlier than the job is budgeted for, by bringing in the right tools for the job? No need to confirm online, but if you like to deny...

Oh, Sean, I could care less if they see this. The only reasons that I am there is because the people are incredible to work around, and I get 48 hrs a week at decent to slightly low pay, even in the dead of winter. I worked half a day today, and the boss sent us all home with 8 hrs. and $50.00 gift cards to Cabellas'. We get Christmas paid. New Years Day paid, and a few other major holidays. I get 90 hours paid vacation time per year also, and it's about to go up. They bought me a new 201 about 18 months ago, and a new 660 about 8 months ago just because I asked for it. The only reason I complain so much on here is because I don't believe that anyone who does professional tree work should have to use Echo top-handles, beg and cry for six weeks to get a saw chain, beg and scream for four months to get a guide bar and have to resharpen Chinese hand and pole-saw blades, and use chipper blades until the gap (from a billion resharpening) is big enough to through a six-foot long streamer through when sharp. This is what the average guy in our shop has to deal with, in season and out. I should post some pics on here of what the gear that one of our average guys climb on is like. Don't get me started on our blowers. I'll just shut my mouth and get a broom. Gotta take the bad with the good I guess.

 

[Jed]

Jed must be running Picco 63PS chisel chain on his top handles. To put a chisel bit edge in that round ground chisel chain you'd have to file the cutters back to blunt with the goofy file. Then you're set to go to file the edges in.
I've filed .325 square for curiosity but never the little Picco yet. Don't see any need too.........

Aright, I'm gonna have to learn to post pics, I guess. You can take the goof file to factory ground pico, and put a (don't laugh) 28 top plate in it without removing very much steel at all. Next sharpening--25 degrees (approx.). Next time less, until, within about three sharpening, that stuff looks about like timber-cutter square grind. Now, that little saw is BLASTING through wood. Even the first time you do it, the saw cuts noticeably better, and the edge--I have irrefutable proof of this--lasts a good deal longer than all of my friends' (who round file). I feel like this is about the best kept secret in arboriculture, right now. I wish more people would try it. On the top-handles, you don't even need to be able file very well, since the curve that a badly-sharpened 16" pico chain will cut is hardly even appreciable.

 

[Cold Logging]

Now your gettin it Jed!! Nothin ventured, nothing gained. . The more you.do it the better your results will be. Imo, chisel fileing is 30% head knowledge 40% eye hand coordination/ experience. And 30% good files and fileing set up.
Then kinda pick your battles. If you rock the snot out of your chain, grind the rock ( glass hard parts of the tooth) until its back into the good steel of the tooth again. . Trying to chisel file out a rocked chain just wears you out and destroys a file.

 

[Jed]

Ohhh yeah..... messed up al perfectly good file ONCE, years ago, that way. Never again.

 

[MasterBlaster]

 

[cory]

If you rock the snot out of your chain, grind the rock ( glass hard parts of the tooth) until its back into the good steel of the tooth again. . Trying to chisel file out a rocked chain just wears you out and destroys a file.

 

[gf beranek]

The Oberg double-bevel files I use to buy in the 80s would generally last the life of a chain. One chain one file. By the late 90s it took 3 Oberg double-bevel files to sharpen a chain through its life. One chain 3 files. Files cost $6 bug each.

The moral of the story: You sell far more cheap files than you do good ones. Like light bulbs. The customer gets rooked every time.