Sharpening Chains

[Chuck (CA)]

For some reason, I just can't grasp the knack for sharpening chain saw chains as good as the shops can.
I saw this ad on TV about this contraption you clamp onto the tip of the bar, close it up and run the saw. Voila! A sharp chain.
Anybody try it? Does it work? This would be so cool if it did a decent job.

Chuck

 

[Bob Bancroft]

I was working on chainsaws in the 70's and that stuff was around then. It's a special chain, and it sort of works. Fortunately our brand didn't use it.
You'd be better off sticking with conventional chain and getting someone to show you how to sharpen it. Maybe buy a grinder, or something more than a file.

 

[Anonymous-0]

i use a bench mounted chain saw blade sharpener. it works great it has the right angle all time.no guessing which angle

 

[Phil in Pa]

A common mistake many people make is to not keep the rakers filed down.
If they aren't kept low enough, it won't matter how sharp the teeth are, it will cut slow.

 

[snoop-nc]

I "discovered" the joys of DREMEL tool for sharpening. I use a thin cutoff disc (the kind that goes "ting" when you cut off the nail) and come at an angle below the cutting edge and use the guide line to keep it lined up...use the flat part of the disc. Very light touch...much better than a file for me.

I've seen the self sharpening deal...looks gimickie to me...that's my opinion.

Be safe in the woods with chainsaw!!

Rick

 

[old popper]

Back in the day, when I was heating my house with wood, I filed my chains three or four times, then took them to town for a professional sharpening. The trick to filing is get every tooth with an equal amount of strokes of the file, and get your angle right.

 

[molinebob]

i always sharpen the chain by clamping the bar in the vise on the bench in the garage, that way i can make sure the angel is correct, make sure the chain is tight on the bar also, used to do it on the tailgate of the pick up and then my fil showed me how to do it on the vise much easier!
Bob

 

[Bob Bancroft]

Sure thing. Did you ever see the little clamp that was made to be driven into a stump, then you could clamp your bar into it?

 

[Az. Peapicker]

I bought a chain sharpener over 20 years ago ,paid for itself many times over

 

[Tim Gatzemeyer]

Also found if you put the chain saw in the vice, clamp it in as vertical as you can that away your file will sharp the cutting edge instead of going toward the chain links.

 

[Steven-Id]

I have an old Craftsman chain saw that was made with the self sharpening option. It takes a special chain to use it. The chain teeth cutting edges face up on about a 45 degree angle. When you use the sharpener you just push the lever down and a grinding stone touches up the edge of the teeth. Problem I have is with the teeth angled like that they didn't stay sharp very long so you went through chains faster.
My FIL bought a chain guide that clamped to the bar when you needed to sharpen that held your file at the correct angle where you just took an equal number of passes over the teeth and good to go. The regular shaped teeth hold their edge better than the tooth pointing up. That's my (free advise) so I hope you get your moneys worth.


Steven

 

[glennster]

i bought a dremel chain sharpener quite a few years ago, basically a dremel tool with a little angle gauge on the end, it uses cylinder shaped stones. works good enough for me. takes about 10 minutes to sharpen a 20 inch bar chain.

 

[Steven-Id]

I hope this works, here is a link to Northern tool.
saw sharpener

 

[former logger]

Use a round tooth chain instead of a square chisel tooth. square chisel tooth made for cutting trees in the woods. round tooth made for cutting trees up in the yard. a round skip tooth chain is idiot proof in sharpening. no square edge to sharpen it is round. every 3 sharpenings hit the drags in the direction of the tooth a half lick with a flat file. gets you the most out of the chain. sharpening a chain on a electric sharpener blues the chain and makes it very difficult to sharpen in the woods. you will throw it away if you use your saw all day long. if it has to be sharpened on a electric sharpener throw the chain away its had it.

 

[Steven-Id]

I hope this works, here is a link to Northern tool.
saw sharpener

 

[Lou from Wi.]

Been 40 years and have always used this type of tool,called a file o plate.Never had to take a chainsaw in to get sharpened, real easy to work with, almost fool proof. The angle on the front gives you the angle to keep your round and flat file at.If the tooth is rounded,just put the file o plate on the tooth( after you mark it with a crayon,so you don't lose where you started)use a flat file at the same angle and file it til you have it at the correct angle.Then use the round file(per chain diam)to cut the undercut on the tooth.
You have to go all the way around one side and then do the other side. Make sure and check the rakers(anti kick back,some chains called them)for height.Too high and it won't cut,too low and the chain will grab and kick.
Most of the loggers years ago used to grind them down.We've cut at a minimum of 12- 15 loggers cord(4'X4'X8') per year up to 30 cord,and never had to take a chain in.Yes we had to buy new chain,mostly 1 per year,but that's not bad cutting dirty logs.
Hope this helps.
LOU &Victor

link here

 

[Sam#3]

It must be sold by a chain manufacturer. Anything that applies more than elbow grease gets hot not cool and a waste of good chain. Get a file guide made for your chain. It will guide both the pitch and angle. Three strokes on each tooth and like someone said whack the drags ever two or three filings and you're done. There is probably also a gauge for the drags but I must admit I can't find one.

 

[buickanddeere]

We use something like this. I can't understand how people are so freaking cheap. Penny wise and pound foolish. The results, a factory fresh chain with perfect angles and identical depth. The chain cuts better than any hand sharpened chain. The increase in cutting speed, reduction of engine/bar wear and reduced operator effort. More than make up for the meager cost of a power sharpener.

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200327451_200327451

 

[onefarmer]

I used to file them a few times and take them in to have a shop sharpen and true them, then file a few more times and so on. Now I have bought a chain grinder and been very happy with it. I have several chains, use them up, and sharpen them all as a batch. Chains last me a long time.

 

[PJH]

Yeah Bob, that stump clamp is handy to touch up a chain in the woods. I can file a chain to cut like new, but it has to be clamped in a vise or a stump clamp. I never send in a chain for someone else to sharpen.

Look at the chips to tell what condition your chain is in. Should see definate chips - if it's looking more like dust or powder, it needs attention.

Paul

 

[jeffcat]

Most every reply on here has a little of a good story. The neighbor has one of those HF orange units and it works very well if you go to the trouble of learning how to use it! I have a buddy who owns a good size saw shop. He showed me how on a REAL machine and then I adapted it to the HF unit. Real machines cut CW for right and CCW for left. You want to sharpen from the back of the cutter. Anyway , I hope I got that all correct! Home units all go one way. With a little care and grind it lightly it gets Da...mn Sharp! Slit my finger last week putting a chain back on my 16" bow saw. You want to cut your chain at 30#. This is about 900% of your cutting. If you cut nothing but pine and soft woods then you can use 35#. This is out of the McCulloch chain care book from the late 60s.

 

[onefarmer]

This is what B&D says he uses.

This is what I use. Except mine has a hydraulic chain clamp.

 

[buickanddeere]

We actually use different sharpener that swings right/left and reverses rotation.
That little harbour freight jobby was shown just to indicate a basic unit isn't expensive.
I'll touch a chain up in the field once or twice with a few strokes and a jig. However nothing beats keeping every cutter identical with a light grind.
Chains will last longer if mech sharpened properly.

 

[Butch(OH)]

That new Oregon chain and sharpener has been tested by a fellow on a saw site I look at and it actualy cuts pretty well and the sharpener works as advertised but wow is it expensive!!

As always there are opinions both ways, hand file vs grinder. I both file and grind. Both can produce a razer sharp chain with a skilled operator, both can result in a dull as a hoe chain when done by a hack. Point is neither method is idiot proof, neither is always the best way and BOTH take some manner or skill to achieve good results. When I want something to do in the shop I have no problem spending a few hours filing chain cutters and setting the raker depths back to spec. Others who dont have the time or inclination and maybe they should invest in a grinder, just dont expect it to be idiot proof. The last choice is to send them out to be ground, at least with the so-called saw shops around here.

 

[bruster]

It took me a long time to get the knack of getting chains sharp. Now all it takes is a few strokes per tooth, during each break, and I'm back to making long shavings instead of chips again!

Practice makes perfect!

 

[Anonymous-0]

Read Lou from WI's post.

Those things are the greatest thing since sliced bread. I have NEVER taken a chain to a saw shop in 25 years of using Carlton chains and their file-o-plate. Everyone I've shown them to uses them now.

I can hand sharpen a chain right back to where I'll start to break teeth off and it still cuts perfectly. And you can do it in the field without having to go back to the shop.

BTW If your chips are any longer than 3/4" you've filed too much off the depth gauges and the tooth is loading up too much and robbing saw power.

95% of saw problems are related/caused by an improperly sharpened chain.

 

[Mr. Bob]

i have a small vise mounted on the bumper of my 2N that i put the saw in when i want to touch it up in the woods.