chain sharpening

familytree

familytree

Location
Haddonfield, nj
hey guys, looking for a little help, today i was sharpening my 66 and my hand sharpener went to crap, again, honestly ive been through 6 oregan 12volt hand sharpeners and im honestly tired of it, i was looking at the bench grinder style sharpener that was a 12volt bolt on directly to the bar, i saw it in baileys catalog and was hopeing that someone here has used it, or even just the bench grinder style sharpener that plugs into the wall, any help would be great guys, thanks in advance
 
I know chain grinders are fast and do a decent job... but once you learn how to correctly file by hand... you will wonder why you spent all that time usin' a grinder.

Give it a shot... you might be better at it than you think!

Gary
 
the oregon machines look like a cheap kids toy.

'MADE IN TAIWAN'?

I've never used a grinder, but guys at my new workplace barely use a vice.

Yet to find out how sharp the older chains are...
 
When I'm filing on my workbench in my shop I clamp the bar gently in a vice to give me a more stable platform to sharpen on... works just snazzy, and I can do it with the bar still on the saw.
grin.gif

Gary
 
yeah; that's what I used to to. Either that or put it in the Stihl manual chain sharpening jig.

Think I finally got the hang of it, now, although not sure how you can get a consistently perfect edge on every tooth without a vice to clamp the bar/chain at the very least.
 
I file all chains by hand on the saw. I put the bar in a vice and sharpen with the chain brake off. You get used to it and like was noted above you get an extremely fast chain by hand.
 
we sharpen by hand as well, takes way too long but definatly works, but i need something more cost effective, the other day i used my oregan hand sharpener and a brand new grinding stone, i got through the saw sharpening but the stone was worth nothing and those things cost upwards of 1.50 a piece and the saw cut well and still is but i know i will have to go through it again later on tomorrow. i just want something that is fast but more importantly effective, this is what im looking at right now, any suggestions fellas
 

Attachments

  • 86963-baby.webp
    86963-baby.webp
    14.3 KB · Views: 183
[ QUOTE ]
yeah; that's what I used to to. Either that or put it in the Stihl manual chain sharpening jig.

Think I finally got the hang of it, now, although not sure how you can get a consistently perfect edge on every tooth without a vice to clamp the bar/chain at the very least.

[/ QUOTE ]

All my angles and whatnot aren't going to be perfect to a fraction of an inch or degree... but I get my cutters dressed very close to each other. My chains are very sharp and throw chips well, and I file freehand with no gizmos at all.

"Toot, toot" ...that was my own horn... LOL
grin.gif


Gary
 
[ QUOTE ]
we sharpen by hand as well, takes way too long but definatly works, but i need something more cost effective, the other day i used my oregan hand sharpener and a brand new grinding stone, i got through the saw sharpening but the stone was worth nothing and those things cost upwards of 1.50 a piece and the saw cut well and still is but i know i will have to go through it again later on tomorrow. i just want something that is fast but more importantly effective, this is what im looking at right now, any suggestions fellas

[/ QUOTE ]

Does it really take that long to sharpen a chain? Or are you sharpening a lot of chains all at once? If you are filing a lot of chains at the same time... I can see why you would want a grinder like that.

I can file a 28" skiptooth chain in prolly less than 5 minutes. Cost effective... only buyin' round and flat (raker) files is very cost effective.

Gary
 
I imagine it takes me about 5 minutes to file a 20" full comp chain,on the bench or in the woods.A good sharp tool will always make you money,so to speak.
 
hey guys, yeah, i have to sharpen a lot of saws everyday, my boss really sucks at cutting, he doesnt work often with us but he can definatly ruin a chain, we made a brand new chain for our 36 and less than 2 hours later the chain was smoked, im always sharpening at least one 020 and a med. ground saw a day, but im also the only person who knows how to sharpen saws and im the only climber on a 6 man crew so i dont have much time to sharpen, ive tried to teach a couple of guys but we cant afford the buy that many new chains in one week (dont ask, please dont ask) also, being on the east coast, a lot of our trees are massive hardwoods that dull saws very quickly.
 
Sounds like you have many more problems on your crew than just a lack of chain sharpening speed/ ability. IMO I do not believe any and every groundman should be allowed to run a chainsaw. Saw running should be confined to those who are competent to do so and less competent saw operators should only run a saw with direct supervision and coaching until they are competent (won't cut dirt all the time).

Part of chainsaw operating training should include filing lessons. I have a cheapo $30 vise I purchased from Harbor Freight that I welded on a small platform in a hitch insert. This makes a very handy and stable platform for sharpening saws in the field. I spend 2-5 minutes touching up a chain depending on length and how dull it is. Files are dirt cheap, and treeguys who cannot file a chain are a dime a dozen.
truckviseMedium.jpg
 
[ QUOTE ]
Sounds like you have many more problems on your crew than just a lack of chain sharpening speed/ ability. IMO I do not believe any and every groundman should be allowed to run a chainsaw. Saw running should be confined to those who are competent to do so and less competent saw operators should only run a saw with direct supervision and coaching until they are competent (won't cut dirt all the time).

Part of chainsaw operating training should include filing lessons. I have a cheapo $30 vise I purchased from Harbor Freight that I welded on a small platform in a hitch insert. This makes a very handy and stable platform for sharpening saws in the field. I spend 2-5 minutes touching up a chain depending on length and how dull it is. Files are dirt cheap, and treeguys who cannot file a chain are a dime a dozen.
truckviseMedium.jpg


[/ QUOTE ]

Good post Brian... When I started workin' with saws... I was a kid. The first thing I was taught was how to file a chain.

Tryin' to file a rocked out chain sucks... so it too agree with Brian that not everybody on a crew should be runnin' a saw. You rock it out... you file it or pay for it to be sharpened.

Everybody hits the dirt once in awhile with a chain... If they are doin' it everytime they run a saw... they need to be packin' brush to the chipper.

Gary
 
honestly, everyone on my crew is pretty good with a saw, they are all great workers, no drinking or drug problems and all show up to work on time everyday, not many people can say that, im blessed to have these guys, its not so much them diggin em into the dirt or rocks or anything and honestly, i dont even know why im talking about my crew when all im looking for is a review of a product, not to justify why i have to sharpen all the time but instead of a different way to sharpen, thanks for trying to help guys, i guess ill just bite the bullet and give it a shot
 
OK, no comments on you or your crew.

A $1.50 chainsaw file is the best, fastest, easiest way for me to touch up a dull chain. A new file lasts about 15-20 sharpenings then I throw it out and grab a new one out of the box. That's about 10 cents per sharpening and 2-5 minutes on average.

Most can't grind a chain that fast or that well with any portable grinder.
 
File sharpening is the way to go. I've hand sharpened chains for over 35 years. Hand sharpening gets the chain sharper than grinding. I hand sharpen by eye and use the Oregon chain tool on the depth gauges. Using a grinder can temper the steel, too. So, a file will be of little use on a chain that has been ground, the cutter will dull the file. If you learn to hand sharpen, you can do it in the field.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

New threads New posts

Back
Top Bottom