How do I learn to sharpen a chain?
- Thread starter eagleknight97
- Start date
- Location
- West Coast, Wa
U teech me ?
Norm_Hall
New member
- Location
- Wauconda, (Chicago),IL,USA
[ QUOTE ]
Just watch and learn for free.
[/ QUOTE ]
In Vietnamese it's "phree", you idiot.
Just watch and learn for free.
[/ QUOTE ]
In Vietnamese it's "phree", you idiot.
- Location
- South Carolina
Once you understand the dynamics of the chain and what each part does you will have an easier time sharpening them. I find alot of guys don't know what the functions are and put all these weird angles and depths on them. Actully had a guy pull a new chain out of the box and tell me he could get it more sharp and filed it straight across. Practice and the type of chain you use makes a big difference
- Location
- West Coast, Wa
Theres a half truth there/ I and most timberfallers allways grind a new chain. Look at the factory edge under magnifacation and light/ I don't hand file though/ I leave it to Silvey to put a razor. I'm pretty sure thiers one man on this site that can hand file with a square file as good as any grinder on the market. I won't say who but I know he has been around alot biiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiig wood.
The first thing to remember when running a saw is DON'T CUT THE GROUND! You will be sharpening about a fifth as much if you only are cutting wood. Second, know what your intent is when sharpening, do not just run a round file across the truth expecting sharpness. Chances are you have worn the edge of the tooth file of the rounded slightly different colored metal until it is gone. Try to start with the most beat up tooth and then file the others the same. and dont forgert the rakers(flat file)dont be too agressive with them.
do you tend to the rakers the same on a safety chain?
Norm_Hall
New member
- Location
- Wauconda, (Chicago),IL,USA
[ QUOTE ]
do you tend to the rakers the same on a safety chain?
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Just to clarify:
There is no such thing as "Safety chain". It's "reduced kickback" chain.
do you tend to the rakers the same on a safety chain?
[/ QUOTE ]
Just to clarify:
There is no such thing as "Safety chain". It's "reduced kickback" chain.
- Location
- Nationwide
can you find a copy of Beraneks green book, the big fat one? It has an excellent section on sharpening and what to look for.
as has been said before:
-stable platform. For me, a bench vise is favorite, but a stump, tailgate, etc is fine.
-correct size file.
-correct and consistent angle. Use the little hash mark on the back of the cutter tooth as a guide.
-be sure and use a straight push, with gentle upward and backward pressure. No see-sawing or scrubbing back and forth.
-if you like, rotate the file counter clockwise as you file.
-you should pay close attention to the corners of the cutter tooth, looking straight down on the cutter.
-all the shiny metal should appear under the cutter tooth and not down in the gullet.
-use a raker gauge.
personally, I can't stand the reduced kickback chain. Also, I feel that a round file chain is the best design for all around use. We cut limbs, stumps, buck logs on asphalt, etc.
Practice!
as has been said before:
-stable platform. For me, a bench vise is favorite, but a stump, tailgate, etc is fine.
-correct size file.
-correct and consistent angle. Use the little hash mark on the back of the cutter tooth as a guide.
-be sure and use a straight push, with gentle upward and backward pressure. No see-sawing or scrubbing back and forth.
-if you like, rotate the file counter clockwise as you file.
-you should pay close attention to the corners of the cutter tooth, looking straight down on the cutter.
-all the shiny metal should appear under the cutter tooth and not down in the gullet.
-use a raker gauge.
personally, I can't stand the reduced kickback chain. Also, I feel that a round file chain is the best design for all around use. We cut limbs, stumps, buck logs on asphalt, etc.
Practice!
- Location
- Idaho
Hand sharpening a chain isn't as difficult as you might think, but it does take practice. A good place to start is at the Madsen's website. They have a great collection of short articles that explain the ins and outs of how a chain functions and how to sharpen to maximize efficiency. It will save you so much time and headaches if you get started on the right foot! Probably one of the most overlooked components of properly sharpening a chain is filing the rakers to the proper depth in relationship to each individual cutter tooth. It's a myth that each tooth has to be sharpened with the exact same number of "strokes". The rakers control how much cutter tooth comes in contact with the wood, so even if the cutter tooth is razor sharp, if the raker is too high it will not allow the tooth to cut. Conversely, if the raker is too low, too much of the cutter tooth is exposed, resulting in poor cutting performance. Indications of rakers filed too low are excessive vibration, binding, etc. A good test of a properly sharpened chain is to cut into a fairly large log and let the saw do the work. The chain should pull itself into the wood without binding or excessive vibration and cut perfectly straight through the log. Just keep practicing!
boreality
New member
- Location
- boreal forest
- Location
- Lexington, KY- USA
I went to an Arbormaster presentation this past Friday and chainsaw safety and sharpening were covered. The file guide he recommended is shown here the one he had had a depth guide for the rakers built in.
i have always filed by hand about 13 years i would suggest
file guides to beginers.i usually use a vice, try to keep your file level watch ur angle 30 degrees i think, i like to count my strokes and try to keep them the same on each tooth with in reason if one side of ur chain is half the size of the other its gonna cut crescent moons through wood.
i try to rotate my file quarter turn every few teeth just
to wear it even.always use two hands and saftey glasses those metal shards dont feel good in the eye.
oh and make shure ur chain is tightend properly cause it will roll to the side changing ur angle.
file guides to beginers.i usually use a vice, try to keep your file level watch ur angle 30 degrees i think, i like to count my strokes and try to keep them the same on each tooth with in reason if one side of ur chain is half the size of the other its gonna cut crescent moons through wood.
i try to rotate my file quarter turn every few teeth just
to wear it even.always use two hands and saftey glasses those metal shards dont feel good in the eye.
oh and make shure ur chain is tightend properly cause it will roll to the side changing ur angle.
reading a little more of the entrys on this subject i am
shocked at how many people use grinders.
i dont have a lot of experience with them but the little i have seen doesent impress me u take to much of the tooth very easily end u can temper the chain causing it to become britle.
shocked at how many people use grinders.
i dont have a lot of experience with them but the little i have seen doesent impress me u take to much of the tooth very easily end u can temper the chain causing it to become britle.
southsoundtree
Been here much more than a while
- Location
- Olympia, WA
[ QUOTE ]
reading a little more of the entrys on this subject i am
shocked at how many people use grinders.
i dont have a lot of experience with them but the little i have seen doesent impress me u take to much of the tooth very easily end u can temper the chain causing it to become britle.
[/ QUOTE ]
very true. Little experience can lead to just what you say. Better grinders and more experience can avoid this. Our local Stihl shop has an automated grinder than puts out really good grinds. The machine does both the cutters and rakers. I've never had them sharpen one for me, just seen ones that were done.
I have a cheap grinder the does a good enough job for the price I paid (a tip from a customer for work well done, and the info that they can have their chains ground at the saw shop).
Grinders don't seem to be the ultimate replacement for hand files, and they also can do things (match everything) that is not possible with just a hand file.
reading a little more of the entrys on this subject i am
shocked at how many people use grinders.
i dont have a lot of experience with them but the little i have seen doesent impress me u take to much of the tooth very easily end u can temper the chain causing it to become britle.
[/ QUOTE ]
very true. Little experience can lead to just what you say. Better grinders and more experience can avoid this. Our local Stihl shop has an automated grinder than puts out really good grinds. The machine does both the cutters and rakers. I've never had them sharpen one for me, just seen ones that were done.
I have a cheap grinder the does a good enough job for the price I paid (a tip from a customer for work well done, and the info that they can have their chains ground at the saw shop).
Grinders don't seem to be the ultimate replacement for hand files, and they also can do things (match everything) that is not possible with just a hand file.
If you are hand filing you it gets hard to keep both sides even, and you got to keep the rakers filed down. And it is best to keep them touched up constantly, if they get bad, or you hit something then it can be nearly impossible! We have a cheap grinder, not as good as the high dollar ones. But it does a good job! It is made by Chicago Electric, and it runs 39.99. You can find it at harborfreight.com Search chain sharpener.
<u>harborfreight.com</u>
- Location
- Shallotte
Correct if I am wrong but I don’t believe the electric grinder will file the rakers to the correct height.
