Tzed250
Addicted to ArboristSite
After a long wait I finally obtained a tool that I have wanted for quite a while. What kept me from making this happen sooner was the near $200 price tag. Perserverence paid off and I scored one off of the bay for $50 LNIB. I have owned an older metal and plastic Stihl bar mount filing guide for many years, but I have been mostly disapointed with the results obtained from it. I have hand filed for years and I'm OK at it, but maintaining angles and lengths is tedious. I know a grinder will fix all of that, but they bring there own set of issues. I had hoped that the FG2 would be a solution. It is.
The instructions and setup are fairly straightforward. It took me just a short while to get the jig mounted and ready to file. For the first time I believe I can make chain that has sharpness as good or better than the factory edge. Stihl RS comes out of the package very sharp, and it is hard to improve on. Oregon Chisel chain less so. I have long believed that the reason that RS was difficult to copy the factory edge on was because of the toughness of the steel and the chrome thickness. The FG2 provides the needed stiffness to keep the file from chattering. A smooth cut will provide a keen edge. I now feel that after passing over the FG2 my chains are "blueprinted." It is easy to hold +/-.003" on the cutter length. With the clamp it is fairly quick to sharpen one side. To sharpen the other side the whole setup must be flopped, but after a few instances the becomes fiarly easy. This is no flimsy gadget. It is a precision piece of machinery that will produce excellent results with the propper technique. The one disappointment is that it will not adjust to allow square filing. I will probably make the required parts to make that happen. It would have been difficult to part with the $200 retail for this tool, but the results obtained come exremely close to justifying the price. My chains are happy!!!
The tool:
FG2 by zweitakt250, on Flickr
Consistent file indexing:
F1 by zweitakt250, on Flickr
Easy to read adjustments:
A1 by zweitakt250, on Flickr
A2 by zweitakt250, on Flickr
The result:
T1 by zweitakt250, on Flickr
Removing the file holder will allow you to use the clamping mechanism to hold the chain while square filing by hand:
SQ1 by zweitakt250, on Flickr
.
The instructions and setup are fairly straightforward. It took me just a short while to get the jig mounted and ready to file. For the first time I believe I can make chain that has sharpness as good or better than the factory edge. Stihl RS comes out of the package very sharp, and it is hard to improve on. Oregon Chisel chain less so. I have long believed that the reason that RS was difficult to copy the factory edge on was because of the toughness of the steel and the chrome thickness. The FG2 provides the needed stiffness to keep the file from chattering. A smooth cut will provide a keen edge. I now feel that after passing over the FG2 my chains are "blueprinted." It is easy to hold +/-.003" on the cutter length. With the clamp it is fairly quick to sharpen one side. To sharpen the other side the whole setup must be flopped, but after a few instances the becomes fiarly easy. This is no flimsy gadget. It is a precision piece of machinery that will produce excellent results with the propper technique. The one disappointment is that it will not adjust to allow square filing. I will probably make the required parts to make that happen. It would have been difficult to part with the $200 retail for this tool, but the results obtained come exremely close to justifying the price. My chains are happy!!!
The tool:
FG2 by zweitakt250, on Flickr
Consistent file indexing:
F1 by zweitakt250, on Flickr
Easy to read adjustments:
A1 by zweitakt250, on Flickr
A2 by zweitakt250, on Flickr
The result:
T1 by zweitakt250, on Flickr
Removing the file holder will allow you to use the clamping mechanism to hold the chain while square filing by hand:
SQ1 by zweitakt250, on Flickr
.
