New chain sharpening tool

[Fallguy1960]

Has anyone here seen or used this one yet? I know it is not set up for a milling chain. Now if someone out there that could modify the guide set up using a screw and swivel similar to the Grantsberg file guide to make a unit to work on milling chains.:msp_wink:Video | Timberline Chainsaw Sharpener

 

[JasonMS660]

Just watched the vid, I've been looking for something That could give me a more consistent edge. I normally get about 10 sometimes more file sharpens before I send the chain off to get re-dressed.
I was very disappointed in the qlty. On a new chain I brushed a rock slightly and when I got the chain back the cutting teeth were visibly different from left to right so it had to go back. He other chains had evidence of significant overheating from the grinding. It will be the last time i get those guys to Sharpen my chains. There's a Husky dealer in town so i might try them, could be ackward as I'm a Stihl man. I've been considering the granberg clamp on file and Gide type thing as I'm not too worried about how long it takes. I assume that the granberg one can be set to sharpen ripping chains. I've tried the bench grinder type sharpeners but I found that they really chew up your chain. I do a lot of firewood cutting but just about to go into milling my own timber for building. Thanks for posting there are dealers in Aust if the price over here is not rediculous I'll definitely give it a go.

 

[BobL]

$128 buys a lot of files.

 

[JasonMS660]

$128 buys a lot of files.

It sure dose and thats if its only $128 here. (ive sent off an email on the Aust distributor Peerless to get a local price etc. The carbide stones for that unit are $20 bucks each and 40 sharpens long! I know the purest would always back hand filing above all else and they are right. I've been sharpening chains for over 15 years and I just can't get them like the way they are out of the box.:msp_wink:

 

[Stu in Tokyo]

Very interesting and I can see how that would be a great help to get accurate results for a newbie. For me, the fact that it does not do the angles for ripping chain makes it a lot less attractive. It does look like a well made product.

 

[hamish]

For the cost one could easily purchase a good quality grinder or a combi gauge and six dozen files.

 

[DSS]

I've got one that I won here in a raffle. It does work well and I think the carbide cutter will last longer than advertised. Its really well built but there is a learning curve. That being said, I don't use it much. I find it quicker to file by hand.

Its a good compromise from an electric grinder for some people in my opinion. It puts on a nice edge.

 

[hamish]

I've got one that I won here in a raffle. It does work well and I think the carbide cutter will last longer than advertised. Its really well built but there is a learning curve. That being said, I don't use it much. I find it quicker to file by hand.

Its a good compromise from an electric grinder for some people in my opinion. It puts on a nice edge.

Did yours come from Lee Valley?

 

[DSS]

Did yours come from Lee Valley?

Not sure. I donated to a raffle and won it. Came to me from Tennessee.

 

[heyduke]

Timberline Sharpener

i recently purchased the timberline sharpener and i think it is a really good tool. i've been sharpening with a combination of oregon 511, for damaged chains and filing with the new huskvarna guide in between grinding. abrasive wheels overheat the metal no matter how carefully you grind and they also leave an abrasive residue that causes the edges to dull quickly. my experience has been that just about every american (and maybe canadian) male thinks he can play the drums and file a chain, but few really possess the skill to do either. if you're using your saw on a regular basis and not using it as an object to take up shelf space in the garage, you need a sharp chain every time you put it in wood. the timberline, if you use it correctly, will produce a chain that is sharper than a new loop. and, the edge lasts because it wasn't annealed by an abrasive stone. the tungsten carbide burrs cost $20 but they're a good deal. If you sharpen a lot you will go thru a lot of files if that's in your work flow. i usually buy files by the dozen. if you use a file guide that doesn't allow the file to rotate, your files really wear quickly. again, i think this is a remarkably good tool, worth every cent.

you can read my full review here:

http://www.arboristsite.com/chainsaw/180488-33.htm

 

[flashhole]

opcorn:

 

[Fallguy1960]

My thought was if you just can not get the knack for filing this would be a great tool because as has been mentioned grinders tend to to over heat the tooth. I saw on the web site that they offer 25 and 30 degree collets. I think if the back plate was designed with a center hole and a 10 degree collet that could be indexed for the right and left cutters it would be a good unit for milling chains.

 

[BobL]

. . . . . I've been sharpening chains for over 15 years and I just can't get them like the way they are out of the box.:msp_wink:

Tell me how you set your rakers?

 

[scor440]

Chain Sharpener

Just a comment.If you sharpen a chain on a machine and you anneal [soften]the tooth then you need to look at how hard and how much you are grinding off and the condition of the wheel.Most wheels very seldom get cleaned to open up the grain.If it is black or dark gray that is not proper maintenance.If the tooth is not smooth as factory then it will dull faster because you are dealing with a bunch of rough grind marks that are dull in the first place.The lines in the grind should be almost invisible to the eye.It is not a big deal to clean the wheel and even reform the profile radius on the wheel with some practice [get the tooth angle correct] if you take the time to do it.My 2 cents from 20 years in the tool grind industry.

 

[JasonMS660]

Tell me how you set your rakers?

Hi bob, my file sharpener PFERD which keeps them termed every time you sharpen.
I noticed the last chains I got my local Stihl dealer in town to grind dosn't as they were hopeless. I'll have to reset the rakers now, I do think I'll go back to those guys again.

 

[BobL]

Hi bob, my file sharpener PFERD which keeps them termed every time you sharpen.

Sorry but that is a constant raker depths system, and it files rakers flat which is not as effective as rounding them over. That system is guaranteed to make chains cut less and less efficiently as the chain wears

The system that keeps chains cutting "like new or better" ,and optimises cutting speed by customising the raker depths to suit your saw/wood/cut width and your favourite sandwich filling, until the cutter teeth are so short they break off, is called the progressive raker depth or constant raker angle. There are some gizmos like the Carlton File-o-plate (FOP) that sort of do this but the do it to a fixed angle that is on the wussy side.

The thread in Hot Saws - CHain sharpening that discusses this in grimy detail is here
http://www.arboristsite.com/chain-sharpening/114624.htm

 

[JasonMS660]

Sorry but that is a constant raker depths system, and it files rakers flat which is not as effective as rounding them over. That system is guaranteed to make chains cut less and less efficiently as the chain wears

The system that keeps chains cutting "like new or better" ,and optimises cutting speed by customising the raker depths to suit your saw/wood/cut width and your favourite sandwich filling, until the cutter teeth are so short they break off, is called the progressive raker depth or constant raker angle. There are some gizmos like the Carlton File-o-plate (FOP) that sort of do this but the do it to a fixed angle that is on the wussy side.

The thread in Hot Saws - CHain sharpening that discusses this in grimy detail is here
http://www.arboristsite.com/chain-sharpening/114624.htm

Yes you are right, it wasn't till after reading on your advise about the progressive raker depth that I also realized that I need to shape the raker otherwise It leaves a flat top on the raker. So much to catch up on, but this site really helps. Thanks fore your advice Bob.

 

[heyduke]

Tell me how you set your rakers?

i use the oregon 511 with a 1/4" wheel to grind the rakers. years ago i had a silvey raker grinder but i think the method i use now is more precise and just as fast.

 

[heyduke]

Just a comment.If you sharpen a chain on a machine and you anneal [soften]the tooth then you need to look at how hard and how much you are grinding off and the condition of the wheel.Most wheels very seldom get cleaned to open up the grain.If it is black or dark gray that is not proper maintenance.If the tooth is not smooth as factory then it will dull faster because you are dealing with a bunch of rough grind marks that are dull in the first place.The lines in the grind should be almost invisible to the eye.It is not a big deal to clean the wheel and even reform the profile radius on the wheel with some practice [get the tooth angle correct] if you take the time to do it.My 2 cents from 20 years in the tool grind industry.

good advice, you need to keep your grinding wheel dressed and clean. you can also minimise annealing by making multiple light cuts, using a quick motion that minimizes the time the metal is in contact with the wheel BUT the metal at the edge is really thin and will always overheat to some degree. regarding inspection of the sharpened tooth, i must agree with you there too. your best tool for sharpening is a good pair of reading glasses.

that being said, i hope you have the opportunity to try the timberline with tungsten carbide cutters, turning a a very low speed, maybe 100rpm, and the exact diameter specified by oregon, stihl or carlton. the finished tooth is a thing of beauty. I suppose they use a similar cutter at the factory for sharpening chains. one word of warning, almost all 3/8" oregon chain, excluding lo-pro and ripping is ground to 25 degrees at the factory now. I don't know when they changed from 30 degrees. maybe it was a kickback issue. anyway the getting 30 and 25 degree guide is a good idea if you buy the sharpener.

another observation, a really common comment by guys using the timberline for the first time, sharpening a chain that has had some use, is that they didn't know how bad their filing skills actually were.

i didn't realize at first that this was the milling forum and that deserves a comment too. i think it would be possible to design a sharpener for 10 degree plates but it would need to be reversible because there wouldn't be room for two cutter guides. i've done quite a bit of milling and know the frustration with chain getting dull half way thru a piece of doug fir or redwood. this type of sharpener would be a real asset for milling. it needs no electricity and works as well in the field as in the shop. talk to phil at timberline. see what he says.

 

[lumberjack48]

I wish i could spend an hour with you hands on, I'd have you filing by hand. New chain out of the box, doesn't have a super sharp edge on them. I always filed a new chain before using it.

Take a new chain, look straight down at it, you'll see a shinny edge along the edge of the cutter. If you do see it, its dull, it'll take about one full stroke with a file to remove it, when its gone its sharp.

I have never seen a chain out of the box that didn't have it, or off the roll.

What i think is funny, they tell you to use a 7/32 file, hell it doesn't fit in the cutter. This is because it wasn't sharped with a 7/32 grinder. Take a 3/16 or 5/32 file, it'll fit, i use a 5/32 file, it fits in the factory grind. This is the main reason you can never get it to cut as good as it did out of the box.