New guy learned something about sharpening chains this week. I have alwasy sharpened my chains with a file since I bought my own saw several years ago. Until recently I only used the saw a few times a year to clear shooting lanes and MAYBE cut a load of fire wood for the fire place. I've been running an 024 with 18" of .235 RS chain. Dad and I used to cut a LOT of wood to heat the house, but when I moved out he and mom got central air and a gas furnace. Go figure 
Anyway, I'm getting ready to put in a wood burner this year, so I picked up a used 036 and I've been cutting quite a bit compaired to what I've cut in recent memory, so I have also done more filling, and in the process I learned somthing reciently.
Dad always said that if I filled one side of the cutters down shorter than the other, the saw would cut and pull to the long side. Made sense to me. Not sure how much it takes, but I had one side that measured .275" with a set of calipers, and the other measured .305" (averages of course), and it still cut pretty straight for me, BUT it was really rough. Not only was one side shorter than the other, but there was a lot of variation in the lenght of the cutters even on one side of the chain. Now, I have to say that 3 out of the 4 chains came with the 024 when I bought it (used) and these are what I learned to file on. I used one of those Oregon filing jigs that mounts to your bar. I was also following the recomendations on the files as far as which size to use. Some of Stihls data says to use a 5/32" file for .325 chain, so that's what I had been doing. Needless to say I got them way out of whack. The chains wanted to grab and kick a lot. Plunge cutting with the 036 was impossible, and so was cutting up. Either one would activate the intertia brake. The 024 is small enough that it wasn't so bad on it. Instead of being rough and bucking a lot, it would just bog the saw down. I thought it was because I had the drag links too short. This past week, I measured each cutter on each of my 4 chains, and sharpened them so that all the cutters on one chain were the same length. OH BOY what a difference! Now both saws cut nice and smooth. Plunge cutting is a piece of cake with the 036.
Dad and I also noticed that the boxes for the .325 RS chain say to use a 3/16 file. Much easier to file with! I also took that Oregon jig and tossed it on teh bench and left it there. A few weeks before I evened up all the cutters, I started doing it all by hand. It's faster and easier than that stupid jig. No knobs to have to adjust, depths to set, or jig to get in the way when I index the chain. Just sharpen it and go. It was harder to get the depth of the file right when I was using the wrong size, but with the 3/16 file it's a breeze. I can run the chain in the dirt till it just won't hardly cut, and have it completely sharpened in about 10 min. I know because I found out that the trunk on a white oak was packed with frozen mud last week....
Anyway, just thought I would share. Thanks for listening.
Mark
Anyway, I'm getting ready to put in a wood burner this year, so I picked up a used 036 and I've been cutting quite a bit compaired to what I've cut in recent memory, so I have also done more filling, and in the process I learned somthing reciently. Dad always said that if I filled one side of the cutters down shorter than the other, the saw would cut and pull to the long side. Made sense to me. Not sure how much it takes, but I had one side that measured .275" with a set of calipers, and the other measured .305" (averages of course), and it still cut pretty straight for me, BUT it was really rough. Not only was one side shorter than the other, but there was a lot of variation in the lenght of the cutters even on one side of the chain. Now, I have to say that 3 out of the 4 chains came with the 024 when I bought it (used) and these are what I learned to file on. I used one of those Oregon filing jigs that mounts to your bar. I was also following the recomendations on the files as far as which size to use. Some of Stihls data says to use a 5/32" file for .325 chain, so that's what I had been doing. Needless to say I got them way out of whack. The chains wanted to grab and kick a lot. Plunge cutting with the 036 was impossible, and so was cutting up. Either one would activate the intertia brake. The 024 is small enough that it wasn't so bad on it. Instead of being rough and bucking a lot, it would just bog the saw down. I thought it was because I had the drag links too short. This past week, I measured each cutter on each of my 4 chains, and sharpened them so that all the cutters on one chain were the same length. OH BOY what a difference! Now both saws cut nice and smooth. Plunge cutting is a piece of cake with the 036.
Dad and I also noticed that the boxes for the .325 RS chain say to use a 3/16 file. Much easier to file with! I also took that Oregon jig and tossed it on teh bench and left it there. A few weeks before I evened up all the cutters, I started doing it all by hand. It's faster and easier than that stupid jig. No knobs to have to adjust, depths to set, or jig to get in the way when I index the chain. Just sharpen it and go. It was harder to get the depth of the file right when I was using the wrong size, but with the 3/16 file it's a breeze. I can run the chain in the dirt till it just won't hardly cut, and have it completely sharpened in about 10 min. I know because I found out that the trunk on a white oak was packed with frozen mud last week....
Anyway, just thought I would share. Thanks for listening.
Mark
