Filing question

[Stihl Alive]

ok. I'm really trying to avoid buying (or even using my father in law's) chain grinder until I feel like I've perfected hand filing. Plus, I kind of enjoy doing it by hand. Long story short, my question is this. I want to be able to file chains off the bar. I'm thinking of getting a grandberg Filing guide. My idea is to just clamp an old bar in a vise and do it that way. The only bar I don't have in use is for a .325 chain. all my other ones are 3/8. This shouldn't hurt anything should it?

 

[ShoerFast]

ok. I'm really trying to avoid buying (or even using my father in law's) chain grinder until I feel like I've perfected hand filing. Plus, I kind of enjoy doing it by hand. Long story short, my question is this. I want to be able to file chains off the bar. I'm thinking of getting a grandberg Filing guide. My idea is to just clamp an old bar in a vise and do it that way. The only bar I don't have in use is for a .325 chain. all my other ones are 3/8. This shouldn't hurt anything should it?

If the grove is the same width it will work, but if the nose sprocket is a differant pitch, it will not roll as well as you might want, but do-able.

My bench bar is a .050 solid-nose off an old David Bradely, I bought the whole saw for $5-bucks thinking I was going to grind knives out of the bar. (might be 5160 Spring-steel?)

The saw has so few hours on it that its a good runner, I keep the power-head for the local kids to tinker with, they make noise with it and prastice tuning. (it's fun to bugger the settings and let then get t to rev again)

Watch garage/yard and moving sales for the word 'chainsaw' you will find your bench-bar.

 

[Rftreeman]

Stihl, just get yourself one of these, that is what I use and it will work with all your bars and chains, it mounts to the bar while it is on the saw and puts the same edge on all the cutters.

 

[Bearcreek]

Why would you want to file a chain off the bar? I often sharpen my saws two to four times a day. Never felt the need to take them off to do it.

 

[ShoerFast]

Or just throw the whole saw in a vice.

Here is a 660 in the vice of my service truck, getting the DG's tweaked.

 

[Rftreeman]

Or just throw the whole saw in a vice.

Here is a 660 in the vice of my service truck, getting the DG's tweaked.

that's usually what I do when at home but if I need to touch them up on the job I'll free hand them, I'm pretty good at keeping the cutters all at the same angle free handed but when I get home I use the vise and the guide.

 

[Stihl Alive]

most of the time I just sharpen with a stump vise in the woods, or use a bench vise in the shop with the saw attached. But when I'm in a hurry in the field I just pop the dull one off and throw on a sharp one. Not to mention, I'm kind of anal about stuff building up on my chain, so I regularly soak them in cleaner, wash them, then soak them in oil before putting them back in my nice little labeled tupperware containers. :greenchainsaw:

 

[ATH]

....I'm thinking of getting a grandberg Filing guide.....

Get one. I officially stink at free hand sharpening, and I have tried other guides, etc. The Grandberg does a great job.

 

[Mike Van]

Use good files too! I tried to touch one up in the woods yesterday [I grind all mine] with a file that'd been in the bottom of the box for ????? I might as well have used a corn cob for as good as that file was. :bang:

 

[Stihl Alive]

Use good files too! I tried to touch one up in the woods yesterday [I grind all mine] with a file that'd been in the bottom of the box for ????? I might as well have used a corn cob for as good as that file was. :bang:

Does Stihl make a good round file?. I talked the dealer into giving me a dozen 13/64 round files when i got those two saws.

 

[yooper]

Why would you want to file a chain off the bar? I often sharpen my saws two to four times a day. Never felt the need to take them off to do it.

I was wondering the same thing....if ya cant sharpen without a vise...try a small stump vice while in the woods.
Taking the chain off to sharpen sounds like a terrible wast of time..It only takes a couple minuets to sharpen.
Good luck

 

[Crofter]

Why would you want to file a chain off the bar? I often sharpen my saws two to four times a day. Never felt the need to take them off to do it.

Well if you rock one out and have a fair bit to take off it is a lot easier to do it in a dead solid chain vise. If you are square filing it is a lot easier too. When I am bucking up skidded wood I often have to sharpen every ten minutes, sometimes sooner, and I dont take the chain off for that, but if you have a loose chain it is nice to rinse them off of oil to save your files. For precise sharpening it is easier if the tooth is not flopping around on the bar but locked solid to take its licks!

 

[JONSEREDFAN6069]

i can't sharpen a chain to save my life. either have my father in law do it or just buy a new one, think i have about 25 that need to be sharpened now, i get a good deal on em cause i buy em about 5 at a time. sharpened chains dont cut like new.

 

[John Ellison]

sharpened chains dont cut like new.

Thats right, they cut better than new ones.

 

[jomoco]

Thats right, they cut better than new ones.

Touche John, touche!

And completely free handed with a good pferd file no less!

jomoco

 

[grandpatractor]

sharpened chains dont cut like new.

Your right!! If ya sharpen them right they cut faster!!:jawdrop:

 

[JONSEREDFAN6069]

guess i gotta find someone to sharpen em for me to see then, sorry just what i've noticed.

 

[ATH]

i can't sharpen a chain to save my life. either have my father in law do it or just buy a new one, think i have about 25 that need to be sharpened now, i get a good deal on em cause i buy em about 5 at a time. sharpened chains dont cut like new.

The Grandberg File-N-Joint is $27 at Baileys (Link here). I had a collection of chains that I may have made more dull trying to free hand, then using the Oregon 12V grinder thing. They became like new with the File-N-Joint. (but as long as your father in law does it for free...hard to beat that...unless they are not as sharp as new, then maybe the $27 is well worth it.)

 

[Rftreeman]

sharpened chains dont cut like new.

if you cut with one of my sharpened chains you'd be like this :jawdrop:

I can put an edge on one pretty darn good free hand or not.

 

[Mikecutstrees]

sharpening chains by hand is an art. takes years to get really good at. And yes stihl sells good files. Pfered are good too. Just takes alot of practice and a little teaching. Mike